Still or sparkling, returnable or not – this new line is ready for anything

Here we are in northern Italy – more precisely in Liguria, in the Maritime Alps. Amid an idyllic beech forest more than 1,000 meters above sea level, the Bauda spring bubbles to the surface. The water from this mountain spring is thought to have health-promoting properties due to its low mineral content. And it is from this spring that the company Acqua Minerale di Calizzano sources its mineral water, which it offers both with and without carbonation, filled in glass and PET bottles of various sizes. The company also produces carbonated soft drinks in nine different flavors.

15,000 glass bottles per hour

Calizzano has three filling lines, and in 2021 decided to replace, after 40 years in service, the oldest line by new equipment from Krones. The investment will also bring with it an increase in capacity: Instead of its predecessor’s 10,000 bottles per hour, the new line will fill, label, and package 15,000 bph. With that, it is capable of covering 60 percent of all of Calizzano’s bottling needs. And because protecting the environment is important to Calizzano, the company relies heavily on reusable packaging: 80 percent of the glass bottles that are filled on the new line will be returnable.

Flexibility is key

The new line will handle all mineral waters and some of Calizzano’s CSD range. And because these products are filled in both returnable and non-returnable glass bottles, flexibility is key – in several respects. For this reason, the line includes two depalletisers and two packers: one each for returnables and non-returnables.

A good decision in challenging times

Calizzano chose Krones because of the company’s reputation as a reliable supplier of turnkey lines. Krones is the only company in Italy that can deliver every component of a complete line from a single source. Calizzano had previously run a few individual Krones machines, such as the Checkmat inspection system. Now, the company has decided to buy a turnkey system for the first time. “The choice fell on Krones above all for their reliability, professionalism, and organization,” stresses Managing Director Angelo Nan. “In the past few years, we have bought some machines from Krones with great satisfaction.” Fellow Managing Director Paolo Nan adds, “Furthermore, Krones was the only company able to supply the entire plant as a whole. So we gave preference to those who could offer us a single contact person.”

The decision to buy a new line came in late 2019, not long before the COVID-19 pandemic began and Italy went into full lockdown. Because restaurants had to close their doors during this time, investing in a new filling line was no easy decision. The commissioning has been underway since early April, and the first bottles will be filled by the end of the month – with the utmost quality, flexibility, and sustainability.