Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages reports massive water savings with KHS technology

20 Nov 2020 --- South Africa-based Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) is saving massive amounts of water in its production process with the help of German filling and packaging specialist KHS Group.

Facing severe water shortages caused by climate change, the glass bottling company turned to KHS for help, producing remarkable results the collaboration says serve as an industry-wide example.

Soft drinks production often requires over twice the amount of water per liter of finished product, an issue KHS’ technology is specifically designed to reduce.

CCPB installed two KHS machines at its site in Parow, South Africa, immediately achieving a 25 percent reduction in water usage in comparison with its previous machines. 

The glass bottlers reduced the water consumed per liter of finished beverage from 3.6 L to 1.7 L in 12 years through KHS machinery investment and several other measures.

“At the end of last year we and two other companies were awarded a five-star water rating by the City of Cape Town for our exemplary water management,” says Greg Morse, manufacturing and supply chain director at CCPB. 

Machinery savings
Potential savings made possible by KHS machinery include:

• A mixer saving up to 1.2 million liters of water per year (producing up to 72,000 L of beverage per hour).
• A stretch blow molder block saving up to 33 million liters of water per year (producing 36,000 1.5 L bottles per hour).
• A can filler saving up to 1.2 million liters per year (producing 70,000 cans per hour). 
• A glass bottle filler saving up to 10 million liters of water per year (producing 50,000 0.5 L bottles per hour). 

Moreover, CCPB’s use of the machines made the reuse of its plastic and glass bottles easier by speeding the cleaning time. 

Clean machines save water
A central lesson from the CCPB operation is that hygienic design should always take a central role in machinery development, says KHS.

“We aim to reduce the consumption of water in beverage production to an absolute minimum without neglecting the necessary standards of hygiene,” explains Siegmar Stang, executive vice-president of the filling technology product division at KHS. 

The buildup of deposits can be prevented by eliminating dead spots and using high-alloy, corrosion-resistant steel with low surface roughness. This shortens cleaning time, saves on water and other cleaning materials while lowering energy use. Siegmar Stang, executive vice-president of the filling technology product division at KHS.

Rinse water can also access all surfaces without obstruction and clean them without leaving any residue. In other areas, the machine design ensures cleaning water can even be entirely removed. 

For example, servotechnology and pneumatic equipment replace the wet-lubricated mechanical cam and roller parts previously used in KHS can fillers. 

Save water, save money 
The question of economics and environment plays a vital role in the quest to save water in industry. 

“The prime focus here is on the total cost of ownership,” asserts Stang. 

“Our customers operate in high-investment supply chains with extremely large throughputs. Each and every minute of cleaning counts; each machine downtime means lost revenue.” 

Government regulation is another weight pressuring companies to prove their efforts in making savings on water and energy. 

“From the CE mark and TÜV certification to the strict requirements of governments or institutional bodies, the bar for saving resources is being set higher and higher,” notes KHS. 

The concept of a “water footprint” is also becoming increasingly well known outside of regions such as South Africa that are already in crisis. 

Companies have a growing incentive to prove to consumers they are aware and improving this area of environmental sustainability. 

For example, Carlsberg has set the goal of reducing its water consumption in beer production by 50 percent by 2030. 

Other industry players, from brewery groups to soft drink manufacturers, are making similar voluntary commitments which they intend to implement – often with the help of KHS’s technology.

By Louis Gore-Langton