Beer Packaging Line Ends Backups and Downtime

With a production capacity of over 240,000 barrels a year, uptime and a reliable seal are critical to Summit Brewing Company. But adhesive char in their old tank-based, hot melt system continually halted production.

Summit’s packaging manager shares how “we have almost no downtime” because of the InvisiPac® Tank-Free™ Hot Melt System.

Summit Brewing Company struggled to keep its beer packaging line operating at peak performance. Backups and downtime caused by adhesive char and plugged nozzles in their tank-based hot melt system continually halted production.

Additionally, the melter’s seven liter tank produced a "foul odor" that negatively impacted the work environment for Summit's 95 employees.

Steve Secor, Summit's packaging manager, contacted Graco’s packaging experts about a packaging line audit. They worked with Steve to understand his ongoing downtime issues and develop a solution that paid for itself.

The InvisiPac® Tank-Free^TM Hot Melt System’s revolutionary melting technology is designed to stabilize hot melt adhesive properties by eliminating thermal and oxidative degradation. The system can reduce hot melt adhesive waste from constant tank scrapes and system cleaning, as well as wasted boxes due to an inadequate seal.

As soon as Graco installed InvisiPac at Summit, the packaging manager almost immediately noticed a difference on the beer packaging line that has continued to today.

“There's virtually no downtime or repairs with our new InvisiPac system,” says Secor.

Summit’s Tank-Free melter has improved production efficiency by:

• stabilizing glue consumption rates and reducing hot melt adhesive waste
• reducing start-up time from more than 45 minutes to to less than 10 minutes

Additionally, employees noticed an improved work environment. With the removal of their old tank-based system, that pungent smell that gave them headaches also went away.