Suntory Japan has adopted the Gebo AQFlex from Sidel to deliver smooth and contactless single file handling of containers to improve efficiencies.
Commenting on the installation, chief operating officer, Global technical department at Suntory Japan Toshiya Kobayashi said: “Our highest priority was to ensure the best quality for our customers.”
Suntory Japan’s newest bottling facility, the Shinano-no-mori plant, is the production home for Tennensui mineral water, produced in one of the lightest PET bottles in Japan. The light weight of the bottle increases quality risks during production, such as dents being caused by contact between the bottles, or bottles falling over.
Suntory Japan therefore required a product handling solution that would ensure full product care by protecting the bottle’s exterior to prevent the possibility of bottles falling. The beverage manufacturer turned to Sidel and made the decision to adopt Gebo AQFlex.
Designed for all types of containers, Sidel’s all-in-one product conveying and accumulation solution ensures the highest level of product quality, due to its gentle, 100% contactless and single-lane handling of containers, thus fully meeting Suntory Japan’s expectations.
“After several visits to the Suntory France site where the Gebo AQFlex was already successfully installed and running, we were reassured that the solution would be able to reach the high performance and output levels we required,” continues Toshiya Kobayashi.
Offering a compact, all-in-one design and operating fully automatically at an efficiency of more than 99.5% whatever the speed, the AQFlex solution enabled Suntory Japan to improve its line layout and guarantee the brand’s high level of productivity while ensuring the safety of its employees.
“Gebo AQFlex has improved our production line in many ways, from the space-saving aspect, the simplicity of layouts to the wide range of automation solutions, and it has contributed to improving the line’s operating rate and quality,” said Toshiya Kobayashi.
While Suntory Japan currently manufactures two types of bottles at its new plant, the small, 550 ml plastic bottle and the large, 2 litre plastic bottle, Sidel’s Gebo AQFlex offers enhanced flexibility which can easily handle any new bottle formats if needed in the future.
“The solution can accommodate any product, whatever the application, in all container materials, formats and shapes,” says Nicolas Bossert, Gebo AQFlex production and business development manager. “It is sold all around the world and can be used in many different market categories highlighting its impressive flexibility.”
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