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Bottling Line Manufacturers From China, USA, Germany, Italy, and France: Quick Overview

Table of Contents

Many industries use complex machinery for their bottling needs, ensuring products are packaged efficiently. Bottling line manufacturers design and build these critical systems, playing an important part in overall production. The advanced technology from these companies is vital across numerous sectors.

Company Name

Year Founded

Country

Krones AG

1951

Germany

Sidel

1965

France

KHS GmbH

1868

Germany

Tetra Pak

1951

Sweden

Sacmi Imola S.C.

1919

Italy

GEA Group

1881

Germany

Tech-Long

1999

China

Serac Group

1969

France

ProMach Inc.

1998

USA

Coesia S.p.A.

2005

Italy

Krones AG

Year Founded: 1951

Main Products:

  • Stretch blow-molding machines for PET bottles.
  • Filling machines for glass, PET bottles and cans.
  • Labelling machines for all container types.
  • Bottle washers and pasteurizers.
  • Inspection and quality control systems.
  • Packaging and palletizing equipment.
  • Complete turnkey beverage production lines.
  • Water treatment systems.
  • Process technology for breweries and dairies.
  • Conveying and material flow systems.

Krones AG is in Neutraubling, Germany, near a town called Regensburg. This company is known all over the world as a top maker of bottling line machines. Hermann Kronseder started it in 1951.

krones
krones

It first began in a tiny workshop. There, Hermann Kronseder made labeling machines that were partly automatic. He was very good with machines and electricity. He really changed how drinks were put into packages.

Hermann Kronseder created the first machines made just for the new bottled drink market. The company grew a lot from that small start. Now, it is a world leader in making bottling lines.

Krones AG has factories in several German towns, like Neutraubling and Nittenau. It also has a factory in Debrecen, Hungary. Krones makes all kinds of bottling machines. You can buy one machine or a whole production line.

Their lines can do every step in making drinks. This includes making PET bottles. Then, they fill the bottles, put caps on, add labels, and pack them.

Krones is famous for its very fast bottling lines. Some lines can handle up to 100,000 containers in just one hour. This speed is great for big companies that make drinks or medicines.

The bottling machines Krones makes for medicines follow very strict hygiene rules. These machines use special clean ways to fill bottles. They also have systems to stop any dirt or germs and can track everything.

The company’s lines use new Industry 4.0 technology. This means they have smart sensors. They also use software to keep things running well with very few stops. Krones has put in over 40,000 machines in more than 190 countries. Over 17,000 people work for Krones.

Sidel

Year Founded: 1965

Main Products

  • PET blow molding machines (rotary and linear).
  • Aseptic and non-aseptic filling equipment.
  • Complete bottling lines for PET, glass and cans.
  • Capping and closure systems.
  • Labeling machines.
  • Conveying and accumulation systems.
  • Palletizers and depalletizers.
  • Complete line engineering and integration.
  • Packaging design services.
  • Line conversion and upgrade solutions.

Sidel started in 1965 in a city in France called Le Havre. Georges Lesieur created the company. Its first name was Société Industrielle Des Emballages Légers. This name means Industrial Company of Light Packaging.

sidel
Sidel

Sidel was a leader in creating plastic bottle technology in Europe. In 1961, the company made the first plastic bottle from a material called polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This was a new choice instead of glass containers.

This new idea changed the packaging field quite a bit. It gave companies containers that were lighter and cost less. They were also easier to move and did not break as easily as glass.

Sidel’s main office moved to Switzerland in 2003. This happened when it joined the Tetra Laval Group. Now, Sidel is a world leader in PET packaging solutions. It has 50 offices all over the world.

Sidel also has nine research centers. It has put in over 40,000 machines in more than 190 countries. The company’s bottling lines are well known in the drug-making industry. This is because they meet high cleanliness standards and are very flexible.

Sidel focuses on complete line solutions. These solutions put together blow molding, filling, and capping into good working systems. These systems can make from 1,000 to 80,000 bottles each hour.

For making medicines, Sidel’s bottling lines have new ways to control any dirt or germs. They use special HEPA filters. They also use automated cleaning systems. There is also an option for special isolator technology for very clean production areas.

These lines are made for quick changes. This helps drug companies switch easily between different bottle sizes and product types. The company knows how to handle products that need special care. These include liquids for injection, oral liquids, and other drug preparations. Sidel keeps creating new bottling line technologies for drug makers.

