A Le Coq.

When a leading beverage manufacturer needed a versatile inspection device to check their PET bottles, they came to Industrial Physics.

After visiting our site and seeing the technology in action the owners of A. Le Coq (part of the Olvi Group) were pleased to invest in our Eagle Vision 360° Label Inspection module and with the training and support we provided. 

 Before coming to us they were relying on basic technology. Their equipment could carry out a positive/negative bottle check to confirm a label existed, but it didn’t provide the extra information they needed.  

 With its multiple, high-resolution color cameras our industry-leading device lets their team check a raft of label details across their whole portfolio, including the best before date. Enabling them to inspect every bottle as the customer sees it. 

A thirst for perfection 

It goes without saying that a tasty recipe is essential. But it’s also vital that beverage makers perfect their aluminum cans and plastic or glass bottles. Your packaging is the first impression you give to your customer - get it wrong and you risk putting them off before they even taste the contents. 

The 360° Label Inspection module is a highly accurate, reliable and proven label mix-up detection system. It works effortlessly at high speeds and it inspects labels with a 360° field of view. This checks that the right label is attached and that it’s positioned without misprints or damage.  

Find out more about our portfolio of beverage test and inspection solutions by clicking the button below: 

VIEW PRODUCT PORTFOLIO 

The full success story

A Le Coq is one of the largest beverage manufacturers in Estonia. With an impressively diverse product portfolio, they produce a variety of bottles and cans for soft drinks, beers and juices. So this means lots of different packaging types.

 When it comes to quality control, they need versatile equipment that will satisfy a wide spectrum of needs – which is why they come to us. 

 While looking for the ideal solution to optimize their PET bottle label inspection capability they visited a glass bottle plant in Sweden. Their primary objective was to purchase a machine that could effectively check labels and dates on all bottles, and the secondary goal was to source a machine that also allowed the aesthetics of each bottle cap to be verified. 

 Here their production manager observed a range of different machines and spoke to people already using Eagle Vision equipment. It was clear that the 360° Label Inspection module was the right choice. 

 At Industrial Physics, we want to make sure that our partners find a satisfying solution for each unique need. So, we offer them the opportunity to test out samples and learn how everything works before investing.  

 Next, we invited the A. Le Coq team to visit us. To show them how our machines would work using their own samples. What better way for a company to understand if our technologies are the right solution than to let them see the results first-hand? While with us we also gave some training to show them how simple our equipment is to use. 

Putting quality first 

Considering the diversity of their product portfolio and the complexities of labelling within each individual product line, it was important they could adopt a sophisticated machine like the Eagle Vision 360 Label Inspection. 

 Their attractive bottles and labels featured lots of different colors and the sensors of their existing inspection equipment struggled to cope. They needed something a lot more advanced. 

 The basic way to identify plastic bottles is just to stick the label somewhere around the bottle. But the team at A. Le Coq used both neck and body labels. Everything had to be aligned which makes quality control all the more complicated.  

 Our capable technology offers the ideal solution. It captures images and then rotates them to identify a match. It uses multiple high resolution, full color cameras and can read numbers - so it even performs advanced functions like scanning best before dates. 

World class support 

At Industrial Physics, we’re here to protect the integrity of packaging, products, and materials for manufacturers, production lines and laboratories - all over the world. For us, that goes beyond simply supplying test and inspection instruments. It’s about being there for our customers. And acting as a true partner – answering questions, sharing our knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, reacting quickly if something goes wrong. 

A spokesperson for A. Le Coq confirmed this when he said:

“Whenever there’s been a struggle, the team at Industrial Physics have always been on hand to support us. And throughout the complications of the pandemic, they’ve been offering remote support through virtual calls and software updates.

"We’ve actually been waiting for the team to visit us for a service, but obviously the pandemic has meant we’ve had to delay this. The team has been great at helping us virtually, but I’m definitely looking forward to the pandemic being over so that we can reconnect face to face!"

A truly collaborative approach 

This feedback was well received by Frank van Neverdeen, Product Manager at Industrial Physics, who added:

“From the outset, we were working closely with the team at A. Le Coq to provide the best solution possible.

“From our first meeting we adopted a collaborative approach, had very clear and open communication, and developed a deep understanding of their requirements – this allowed us to find the right solution. We’re thrilled that the team has found our system useful and look forward to offering continued support moving forward.”

Whether you’re a can filler or can maker, if you manufacture packaging for soda, energy drinks, canned cocktails or beer, one thing is for sure: perfect packaging is key. 

We explore this subject in our guidebook ‘A Thirst For Perfection’. 

It offers you exclusive insight – based on internal and external expertise – into the biggest challenges and opportunities facing quality control within beverage packaging for can makers and can fillers. 

 CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE GUIDEBOOK!

 We’re always pleased to hear that the products our customer chose solved their inspection problems. Whatever industry you work in we typically have a range of fantastic options.  

 Other customers within the beverage industry have been equally impressed with the….SEAM360: non destructive seam inspection device for beverage cans or the Quality By Vision Clearance Gauge: double seamer setup and adjustment system.

If you’d like to find out how Industrial Physics could support your needs, get in touch by clicking below. 

GET IN TOUCH TODAY!