around the globe

01/2020

Soybean specialist INCOBRASA has a crush on SIPA for oil bottle blowing and filling

Renato Ribeiro knows a thing or two about soybeans. In fact, the Brazilian has more than 60 years of experience in extracting oil from them. In 2004, Incobrasa, opened its first packaging operation in Gilman, Illinois, USA. Now, with its latest investment, it has chosen SIPA for an integrated bottle blowing and filling line for the edible vegetable oil.


Incobrasa chose SIPA’s latest generation of rotary stretch-blow molding equipment, the Xtra, in a Sincro combination with a Flextronic W, SIPA’s high-precision electronic weight filler with an extremely simple, hygienic and fast “no contact” valve. The system makes and fills bottles in two sizes, 16oz and 48oz, at a rate of up to 15,300 bottles per hour for the 16 oz, 2550 bottles from each of the six cavities on the Xtra, 8,400 b.p.h for the 48 oz.


Such speed is possible thanks in large part to an active process angle of 200 degrees – some 15% wider than the industry average – which allows for stress-free blowing at high speed. Result: the ideal mix of high quality and quantity.


The Xtra also stands out with its cost-efficiency: energy consumption is so low that production of each bottle requires 25% less energy than on previous generations of rotary machines.


The Sincro system features very fast product changeover without the need for special tools. The line is equipped with an ECHO system for remote control and monitoring, enabling digital management.


These are not the only reasons why Incobrasa chose Xtra and Flextronic W from SIPA though. “We have been very satisfied with the cooperation and onsite service that SIPA has provided, as well as its problem-solving capacity,” says Mariano Moliner, Incobrasa’s Bottling Plant Manager.


Incobrasa is a leader in the production of high-quality oilseed food products and also biodiesel fuel. Founded in Brazil as a processor (crushing and oil extraction) of soybeans, it has held interests in US farmland and soybean industry since 1982. Its first North American soybean processing plant, in Gilman, became operational in 1997. The site has since grown to include an oil refinery, a packaging facility for food-grade vegetable oil and a state-of-the-art biodiesel production plant.

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