Vinegar producer Burg Group has doubled the capacity of its palletizer by adding an extra infeed conveyor. This upgrade of the Qimarox machine was part of the relocation of a production line from Roosdaal (Belgium) to Heerhugowaard (Netherlands). The upgrade was carried out by QU&S.
Burg Group makes the world healthier, more flavorful, and cleaner with natural vinegar and syrup. What began 75 years ago with a vinegar factory in Heerhugowaard has grown into an international company with production sites in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and the United States. With a focus on sustainability and innovation, Burg Group strives for continuous process improvement and minimization of environmental impact.
Installation and maintenance
For over two decades, Qimarox Upgrading & Services (QU&S) has played an important role in the installation and maintenance of palletizers. The collaboration started in 2003 with the installation of the first Lowrunner palletizer at the production site in Heerhugowaard. Due to the need for more efficiency and capacity and an expansion of production capacity, the first system was expanded in 2009 with two Highrunner palletizers. In 2021, QU&S further increased the capacity in Heerhugowaard by relocating a third Highrunner palletizer from the production site in Klundert to Heerhugowaard.
QU&S performs maintenance on the palletizers by annually inspecting the mechanics, electrics, and controls, and repairing or replacing parts as needed. The result: minimal disruptions and hardly any downtime. “This proactive maintenance approach is our promise to Burg Group and all other companies using our machines: that we provide a reliable palletizing solution and maximize productivity by minimizing unwanted stops,” says Jasper Foppen of QU&S.
Relocation of the production line
In January 2023, Burg Group once again turned to QU&S. The company had decided to relocate a complete production line from Roosdaal to Heerhugowaard: a major project that required significant renovations to the production hall. QU&S was tasked with upgrading one of the three existing palletizers and making it suitable for integration into this production line.
The key challenge was the capacity of the palletizer, which was not high enough to process and stack the additional products onto pallets. QU&S therefore modified the machine and created a second infeed conveyor. Thanks to the dual infeed, capacity more than doubled, from 14 to a maximum of 35 trays per minute. This was not QU&S’s first modification project for Burg Group.
Flexible setup
A major challenge was the communication between the various parties involved in the relocation of the production line. Despite excellent project team preparations, Burg Group encountered startup issues after the line was commissioned in Heerhugowaard. Thanks to the swift intervention of QU&S, these problems were quickly resolved. The final result: a successful upgrade for Burg Group.
Vincent den Engelsman, Manager of Maintenance & Engineering at Burg Group, said: “I appreciate that the QU&S technicians know what they are doing, and it’s very convenient to have a single point of contact.”
