Petainer Announces Investment in UK Breweries

Sovereign Beverage Company has, in partnership with Frederic Robinson Ltd. and Thomas Hardy Ltd, recently invested in bespoke “PetBoy F2” filling machines, manufactured by KHS GmbH.

2 Oct 2012 --- Petainer, the specialist PET engineering business who developed a highly innovative and successful range of one way kegs (from 15 to 30 Litres) for the beverage industry, is represented in the UK & Ireland by Sovereign Beverage Company.

Sovereign Beverage Company has, in partnership with Frederic Robinson Ltd. and Thomas Hardy Ltd, recently invested in bespoke “PetBoy F2” filling machines, manufactured by KHS GmbH. These machines will shortly be installed at the breweries, in the north west of England, and will provide 0.5M kegs per annum of embedded Petainer capacity to the UK.

Dan Unwin, Commercial Director & Brew Master of Sovereign Beverage Company explained: “we have a tremendous demand for ale, lager and cider in the Petainer keg format. This is predominantly driven by the export market, but also niche domestic sectors. The installation of KHS “PetBoy” filling machines will provide us with capacity to produce the “Classic” 20 & 30L Petainer, at the same time ensuring optimum product quality.”

Each “PetBoy” machine houses two independently operating filling heads, ensuring the best product quality and filling results. Fill volume is accurately controlled by a metered filling system, minimising product loss. Each machine provides exceptional process reliability and the utmost product safety.

“We have been evaluating and testing the Petainer keg for a number of months” says Graeme Hall, Operations & Packaging Manager at Frederic Robinsons Ltd. “Petainer offers significant economic and environmental benefits for draught ale. It will help us increase sales volumes and penetrate markets where it is difficult or expensive to use standard kegs”

Andy Carter, Regional Sales Director of Petainer says: “The investment in bespoke filling equipment for Petainer products marks a significant step in Petainer’s UK development. The modular design of the KHS equipment also means production can be quickly expanded and production costs reduced further as demand grows. Together, we have created superb filling facilities to continue the success of our innovative keg systems.”

 "The new one trip Petainer keg filling capacity will provide many new market opportunities for us and all our contract package customers" said Gary Todd, Director, Thomas Hardy Burtonwood Ltd. The kegs come in three sizes -15, 20 and 30Litre which will provide packages suitable for many export and domestic solutions. More importantly the package is compatible with existing trade dispense equipment and very cost effective compared to the alternatives on the market."