CASE STUDY- LIQUOR INDUSTRY
Liquor industry is the most important industry in INDIA. With more revenue going to government, the production lines 10 to 15 years from today used to be 120 BPM lines, the market has changed & so the line speed. In India the production lines for Liquor, Breweries or Wineries are running at a speed of 300-400 BPM. Which requires fully automatic end of line solutions.
Currently even though the line speeds are 300-400 BPM, the production plans are run on manual packing at the end of the lines. Requires more than 12-14 People on a single production line.
PRODUCTION CHALLENGES
High Speed Lines:
The line speed of a filling line in India is now approaching to 300-400 BPM, which requires large line labours to pack the Glass/PET bottles inside the carton boxes.
Different SKU’s:
In liquor industry the liquor bottles are packed in the size of 90ml, 180ml, 375ml & 750ml. Frequent changes in the SKU’s makes it difficult for the line workers to cope up with the incoming line speed.
Handling of Glass Bottles
As the liquor bottles are made up of Glass, it’s hard to handle large SKU bottles on the line. With the likes of 375ml or 750ml Bottles, the bottles are sometimes mis handled by the line workers.
BUSINESS IMPACT
With more line workers & higher line speed, the production lines are sometimes run on the reduced speed results in lessor productivity. This also impacts on the line workers as the line workers are kept idle for more hours with low line speeds.
MAS SYSTECH SOLUTION
We supplied PPP 140/ MRP 100 Case packers for Liquor industry to cope up with the speed of incoming Glass/PET bottles.
CUSTOMIZATION APPLIED
We provided the solution inline with the current filling line. The Liquor bottle are picked & place in the carton to provide unique solution to their manual handling problems. We supplied the same machine for upto 8 different bottle SKU’s which stands out compared to competitors.
INSTALLATION PROCESS
The installation of the such equipment is simple & easy to use. We Installed the whole setup in 14 working days.
The installed, commissioned & handed over to customer on 20th day.
CHALLENGES OVERCOME
Cost Reduction
Lower "cost-per-case" by reducing head count and waste.
Brand Protection
Ensures the bottle arrives at the retailer without scuffs or breakage.
Scalability
Allows you to fulfill large distributor orders that would be impossible with manual labor.
Drastic Increase in Throughput and OEE
Manual packing is the primary "chokepoint" in a production line. A high-speed liquor line can fill hundreds of bottles per minute, but human hands cannot keep pace with that velocity consistently.
Synchronized Speed: Case packers can handle upwards of 30–60 cases per minute, ensuring the filler and labeler never have to slow down.
24/7 Consistency: Unlike manual labor, machines don't suffer from fatigue-related slowdowns during the second or third shifts, keeping your Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) high.
Superior Product Protection and Quality Control
Liquor packaging often involves expensive glass, intricate labels, and secondary packaging (like gift boxes or tubes).
Precision Handling: Automated grippers use controlled vacuum or mechanical pressure to lift bottles, preventing the "clinking" and crashing that leads to micro-cracks in glass.
Label Integrity: High-speed lines use sensors to ensure bottles are oriented correctly. This prevents scuffing of premium labels during the drop or slide into the case.
Verification: Many case packers integrate vision systems to ensure every bottle has a cap and a tax stamp before it is sealed in the box.
Labor Optimization and Safety
The liquor industry often deals with heavy cases (e.g., 12-packs of 750ml or 1L bottles).
Ergonomics: Manual packing leads to repetitive strain injuries (RSI) and back issues due to constant lifting and twisting. Automation removes these health risks.
Labor Allocation: Instead of having 4–6 people packing boxes, you only need one operator to oversee the machine. This allows you to reallocate staff to higher-value roles like quality assurance or cellar management.
Footprint and Layout Efficiency
Modern case packers, especially Top-Load or Wrap-Around models, are designed to save floor space. Case packers reduce the space, Increase accuracy and reduce risk of Glass bottles handling.
Flexibility for Diverse SKU Portfolios
Liquor brands often switch between 375ml flasks, 750ml standards, and 1.75L "handles."
Quick Changeovers: Advanced case packers feature tool-less changeovers. You can switch the machine from packing 12-count cases of vodka to 6-count cases of gin in under 15 minutes.
Multi-Format Capability: One machine can often handle RSC (Regular Slotted Containers), trays, or wrap-around cases, allowing you to meet different retailer requirements (e.g., Big Box clubs vs. boutique liquor stores)
CARTONS PER DAY KPI
In the liquor industry, cartons per day (also referred to as cases per day) is a primary Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that serves as the bridge between raw liquid production and market-ready inventory.
While a distillery measures its internal output in "Proof Gallons" or "Liters," the commercial health of the facility is judged by its final packaged output.
1. Standard Case: Twelve 750ml bottles (totaling 9 liters of liquid).
Production Volume: If a plant produces 1,000 cartons per day, they are successfully bottling 9,000 liters of product.
What Daily Carton Output Reflects
Tracking this number allows management to gauge several critical areas of the business:
Bottling Line Efficiency (Throughput)
The daily carton count is the ultimate test of the bottling line's health.
A drop in cartons per day usually indicates "downtime" (breakdowns in capping machines, labeling errors, or conveyor jams).
If a factory switches from vodka to gin mid-day, the "cartons per day" will drop. High-performing plants minimize this "set-up time" to keep the carton count steady.
Revenue Projection
Spirits are sold to wholesalers by the case, this metric is a real-time revenue tracker.
Cartons per Day X Wholesale Price per Carton= Daily Gross Revenue
If a distillery knows its break-even point is 400 cartons/day, anything above that is pure profit margin.
Inventory and Logistics Planning
The number of cartons produced dictates the physical space needed in the warehouse.
A standard pallet holds roughly 55–60 cartons. If you produce 1,200 cartons a day, you know you need space for 20 new pallets every single evening.
It helps logistics managers determine how many semi-trucks are required for daily dispatch.