Krones launches compact beverage packer with 180-degree crate flow reversal

Krones has launched an upgraded single-end version of its Varioline 1M beverage packaging machine that reverses crate flow by 180 degrees during packing, without losing speed compared to a classic straight-through machine. 

According to the packaging machinery company, the updated design reduces the machine’s footprint, improves operator accessibility, and allows beverage producers to optimize space in their packaging lines. 

The bottling machine is said to process up to 103,000 containers per hour, for an hourly output of about 4,300 packs. It features synchronized robotic handling that aims to reduce bottle scuffing, noise, and interruptions compared with conventional stop-and-go systems. 

“In a conventional packer, the containers must be stopped for pick-up. In the Varioline 1M, the robot is directly synchronized with the continuous inflow of containers,” explains Maximilian Kühnl, product specialist for the dry end at Krones. 

“And that is now also possible for flow direction reversal inside the machine, without compromising on performance.” 

Meanwhile, the machines’ updated infeed and discharge conveyors run next to each other on the same side of the machine, which aims to free space for line layout and operators. Krones says the machines have a small physical footprint, and easy access can enable operators to reach the machine if it malfunctions. 

Holistically designed machinery 

The first two upgraded machines were ordered by the Krombacher Brauerei in Germany. According to Krones, the machines are part of the brewery’s current investment initiative under which the machinery company has been upgrading the brewer’s equipment since 2024. 

In the partnership, Krones has installed new sweep-off depalletizers, selective unpackers, and a number of palletizers. 

“In a project of this size, every square meter, every single manipulation during operation counts for us. So, a machine with a smaller footprint that also ensures good accessibility is exactly what we need,” says Ludger Hense, senior manager for Bottling at the Krombacher Brauerei. 

Increasingly, packaging machinery companies are innovating compact and holistically designed machines to reduce space and optimize performance. 

At BrauBeviale 2026 (Nov 10–12) in Nuremberg, Germany, KHS will present its latest machines, whose components can be integrated into a “perfectly aligned, complete system that minimizes unplanned downtime and improves overall equipment effectiveness.” 

Meanwhile, Krones will showcase its processing, filling, and digital solutions for the brewing industry, targeting the “growing global demand for alcohol-free beers” with its trade show appearance. 

In a recent conversation with Packaging Insights, Andrea Solfa, product manager for End of Lines and Tunnels at Sidel, told us that, as producers manage a growing number of SKUs and packaging formats, they are increasingly under pressure to reduce energy and material use, lower operating costs, and meet targets. 

Meanwhile, we explored the latest packaging machinery equipment that aims to help producers tackle labor shortages, rising sustainability requirements, and increasingly complex production demands with Markem-Imaje, Multivac, Sidel, Syntegon, TNA Solutions, and UFlex.