Beyond the proven partnership, Peroni was especially interested in gaining benefits from two of Sidel’s latest innovations: on the one hand, EvoFILL Glass with its cutting-edge filling technology and hygienic, no-base design. Its level probe electronic filling valves ensure a very high accuracy while managing a wide range of filling set points without any adjustment or replacement of parts. This was particularly important for Peroni, as they are handling five different formats in Bari; three of them as returnable glass as well as one-way bottles (33 cl, 66 cl and 50 cl), while two formats are managed as one-way bottle (75 cl) and RGB only (20 cl).  On the other hand, the brewer was intrigued by the new EvoDECO Cold Glue labeller. Launched in 2018, the solution ensures fast changeover times, through its easy-to-operate station with quick-release tool-less label pallets, combined with an automatic label magazine loading system. “Equipped with three stations, EvoDECO Cold Glue ensures a high-precision application of the pre-cut paper labels on our embossed glass bottles,” emphasises Luigi De Liddo, Packaging Engineering Manager at Peroni. To control the label positioning according to the bottle’s embossing, a custom feature was integrated within the labeller. It came together with a vision system and a solution able to correctly orient the bottle at the infeed for a perfect label application.  A complete glass line solution tailored to Peroni’s needs  The turnkey glass line in Bari is running at 50,000 bottles per hour and has been designed according to an arena layout, offering full ergonomics and enabling it to be managed by only four operators. “Since we are processing also returnable glass bottles here onsite, we had to design a smart crate circuit regulation. Sidel stepped in and helped us manage crate accumulations during empty crate palletisation: this approach has led to a seamlessly running line and maximum uptime,” highlights Luigi. As an expert in complete solutions with a long history in beer lines, Sidel provided equipment from A to Z, complementing EvoFILL Glass and the EvoDECO labeller with a (de-)crater, a (de-)palletiser, bottle and crate washers, a pasteuriser, a cap feeder, bottle dryers, a packer as well as conveying systems for bottles, crates and packs.   For increased product quality and sustainability benefits, Peroni installed SWING®, a proven pasteurisation system that cuts energy consumption by 25%. This energy saving is achieved thanks to two units: a water spray deviation system in central areas ensures that only the thermal energy required by the entire pasteurisation process is used to heat or cool the product. Secondly, SWING contains one ring circuit with water flowing inside it at a constant temperature thanks to a single heat exchanger (for all pasteurisation areas). Water is then distributed to different zones as required, thus saving both water and energy. To date, 77.6 billion containers have been pasteurised on SWING equipment, which has saved an impressive 2,135 Olympic swimming pools of water and energy of up to 60,000 kcal, compared to other pasteurisers.  The overall performance of the bottling line is also realised via EvoFlex®, Sidel’s high-speed single column de-palletiser for returnable bottles in crates. “We also installed our well renowned EIT™ (Efficiency Improvement Tool), a strategic asset that helps any layer of the organisation, from the CEO to the line operators, to be aware about the status of the line and events occurring in real time, thereby improving production efficiency – a key feature for Peroni,” says Luca.     Antonio Martalò, Packaging Manager at Birra Peroni, sums it all up, “By choosing Sidel as our partner we realised productivity gains and massive flexibility improvements. Not less important, we can now scale our production set-up according to the market needs. The project execution was absolutely smooth thanks to the continuous support offered by their team and their expertise in turnkey solutions for the beer industry.”   [1] Euromonitor International 2019, “Alcoholic Drinks Global Industry Overview” [2] Euromonitor International 2019, “Beer in the US” [3] Euromonitor International 2019, “Alcoholic Drinks Global Industry Overview” [4] Euromonitor International 2019, “Beer in Italy” [5] www.peroniitaly.com [6] Euromonitor International 2019, “Alcoholic Drinks: Asahi Group Holdings Ltd – Beer” [7] http://www.peroniitaly.com/news/design/reinventing-icon-new-bottle-and-glass