KHS GmbH

Year Founded: 1868

Main Products:

  • High-speed filling machines for bottles, cans and kegs.
  • PET stretch blow molding systems.
  • Labeling and decoration equipment.
  • Packaging machines and shrink packers.
  • Palletizing and depalletizing systems.
  • Pasteurizers and bottle washers.
  • Complete turnkey production lines.
  • Process technology for beverage treatment.
  • Inspection and quality control systems.
  • Conveying and logistics solutions.

KHS GmbH is located in Dortmund, Germany. Its story started way back in 1868. That year, Karl Kappert and Luis Holstein began a company called Holstein & Kappert in Dortmund. At first, it sold technical gear to breweries and places that make malt.

KHS-GmbH
KHS GmbH

The founders wanted to be the first to build filling systems for bottled beer. Bottled beer was a new idea at that time. This made KHS one of the oldest companies in the bottling equipment field.

The KHS GmbH we know today was formed in 1993. This happened when Holstein & Kappert AG joined with Seitz-Werke GmbH, which started in 1887. This joining brought together over 250 years of shared knowledge in drink packaging technology.

KHS has five factories in Germany. These are in Dortmund, Bad Kreuznach, Hamburg, Kleve, and Worms. It also has sites in other countries like Brazil, the United States, Mexico, India, and China. This has made KHS a big global player in making bottling lines.

The company is owned by Salzgitter Klöckner-Werke GmbH. It has over 4,100 workers around the world. KHS makes complete bottling lines. These lines handle every step of making drinks. This goes from making PET bottles to filling, labeling, packaging, and putting them on pallets.

For drug companies, KHS offers special bottling lines. These lines meet the industry’s tough rules for product safety and cleanliness. Their drug lines use new sterile technology. This includes handling bottles in a sterile way and having filling areas free of germs. They also use proven cleaning methods.

The company’s Innofill series offers very exact filling solutions. These can be based on volume or weight. Built-in quality control systems make sure the product is good all through the packaging process.

KHS bottling lines are known for being flexible. They can handle different kinds of containers. These include PET bottles, glass bottles, and special drug containers. Their designs allow for easy additions and changes. This means KHS systems can meet specific drug production needs. They also follow world rules like FDA and EU GMP guidelines.

Tetra Pak

Year Founded: 1951

Main Products:

  • Aseptic carton packaging systems.
  • Filling machines for liquid products.
  • Processing equipment for dairy and beverages.
  • Carton packaging materials.
  • Complete production lines.
  • Homogenizers and separators.
  • Heat exchangers and pasteurizers.
  • Membrane filtration systems.
  • Automation and control systems.
  • Service and maintenance solutions.

Tetra Pak is based in Lund, Sweden, though its main parent company is in Switzerland. Ruben Rausing founded it in 1951. It was part of a company called Åkerlund & Rausing. Tetra Pak changed how liquid food was packaged. It did this by creating a carton shaped like a tetrahedron. That shape is where its name comes from.

Tetra-Pak
Tetra Pak

Ruben Rausing’s idea was based on a concept from Erik Wallenberg. It led to a packaging system that kept liquid products fresh. They didn’t even need a refrigerator. This greatly changed how milk and other drinks were sold all over the world. The first Tetra Pak machine went to a dairy in 1952. This started a big change in packaging.

Most people know Tetra Pak for its carton packaging. But the company now offers many solutions for the liquid food industry. This includes new bottling line technologies. Tetra Pak is part of the Tetra Laval Group. It works in over 160 countries. It has more than 25,000 employees.

After buying Alfa Laval in 1991, Tetra Pak grew beyond just packaging. It now provides full processing and packaging solutions. This includes bottling lines for different liquid products. Their skill in making drug bottling lines comes from many years of experience with aseptic technology.

This aseptic technology means things are kept sterile, or super clean. It was first made for dairy items. But now it’s used for drug liquids that need sterile packaging. Tetra Pak’s drug bottling lines use this leading aseptic processing technology. It sterilizes both the product and the package separately. Then they are combined in a sterile place.

This method helps products last longer without needing preservatives. It also keeps the product safe through the whole packaging process. Their bottling systems have new automation and real-time watching. They also have full tracking systems that meet drug rules.

The company’s bottling lines can work with different container shapes. They are designed to be flexible for different product thicknesses and filling needs. Tetra Pak is very focused on being good for the environment and on new ideas. It keeps creating new technologies. These technologies try to lessen harm to the environment. At the same time, they keep the highest safety and quality standards for drug packaging.

Sacmi Imola S.C.

