SMART
PRODUCTION
47
FEB 2017 FOOD FOCUSTHAILAND
Guedila has been operating the two identical lines since early 2014. Their heart
is a blow-moulder/filler block
1
with 90 filling valves and a capper. Both these lines
begin with the preform feed, as these are poured into a preform-kipper
2
. They are
then orientated to perfection in the automatic roller sorter
3
. Guedila attachesmajor
importance toultra-rigorousstandardsofhygiene,which iswhy theyuseaprejet
4
.The
rinser cleans the preforms using ionised air, UV light destroys harmful germs. Only
then will the PET preforms be passed to the stretch blow-mouldingmachine
1
. Both
lines fill 1.5-litrebottlesat a rated speedof 36,000bph, or the2.0-litre sizeat 30,000
bottlesanhour.These latterareproducedspecially forRamadan, theMuslims’month
of fasting. For thirtydays, the2-litrebottle can thenbepurchased for the sameprice
as the 1.5-litre size, whichmeans: three litres free of charge in each pack. Guedila
runs itsproduction lines in threeshifts,operating round theclock.Besides thenew two
lines, Guedila has twomore lines, installed in 2004 and 2010. The company uses a
total of sevendifferentPETsizes ranging from0.33 to2.0 litres,andaverages roughly
threemillion fills of still water a day.
On each of the new two lines, the containers are
labelledbyahigh technology labeller
5
with twostations.
Dressed in their wrap-around labels, the bottles then
proceed to thepacker
6
.Aspacerguides thecontainers
from four lanesontosix.Thecontainersare formed into
sixpacks,wrapped infilmand fed into theshrink tunnel.
The handle-strap is applied. After this, the packs are
transported to thefloorbelow,where theyaregrouped
using a grouping system
7
– all this is fully automated
– soas to create the layer pattern specified.Amodul
8
ensures high-precision palletising. Downstream of
the stretch-wrapper, the finished pallet is first moved
outside onto a platform, and then downwards in a lift.
Then it travels on a conveyor
9
for the final fewmetres
of its journeyuntil it’s inposition forbeingcollectedand
loaded up. Two fork-lift-truck drivers, one on the left
and one on the right, load the pallets onto thewaiting
trucks. The freshly filled bottles are transported to a
logistics centre (mostly in the cities) and from there to
the dealers’ shelves.
InAlgeria, Guedila ranks among themarket
leaders for bottledwater. In the spring of 2014,
the company invested in a technical upgrade,
in the shape of twoPET lines for still water,
opting for state-of-the-art technology for the first time.
Thecompanyusesa totalofsevendifferentPETsizes
ranging from
0.33 to2.0 litres
,andaverages roughly
threemillion fills of still water a day.
