Coca-Cola Anchor-Bottler in Kenya uses Krones blow-moulder/filler BLOC

By commissioning its first PET bottling line, Nairobi Bottlers Ltd. (NBL) in Kenya have opened several doors into the future for themselves in one clean stroke: to start with, this is the first time that this beverage bottler has installed PET capacities in-house, reports Horst Meixner, Krones.

Secondly, this PET line provides an option for NBL to fill Coca-Cola’s international Dasani water brand themselves on their own premises.

And thirdly, this Coca-Cola Anchor-Bottler is thus tapping into new opportunities on the market, specifically with key accounts like the big supermarket chains.

The new PET line, featuring an integrated blow-moulder/filler BLOC configuration and rated at 22,000 containers an hour, was supplied in its entirety by Krones and went into operation in late 2008.

NBL opted for a blow-moulder/filler BLOC configuration, comprising a Contiform S12 and a Volumetic filler accommodated in a cleanroom.

“This enabled us to solve our space problems”, explains production manager Mwenda Ruona Kageenu.

The PET bottles are dressed by a Contiroll wrap-around labeller, and packed in a Variopac Pro PFS non-returnables packer.

Palletising, too, has been automated and is handled by a Pressant.

A Contiflow mixer has been installed for beverage blending.

“In view of space constraints, we don’t keep any preforms in stock, either, but are taking just-in-time deliveries from the preform producer on a daily basis”, continues Kageenu.

“It’s very interesting to observe how Krones is continually expanding its product portfolio, as most recently by the water treatment system. That’s one option which might at one point in the future be of interest to us as well.”

“Originally, we had a slower line in mind, but purchase costs don’t rise in proportion to line performance, which is why we opted for a higher output straight away”, explains Sergio Fernandes, NBL’s country supply chain manager.

“The idea behind this was – among other things – to be able to exploit performance reserves and to deliver two-litre containers to Uganda. In addition, demand always peaks in December, and that’s the crucial month for us. You see, our Coca-Cola products have a shelf-life of only six weeks, so we can’t produce for the warehouse.”

“Moreover, we’ve once more come up against the limits of our glass capacities, despite the new line installed in 2007, and so if there’s additional demand we simply fill in PET.”

“What we did learn, however, was that with nine different packaging variants run on the PET line we’ve almost bitten off more than we can chew. It means that there are frequent interruptions for change-overs, which does, of course, reduce the line’s output.”

Despite their satisfaction with the complete Krones glass line, NBL left no stone unturned before deciding on the investment.

“We scrutinised four different vendors. And Krones was not the cheapest. You see, what’s really a very big problem for us in Kenya is the continued shift in the exchange rate against the dollar and the euro,” says Fernandes.

“In the period from order placement to PET line commissioning alone, we lost twenty per cent by devaluation against the euro.”

“In the final analysis, however, the determinant factors were the good relations we’ve had with the Krones staff over many long years and also the excellent local support from the LCS Centre in Nairobi, which guaranteed an efficient partnership.”