KHS cardboard carrier system cuts energy costs

At this year’s interpack exhibition in Düsseldorf, systems supplier KHS has introduced a major expansion to its Innopack Kisters Advanced series.

To help food and drink brands navigate a demanding market environment, the company is presenting its plant engineering as a future-proof, highly automated solution. Specifically, KHS is exhibiting its Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced machine to showcase how modern systems can deliver a multitude of flexible packaging choices.

The standout feature of this technology rollout is the integration of the new BottleClip Carrier, a resource-conserving cardboard carrying handle designed for PET bottles.

This application allows manufacturers to turn both virgin and 100% recycled PET bottles, including lightweight containers, into stable multipacks without the need for plastic. The system is highly versatile, enabling brands to easily switch between variety packs and flexible format sizes of two, four, six, or eight bottles.

Beyond expanding packaging diversity, this advanced technology brings significant operational and financial advantages to production lines. The system is highly energy-efficient; the cardboard handle is clipped onto bottles using a rotating application wheel in continuous operation, completely eliminating energy-intensive processes like shrink tunnel heating. This provides a distinct economic benefit against rising global energy and raw material costs, while helping brands bypass strict international quotas and bans on plastic carrying rings.

Furthermore, the technology addresses the acute lack of specialist workers through progressive automation and ergonomic design. The machinery features partly automated, operator-prompted format changeovers that take only a few minutes. To lighten the load on personnel, the packer independently moves to an ergonomic position so operators can adjust tools with just a few manual tweaks. Blanks are also loaded at a height that is gentle on workers’ backs, after which the machine automatically sets itself up and restarts production without further assistance.