Glenpatrick Spring Water
Glenpatrick Spring Water replaced their plastic bottling and filling plant with an energy efficient system.
Key achievements
For every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, the new technology produces three times more product than a standard system.
The new production system has resulted in significant reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions.
It is the first Series 3 blow moulder on an integrated block in Ireland and the UK, and it positions Glenpatrick as world class in the production of plastic bottles.
The new plant has brought significant improvements in labour and plant operations efficiency.
The project
Glenpatrick Spring Water supplies bottled still, carbonated and flavoured water to Irish and UK retailers. The 11.6k sq-m factory features flexible production lines, providing a range of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and glass packaging solutions.
| Annual energy (kWh) | Annual costs (€) | Annual CO2 (kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before project | 6,241,855 | €579,284 | 3,327 |
| After project | 1,628,486 | €151,133 | 868 |
| Savings | 461,336 (74% saving) | €428,150 (74% saving) | 2,459 (74% saving) |
Glenpatrick Spring Water supplies bottled still, carbonated and flavoured water to Irish and UK retailers. The 11.6k sq-m factory features flexible production lines, providing a range of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and glass packaging solutions.
In 2012, the company had the choice of replacing its existing production plant on a like-for-like basis, or of investing in a best in class system from the German company Krones. Glenpatrick calculated that it could reduce its annual energy costs by as much as €155k by adopting the Krones technology. However at a price of €4.9m, this system cost €1.65m more than the standard plant alternative. The payback on this investment would have been over 10 years. A €500k grant from SEAI reduced this to 7.4 years, making the energy efficient system a more realistic choice for Glenpatrick.
The project focused on a bottling line for still and sparkling products. The integrated PET blowing and filling system is designed to manufacture energy efficient plastic bottles, fill them, and label and pack them using lightweight materials.
It comprises the latest generation of bottle blowing machinery, the Krones Contiform S3. The filling system (Modufill VFS), labelling system (Contiroll 720-15), and shrink-wrap packer (VARIOPAC PRO FS-4) have all been designed to work with very lightweight materials. A Krones MODULPAL palletiser was designed to minimise stress on the packs using a lightweight pallet film. Furthermore, a novel air recovery system (Beliss & Morcom) was added to the standard Krones line to allow air from the blow moulding machines to be recycled through the compressor.
The company separately installed a new energy monitoring system which logs and tracks 80% of the factory's electricity consumption. They also installed a natural gas usage boiler and well-water consumption.
"This investment has a major impact on our sustainability targets. It truly puts the Glenpatrick source at the top of the world's most sustainable bottled water sources."
"Glenpatrick is now the most energy-efficient manufacturer of bottled water products in Ireland and the UK."
Finance and funding
Project cost: €1.65m
Finance support: €500,000 (30% grant from SEAI)
Payback time: 10.6 years (7.4 years with grant)
Savings verification: Energy monitoring system
Glenpatrick Spring Water
049 9401 700
Kieran Hynes, Managing Director
Krones AG, Germany
www.krones.com