A beverage manufacturer has installed a Qimarox vertical conveyor in its Irish factory. This Qimarox Prorunner mk5 ensures smooth transport of beverage packaging from the production floor to higher levels, where the next stage of product processing takes place. The Irish Qimarox partner Noreside Engineering is responsible for the implementation of the project. The result: smoother flow, a safer working environment and increased efficiency.

Due to increasing demand, the beverage manufacturer has expanded production capacity, putting pressure on existing processes. This is particularly applicable to vertical transportation from the production floor. Moving cardboard boxes to higher levels was done largely manually and with forklifts. This resulted in inefficiencies in the process, delays in throughput, and unsafe situations. 

What the company needed was a robust vertical transport system that would seamlessly integrate with its existing conveyors and meet the stringent requirements of food production. To this end, Qimarox has partnered with Noreside Engineering, a Kilkenny-based system integrator with extensive experience in process automation in both the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Noreside provided the local expertise and project management, Qimarox the proven vertical transport technology.

High capacity, compact footprint

Noreside designed and integrated a stainless steel conveyor system into the final packaging process for the beverage manufacturer. This system handles the transport of beverage packaging from the production floor to higher levels, where the boxes are further processed and finally palletised. The heart of this system is the Prorunner mk5 from Qimarox. 

The Prorunner mk5 is a continuous vertical transport system that offers high throughput and a compact footprint, low energy consumption, and low maintenance. The modular design makes integration into the Noreside conveyor system easy, resulting in a smooth and reliable connection between the different levels. 

Thanks to the modular design, capacity can easily be scaled up in the future. All components are made of stainless steel and comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) guidelines.

Significant improvements

Manufacturers around the world use the Prorunner mk5 for their vertical transport challenges in high-volume environments. In this project, this proven solution from Qimarox was selected for several reasons:

• It moves packaging of various shapes and sizes, from boxes to crates.
• It enables continuous high-capacity transport.
• It saves valuable floor space thanks to its compact design.
• It consumes little energy, requires little maintenance, and has a long lifespan.

Since the installation, the Irish drinks manufacturer’s operations have significantly improved in several areas: 

• Greater flow without stagnation during vertical transport.
• Safer working environment by reducing manual work.
• Compliant with GMP and EHEDG standards due to hygienic design in stainless steel.
• Optimal use of space compared to the use of forklifts.

The end result is an improved final packaging process with a smooth flow of goods from the packaging machine through to the distribution process, taking the beverage manufacturer’s supply chain performance to the next level.