SACS (Stella Alpina Cost Saving) compact line
The compact line which makes savings and respects the environment.
Located in Mojo de’ Calvi (Orobic Alps), 50 km north of Bergamo, amid rocky peaks, lush forests and clean air, is a plant at the cutting-edge of technology established from a collaboration between SMI and “Stella Alpina” mineral water spring. Both companies’ “DNA” is made up of a strong commitment to innovation and respect for the environment, hence the idea to devise, also in collaboration with the companies SIAD and P.E. Labellers, a new production line which would use more advanced technological solutions to significantly lower the costs of production for every single bottle of still or sparkling water and would respect the surrounding environment, allowing maximum product traceability thanks to laser marking.
The new “SACS” (“Stella Alpina Cost Saving”) line was devised, designed and created by SMI – over a surface area of just 800m2 – to produce up to 14,400 bottles per hour in a more efficient and economical way compared to the pre-existing bottling plant at that spring.
Up to a 30% reduction in primary packaging material.
SMI achieved this objective by designing two new “ultra-light” PET containers, one for 0.5L and the other for 1.5L, obtained by stretch-blow moulding preforms of 11g and 23g respectively, both with Alaska267 thread (previously, Stella Alpina used 15-16g preforms for 0.5L bottles and 30-31g preforms for 1.5L bottles).
The particularly attractive design of the bottle was designed to allow for ergonomic handling of the container, improving its intrinsic properties in terms of solidity and manageability, encouraging its use even outside the house. The SACS project includes the use of a new generation P.E. labeller based upon “Adhesleeve” technology which allows for pre-glued labels to be applied without having to use hot glue.
Up to a 50% reduction in secondary packaging material.
SMI achieved this objective by equipping its own shrinkwrapper with a new knife with a motorised blade controlled by digital servo-drivers, which allows for the use of shrink film with a thickness less than 30 micron (as against the 50 - 60 micron previously used by Stella Alpina) for the 3x2 format of 0.5L bottles.
Up to a 20% reduction in the purchase, running and maintenance costs.
SMI’s designers focused upon creating a very compact system, made up essentially of just two blocks: the unit for primary packaging and another for secondary packaging. The former is made up of a system of stretch-blow moulding, filling / capping and labelling, known as ECOBLOC® PLUS, which combines in a single machine the aforementioned functions and allows, therefore, for the complete cycle of primary packaging to be managed by a single system, from the preform to the filled, capped and labelled bottle. Also, in the ECOBLOC® PLUS system, bottle movement occurs through direct star-star transfer, allowing for significant savings in terms of initial investment, maintenance costs and energy consumption.
The secondary packaging unit, designed by SMI from scratch, is an innovative shrink film packaging system which includes thrust integration between the shrinkwrapper and the palletiser; this solution has allowed for the area occupied by the end of line machines to be contained and involves a drastic reduction in connecting conveyors between the shrinkwrapper and the palletiser.
Up to a 90% reduction in water used for cleaning the plant.
Up to a 15% reduction in energy consumption.
This objective was achieved by SMI thanks to:
- SIAD “oil free” high pressure compressor integrated into the blow moulding system;
- ARS air recovery system, assembled as standard on the blow moulder, which allows for up to a 40% reduction in consumption of high pressure compressed air;
- recovery of heat from the blow moulder and air compression systems, partly used for pre-heating the preforms and partly discharged to the shrinking oven in the end of line shrinkwrapper;
- use of lighter preforms (11g for 0.5L bottles and 23g for 1.5L bottles) and thinner shrink films (less than 30 micron) which require less heat during the stretch blow-moulding and shrinking processes and therefore allow for a significant reduction in the electrical energy required to heat the blow moulder and shrinkwrapper ovens;
- less wear on the components, thanks to the reduction in moving parts and the use of more resistant materials;
- use of high energy efficiency motors on the conveyors.
Up to a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Result achieved thanks to a reduction in energy consumption throughout the whole plant deriving from the use of machines with high energy efficiency, the lightening of the primary and secondary packaging and the future use of “green” polymers.
