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Winemaker uncorks higher productivity and cost savings when bottling line switches to dry running System Plast™ conveyor

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Winemaker uncorks higher productivity and cost savings when bottling line switches to dry running System Plast™ conveyor

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Page 1: Reduce cost while increasing productivity

Winemaker uncorks higher productivity and cost

savings when bottling line switches to dry running System Plast™ conveyor

Page 2: Reduce cost while increasing productivity

Increased line output yields payback in six months, with bo-nus savings on soap, water, spare parts. Plant now cleaner, safer, quieter, more energy efficient.

FLORENCE, KY May 2012 – The term “dry wine” has a new mean-ing at Vincor International’s Quebec bottling operation since the conveyor line eliminated soap-and-water lubrication by install-ing System Plast™ NG™ conveyor chain and Nolu-S™ wear track from Power Transmission Solutions, a Business of Emerson Indus-trial Automation. “Dry wine” bottling is now synonymous with significantly greater productivity, improved sanitation, reduced maintenance cost, greater reliability, reduced noise and out-standing return on investment. In fact, the production increase alone paid for the switch to System Plast chain in less than a year of operation, according to Plant Maintenance Manager Jorge Lar-raguilbel. “That’s only the beginning, too, because we have ad-ditional savings on soap, water, preventive maintenance, labels, and spare parts inventory,” he stressed. “By eliminating the soap buildup that can breed bacteria, we also facilitated our HACCP certification. We are enjoying intangible improvements as well, such as lower noise level in the plant, reduced slip hazard and improved cleanliness. The improvements have been noticeable to everyone involved with this plant, from top management to the people working on the line. We call the new chain the green carpet.”

creased costs and drove the decision to retrofit the Quebec line with System Plast NG chain, according to Larraguilbel. The 200-foot bottling line runs at 70 fpm, producing about 86,000 bottles per shift, with two shifts per day. “The soap and water used to lubricate the acetal conveyor chain sometimes saturated the bottle labels in the accumulation section, costing hundreds of dollars per year for labels and reprocessing the bottles,” Larragu-ilbel said. “It also increased costs for preventive maintenance and spare drive components that degraded prematurely from con-stant exposure to soap and water.” The purchase of soap and wa-ter, alone, added about $3,400 to the operating cost of the line.

Other significant issues with the existing line were reliability and noise due to improperly designed 90-degree turns and curves. Chain wore out prematurely and could jump out of the track during a line re-start, because the curves had too few magnets to hold the chain in place as it was pulled around a curve. Carl Killingbeck of Merley Chain, Emerson’s master distributor in Mil-ton, Ontario, diagnosed the problem and recommended dou-ble-magnet curves made of ultra-low-friction Nolu-S as part of a complete changeover to dry running operation with System Plast NG chain.

System Plast NG chain is made of high-performance PBT thermo-plastic with the lowest coefficient of friction in its range, deliver-ing medium strength, optimum wear resistance, reduced plate wear and reduced pitch elongation. The flat conveyor chain is suitable for high-speed and dry running applications, where it lowers power consumption and noise, and increases belt fatigue factor by up to 60 percent. It complies with the Code of Federal Regulation published by the Food & Drug Administration and Di-rective 202/72/CE of August 2002 related to materials in direct contact with food.

Nolu-S wear strips and guides, which are FDA approved, enable reduced-lubrication, high-speed conveyor operation. They are made of a unique compound of UHMW-PE with a solid lubricant which dramatically reduces the coefficient of friction, maintains UHMW characteristics, and has higher thermal conductivity. Nolu-S reduces noise and squeaking, reduces chain pull, extends chain life, does not damage or scratch PET bottles, and reduces energy consumption.

Utilizing ultra-low-friction NG chain and Nolu-S wear strips, Sys-tem Plast conveyor has a coefficient of friction of just 0.13 – a fraction of traditional plastic belt, steel and low-friction acetal

Vincor Canada is the nation’s largest producer and marketer of wine and related products. The Quebec winery is one of eight worldwide operations spread from New Zealand to the U.K. and California. The company’s premium brands include Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Toasted Head, Sawmill Creek, Amberley, Sumac Ridge, Hawthorne Mountain, Kim Crawford, Kumala Ancient Coast and others, as well as popular-priced wines and related beverages.

A variety of issues with three-year-old LF acetal conveyor chain, primarily wet labels, mechanical reliability and soap costs, in-

Winemaker uncorks higher productivity and cost savings when bottling line switches to dry running System Plast™ conveyor

Page 3: Reduce cost while increasing productivity

Emerson, Emerson. Consider It Solved., Emerson Industrial Automation and System Plast are trademarks of Emerson Electric Co. or one of its affiliated companies. ©2012 Emerson Power Transmission Corp., All Rights Reserved. MCWR12020E • Form 9692E

components – thereby reducing the conveyor’s en-ergy requirements by up to 30 percent. When NG chains and Nolu-S wear strips are combined, the lower friction reduces belt fatigue, resulting in dra-matically longer belt life.

“The double-magnet curves and reduced frictional resistance in the curves ended the problem of the chain jumping out of the track,” said Larraguilbel. “As a result, in the first six months after the change-over our production increased nearly two percent, adding about $26,000 to our output. This, alone, more than paid for the cost of the new chain.”

Larraguilbel points out that operators clean the con-veyor when processing high-sugar-content wines, because sugary wine spillage sometimes acts as an adhesive if the conveyor is stopped for an extend-ed period. This can lead to a chain break when the conveyor re-starts. “This is a minor issue compared to soapy water everywhere,” Larraguilbel stressed, “and easily justified to maintain a much higher level of operational efficiency, safety and sanitation.”

For more information, an interactive page-flip version of the System Plast catalog is online at www.emersononlinecatalog.com.

Printed copies can be ordered at www.emerson-ept.com.

About EmersonEmerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for cus-tomers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and tools and storage businesses. Sales in fiscal 2011 were $24.2 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.

About Emerson Industrial AutomationTM

Emerson Industrial Automation, a business of Emerson, is a global technology provider that enables productivity, efficiency and quality gains for customers across a spectrum of industries. Our products include alternators, electric motors and drives, electrical distribution devices and mechanical power transmission, fluid automation and ultrasonic joining solutions. Emerson brands include Appleton, ASCO, Branson Ultrasonics, Browning, Control Techniques, Kop-Flex, Leroy-Somer, McGill, Morse, Numatics, O-Z/Gedney, Rollway, Sealmaster, SSB Wind Systems and System Plast. For more information, visit www.EmersonIndustrial.com.

APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS

The proper selection and application of power transmission products and components, including the related area of product safety, is the responsibility of the customer. Operating and performance requirements and potential associated issues will vary appreciably depending upon the use and application of such products and components. The scope of the technical and application information included in this publication is necessarily limited. Unusual operating environments and conditions, lubrication requirements, loading supports, and other factors can materially affect the application and operating results of the products and components and the customer should carefully review its requirements. Any technical advice or review furnished by Emerson Power Transmission Corporation and its divisions with respect to the use of products and components is given in good faith and without charge, and Emerson assumes no obligation or liability for the advice given, or results obtained, all such advice and review being given and accepted at customer’s risk.

For a copy of our Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale, Disclaimers of Warranty, Limitation of Liability and Remedy, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-626-2120. These terms and conditions of sale, disclaimers and limitations of liability apply to any person who may buy, acquire or use an Emerson Power Transmission Corporation product referred to herein, including any person who buys from a licensed distributor of these branded products.

The conveyor line at Vincor, now with System Plast chain and components.