Capital Brewing Co’s new end-of-line automation upgrade – installed by Fibre King – doubled product output to meet demand ahead of the busy summer season.
An increase in output efficiency as well as creating a safer working environment for employees were high on the priority list when the company began seeking a suitable way to boost its output.
Capital Brewing Co managing director Laurence Kain said the company no longer manually packs six-packs, cartons and pallets.
“We had a few workplace injuries, mainly RSI from operating glue guns,” Kain said.
“We now have the ability to double our filler speed and have created a safer working environment doing it. Looking after our team is our first priority. We’re proud to say that all staff who lost their positions on the packaging line through automation were re-trained and deployed in more rewarding areas of the business.”
Capital chose a Fibre King full turnkey end-of-line canning system for their Fyshwick, ACT facility.
The line includes Fibre King’s new can carrier applicator that caters for both Paktech and Biopak’s environmentally friendly can carrier’s keeping with the company’s values to be kind to the environment.
The cans travel along conveyors firstly to be grouped in packs of six or four where the can carrier is applied. They continue on to the infeed of the case packer, aka “Little Packer”, where they are put into cartons at up to five cases or 120 cans per minute. The fully sealed cartons then continue along conveyors to the compact modular palletiser (CMP) that neatly stacks the cartons onto pallets ready for stretch wrapping and distribution.
Kain said the planning from Fibre King made him feel confident in the new system.
“While we had to conduct the factory acceptance testing via video link due to Covid travel restrictions, Fibre King did a very thorough job of pre-testing the line to ensure it met timing specifications,” he said.
“The focus from Fibre King on operator safety was impressive and far beyond what I have seen from similar equipment imported from overseas.”
Kain said when choosing equipment to use, decisions were based on value, and not necessarily the cheapest quote.
“Will the supplier deliver a quality product that will stand the test of time and not cause regular line down time? Can they provide effective after sales service and does their equipment meet the Australian standards for safety, electrical, etcetera?” he said.
“I have seen plenty of disasters with imported machines that need complete electrical workovers and custom guarding to be fit to operate in Australia.”
Kain said when it comes to automation, you get what you pay for – if you save money on the install, the equipment will make it back with unplanned downtime.
“Fibre King did not provide us the cheapest solution available on the market; however, the equipment runs effectively and our OEE numbers are starting to take shape in a positive direction as we dial in operations,” he said.
Kain went on to say Fiber King was a “terrific” supplier to work with.
“We have had some unexpected issues with equipment, some of which because we are operating in extremely cold temperatures, any issues we have had Fibre King has been right there to work through it with us. Fabian, Dale and the install team have been fantastic to work with,” he said.
“Fibre King provided excellent attention to detail right from the start through to commissioning and their after-sales service has been fantastic.”
Fibre King said the project with Capital Brewing reaffirmed its decision to extend its range of end-of-line packaging equipment to cater for Australia’s smaller manufacturing facilities by offering compact, affordable, and low-speed equipment.
Fibre King CEO James Windsor said: “It is fantastic to have more breweries come on board and include our compact range of equipment in their production lines as they scale their business and move away from manual packing. It’s a great industry to be able to support, full of great people providing Australian’s with great beer.”
Fibre King is a member of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA).
