KHS advances material reduction with adhesive multipacks and tray shrink alternatives
Key takeaways
- KHS highlights its Nature MultiPack adhesive-dot technology and Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced tray shrink packer.
- The company presents alternatives to shrink film, including BottleClip cardboard-based multipacks, while emphasizing recyclability.
- KHS also presents digital tools such as ConnectApp and AI-powered predictive maintenance solutions.
Peter Brücker, head of the KHS packaging technology product center (All image credits: KHS).Amid ongoing demand for optimized packaging solutions for material reduction, Peter Brücker, head of the KHS packaging technology product center in Kleve, Germany, highlights the company’s Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced packer with newly developed BottleClip option, and the KHS Nature MultiPack solution. Brücker also discusses supply chain optimization and software solutions.
The Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced combines maximum flexibility and efficiency with ease of operation and progressive automation technology. For Interpack 2026, KHS has added a new packaging option to its established packer that packs beverage cans as well as PET and glass bottles on trays and pads and in film.
PET bottles can also be turned into stable packs using the resource-conserving BottleClip Carrier cardboard carrying handle, according to KHS. The company adds that users can choose between flexible format sizes with a diverse range of multipack versions.
“One big market trend is sustainability and the reduction of plastic packaging. With our new BottleClip option for the Innopack Kisters Advanced series customers can produce sustainable multipacks with cardboard, completely plastic-free,” Brücker tells Packaging Insights.
Design for compliance and resilience
The KHS Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced gives customers a multitude of packaging options.Brücker says that these material-reduction solutions facilitate compliance with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
“For us, the PPWR is a catalyst for sustainable technologies that we already offer. One example is our market-proven Nature MultiPack that is already in line with the PPWR. It turns cans or PET bottles into stable packs using nothing more than a few small dots of adhesive,” he tells Packaging Insights.
Brücker explains that the ongoing global supply chain issues are not affecting KHS in a big way because the company’s global structure allows it to manufacture globally.
“We have manufacturing areas in Germany, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and the US. This means we can keep our supply chains stable and minimize transportation risks.”
“We also maintain strong, long-term partnerships all over the world so that we can continue to react flexibly even in the event of trade conflicts or imposed tariffs.”
Software for customer ease
The KHS Nature MultiPack solution holds containers together with adhesive dots.At the same time, software solutions like the KHS ConnectApp Guide target the digitalization trend driving the packaging industry forward, asserts Brücker.
“We have a QR code on our machine that leads directly to our KHS ConnectApp Guide. There, you have the possibility to view, for example, cleaning or inspection lists, which helps the operator a lot.”
“It also supports operating personnel with integrated bills of materials which they can order directly from the app.”
KHS further offers AI solutions like an AI-assisted inspection system that automatically checks the integrity of closures and seals, thus considerably reducing the number of rejects. “At KHS, digital systems serve to increase transparency on the line state and minimize machine downtime,” explains Brücker.