Year Founded: 1919

Main Products:

  • Cap and closure manufacturing systems (CCM technology).
  • Compression blow forming (CBF) machines for bottles.
  • Labeling machines for all container types.
  • Filling and capping equipment.
  • Complete bottling lines.
  • Inspection and quality control systems.
  • Assembly machines for caps and closures.
  • Vision systems for pharmaceutical packaging.
  • Packaging automation solutions.
  • Palletizing and handling equipment.

Sacmi Imola S.C. is in Imola, Italy. Nine mechanics and blacksmiths who were out of work started it in 1919. Their names were Luigi Santandrea, Filiberto Gamberini, Tiepolo Castaldi, Paolo Nonni, Giovanni Bartoli, Guido Selvatici, Vincenzo Franceschelli, Aldo Galassi, and Armando Panari.

Sacmi Imola S.C.
Sacmi Imola S.C.

These founders wanted to make their lives better by working together. They set up a mechanical workshop. The town council gave them the space for it. Sacmi started as a general repair shop. But it grew into a large international group. Now it has over 80 companies in 26 countries.

Sacmi’s main office is near Bologna. It has become a world leader in packaging machines. It’s especially known for its bottling line equipment for the drug industry. The company started to change after World War II. It began making presses for ceramic tiles. Later, in the 1960s, it moved into packaging machinery.

Today, Sacmi has about 4,600 employees around the world. It makes over €1.3 billion in sales. Their packaging part focuses on complete bottling lines. These lines are for drug, drink, food, and cosmetic companies.

For drug bottling, Sacmi offers new solutions. These include their special CBF (Compression Blow Forming) technology. This technology makes bottles right from resin in one very controlled step. This is very helpful for drug containers that need to be super clean and all the same.

Their drug bottling lines use new vision systems to check every single item. This makes sure the product quality is good and follows strict official rules. Sacmi’s CCM (Continuous Compression Molding) technology for making caps is seen as the best in the industry. It makes billions of closures each year with great accuracy.

The company’s all-in-one approach allows them to offer complete bottling solutions. These range from making bottles and caps to filling, capping, labeling, and final packaging. All these steps are designed to meet the tough standards of making drugs.

GEA Group

Year Founded: 1881

Main Products:

  • Aseptic filling systems for bottles.
  • ESL (Extended Shelf Life) filling equipment.
  • Hygienic filling lines.
  • Bottle sterilization systems.
  • Capping and sealing machines.
  • Complete beverage packaging lines.
  • Powder filling systems.
  • Container handling equipment.
  • Palletizers and depalletizers.
  • Process technology and automation.

GEA Group has its main office in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its history began in 1881. That year, Wilhelm Merton and Leo Ellinger created Metallgesellschaft AG (MG) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was a company that traded metals.

GEA-Group
GEA Group

The company changed over time. The actual GEA was founded by Otto Happel in 1920 in a town called Bochum. At first, it made equipment to remove dust for industries. Through several company joinings, including an important one with MG in 1999, it became today’s GEA Group. GEA is now one of the world’s biggest sellers of process technology and packaging solutions.

GEA Group works all over the world. It has over 18,000 employees in 62 countries. The company’s packaging part got stronger when it bought Procomac, a company in the bottling field. GEA offers full bottling line solutions for drug, food, and drink industries.

GEA’s skill in making drug bottling equipment comes from many years of experience. They are experts in clean processing and packaging. They have special knowledge in keeping things sterile during the whole packaging process. Their bottling lines use new technologies. These include sterilization systems using hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid. They also use electron beam technology and complex systems to control the environment.

GEA’s drug bottling lines are made to handle sensitive products. These products need the highest levels of cleanliness and product safety. Their equipment includes the ABF (Aseptic Blow Fill) system. This system combines making bottles and filling them in one continuous clean process. This removes possible spots where dirt or germs could get in.

The company’s filling machines have electronic control valves. They also have capping systems run by servo motors and built-in cleaning technology. GEA’s total approach to designing bottling lines makes sure they work their best. They do this by carefully combining all parts. This goes from handling and filling bottles to final packaging and putting them on pallets. GEA keeps making new things in areas like eco-friendly packaging and smart factory integration.

Tech-Long

Year Founded: 1999

Main Products:

  • PET stretch blow molding machines.
  • Rotary filling machines for water and beverages.
  • Blowing-Filling-Capping (BFC) combi-blocks.
  • Labeling machines.
  • Secondary packaging equipment.
  • Palletizers and depalletizers.
  • Shrink wrappers and case packers.
  • Water treatment systems.
  • Complete turnkey bottling lines.
  • Conveying and handling systems.

