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From shells to shrink

To gain operational efficiency, cost savings, and distribution benefits, this Canadian Pepsi bottler has substituted stretch wrap in place of returnable plastic carriers.

2-L bottles moving through a curtain of film
2-L bottles moving through a curtain of film

At independent Pepsi bottler Browning Harvey, the recent installation of a Dimac P-45 shrink wrapper and Descon integrated infeed conveyor has brought a dramatic improvement in operational efficiency.

“The real driver behind the switch was getting rid of the shells,” says plant manager Gary Williams. The shells he refers to are the rigid plastic carriers widely used to transport PET bottles of soft drinks throughout the supply chain. According to Williams, the shells were problematic for a number of reasons. Getting them back, cleaning them, and replenishing the ones that broke or went missing were the chief difficulties. Allotting space for them in the plant was another drawback. Moreover, they used to get in the way of efficient production planning if their whereabouts or availability were ever in doubt.

All these headaches have been eliminated since the Dimac shrink wrapper and integrated conveyor were installed. A 3-mil shrink film from Bemis now unitizes all three PET bottle sizes produced at the plant: 1-L (12/bundle), 2-L (8/bundle), and 591-mL (24/bundle).

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