A major mouthwash producer in Pennsylvania (United States) faced recurring jams, falling bottles, and slow changeovers that slowed their high-speed lines. By replacing side grip elevators with POSIMAT’s Vertijet and De-Vertijet systems, and gradually integrating POSIJET air conveyors, they eliminated bottlenecks and boosted efficiency.
Continue reading to see how these upgrades transformed their bottling operations.
The customer operates a manufacturing plant in Lititz, Pennsylvania, producing mouthwash.
With a diverse portfolio, the plant handles heavy PET bottles in sizes ranging from 250ml to 1.5L.
The plant runs several high-speed filling and packaging lines to meet global demand for mouthwash.
Before partnering with POSIMAT, the customer faced significant challenges related to their side grip elevators and lowerators, which were part of their bottling process.
The issues included:
Frequent Misalignment: Side grip elevators and lowerators were highly sensitive to adjustments. This often caused bottles to misalign when transitioning into the air conveyors or filler infeed, leading to production jams and downtime.
Falling Bottles: Occasionally, bottles would fall from the side grips. Once on the floor, they could not be reintroduced to the line, resulting in waste and increased costs.
Manual Changeovers: Adjusting the system for different bottle sizes was done manually by non-skilled operators, making the process time-consuming and error-prone. This lack of accuracy led to further misalignment issues and inconsistent production runs.
In 2008, POSIMAT initiated the replacement of customer’s problematic side grip elevators and lowerators with its Vertijet and De-Vertijet systems (the only air conveyor of the market with 90º inclinations).
These vertical conveyors provided smoother transitions for the PET bottles, preventing misalignment and reducing the risk of jams.
Additionally, POSIMAT began installing sections of their POSIJET air conveyors to replace the existing Century air conveyors, further optimizing the plant’s bottle handling capabilities.
The introduction of air conveyors offered several key advantages:
Increased Speed & Efficiency: POSIJET air conveyors could move bottles at higher speeds, significantly boosting the throughput of customer’s production lines.
Reduced Product Damage: By using air to transport bottles, the system minimized physical contact, reducing the risk of damaging the heavy PET bottles.
Hygiene & Safety: The air conveyor system was easier to clean and required less maintenance, aligning with the strict hygiene standards of the beverage industry. Moreover, the automation reduced the need for manual handling, improving worker safety.
Adaptability: The flexibility of the air conveyors allowed the customer to handle multiple bottle shapes and sizes with minimal adjustments, making changeovers easier and faster.
The implementation began in stages, starting with the replacement of the side grip elevators and lowerators with the Vertijet and De-Vertijet systems. This was followed by the gradual integration of POSIJET air conveyors to replace sections of the existing air conveyors.
As the customer continued upgrading its filling lines, POSIMAT worked closely with the plant team to re-route air conveyor lines to maximize efficiency and flexibility.
Throughout the process, POSIMAT provided technical support and training done by its local service teams, to ensure a smooth transition for the customer's operators.
The transition to Vertijet and De-Vertijet systems, combined with air conveyors, drastically reduced the incidence of misaligned bottles and production line jams.
Increased Uptime: With fewer disruptions, the customer has experienced increased uptime, leading to higher overall production efficiency.
Faster Changeovers: The air conveyor’s adaptability has streamlined bottle size changeovers, reduced downtime and eliminating the need for manual adjustments by non-skilled operators.
Reduced Waste: The issue of falling bottles has been significantly reduced, saving the company both in terms of product and operational costs.
Lower Maintenance Costs: The simpler, low-maintenance design of POSIJET air conveyors has helped the customer reduce their maintenance requirements and associated costs over time.
By partnering with POSIMAT, the customer successfully transformed its bottling operations, overcoming significant bottleneck challenges.
The integration of Vertijet and De-Vertijet systems, along with POSIJET air conveyors, not only improved operational efficiency but also minimized product waste and reduced downtime.
Today, customer’s Lititz plant runs at optimal performance, ensuring that they can meet the high global demand for mouthwash product with enhanced speed, flexibility, and reliability.
POSIMAT's bottle unscrambling and air conveyor solutions have proven to be a long-term, value-driven investment for the customer, and the continued partnership signals the mutual commitment to innovation and operational excellence.
