Simonds Farsons Cisk plc has commissioned a state-of-the-art beer and soft drinks keg plant and an 18.9 litre water filling line, with both plants using robot handling technology and replacing machinery which was well over 20 years old.

The new keg plant will be able to handle 30-litre kegs with a speed capability of 85 kegs per hour. It includes a depalletiser, an internal and external washer, a beer pasteuriser with latest control and data recording technology, a neck sterilising station, cap picking and placing positions, ink jet printing of batch code and best before date and palletiser.

The water filling line can depalletise or palletise 3 bottles at a time and is capable of filling 18.9 litre or smaller containers at a rate of 300 per hour. The line also includes a decapping machine, two pressure testers for any defective containers, an internal and external washer and sterilised capper. A new water sterilising plant has also been installed and equipped with the latest control technology and recording of quality data.

The two high technology plants have eliminated manual handling of containers of kegs weighing 42kgs and water containers weighing 20kgs. For both plants, pallet handling has now also been automated.

Farsons Group chairman Louis A. Farrugia and CEO Norman Aquilin toured the investment along with the company's board of directors.

Mr Farrugia said of this latest investment, “We are confident that this latest investment in our operations plant will result in reduced operating costs, a reduction in energy and water consumption as well as improved quality of product. Concurrently the investment in robot handling of heavy containers will drastically reduce operator fatigue and risk of injuries.”

“Both plants have been installed in a new building that was purposely built for them and conforms to the highest hygiene standards. Furthermore, technical staff have undergone extensive training at both at the suppliers’ premises as well as on site,” he added.