Turn-Key Vacuum System for Crown in Mexico

With almost a century of expertise in designing and manufacturing industrial vacuum pumps and compressors, all based on the Rotary Vane technology, Pneumofore is fit for replying to the market demand where others get stuck. The company provides tailored solutions to meet the strict specifications of customers looking for constant efficiency, reduced operational cost and trouble free operation over decades. This is also the case of the glass manufacturing plant of Crown Vichisa in Mexico.

As a leading supplier of beverage, food and specialty packaging to consumer marketing companies around the world, Crown runs more than 140 manufacturing plants worldwide. They are relying on Pneumofore Rotary Vane solutions since 2006 for the supply of centralized vacuum in their can manufacturing facilities.

In Mexico, the group operates also in glass manufacturing through its subsidiaries Crown Vichisa and Crown Sivesa. To serve the growing domestic beer market, the company decided to invest in a new glass plant located in Chihuahua in the northern part of the country, whose operation was planned to start in 2018.

For the plant engineering and for defining the best equipment investments, the customer relied on a renowned independent consultancy company, with strong world references in the industrial facility design, particularly in the field of glass production. The engineering consultants evaluated many vacuum pump manufacturers to define the optimal vacuum supply solution and to fit the stringent criteria approved by the customer. The plant has been designed for a production capacity of 145.000 tons of glass, equivalent to 750 million bottles, through three IS machines lines working 24/7. The glass bottles are destined for the local Heineken brewery.

The criteria were satisfied by Pneumofore who supported the customer's request by designing a dedicated centralized vacuum system based on a tailored vacuum pump, mod. UV24, which is now part of the standard range of the UV Series. With 37 kW nominal power for up to 1.589 m3/h capacity, the UV24 has been designed to fit the specific vacuum level required by the IS machines in glass manufacturing. This vacuum pump is equipped with a state-of-the-art control system and a newly designed cooling system. As for the entire UV Series, the UV24 vacuum pumps are robustly manufactured with a compact, easy-to-maintain design that can work trouble-free even in harsh, hot and/or humid environments. They represent the ideal solution for centralized vacuum systems with continuous operation.

For Crown Vichisa, Pneumofore supplied a centralized vacuum system made of four UV24 VS45 vacuum pumps, with one pump used as a back-up unit. These machines were delivered in their Hot Climate and Variable Speed version. Along with the UV24 units, the company offered a turn-key solution which included: the entire vacuum system engineering, the room layout, the piping design and the installation. The system enables a smart operation, delivering variable capacity according to the real request from the production. Pneumofore also supervised the on-site start-up phase. In occasion of the first delivery, the UV24 pumps were painted in white: customized colors are an option available for Pneumofore customers.

Thanks to the smooth start-up of the production line, the glass facility started operations in late 2017, well ahead of schedule. The company is planning to expand the production site in the next years.

Pneumofore is present in Mexico with a local distributor and a certified Service Center to provide timely and comprehensive on-site technical support, including evaluation, installation and maintenance, for all its vacuum and compressors systems operating in Central and South America.