Siemens and T Freemantle unite on plastic-replacement craft beer packaging solutions

16 Nov 2020 --- German technology giant Siemens is partnering with British packaging machinery manufacturer T Freemantle, delivering fully recyclable cans and cartonboard secondary packaging to the growing global craft beer industry.

The collaboration designed and built three machine solutions capable of packing a range of can or bottle sizes and counts and operating at varying speed.

The solutions eradicate the need for conventional plastic shrink wrap or rings, which are typically unrecyclable.

“[The machines are] developed to deliver flexibility to the craft brewers who may be packing multiple products on short runs and quickly changeable for multiple products,” Andy Lanes, business development manager UK at Siemens Digital Industries, tells PackagingInsights.

Plastic made “redundant”
The machines are designed to offer small breweries the opportunity to scale up and meet the “increasing demand for more environmentally friendly packaging.” 

All packaging produced by the machines is made of cartonboard, making shrink wrapping and plastic rings “redundant.” 

The collaboration views the new technology as an opportunity for breweries to move from the taproom stage to supplying retail and supermarkets shelves with their products.

“Traditional packaging machines handle significant volumes, which are completely unnecessary for our customers,” explains Tony Freemantle, managing director of T Freemantle. 

“Packaging machines available to the sector were not suitable as they were designed for large volumes. The brewery market needed something more bespoke for small to medium volumes.”The collaboration aims to eradicate plastic in craft beer primary and secondary packaging.

“Our partnership with Siemens has offered a solution to the industry and helped our business penetrate a new global market.”

New partnership and opportunities
T Freemantle has already received 20 orders in the last 18 months, including The London Beer Factory; Vocation; Beavertown, Northern Monk and Thornbridge.

The company saw a gap in the market and approached Siemens Digital Industries to develop bespoke machines for the craft brewery market. 

There are currently over 20,000 craft brewers globally, of which 10 percent are in the UK, something the partnership hopes will be a springboard for international business development.

New technology
The three machines all include a full deployment of Siemens technology, including human machine interface (HMI), servo drive, control gear and programmable logic controller (PLC). 

The three options offer different speeds and capacities for packaging. 

The technology also allows manufacturers flexibility in production processes, integrating new technologies with Internet of Things (IoT) software solutions. 

Siemens says the increase in efficiency makes it possible for a faster time to market for products.The new machines are equipped with human machine interface technology.

“It validates our decision three years ago to make Siemens our preferred supplier of technology for all our machines. Siemens offers us world-leading technology coupled with a high level of technical support and assistance at the point of commission to ensure a smooth installation to our customers,” notes T Freemantle. 

Up to 14,000 bottles an hour 
The semi-automatic beverage cartoning machine can produce can and bottle multi-packs in counts of 4 to 24 and can run at a rate of up to 14,000 cans or bottles per hour.

T Freemantle is offering its customers various options, including the starter model multi-pack, which works well for smaller breweries as these are manually packed. 

The semi-automatic and the high speed fully automated packaging solution – which connects directly to a canning line – has a speed range of handling cans or bottles from 3,000 to 35,000 per hour.

Plastic rings phase out 
Budweiser recently announced plans to phase out all use of plastic rings and shrink wrapping in its supply chain using KeelClip technology – a paper-based alternative to plastic rings or shrink wrap.

The plans could result in a reduction of 850 tons of plastic waste per year. 

By Louis Gore-Langton