Jim Beam – an American first with a worldwide following

With 212 years of successful growth, Beam Global Wine & Spirits is a rarity. The Beam family began distilling its bourbon whiskey, originally “Old Jake Beam Sour Mash,” in 1795.
 
Old Jake’s mash evolved into the world’s number one bourbon, Jim Beam. The family business became a major public company with a diverse product portfolio boasting nine of the top 100 category leaders. The company’s relationship with Krones began in 1984, when Beam purchased the first of 16 Krones labelers.

Robert Land, Corporate Packaging Engineer, specifies all the equipment for Beam’s Clermont and Frankfort Kentucky, and Cincinnati Ohio plants. The Frankfort plant dates back to the late 1800s. Today, its seven bottling lines produce six million cases of product per year. With the company’s partial acquisition of Allied Domencq including Sauza Tequila and Canadian Club, output is expected to double.

New brands, bottles and technology

A redesign of the Canadian Club bottle triggered equipment additions at Frankfort. The new bottle called for a Topmatic with three label aggregates and a photo-electric label spotting system that would run at 400 bottles per minute (bpm).

Krones reconfigured a workhorse Solomatic from the mid-80s to label Sauza glass bottles in 750ml, 1 liter, and 1.14 liter sizes. “The Solomatic was spec’d to run at 240 bpm and we ran it at over 300 bpm for years. We push our machines farther than anyone else,” Land comments.

The need for a different spotting system with a separate label aggregate for each label triggered the purchase of a new Krones Solomatic. “We went to feed-screw spotting and eliminated miss-spots 100 percent,” says Land.

He selected the Krones Synco Container Conveyor for single-source convenience and easy bolt-in installation. “We didn’t need to custom-make any conveyors.”

A Krones Checkmat inspection unit allows Beam to check for label presence at top speeds. If a label is missing, the bottle is rejected. A Krones Linear rejection unit directs bottles into multiple lanes leading to three case packers. “The lane divider is so dependable. We have other types of dividers, but they’re a headache-and-a half.”

Land relies on Krones systems. “They’re as dependable as a stone axe.” He adds, “Unless there’s a dire need for a less expensive system, we go with Krones. They’re the Cadillac of labelers, the best in the world.”