BrauBeviale 2026: KHS targets energy savings and downtime with glass bottling retrofits

KHS is highlighting its conversion and machinery upgrade strategies for its reusable glass bottle lines at BrauBeviale 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany (Nov 10–12), tapping into industry demand for reduced energy consumption and downtime, and improved flexibility. 

“Some machines are so heavily integrated into the line that the shop roof would have to be opened for replacement, calling for several weeks of production downtime and a huge amount of logistical effort,” says Torben Brill, service product manager at KHS. 

“Conversion, on the other hand, can usually be carried out in situ, bringing the machine back up to date in a much shorter period of time.” 

The company highlights how regular line audits can modernize energy-intensive processes, such as in the cleaning process of glass bottles, during which washers heat up several cubic meters of liquid to up to 80 degrees Celsius. 

KHS shares that its Innoclean ECO carrier retrofit can reduce the carryover of heat and liquid between the process zones. 

Meanwhile, it says that its Liquid Efficiency Spraying System aims to address the high electricity requirements associated with bottle washing. In the system, frequency converters can regulate the spray pumps to reduce power consumption while the bottles continue to be kept damp. 

According to KHS, the retrofit option cuts spray pump energy consumption by up to 40%. 

Downtime and flexibility 

Alongside solutions to reduce energy efficiency, KHS also offers retrofits to reduce downtime, specifically with its Innofill Glass filler. 

Brill adds: “During rolling maintenance, we replace an individually specified number of filling valves with a spare set at plannable intervals instead of removing them all at once.” 

“This significantly lowers downtime to around ten hours, with this number reducible to almost zero when scheduled maintenance windows are used to this end.” 

Meanwhile, the KHS Innopas SX tunnel pasteurizer can be updated with flexible speed control that aims to keep product flow constant and reduce the number of machine stops. 

KHS points out that flexibility is becoming more important as product varietygrows. It explains that during filling, bottles are frequently rotated, so standard conveying starts need to be laboriously adjusted. 

The machinery company says that this challenge is eased by its Tyrolon Star addition, which can be retrofitted during modernizations of the KHS Innoket Neo labeler and KHS Innofill Glass filler. 

Digital alignments 

KHS also notes that its range of “classic modernization” techniques for reusable glass bottling lines can work alongside its digital solutions. 

The digital task management KHS ConnectApp Guide aims to help operating personnel streamline their tasks, while the KHS Connect customer portal supplies spare parts packages and remote support to consumers during disruption to the machinery line. 

At BrauBeviale 2026, KHS Group is also demonstrating its future-proof turnkey plant engineering from a single source.