Tech-Long is in Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, China. It started on December 18, 1999. It began with small buildings and less than 100 workers. The company first focused on making equipment for five-gallon containers. It also made water filling machines for small bottles.

tech-long
Tech-long

The company was led by its founders. Their motto was “RUNS FOR YOU.” Tech-Long quickly grew. It went from a small local maker to Asia’s biggest beverage packaging machinery manufacturing base. It reached this point by 2006 after it finished expanding its fourth plant.

Tech-Long has been traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 2008. Its stock code is 002209. The company has grown to have over 210,000 square meters of manufacturing space. It employs more than 350 R&D engineers. These engineers work in a special 2,000 square meter R&D center.

The company has successfully set up more than 1,300 bottling systems. These are in over 54 countries. Tech-Long works with well-known international brands. These include Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Danone, and San Miguel. Tech-Long’s fast growth and new technology made it the first publicly traded beverage packaging machinery company in China.

Tech-Long’s drug bottling lines use its wide experience in high-speed, very clean beverage packaging. This experience helps meet the needs of the drug industry. Their equipment has new servo-motor technology. It also has exact filling systems and complete quality control methods.

The company is skilled in putting together complete lines. It offers ready-to-use solutions. These solutions include water treatment, bottle making, filling, capping, labeling, and secondary packaging. Tech-Long’s drug lines are designed with germ control as a top priority. They have systems for special air flow, HEPA filtration, and automatic cleaning steps.

Their filling technology can handle different drug liquids. These liquids might have different thicknesses and features. The machines keep filling accuracy within the strict limits needed for drugs. Tech-Long focuses on custom solutions and being flexible. This means its bottling lines can be set up to handle many container sizes and types. This makes them good for drug makers who need to produce various items.

Serac Group

Year Founded: 1969

Main Products:

  • Weight filling machines for liquids.
  • Net weight filling technology systems.
  • Capping and sealing equipment.
  • Blow molding machines (SBL series).
  • Aseptic filling lines.
  • BluStream® cap sterilization technology.
  • Linear and rotary filling systems.
  • Complete bottling line solutions.
  • Container decontamination systems.
  • Line integration and automation.

Serac Group is located in La Ferté-Bernard, France. Jean-Jacques Graffin, an engineer, started it in June 1969. He changed the dairy packaging industry. He did this by inventing the world’s first weight filling machine.

Serac-Group
Serac Group

Jean-Jacques Graffin first worked from his mother’s garage. He developed this new technology after watching dairies. He saw that dairies weighed full bottles to check milk quantity. He realized that filling by weight could adjust for volume changes caused by temperature.

His first weight filler for the food industry was a quick success. Six machines were sold in the first six months. This made Serac a leader in exact filling technology.

Serac now has offices in seven countries. These include the United States, Malaysia, Brazil, and Mexico. It has put in over 6,500 machines in more than 120 countries. This has happened over its 50-plus year history. The company is still family-owned.

Rose Graffin became CEO and Chairman in 2022. This was after her husband passed away. Serac employs over 600 people around the world. It has built its name on always creating new things. For example, it created the first aseptic filling line for milk in plastic bottles in 1977. More recently, it introduced BluStream®. BluStream® is a cap sterilization technology that uses electron beams and no chemicals.

For drug uses, Serac’s bottling lines combine its leading weight-filling knowledge with new ways to control germs. Their net weight filling systems give the extreme accuracy needed for drug dosing. Their aseptic filling skills, first made for dairy products, offer the super clean levels that drug making requires.

Serac’s drug lines have several choices for decontamination. These include hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, and their new BluStream® technology. BluStream® can reduce bacteria by a huge amount without chemicals. The company’s filling machines can handle containers from 50ml to 2 liters. They can run at speeds up to 48,000 bottles per hour. They have servo-driven capping systems and built-in quality control. Serac’s flexible design helps drug makers meet specific needs.

ProMach Inc.

Year Founded: 1998

Main Products:

  • Bottle unscramblers and orienters.
  • Filling machines for liquids and powders.
  • Capping and closure systems.
  • Tablet and capsule counting equipment.
  • Labeling and coding solutions.
  • Cartoning and case packing machinery.
  • Robotic packaging systems.
  • End-of-line packaging equipment.
  • Complete integrated packaging lines.
  • Pharmaceutical compliance solutions.

