All-in-one Visitron Filler on its way to Australia

GEA will present its efficient, multifunctional processing technology for the beverage industry at this year’s leading trade fair, BrauBeviale, in hall 7 under the motto – ‘Refreshingly Different’. The GEA Visitron Filler all-in-one will be on display, which can fill bottles, cans and PET containers on a single filler. BrauBeviale in Nuremberg is a short stopover for the filler before it continues on its way to Australia – where GEA customer, Australian-owned Moon Dog Craft Brewery, is eager to integrate the ultra-flexible filler into its new plant.

Originally set up in the Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, Moon Dog has now outgrown that facility and is on the move to Preston where the team has just opened a 12,000 square meters facility. The site claimed to house a unique 725-person venue with a large new brewing facility about to be commissioned, which will allow them to produce over 10 million liters in a year. Moon Dog is known for pushing limits with beer styles and flavors and according to the press release, the new facility with a designated souring kettle will allow them to continue to diversify and grow market share within Australia and globally. Seeing the need to bring more efficiency into its processes, Moon Dog ordered a GEA Visitron Filler all-in-one in August 2019, as well as a water deaeration system Varidox, a Dicar-B carbonation system, an eco-flash pasteurizer, and a Plug and Win 100 centrifuge from the technology group.

Sustainable bottling and canning

Breweries are particularly interested in GEA Vipoll filling equipment because this sector typically has the highest demand for glass bottles and cans. Customers benefit from GEA’s commitment to support and improve production processes end-to-end, from brewing to bottling and storage. Likewise, GEA offers many solutions to help breweries lower their CO2 emissions, which is critical for helping this high-consumption sector meet the ambitious climate protection goals it has set for itself. Highly efficient manufacturing, as well as responsible packaging methods, are therefore key, which means glass containers and cans will play an even greater role in global environmental strategies; refillable bottles will become a cornerstone of reuse initiatives and cans a valuable recyclable material.

One for all

GEA Vipoll developed the all-in-one monoblock filler that is claimed to be a direct response to sustainability requirements and is a prime example of just how lean and flexible filling solutions can be. The compact all-in-one rinses fill and caps products all within a small production footprint. Its sophisticated process design claims to save time during filling and format changeovers; within a matter of minutes, the machine can switch to handle different products and container formats. This is made possible by the all-in-one’s multifunctional elements – the rinser is equipped with universal grippers; the filler uses an electro-pneumatic filling valve and a single capping turret can accommodate different closure types.

“We chose GEA because the company has a great reputation for manufacturing high-quality machines. The all-in-one filler allows us to operate a single filling line for both cans and bottles with quick change over between formats. This gives us benefits in terms of floor space utilization and simplicity in maintenance and operation,” Josh Uljans, co-founder and chief executive officer at Moon Dog Craft Brewery said.

Jakob Salamun, sales manager at GEA Vipoll said, “The all-in-one’s multifunctional system is unique in the world because it allows for an unprecedented level of flexibility; it can be used to fill glass, cans and PET containers; handle different formats and seal them with diverse cap types. It can fill carbonated or still drinks, using a hot or cold fill method.”