GERMANY – Packaging and bottling machine manufacturer, Krones has inaugurated the Process Technology Center for beverage customers to create ultra-small production batches to develop, compare and enhance recipes, processes and parameters.
The new Process Technology Center is designed to support Krones customers in their product development processes and meet the flavor demands of the global markets.
It makes no difference whether the customer already has a finished recipe for a future product or is still at the start of the product development journey and would like to leverage Krones’ expertise for those first steps.
Krones itself will use the new technology center to analyze the effects of various process parameters more closely on different products. The results will then go into further developing and refining Krones machines and lines.
The technology center is divided into process technology and water design sections.
On the process technology side, various process and treatment steps can be realistically simulated on a pilot ultra-high-temperature system.
That makes it possible, for example, to compare the thermal impact of indirect heating using a shell-and-tube heat exchanger versus direct heating.
From this, customers can choose between steam injection and steam infusion. For other trials, the facility is also equipped with systems for mixing, flash pasteurization, deaeration, homogenization and filling.
The results are then evaluated in-house in Krones’ microbiological and chemical testing labs.
In water design, customers can fine-tune the flavor of their water by adding the right amounts of minerals and flavor compounds.
The technological possibilities include deaeration, carbonation, electro-deionization, ionization, mineral dosing and filling.
A water sommelier provides support throughout the trials. Customers also have access to Krones’ network of engineers in various disciplines, including food and process engineering, to collaborate on transforming product ideas into products.
Last month, Krones acquired a 90% stake in Ampco Pumps, a US-based company that supplies sanitary pumps and applied products – such as mixing and blending equipment – to the food, beverage, dairy processing, personal care and pharmaceuticals markets.
Ampco Pumps supplies sanitary pumps and applied products – such as mixing and blending equipment – to the food, beverage, dairy processing, personal care and pharmaceuticals markets.
The current Ampco management will remain and will continue to hold 10% of the shares of Ampco – Krones has the option to buy the remaining 10% share in the future.
In a statement, Krones said: “The transaction will increase the profitability margin of the ‘Process Technology’ segment as well as the group margin of Krones.”
The acquisition is a major step in expanding the components business of Krones Processing. The company states that “with Ampco Pumps and Evoguard Valve Technology, Krones has now a broad portfolio of all key components for the processing technology market.”
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