ProMach Inc. has its main office in Covington, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, Ohio. Mark Anderson founded it in 1998. ProMach began by bringing together different packaging machinery companies. It has grown by buying many companies. Now, it’s one of North America’s biggest packaging machinery makers.

Promac
Promach

The company’s method involves buying top packaging equipment makers. It then groups them into special business lines. At the same time, it keeps their individual brand names and skills. This approach has helped ProMach build a wide range of packaging solutions for many industries.

ProMach has over 50 product brands. It also has more than 4,500 employees. These employees work in over 90 manufacturing sites and offices. These are across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. ProMach serves over 55,000 customer locations worldwide.

The company has made many important purchases. These include Federal, Pharmaworks, and NJM. These purchases have built special strength in drug packaging. This is through its dedicated Pharma business line. ProMach’s growth has been helped by partnerships with leading private equity firms. Leonard Green & Partners has owned it since 2018.

ProMach’s drug bottling lines use over a hundred years of shared experience from its companies. NJM Packaging and Pharmaworks are especially important. Their drug solutions provide complete bottling lines. These lines cover everything from unscrambling bottles to final case packing. Every part is designed to meet strict cGMP rules and FDA regulations.

ProMach’s bottling lines include advanced germ control. They also have proven cleaning systems. They come with the detailed paperwork needed to meet drug rules. The company specializes in packaging for both liquid and solid medicines. Its equipment can handle everything from tiny vials to large bottles.

Their lines have serialization and track-and-trace features. These help meet global drug regulations. Their tablet counting technology makes sure dosing for solid oral medicines is correct. ProMach has local manufacturing and support on many continents. It offers drug makers reliable, flexible bottling solutions. These are backed by large service networks and technical skill.

Coesia S.p.A.

Year Founded: 2005

Main Products:

  • Primary packaging machinery for bottles and vials.
  • Secondary packaging and cartoning equipment.
  • Tube filling systems.
  • Digital printing solutions for packaging.
  • Vision and inspection systems.
  • Robotic packaging solutions.
  • Complete line integration.
  • Material handling and conveying systems.
  • Serialization and track-and-trace technology.
  • Aseptic filling equipment.

Coesia S.p.A. is based in Bologna, Italy. It was formed in 2005. This happened when its industrial holding group was renamed. The new name was meant to show unity among its companies. But the group’s history goes back to 1923 with a company called G.D.

Coesia
Coesia

G.D. first made motorcycles. Enzo Seràgnoli took it over in the late 1930s. He changed it into a packaging machinery maker. The company then focused on automatic wrapping machines for candy and soap. It eventually became a world leader in highly automated industrial machines. Since 2002, Isabella Seràgnoli has fully owned the group. She leads it as the sole shareholder.

Today, Coesia is a global group of companies. These companies focus on new industrial and packaging solutions. Coesia has over 80 smaller companies in 36 countries. It also has 86 production sites and more than 8,000 employees. It earns revenues over €2 billion.

The group owns well-known brands. Some are ACMA, G.D, R.A Jones, Volpak, Norden, and FlexLink. Each brand is an expert in different areas of packaging technology. Coesia’s companies serve many industries. These include aerospace, consumer goods, healthcare, drugs, and tobacco. This makes it one of the most varied packaging solutions providers in the world.

For drug bottling, Coesia uses the skills of several group companies. This allows it to offer complete solutions. Their drug bottling lines include new filling technologies from companies like Norden. Norden is known for tube filling systems. R.A Jones makes machines for primary and secondary packaging.

Coesia’s drug solutions provide complete sterile filling lines for bottles and vials. These lines can handle small amounts or high-speed operations. Some can produce up to 840 products per minute. Their equipment uses top vision systems for 100% inspection. It also has serialization features to meet official rules.

Flexible automation allows for quick changes between different bottle sizes and product types. The group’s all-in-one method allows them to deliver ready-to-use solutions. These solutions cover everything from bottle handling and filling to final cartoning and putting on pallets. All are designed to meet the strict demands of making drugs. This includes FDA validation and EU GMP compliance.

Conclusion

Bottling line manufacturing is a broad field with many specialized companies. These makers are vital, always improving their technology for numerous industries. For pharmaceutical machinery, Finetech has many machine types, and they’re always ready to lend a helping hand to help you choose what you need.

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Hey there, I’m Tony Tao

I am the CEO of Finetech, with more than 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical equipment industry. I hope to use my expertise to help more people who want to import pharmaceutical processing equipment from China.

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