Refresco, one of the world's largest independent beverage bottlers and contract manufacturers, recently installed the first Sidel SWING Evo tunnel pasteuriser in Italy at its Sulmona production facility.
This install marks the debut of Sidel's next-generation pasteurisation platform in the country and reflects Refresco's push to tighten resource use across its plants.
The SWING Evo is built around an intelligent counterflow design and modular architecture that lets producers control water, energy and thermal treatment at each stage of the pasteurisation process.
For Refresco, the payoff has been substantial. Tullio Tiozzo, manufacturing director and strategic operations at Refresco Italia, says the new system delivers "a reduction in energy and water consumption by a factor of 15 to 20," bringing Sulmona in line with the company's broader ESG targets.
Recovered heat, reduced steam
Two heat exchangers, one running on hot water and one on steam, give the system the ability to prioritize recovered heat from Refresco's cogeneration setup.
"We were looking for a reliable and versatile solution, capable of combining efficiency with energy performance," says Daniele Di Luca, utilities and energy manager, Refresco Italy. "SWING Evo met all these expectations."
That prioritization, Di Luca says, significantly reduced steam consumption, but that wasn't the only benefit.
"Water consumption is fully in line with declared figures, while electrical consumption is even better than expected, clear proof of the machine's high efficiency," says Di Luca. "This supports our Group-wide objectives on energy efficiency and resource management."
Sidel's PRINCE X predictive control system supports that performance by continuously monitoring temperature and adjusting spray conditions in real time, guarding against under- or over-pasteurisation.
Handling a complex SKU mix
Because the Sulmona site handles a wide variety of products and SKUs, the new system's ability to achieve pasteurisation accuracy and operational flexibility was key to the installation's success beyond the sustainability gains.
"From a quality and thermal treatment perspective, the Sidel pasteuriser has proven extreme reliability," says Federica Schiavo, QFS assurance specialist for Refresco.
"SWING Evo respects all pasteurisation constraints, whether in terms of PU units or holding times above specific temperatures."
Schiavo adds the new system is also highly flexible for operators, easy to use, and simple to monitor, even across very different products.
One-week installation
The modular, largely pre-assembled design also sped up commissioning, according to the Refresco team.
"What really impressed us was the simplicity of installation," says Leonardo Di Vito, technical and production manager, Refresco. "The pasteuriser arrived mostly pre-assembled, and both installation and start-up were completed smoothly, without any issues."
Refresco says the entire new system was up and running within a week, with sliding front doors, full top access and tool-free maintenance built in to simplify day-to-day operation for production teams.
The Sulmona installation gives Refresco a working example of how a single equipment upgrade can move the needle on both sustainability metrics and production flexibility, proving that meaningful efficiency gains don't always require a full process overhaul.
