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Standardization = success at Nestlé España

By standardizing on equipment and employing continuous improvement methods, Nestlé’s new Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsule plant in Girona, Spain, is thriving.

The complexity of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsule system lies in the construction of the capsule itself, a multicomponent package that ensures beverage quality.
The complexity of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsule system lies in the construction of the capsule itself, a multicomponent package that ensures beverage quality.

At the Nestlé Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsule plant in Spain, standardization is essential to success, especially when it comes to packaging processes. By standardizing the machinery and automation for its production lines, Nestlé plans to reach an estimated output of 1.5 billion single-serve coffee capsules in 2013, bringing its total production to 4.2 billion since opening its plant in Girona, about 60 miles north of Barcelona, in 2009.

The success of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto plant also relies heavily on its commitment to continuously analyzing and tweaking its processes for improvement. Currently, a pilot line following a Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodology is enabling operators to examine the capsule-filling process from every angle to understand best practices and hazards. Those changes that prove successful on the pilot line will then be rolled out to the rest of the filling lines. Says Nestlé España, S.A. Factory Director Jordi Frigolé, “We want excellence on our lines.”

Frigolé is a 27-year veteran of Nestlé who began his career at the Girona location as an automation specialist and is now factory director for its three plants, producing Nescafé soluble (instant) coffee, decaffeinated beans, and Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsules. Nestlé’s Girona Nescafé instant coffee plant—the largest in Europe—began operation in 1968. In 2008, Girona was chosen as the site for Nestlé’s second Nescafé Dolce Gusto plant, joining one in Tutbury, U.K.

The original US$59 million investment in the Girona Nescafé Dolce Gusto plant included four production lines. Since then, Nestlé has invested more than US$190 million in additional capacity. As at all other Nestlé plants, automation is standardized around PLC systems from a single proprietary supplier to ensure reliability and ease of maintenance. The same holds true for the packaging equipment, selected from a limited number of key suppliers. “We chose all equipment to be standard, for ease of use and productivity,” says Frigolé. “When a modification is done on a piece of equipment, it is done on all equipment.”

Complex coffee capsule
The originators of the cappuccino, espresso, and latte, Europeans are coffee connoisseurs raised in the coffeehouse and café culture. To meet consumers’ growing desire of late to bring the coffeehouse experience home, in 2006 Nestlé launched its Nescafé Dolce Gusto brewing system in the U.K., Switzerland, and Germany. Dolce Gusto, meaning “sweet taste” in Italian, is meant to replace bulk coffee and allows consumers the flexibility to create a number of specialty hot beverages as well as cold drinks, in single servings. Today, the beverage system—comprising a specially engineered coffeemaker and individual coffee capsules—is sold in more than 56 countries nationwide.

Unlike other Nescafé products, most Nescafé Dolce Gusto beverages use 100% Arabica roasted and ground coffee beans, instead of instant coffee. Among its 16 varieties are drinks that include black coffee, cappuccino (both hot and iced), espresso, latte macchiato, chai tea latte, peach iced tea, and hot chocolate, among others. For beverages requiring milk, a second capsule with powdered dairy is used to prepare the drink.

As Frigolé relates, whereas with Nestlé’s soluble products—produced in the neighboring facility—the complexity lies in the production of the product, for Nescafé Dolce Gusto, the complexity is found in the capsule package. The capsule, patented with a special smart technology, is made from rigid plastic and measures approximately 50 mm in diameter and 30 mm deep. The bottom of the capsule is rounded, with an almost funnel shape and a hole in the middle. While coffee, chocolate, and tea capsules have a brown, black, or silver body, milk capsules are colored white.

In addition to the outer rigid container, the capsule includes several additional components. A film/foil lid, printed with the brand name and variety, covers the top of the capsule. A tornado-like graphic indicates the amount of water and time required to prepare the specific beverage (drinks can be made either automatically or manually with the system). Inside, at the base of the capsule, is an aluminum membrane, with the beverage ingredients encased above. Underneath the membrane is a perforated plastic “pyramid plate.”

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