Aqua d’Or Experienced an 8 % Increase in Productivity

Usually, you’ll find an interlayer sheet made of corrugated cardboard between palletized bottled beverages. However, when Palcut A/S and Aqua d’Or partnered in 2014, the collaboration led to a significant increase in productivity by switching to an alternative solution: anti-slip paper - an underutilized solution within the food and beverage industry, according to Aqua d’Or.

Cardboard Interlayer Slowed Down Production

When palletizing the bottled water, Aqua d’Or used to place corrugated cardboard sheets to protect the bottles and stabilize the pallets containing 4-7 layers of bottled mineral water.

However, this method created a bottleneck in the production line.

The main issue was the frequent need to restock the cardboard sheets. This process had to be completed manually, which meant a lot of stops in the palletizing process.

The challenge was resolved by switching to anti-slip paper.

“We have gone from 400m of cardboard to 3800m of Antim® anti-slip paper. That means that instead of going into the line 2 times per hour, we now only have to go every 3 hours.”
John J. Warberg, Operation Director at Aqua d’Or.

This change significantly reduced production downtime and become a game-changer for productivity.

 

Automated palletizing increased productivity by up to 8%

Palcut’s sheet dispensers were installed on three of Aqua d’Or’s lines. These dispensers automatically cut sheets to size from Palcut’s Antim anti-slip paper rolls, eliminating the need for multiple pallets of different sized cardboard sheets – and the benefits from this solution are clear.

“The Palcut solution has seen productivity improve by 50,000-100,000 bottles a day, which is an improvement in percentage terms of 4-8%. Palcut is simply a brilliant idea.”
Bruno Jensen, Former Production Manager at Aqua d’Or

 

100 Fewer Pallet Spaces

Switching to Antim anti-slip paper also significantly reduced the need for pallet spaces. The corrugated cardboard sheets took up 120 spaces. Now Antim anti-slip paper rolls only take up 20 pallet spaces.

This frees up valuable warehouse space—making room for more ready-to-ship pallets. And with Aqua d’Or shipping between 300 and 1,800 pallets per day, those extra 100+ spaces make a significant difference.

 

Reduced Carbon Footprint

Aqua d’Or is highly committed to sustainability and actively works, to reduce their carbon and water footprint. This is demonstrated by their exclusive use of green electricity from wind power.

However, analysis showed that 69% of the company’s CO2 emissions come from packaging.

By using Antim anti-slip paper, Aqua d’Or reduces paper pulp usage for interlayer sheets by 22-66%, depending on whether it is the 150- or 350-gram quality Antim paper, compared to 450 grams of corrugated cardboard sheets.

“When we look at the environmental impact, of course, by having this [Palcut] solution, we impact the whole supply chain because we have less pallets meaning less transport and less handling in the factory. Secondly, it’s less cardboard. And lastly, it’s 100% recycled, which we aim to make our whole range of Aqua d’Or products.”

John J. Warberg, Operation Director at Aqua d’Or.

 

Stabilized Logistics and Transportation

Antim anti-slip paper has also led to better transportation and packaging reliability.

Some pallets containing filled bottles are transported by forklift for stretch wrapping. The flat surface of the corrugated cardboard led to multiple incidents of pallets collapsing. However, the switch to Palcut’s Antim anti-slip paper has significantly reduced the number of incidents due to the anti-slip coating on the paper preventing bottle movement.

Another recurring issue was splits in the stretch film caused by sharp edges and corners of the corrugated cardboard sheets protruding from the pallet. This problem has been eliminated due to the much softer Antim paper.

 

Aqua d’Or Mineral Water A/S

Aqua d’Or was established in 2000 and is one of Europe’s most advanced mineral-water plants.

With a market share of 80% and an output of 100,000,000 bottles of water to the Scandinavian market and exports, Aqua d’Or is the most popular and best-selling mineral water in Scandinavia.

The factory manages the whole process – from the environmentally friendly production of the plastic bottles from bottle preforms to palletizing and final delivery to the customers.