“The ErgoBloc L, at 100,000 bph, represents the next step forward in Niagara and Krones’ relentless pursuit of low-cost leadership and high output rates.”
Niagara Bottling
In our interview with Niagara leadership, Alan Bunteman, Vice President of Engineering, and Julia Buchanan, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, tell of their first experiences with the new ErgoBloc L at Niagara’s facilities in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and Baytown, Texas, and of the importance of sustainability to Niagara.
Can you please tell us a bit about your company?
Julia Buchanan: Niagara Bottling has been family owned and operated since 1963. We’re incredibly proud of our family heritage and reinvestment back into the business. We believe that investing early in automation and technology has allowed us to scale and grow as a low-cost manufacturer. We now operate over 50 bottling facilities throughout the US and Mexico. We serve some of the largest beverage brands, retailers, grocers, club and convenience stores throughout the country. We’ve also expanded our footprint to include bottled water, sparkling, vitamin and flavored water, teas, sports drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, protein drinks and non-dairy milk products. To say we have a lot going on is an understatement! We’ve been fortunate to have great partners supporting our growth and vision along the way!
Which types of products are you filling on the new Krones lines in Hazleton and Baytown and in which types of bottles?
Alan Bunteman: We are currently producing our core half-liter bottled water products in our Baytown, Texas, facility. These lines are the fastest single block lines in the world. We run a variety of pack sizes including 24 and 40 pack cases. In our Hazleton, Pennsylvania, site we run a variety of products including our core half-liter bottle water products, hot-fill beverage products and later in 2023 high-acid aseptic products.
Why did you choose the ErgoBloc L with an output of 100,000 bph?
Alan Bunteman: The ErgoBloc platform has been a high-performing asset within Niagara Bottling’s portfolio for many years. The ErgoBloc L at 100,000 bph represents the next step forward in Niagara and Krones’ relentless pursuit of low-cost leadership and high output rates. A single block design that can produce 100,000 bph was an obvious next step in the evolution of Niagara Bottling’s manufacturing evolution.
Niagara Bottling
What do you appreciate most about the new ErgoBloc L? How does it support your production?
Alan Bunteman: Speed. With high quality and a safe design assumed, the high output rate of the ErgoBloc L affords the platform the ability for high output with low resource consumption and low floor footprint. While Niagara Bottling is focused on our half-liter bottle offerings, the ErgoBloc L is versatile enough to run other bottle formats as well, such as 8 ounces.
Did you have the sustainability aspect in mind, as well, when choosing the new lines?
Julia Buchanan: Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do. We are committed to responsible resource usage and reducing our impact through water stewardship, packaging innovation and carbon footprint reduction. We’ve been focused on packaging reduction and bottle lightweighting since the early days. We’re fortunate to have been in a position of really pushing the envelope when it comes to bottle design and helping drive the industry toward lower weight bottles.
