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More speed, less breakage for fragile containers

When their old drop packer didn’t do the job, distilled spirits maker Luxco found a case packer with money-saving technology built in.

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Saint Louis-based distilled spirits manufacturer and bottler Luxco is one of the leading alcohol suppliers in the United States. The Missouri company receives bulk alcohol and then blends, packages and ships its own lines of bourbon, brandy, vodka, rum, and tequila, as well as a range of flavored cordials and liqueurs.

Recently, as part of a new bottling line to replace its 17-year old system, Luxco sought a packer that would boost speed while offering better and more consistent control of bottles. They opted for a 939 Versatron “Soft Catch” Case Packer, manufactured by Standard-Knapp Inc., Portland, Conn. In addition to increasing speed, the packer significantly reduces bottle breakage

“Our old drop packer just didn’t do the job properly,” notes Chris Wieczorek, plant manager. “The bottles had a tendency to drop through the head too hard, which created too high a level of breakage. This has negative effects on our operations, as we have to stop the line and clean up the breakage.”

Versatron’s Soft Catch technology is specifically designed for high-speed packing of fragile containers. It is said to reduce the shock energy by 80 percent over a conventional drop packer. Reducing shock energy enables the use of thinner gauge bottles resulting in significant savings.

Luxco also found that changeovers, which used to average 20 to 30 minutes, now take only 8 to 10 minutes with the new packer, in part because the 939 Versatron’s change parts are numbered and color coded, making changeovers simpler to perform. Since Luxco packages hundreds of different products, these time savings have a significant impact on productivity and profitability.

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