Choose one, order it and take it away with you – individualised bottles at the touch of a button

Bottling on Demand is extending the boundaries of conventional flexibility, since the concept study enables Batch Size 1 to be implemented in the bottling line. At the drinktec, visitors can order their own PET bottle – featuring individualised imprints and closures.

Lisa is a big fan of online shopping – admittedly, it could hardly be more convenient. But instead of a new pair of shoes or jeans, this time she’s chosen a PET bottle. Unusual, but it was simply too tempting: Lisa placed her order directly on Krones’ stand at the fair. Our hostess helped her create an individualised container on an iPad. And there’s a wide choice: two container sizes, twelve direct-printing motifs, and four closure colours add up to 96 possible combinations. And theoretically Bottling on Demand can even do a whole lot more than this: the machine at the fair also features an integrated flexible filling valve, able to handle 13 differently coloured liquids. This “rainbow performance” is run twice an hour. So if you multiply this figure by 96, then an unbelievable 1,248 different container combinations can be created – flexibility par excellence! And to make absolutely sure that every bottle is unique, your own name is printed on it. Then quickly enter your email address, and you can start checking your inbox. Because the system sends an automatic notification detailing when and in which dispensing slot you can collect your container.

From the iPad, the orders are passed directly to our machine at the fair, which processes all incoming orders one after the other. The system then needs about half a minute to select the right container, print on it, and apply a closure. So in contrast to the customary online purchases, it takes only about ten minutes before Lisa can take possession of her finished bottle.

Once the order has been completed, the container ends up in a dispensing carousel – and Lisa automatically receives a notification that her bottle is ready for collection. The response from our visitors has been amazing: on the first two days of the fair alone, Bottling on Demand printed around 1.350 containers – unsurprisingly, since this kind of individualised memento of visiting Krones’ stand at the drinktec is not something you come across every day!

 

You’d like to have your own personalised PET bottle as well? Then visit us at the drinktec in Hall B6 – you’ll find Bottling on Demand there directly in front of the large LED screen.