Belgian brewer believes in PET barrier bottles

To produce these containers, Martens has installed a production line supplied and specially tailored by KHS. The line consists of an InnoPET Blomax 8 blow-molder, an InnoPET Plasmax 12 coating machine, an air conveyor, shrink wrapper, and palletizing station. Capable of processing 12,000 PET bottles per hour, the new KHS line produces the three bottles sizes and facilitates fast changeover from one bottle size to another.

In addition to producing its own barrier-coated bottles in-house, Martens also sells newly made PET bottles to other interested breweries. The recyclable PET bottles receive a wafer-thin glass coating during the Plasmax process. This coating prevents oxygen from penetrating the bottles and carbon dioxide from escaping. The coating ensures extended beer shelf life and preserves product flavor quality. After the bottles are produced, they are temporarily stored before filling. One of the largest brewers in Belgium, Martens packages its own in-house brands, as well as international private labels under filling contracts. The brewer uses fillers manufactured by several companies, including a computer-controlled, Innofill DVP pneumatic pressure, volumetric filling system from KHS.

Operations manager Jan Martens notes, “We are very enthusiastic about the high quality of the PET bottles produced on the new KHS line. This year, we reckon on producing around 60 million PET bottles on our new line. With this bottling line technology, we are well prepared for the future in all respects. The set-up couldn’t be any more flexible. Besides making the actual bottles, we’re also happy to handle the filling and packaging of products for our customers both at home and abroad.”