KHS drives beverage industry digital “revolution” with networking and line optimization projects

09 Aug 2019 --- The entire sector is talking about digitization and Industry 4.0, but what do these oft-cited terms actually mean for the beverage industry? One thing is clear: the potential is vast. Digital technologies simplify processes, connect network systems with one another and relieve operator workloads. At the same time, the digital revolution presents beverage producers and engineering companies with many mighty challenges. As one of the leading systems suppliers KHS is aware of the significance these complex change processes hold for the success of a business and is working to drive a number of research and development projects which specifically focus on digital networking and line optimization.

For KHS, one goal of its group strategy is to boost line efficiency and cut down on the amount of materials and energy used. “When deciding whether we implement an idea or not, it’s the added value for the customer that counts for us,” states Dr. Matthias Schopp, Head of Engineering Systems at KHS.

The Dortmund systems provider thus finds it prudent to enter into close cooperative partnerships with its clients to this end. “These provide the perfect conditions in which to approach new technologies with realistic expectations and with an open mind as to their outcome,” says Schopp. “This is demonstrated by our various sponsorship projects, for instance, where we can experiment with new technologies in a kind of ‘protected space.’ This can definitely be referred to as a platform which enables our developers, together with experts outside the company, to try out new ideas that carry a certain risk of implementation.”Assistance system: With technology becoming ever more complex, KHS wants to simplify operation for its human users. The systems provider is thus involved in the CyProAssist research project which aims to develop a production assistant.

Networking and cooperation with research institutes and universities 
KHS believes one vital driver of progress to be networking and cooperation with external research institutes and universities. For example, KHS is involved in a project for additive production in maintenance logistics managed by a research consortium comprising scientists from the TU Dortmund, Ruhr University in Bochum and Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML). In this process, which is also described as 3D printing, components are produced layer by layer. Among other things, this form of manufacture permits complex component structures to be fabricated that cannot be made using conventional methods and are to simplify the production of machines in the future. The 3D printing process also speeds up the supply of spare parts as production is much faster than conventional manufacture. At the moment the selected projects focus on networking, digitization and process optimization, but the overriding aim of the research activities is to make lines and machines even more energy efficient and gentler on resources so that KHS customers also profit from these projects in the future, Schopp explains.

Faster filling processes through self-optimizing systems 
One research project KHS recently brought to a successful conclusion is DnSPro. This acronym describes the development of a filling system that is equipped with various sensors and an intelligent logic controller. “The results from this project can form the basis for future filling machines where the machine can perfectly adjust itself to a new project automatically, with the automated variation of filling parameters replacing manual setup procedures,” notes Schopp. This development centers on the application of machine learning for perfect adaptation to the bottle form, making the filling process quicker and more efficient.

The project has evolved from a cooperation between five industrial companies and the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences and Ruhr University in Bochum. “Both the cooperation and interdisciplinary development of the machinery were exemplary in this project and will make a major contribution to future product developments,” Schopp adds.

KHS line optimization makes contribution to sustainability
KHS is aiming to gain new impetus in energy-resource efficiency through its the EnAP project. The goal here is to devise energy-saving concepts and line optimization processes that can be used in pneumatic and electrical handling systems. The project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, not only intends to help save energy and resources but also to enable the beverage industry to keep its overall operating costs down to a minimum.

Digital technologies relieve operator workloads
Another primary concern for KHS is the interaction between man and machine. “Our aim must be to make the operation of the increasingly complex technology demanded by growing market requirements easier for human operators. With the help of artificial intelligence we want to engineer self-learning and self-optimizing systems,” explains Schopp.

Currently, KHS is examining the basic principles in this area under the umbrella of the CyProAssist project. The objective is to develop an assistance system for production which supports optimum human machine operation. “We want to help machine operators so that operating errors are avoided and error states corrected as quickly as possible to permit high line availability,” he says.Line optimization: KHS is currently actively involved in a good number of research projects which focus specifically on line optimization and digital networking.

Badische Staatsbrauerei profits from digital KHS technology
KHS’ cooperation with Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus shows that the use of digital technology in the beverage industry is no longer a vision for the future but very much a present-day commodity. The systems engineer from Dortmund recently supplied its long-standing customer with an Innofill Glass DRS glass bottler, which includes many additional digital functions, such as a camera-controlled high-pressure injection control system called OPTICAM. This produces a fine jet of water which displaces the residual oxygen from the filled bottle and is thus of great importance for the quality and shelf-life of the beer. With this new development KHS allows the head of foam to be continuously monitored and regulated without the need for operator intervention. In this way Rothaus can not only reduce the beer loss due to excessive foaming but also detect and reject bottles with insufficient foaming.

The newly developed DIAS diagnostic assistance system also has a positive effect on the filling process. Sensors in every single filling valve ensure constant monitoring and visualization during filling. This means that any deviations from the target values are immediately recognized. A further special mention should be given to the fact that the evacuation and CO2 purging processes are monitored to ensure low oxygen pickup. Broken bottles are consistently detected and damaged bottles automatically rejected. The sensor data can be retrieved at any time and used to statistically evaluate results, with the help of which future possible sources of error can be detected and eradicated in advance. In practice this not only makes fast, targeted repairs possible and relieves operator workloads but also provides a basis for maintenance work.

“All told, we can observe that our current sponsored projects lie in the right fields of research and are yielding results that are directly tangible. Besides these, our projects are also having a positive influence on the expertise gleaned by our employees. After all, we all also learn as we work,” Schopp concludes.

Edited by Joshua Poole