Krones AG

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Krones AG

logo
legal form Corporation
ISIN DE0006335003
founding 1951
Seat Neutraubling , GermanyGermanyGermany 
management
  • Christoph Klenk, CEO
Number of employees 17,353 (2019)
sales 3.858 billion euros (2019)
Branch mechanical engineering
Website www.krones.com
As of December 31, 2019

Krones AG premises in Neutraubling

The Krones AG is a German publicly traded manufacturer of plant and machinery for the production, bottling and packaging of beverages and liquid foods in PET and glass bottles as well as beverage cans , headquartered in Neutraubling , Bavaria .

With its products, the company covers the entire production, filling and packaging process as well as the material flow in the manufacturing plant and integrates the corresponding IT systems. Factory planning projects for the beverage industry are also carried out. Krones has a process for recycling PET bottles so that they can be used as recycled PET in the food sector.

Company data

The headquarters of the group with 17,353 employees worldwide (as of 2019) is in Neutraubling near Regensburg . The company has a total of 10,733 employees in Germany. New machines and systems are manufactured at the German production sites (Neutraubling, Nittenau , Flensburg , Freising and Rosenheim ). The internationally oriented company generates almost 90% of its sales abroad and is represented worldwide with around 90 subsidiaries and holdings. The company has 5,877 registered patents and utility models.

history

Company founder Hermann Kronseder began to manufacture semi-automatic labeling machines based on his own design in Neutraubling in 1951. From the 1960s, the machine program was expanded to include packing machines and filling systems. In March 1981 the company was transformed into Krones Aktiengesellschaft and in 1984 it went public. In 1983 Anton Steinecker Maschinenfabrik (brewhouse construction) was acquired, in 1988 Zierk Maschinenbau GmbH (bottle washing machines) in Flensburg, and in 1998 Max Kettner GmbH (packaging machines) in Rosenheim. In 2000 the takeover of Sander Hansen A / S ( pasteurization systems ), Bröndby , Denmark. In 2003 the Italian Kosme SRL, Roverbella (Italy) was acquired (machines for the small power range). Further investment activities since 2014 have been the spin-off of EvoGuard GmbH and the acquisition of HST Maschinenbau GmbH, Dassow , Schaefer Förderanlagen - und Maschinenbau GmbH, Unterföhring , and Gernep GmbH, Barbing . In spring 2016, Krones acquired 60% of the shares in System Logistics SpA, Fiorano Modenese , northern Italy.

Important developments since 1997

  • 1997 Start of stretch blow molding machine production for the manufacture of PET bottles
  • 2000 Delivery of the first system for the aseptic filling of sensitive soft drinks
  • 2002 Realization of the first PET recycling plant for processing PET bottles
  • 2005 Expansion of the aseptic filling technology through the dry sterilization process with hydrogen peroxide gas ; Up until then, Krones had wet sterilization with peracetic acid in its range and now offers both technologies.
  • 2009 Expansion of the product portfolio to include water treatment systems
  • 2010 Market launch of the new FlexWave heating system for preforms based on microwave technology for the energy-saving production of PET bottles; Development of ProShape, a process for the production of asymmetrical and oval plastic containers, which was awarded the German Packaging Prize in 2011.
  • 2011 Introduction of LitePac, a new packaging variant for beverages: PET bottle formations are only provided with a strap and a handle, so that packaging waste can be reduced by 75% compared to the previous film packaging.

subsidiary company

The company includes the subsidiaries Kosme (machines and systems for the low output range), Gernep (labeling machines for the low output range), Evoguard (valve and pump production), Syskron (digitization, intralogistics, business consulting), System Logistics (logistics and Order picking systems), HST (homogenizers), Milkron (process technology for the beverage and dairy industry), Trans-Market, LLC. (Process technology for the beverage and food industry; liquid food), KIC Krones (operating supplies), Till (direct printing), ecomac (used machines), Konplan (engineering) and Maintec (service).

Business areas

Filling line for PET bottles
Stretch blow molding machine (right) and filling machine (left) in a block arrangement without intermediate conveyor belts
Brewhouse facility

Plastics technology

The main products of this area are stretch blow molding machines with an output of 12,800 to 90,000 bottles / hour for the production of PET bottles with a volume of up to 3 liters. The PET recycling system is based on a washing process for PET flakes with gradual temperature control and decontamination.

Filling and packaging technology

The focus of the division is on rinsing, filling and sealing machines with a rotary concept. In contrast to linear systems, rotary machines are suitable for high-performance tasks of up to 72,000 bottles / hour or around 120,000 cans / hour. There are also aseptic filling systems for beverages with a high pH value > 4.5 with PES or H 2 O 2 disinfection of the containers and closures. Krones offers cleaning in place systems for cleaning its own processing and filling systems. With bottle washing machines , inspection and control systems for bottles and containers as well as labeling machines for cold glue , hot glue, self-adhesive labeling , further work steps in the beverage industry are covered. Packaging machines for containers in one-way or reusable designs, sorting and grouping machines and palletizing systems complete the portfolio.

Process technology

This division plans and builds complete systems for beverage production. One focus here is the construction of breweries , the associated brewhouse systems , filtration and yeast systems as well as fermentation and storage cellar equipment with the corresponding tank systems. In the Freising plant , the company has a research brewery with a 5 HL brewing system. Systems for water treatment and for mixing and carbonating beverages are also manufactured. In addition to these products, complete systems for the production of syrup for producers of soft drinks are built. Short-term and ultra-high-temperature systems or pasteurizers are used to preserve beverages . Valve technology from our own production is integrated for both sectors.

IT solutions and material flow technology

The control of the manufacturing processes and the integration of the production data into comprehensive ERP systems (enterprise resource planning) that may be available at the customer as well as other IT products complete the product range. For the supply of materials during production and delivery, the company supplies logistics systems for raw, auxiliary and operating materials as well as finished products. Either block storage or high-bay storage systems are used, as well as order picking systems and forklift control and yard management systems. The associated IT systems are also developed and linked.

The intralogistics activities were bundled with the founding of the Syskron Holding, Wackersdorf, under the corporate umbrella in 2014, and supplemented by the investment in System Logistics, Italy, in 2016.

Well-known company employees

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Annual Report 2019 , accessed on May 29, 2020.
  2. ↑ Florian Langenscheidt , Bernd Venohr (Hrsg.): Lexicon of German world market leaders. The premier class of German companies in words and pictures . Cologne 2010.
  3. ↑ cf. Brauwelt 46/47 (2000), p. 2052
  4. ↑ German Packaging Award ; Retrieved February 22, 2013
  5. ↑ cf. Huber, Wolfgang, Container concept with a future, in: PackReport 06/2011, pp. 18–19, Frankfurt / Main ISSN  0342-3743
  6. ↑ Krones - About us Krones website; accessed on October 20, 2017
  7. ↑ https://www.pharma-food.de/krones-eroeffnet-eigene-forschungsbrauerei , accessed on May 29, 2020