EWK integrated checkweigher ensures reliability Highest wine quality in Japan
Minebea Intec’s EWK checkweigher has been integrated as an OEM solution into Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box® disposable packaging system. For Smurfit Kappa’s end customer, one of Japan’s largest winemakers, the weighing solution provides important quality control of the filled wine.
Key facts
Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box is one of the few manufacturers of complete Bag-in-Box® packaging systems in the world. For many years Smurfit Kappa has been using Minebea Intec checkweighers, mainly for the European wine market. Now also for a Japanese wine producer.
Application & Product
The EWK checkweigher is an important component of the fully automated wine filling process. Thanks to the large weighing range of the EWK checkweigher and the proven EMFR load cell technology, all bag sizes from 1.5 to 20 litres that can be used in the system can be reliably checked.
Products
- Checkweigher EWK 3010 WS 30 kg
Customer benefits
- The precise weighing of the Minebea Intec checkweigher
meets Smurfit Kappa’s high quality standards. - Quality “Made in Germany” with proven EMFR load cell for optimum reliability.
- Maintenance-free and easy to integrate, even into existing production lines.
- Worldwide sales and service network. Fast on-site service.
“We operate in a sector where wine needs to be filled immediately and reliably. Minebea Intec has already been a very reliable partner for many years. Once the checkweigher is up and running, it works reliably shift after shift.”
Emmanuel Antonelli
Project manager at Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box
Smurfit Kappa Group produces both high-quality Bag-in-Box® packaging systems and the associated packaging machines at its production facility in France. The company needed a packaging line with a high-performance filling machine to meet the high quality demands from the Japanese winemaker. The checkweigher has been in operation in Fujisawa (south of Tokyo and Yokohama) since December 2021 and ensures high-quality wine filling in three-litre bags. The fully-automatic process includes the supply of bags, the separation and opening of the bags, air extraction as well as filling with wine, sealing and packing in the cardboard box. After packaging, the EWK checkweigher from Minebea Intec takes over the weight control of the line. All bag sizes used in the system with a volume of 1.5 to 20 litres can be reliably checked thanks to the large weighing range of the EWK checkweigher and the proven EMFR load cell technology.
The high reliability is an important criterion for the Japanese market, where the tolerance limit for underfilled packages is even lower than in most parts of the world. The strong presence of the “Minebea” brand in Japan paid off in the implementation of the project during the pandemic, as it was possible to fall back on a local service team from the Japanese parent company MinebeaMitsumi. The onsite support provided by an experienced engineer during the commissioning and initial test runs of the checkweigher in the local language was greatly appreciated by the Japanese wine producer. “A worldwide service network with quickly deployable, highly competent engineers on site pays off. This became particularly clear during the pandemic” says Bernard Palm, Sales Manager at Minebea Intec.
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