By installing a new dry-aseptic line, the mineral water bottler Adelholzener Alpenquellen has geared up to meet two major challenges: saving water while also covering rising demand for drinks on the go.
With its latest line, Adelholzener Alpenquellen has introduced a new production technology.
Non-returnable PET bottles account for a relatively small share in Adelholzener’s portfolio but they are carefully placed. For example, the soft drinks of the “Active O2” brand, which contain an extra portion of oxygen instead of carbon dioxide, are available exclusively in lightweight non-returnable containers with sports caps.
At the more traditional end of the spectrum are the 0.75-litre returnable glass bottles, whose distinctive embossed mountain relief pays homage to the origins and home of Adelholzener mineral water: the Bavarian Alps.
The company also offers its waters and soft drinks in returnable PET containers. It was an intentional strategic decision to go for this diverse range of packaging, as Manuela Schreiner from Corporate Communications explains: “We don’t want to make the decision for the people buying our products. We want them to be free to choose their drinks in exactly the package that best suits their preferences, their lifestyle or any specific occasion.”
The resultant logistic requirements are outweighed by the benefits that this approach provides because it enables the water bottler to respond flexibly to consumers’ behaviour patterns, including the rising demand for drinks on the go.
“Thanks to the nationwide collection system and a recycling quota currently running at about 98%, consumers can reach for the handy single-use PET bottle without having a guilty conscience,” explains Schreiner.
“For the on-the-go market, in particular, the lightweight easy-to-handle containers are a suitable choice because they feature a convenient drinking cap that can be opened and closed with one hand.”
Planning with future expansion in mind
The on-the-go market has been booming, so much so that existing capacities were no longer sufficient to cover demand. The company had laid the foundations for the latest expansion as early as 20 years ago, reserving space for a potential additional line.
“Even back at the time when we planned the last previously installed non-returnable-PET line from Krones, which went into operation in 2006, we’d already factored in some additional space for a second line,” explains Johann Niedl, the department head responsible for non-returnable-PET lines at Adelholzener.
In mid-2024, the time had come: a new line had to be erected as fast as possible.
“Back in 2006, our planning was based on a 25,000-bph line,” says Niedl. “But in 2024 that output would no longer be sufficient. So we had to modify our original plan and increase the line’s speed to 36,000 containers per hour.”
There was one challenge: the space available remained the same. The team had to figure out how to accommodate the new line in a space that was originally intended for a substantially smaller variant.
Since the past 20 years had also seen considerable technological progress, Krones proposed an alternative concept: the Contipure Bloc P. In contrast to the process used in the existing wet-aseptic line at Adelholzener, this system does not sterilise the blow-moulded bottles but the preforms.
That step is performed in a compact unit located between the infrared oven and the blowing module, which takes up substantially less space than the bottle rinser used in a wet-aseptic system.
The Contipure Bloc P was developed for ultra-hygienic filling of sensitive beverages into PET containers. The system combines the process steps of preform sterilisation, stretch blow-moulding, aseptic filling, cap sterilisation and capping in a compact unit as an integrated whole. Both the preforms and the caps are treated with gaseous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), leaving hardly any residues on the container material while also producing a microbiologically safe result.
The “P” in the name stands for “Performance” because the block delivers output without interruption for up to 120 hours, and the next production run can be started after a sterilisation break of only 90 minutes. It can optionally be fitted with an automation package to increase availability levels still further. This package handles format change-overs in the entire block in less than 20 minutes, including emptying and restarting the machines.
Every millimetre counts
Did that mean the space problem was solved? “Theoretically yes. But we had our doubts to start with, wondering whether everything would really work that way in actual practice,” says Niedl.
To dispel any such doubt, a realistic 3D layout was created for the entire line (including platforms and peripherals). “The Krones team approached this in great detail, scanning our hall multiple times from different angles,” says Niedl.
“After we’d checked the finished plan, we knew for sure that the line would definitely fit into the space available.”
The order was placed with Krones in February 2024, a little less than seven months after the project kicked off at Adelholzener.
“Erection in our plant started on 7 January 2025, and the first saleable merchandise ran off the line on 15 April,” says Niedl. At peak times, about 95 people from a wide range of specialisms were working on site, with approximately 100 truck deliveries coordinated.
Precise sequential planning was imperative, not least in view of the space constraints on site. The new line is hardly more than an arm span away from the existing non-returnable-PET line. And even so, installation of the one line was not to interfere with operation of the other. “That line was operating at full capacity, and we simply could not afford any standstills,” adds Niedl.
Project implementation under challenging conditions
The wet-aseptic line was kept running in three-shift operation throughout the entire erection and installation period. And yet there was not a single workplace accident during all that time.
The erection period linked up seamlessly to the commissioning and validation phase. Due to Adelholzener’s extensive beverage portfolio, the latter lasted until mid-October 2025. Firstly, the line fills both still and carbonated waters into 0.5- and 1.0-litre bottles. And secondly, the company wants to keep its options open for also processing spritzers and sugary drinks if needed.
As tricky as it was accommodating the new line on just 1,200 square metres plus a steel platform, the compact layout has proved beneficial in daily operation. “Legwork is minimized, and from almost any point you can see how things stand everywhere in the line. And so, the operators are happy to run it,” says Niedl.
“Our staff are familiar with the technology. A second line for non-returnables is directly next to the new one. Needless to say, that makes for synergies, especially in the dry end where some of the machines are identical models in both lines.”
Targeted familiarization with a new technology
Getting to grips with dry-aseptics constituted a significantly greater challenge for the staff, who had so far worked only with wet-aseptics. “The Contipure technology was virgin territory for us, and it’s very different from what we used to know,” says Niedl.
That is why Adelholzener’s team started familiarising themselves with the new technology long before the new line was started up.
The people working in production were present in some phases of commissioning, and a team of instructors from the Krones Academy trained them directly on the new machines.
Looking back, the department head for non-returnable PET has no doubts: introducing dry-aseptics was definitely the right decision because the new line has a lot of advantages, particularly in one respect that is essential for Adelholzener: resource-economy.
The company is focused on sustainability and continuously analyses the consumption figures of all its production lines. “We’re keeping a close eye on consumption and optimize processes wherever possible,” emphasizes Niedl.
Reduced energy and water consumption
The energy-optimized shrink tunnel, which was developed specifically at Adelholzener’s request, has meanwhile become a standard product in Krones’ portfolio and contributes to the fact that the new line’s general energy consumption is 22% lower than that of the existing wet-aseptic line.
When the 0.5-litre bottle is processed, the energy savings even exceed 40%. “What we appreciate about working with Krones is their willingness to discuss and implement new ideas,” says Niedl.
The reductions in process-water consumption are also significant. “Whereas the old line consumes 6.7 cubic metres per hour, the new one uses as little as 0.2. We’re saving over six cubic metres of water per hour, just by using a different sterilization medium: hydrogen peroxide instead of peracetic acid,” explains Niedl.
Additional flexibility through robotics
In the line’s dry end, Adelholzener largely opted for the proven technology already used in the existing line for non-returnables, with one exception: in addition to two Variopac Pro packers and a Modulpal Pro 1A palletiser, a Robobox T-GS was installed as well. That is a robot system for pack grouping, which would not in fact have been necessary for the packaging portfolio currently processed.
This decision reflects the company’s intention to maintain flexibility for future packaging requirements. “The Robobox will enable us to swiftly implement any future changes in the packaging mix. We thus remain flexible in the long run and can respond to changing market requirements when needed,” explains Niedl.
