IDM ¦ Packaging
Evaporated milk in
PET – aseptically filled
FrieslandCampina has once again chosen Krones
dry-aseptic technology
Never change a winning team – may very well be what decision
makers at the dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina
thought when it came to upgrading filling capacities for
evaporated milk at their facility in the Belgian town of
Aalter. And in view of the good experience gained with Line 1, the
customer once more opted for a Krones Contipure AseptBloc DN
for Line 2.
As one of the world’s biggest dairy cooperatives, Friesland-
Campina has always endeavoured to master the balancing act
between running a safe and dependable production operation
and using state-of-the-art technology. Back in 2014, the company
decided to install dry-aseptic technology in its production facility
in Aalter (Belgium) for aseptically filling milk and dairy products in
PET containers. At the time, it was one of the first Contipure Asept-
Bloc DN systems delivered by Krones, with preform sterilisation,
reduced consumption of sterilisation medium and reliable results.
Line 1 produces 36,000 containers per hour. FrieslandCampina has
now brought an almost identical dry-aseptic line from Krones online,
this one rated at 24,000 bottles per hour.
Conscious decision for rPET
FrieslandCampina in Aalter produces longlife milk and milk drinks
for the European market. This also includes evaporated milk, which
has so far been filled in small glass bottles. But these non-returnable
containers no longer met the company’s sustainability criteria
since it has pursued a strong sustainability policy along the entire
supply chain for years – “from grass to glass” as they would call it
themselves.
And therefore FrieslandCampina, as the first dairy company in
Belgium decided to use recycled PET here as well – to be more
38 · July/August 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
precise containers made of 100% recycled PET (rPET) in order to
reduce consumption of virgin PET, and thus new raw material. Another
advantage that plastics (no matter whether virgin or recycled)
have over glass is their considerably lower weight. The PET
containers for evaporated milk, which range from 200 to 500 millilitres
in size, weigh between 10 and 16.6 grams. For special markets,
FrieslandCampina uses multilayer preforms weighing 12.5
grams.
Additionally, the PET containers are dressed in a sleeve featuring
a “zip” over its entire height. This perforated line simplifies
recycling because the zip enables consumers to separate the sleeve
quite easily from the container before placing each in its appropriate
bin.
Besides their focus on more sustainability, a second major criterion
for the purchase of the new line was that filling capacities
urgently needed to be upsized since the existing aseptic line with
the Contipure AseptBloc DN was running 24/7 – and product demand
kept on rising.
FrieslandCampina now makes
rigorous use of rPET
The new line started operation in early 2021. It is rated at
– The PET containers for evaporated milk weigh between
10 and 16.6 grams.
» Since the use of 100% rPET has proved successful in
Line 2, corresponding preforms will in future also be used
in Line 1.
/international-dairy.com
