Story 01
Our professional team is why we are #1 in the industry
Learn the onsite reality of plastic bottle manufacturing
August 8, 2019
Full support from delivery & installation
to training and after-support
Shinano Kogen Foods Co., Ltd., is commissioned by a major Japanese beverage manufacturer to produce beverages from the molding to filling of plastic (PET) bottles.
Shinano Kogen Foods, including group companies, has seven production lines outputting a variety of soft drinks with PET. Marubeni Techno-Systems facilitates all of the company’s PET bottle blow-molding equipment.
Marubeni Techno-Systems serves as the sole distributor in Japan of blow-molding machines manufactured by KHS GmbH of Germany. Our support team performs delivery & installation, troubleshooting, updates, to after-sales maintenance & support.
We interviewed Shinano Kogen’s Fuji-Oyama factory. The Fuji-Oyama factory is at the forefront of beverage manufacturing in Japan. It illustrates the high technical capabilities and support of Marubeni Techno-Systems.
“In addition to technical support, we also receive a variety of suggestions and proposals from Marubeni Techno-Systems.
Recently, we received proposals on how to reduce the amount of air used for high-pressure,” states Mr. Yuyama, Shinano Kogen Foods Co., Ltd.
“In Germany, KHS GmbH’s headquarters, nuclear power plants have stopped operating. In Germany, they need to rely on other countries for energy. Lower consumption of energy and higher efficiency of industrial machinery is of greater concern than Japan. KHS GmbH equipment significantly reduces the use of energy, including electricity usage. The same needs are high in demand among Japanese customers,” Mr. Kobayashi, Marubeni Techno-Systems, Packaging Systems Division.
Mr. Kobayashi, Senior Project Manager, Marubeni Techno-Systems, Packaging Systems Division
“The demand to resolve high energy usage and environmental awareness among beverage manufacturers are growing stronger every year. If the brand owner decides to use plant-derived materials for plastic bottles, Shinano Kogen Foods must manufacturer bottles using specified materials. Suddenly, you may need to use new raw material.
Even if raw materials change, quality cannot. I am very grateful that Marubeni Techno-Systems responds flexibly to our issues,” Mr. Takahashi, Shinano Kogen Foods Co., Ltd.
Mr. Takahashi, Manager, Mr. Yuyama, Deputy Director, Shinano Kogen Foods Co., Ltd.
We select the proper parts to replace at the right time to minimize maintenance costs.
A unique service of Marubeni Techno-Systems is the capability to make subtle adjustments to machines to match new molds requested by the brand owner. Depending on conditions, there are deviations between the mold and actual product. Marubeni Techno-System’s technical staff provide full support from checking equipment conditions to identifying issues to meet the brand owner’s requirements.
Blow machines mold several hundred plastic bottles per minute at high RPMs with high wear & tear of parts. To ensure that the equipment properly function, inspections are performed on an annual base. Before inspections, our staff check which parts need replacement and propose a maintenance plan for our customers.
Blow molding machine delivered to Shinano Kogen Foods
“The machines we sell are costly, and we try to minimize repair and maintenance costs as much as possible.
It is not our intention to charge high prices to our clients. We make an effort to select and recommend appropriate parts to minimize the on-going costs,” Mr. Kobayashi, Marubeni Techno-Systems, Packaging Systems Division.
Handing over knowledge
Training our clients is also part of our job.
High productivity rate is a goal for any factory, and it is crucial that equipment properly operates 24/7.
We highly value Marubeni Techno-Systems for having Japanese technical staff that can provide maintenance services.
Many of their technical staff have professional experience in plastic bottle production lines. They can maintenance old and new equipment. This capability is a unique strength not found in other companies.
At Shinano Kogen Foods, we also aim to raise the level of their internal technical staff. For our annual inspections, we work together with Marubeni Techno-Systems staff to learn in-depth on how to maintain our equipment.
“Our clients need to operate machines to improve and maintain high productivity continuously. Servicing and keeping the machinery well maintained is important to ensure maximum efficiency and profits. We make a great effort to respond to our client’s requests quickly,” said Mr. Katsumata, Manager, Marubeni Techno-Systems, Packaging Systems Division
Mr. Katsumata, Manager, Marubeni Techno-Systems, Packaging Division
Marubeni Techno-Systems technical staff and the engineers of Shinano Kogen Foods working together.
“I can’t call Marubeni Techno-Systems every little problem. To properly address and properly communicate issues, our internal staff needs to understand the machinery. I hope we will have more opportunities for Marubeni Techno-Systems to educate us onsite,” said Mr. Yuyama, Shinano Kogen Foods Co., Ltd.
Marubeni Techno-System’s technical staff visit Germany regularly to receive various training. Through this, our team learns new information about the products which we share with our clients.
We plan to add customer training services to our offerings, along with support and maintenance.
By providing implementation and technical support of machines, we support stable operation at the manufacturing site. This experience and know-how lead to the next project with our clients.
The production of such a virtuous cycle has led to the growth of Marubeni Techno System’s packaging systems business.
