AQFlex at drinktec 2017
With the packaging industry facing increasingly sophisticated consumption trends that present various challenges to the production and distribution of goods, Gebo Cermex is responding to this with the introduction of AQFlex – a product handling technology.
Due to its new approach of conveying and accumulation, AQFlex delivers packaging line performance. It offers agility and smooth contactless product conveying and accumulation in a very compact space. This is a significant first step towards bringing the factory of the future to life and will be on show at drinktec 2017.
With packaging quality playing a key role in brand recognition and production diversity, a growing number of stock keeping units (SKUs) and even product and secondary packaging personalisation is now possible, manufacturers are looking for improved flexibility and responsiveness from their existing packaging systems. Easy re-engineering of existing lines is also important if producers are to easily adapt to big changes in demand.
Producers and brand owners are therefore becoming increasingly demanding when it comes to their line requirements. They cannot afford to compromise on extended performance in terms of production uptime, efficiency and reliability, always paying close attention to keeping total cost of ownership (TCO) as low as possible. As a consequence, they look for packaging solutions that are space-saving, easy to maintain, ergonomic in design, simple to use and sustainable.
“After spending 50 years in pioneering conveying solutions and line regulation systems, we believe this introduction to be the culmination of our innovation processes,” says Ludovic Tanchou, vice president strategy, products and innovation at Gebo Cermex. He adds: “AQFlex is the new IQ in product handling, encompassing all the advantages given by the existing conveying machines in a much smarter way.”
AQFlex is designed by Gebo Cermex as a new concept in packaging solutions that accommodates any product, whatever the application, whatever the market, in all container materials, formats and shapes, full or empty, while also enabling automatic changeovers via an intuitive and user-friendly Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Care of product integrity is completely ensured by the single-lane, contact-free product handling and accumulation system that is able to process even fragile, unstable or premium containers.
For minimised TCO and optimised operability, the solution from Gebo Cermex offers the best accumulation, space ratio on the market. Its compact design provides up to 40 per cent space savings compared to traditional solutions and, as a result of its compact footprint, AQFlex is easily integrated into existing production lines. The solution has a clear and open design that gives full accessibility at floor level for enhanced ergonomics and easy cleaning. Having only a few added mechanical parts compared to a conveyor, maintenance of AQFlex is comparable to that of a standard conveyor – without the need for any lubrication.