• Success story Innofill Glass DRS ECO glass bottle filler  
• Nature MultiPack with new universal adhesive for PET bottles 
• Virtual training courses supplement smart service products  

After a four-year break the beverage industry returns to Nuremberg: at BrauBeviale from November 28 to 30 KHS, will be presenting its extensive portfolio of cutting-edge filling technology and resource-conserving packaging systems. The modular Innofill Glass DRS ECO filling system will be the center of attention at KHS’ trade show booth – a veritable success story whose consumption values and product quality prove convincing.

Nature MultiPack (NMP) is also setting standards as one of the most sustainable types of secondary packaging currently on the market. Following the introduction of a universal adhesive for the beverage can segment, in the future KHS will now be offering this for PET, too. The KHS portfolio is rounded off by a number of digital service products, among them intelligent systems for remote diagnosis and maintenance and a range of additional virtual training courses.   

The last successful trade show in Nuremberg in 2019 attracted around 40,000 visitors from 138 different countries of the world. For KHS as the second-largest exhibitor, this is reason enough to present the global beverage industry with its latest developments, as Kai Acker, CEO of KHS GmbH, emphasizes: “We’re very excited about finally returning to Nuremberg after such a long break and convincing our international trade visitors of our profitable and sustainable systems and solutions.” 

Pioneer in efficiency and conversing resources  

This is exactly where the Innofill Glass DRS ECO comes in. Since its launch in 2019, the modular glass filler has been installed many times over throughout the world. Its success is primarily attributable to its special evacuation and CO₂ purging process for glass bottles. Here, during pre-evacuation air – and thus oxygen – is first removed from the containers before they are then purged with a precisely dosed amount of carbon dioxide. The result is compelling: the machinery lets less oxygen into the beer – and in doing so consumes up to 60 percent less CO₂. The less carbon dioxide used per filled bottle, the more efficient the filling process. “Low-oxygen filling brings product quality up to a new level and thus ensures perfect enjoyment of the beer,” explains Acker. 

At the trade show KHS will also be focusing on reducing packaging materials – and thus supporting the circular economy. Following the successful launch of a universal adhesive for beverage cans, KHS is now also offering this pioneering streamlined consumable for plastic bottles. Still one of the most environmentally-friendly secondary packaging styles on the market, PET containers of practically any shape, size or material thickness can now be joined together using just one type of adhesive. This is facilitated by a special process where the adhesive is foamed during application to the containers. The new system also increases the level of convenience for the consumer, as bottles are easier to separate. Moreover, the outer wall of the PET container is subjected to less stress when the pack is opened, meaning that even with lightweight bottles with a very low wall thickness overload and damage are more or less totally ruled out. 

Digital systems a fixed feature of the KHS service portfolio  

KHS is not only smart and intelligent with respect to its filling and packaging expertise; its digital service portfolio is also a feature of this year’s trade show booth. With ReDiS (Remote Diagnostic Service) the systems supplier already supplies a highly efficient method of remote maintenance. This enables system disruptions to be analyzed and remedied and software updates and modified system parameters to be uploaded to the machinery at any time in consultation with the customer. KHS provides additional help to make troubleshooting more time- and cost-effective with its ARS or Augmented Reality Service. According to the principle of ‘I see what you see’, support engineers gain a clear picture of the situation through the smart glasses worn by the user and line availability is thus quickly restored.  

KHS has also gone digital when it comes to training: in addition to its tried-and-tested services offered on site or at its various training centers worldwide that are now also accessible online, with its virtual training center the Dortmund engineering company has now moved one step closer to providing modern, flexible forms of learning. Here, customers can independently master the correct operation and regular maintenance of their machines – with educational units both instructive and entertaining and accessible 24/7. Grouped under the KHS campus brand, the courses form a full blended learning package of extensive vocational and further training and human resource development measures. 

“With the range of digital systems and solutions constantly growing, we’re specifically expanding our service so that customers can make the best use of our future-proof technologies in day-to-day production and operate them reliably and efficiently,” says Acker.  

The KHS Group will be presenting its systems and solutions at Booth 8-418 in Hall 8 at BrauBeviale in Nuremberg, Germany, from November 28 to 30, 2023.