'Double-wall' unit for transport in Europe
done? The guide smiles - he's obviously
heard the question before. "The flyovers
and conveyor belts are magnetized," he
explains.
After the white coat is applied the cans
move into an oven for curing at about 180
deg. C, then re-emerge for printing in up
to four colours. Each colour is of course
applied separately. For Heineken cans this
means three stages, to receive in turn the
characteristic green, the black logotype,
and the red star and legends of historic
awards. Throughout the process the cans
retain the same position and the machinery
is keyed to register the successive colours
with unerring accuracy.
Pressure-tested
A further period of curing follows, after
which the cans are crimped at the top.
Also a flange is formed at the top of the
can to make it ready for the final fitting of
lids at Heineken's own plant. They are
then pressure-tested for leaks - a few faul
ty cans being abruptly tossed into metal
baskets on the shop floor - and sprayed in
side with a solvent-based coating. This ap
plication has a dual purpose - to insulate
the product form the can surface and vice
versa. The coat is in turn oven-cured and
the cans are taken on the overhead con
veyors to the palletizing department.
There they are moved onto pallets - 10
layers of Heineken cans per pallet - clad in
cardboard and strapped in position by steel
bands. Each pallet carries about 3400 cans
bound first for Heineken breweries and
then for export.
Packing methods are not standards but
vary to suit the needs of customers. It is
possible for example to accommodate up
to 19 layers on one pallet (not for 2-piece
cans).
Direct feed development?
Future developments at Oss include the
possible introduction of a direct-feed
method by which coils of tin plate will
come straight to the plant from the mills
and will be fed directly into the drawing
presses, thus eliminating the intermediate
stage in which the metal goes first to other
plants for cutting into sheets.
There is also considerable activity in the
area of re-cycling scrap. Skeleton sheets
left after stamping out are already being
returned, plus trimmings, to a de-tinning
factory for treatment before return to the
mills. Another aspect of scrap salvage in
experimental development is the design
and operation of separation equipment for
sorting cans and metal objects from house
hold garbage and preparing them for the
de-tinner. This is regarded as commerci
ally viable provided the rubbish tips are
reasonably near the de-tinner plants and
also that the rubbish will yield a sufficient
ly high percentage of metal.
A new type of crate for transport of Heine
ken export beer in returnable bottles - the
Heineken Europa, incorporating several
advantages over other types in use - is now
in full production at the rate of 6,500 a
week. Made in a thermoplastic material,
polypropylene, it is already used on a
large scale for Heineken exports to
Belgium and is being introduced in
France. It is also to be adopted for exports
to other European countries.
The Europa is designed specifically for
serveral types of 25 cl returnable export
bottles. Its most important feature is its
exceptional strength, which permits
stacking of four crate-loaded pallets pla
ced on top of each other. This durability
results mainly from the "double-wall"
structure - a form of construction which
achieves the degree of robustness deman
ded while using less material than that re
quired by most other crates.
The smoothness of the Europa's outer sur
face makes it easy to wash and its con
struction in polypropylene - it is one of the
first Heineken crates to be made in this
material - permits it to be cleaned with
chemical agents.
Injection moulding
In the course of design, the crate produc
tion planning team discussed the Heine
ken specification with the producer, a
Dutch company skilled in the injection
moulding techniques by which modem
packaging materials can be shaped to any
requirement. After a few design changes,
including adjustment of the fitting blocks
or rims on the bottom of the crate, the final
drawings were approved and the Europa
went into production in July last year.
Three shifts are engaged on manufacture
of the crate, which comes from the pro
duction line finished in Heineken yellow
and with the Heineken bar embossed and
screened on all four sides.
New Heineken
export crate
