At the launch on 25 July, industry stakeholders and media, including Packaging & Print Media (PPM), were treated to an industrial ballet. Bonaqua, Powerade and the limited-edition Powerade Springboks Edition flowed along conveyors with hypnotic precision, the line humming like a finely tuned orchestra.
For Moses Lubisi, CCBSA’s manufacturing and technical director, the project embodies both growth and responsibility. ‘By launching this new line, we’re meeting growing demand and creating shared value across the local value chain for our customers, partners and the communities we serve,’ he said as the first crates glided effortlessly into place.
But the Midrand line is more than conveyors, fillers and labellers. It is a triumph of collaboration, engineering foresight and human ingenuity. Krones Southern Africa supplied the operational heartbeat. Clinton Farndell, managing director, and Dominique Howatt, head of sales, walked PPM through the choreography of the line. ‘Our scope covered everything on the wet-end of the line, from the ozone water treatment and pasteurising equipment to the blow-moulding, filling, capping and labelling equipment,’ Dominique explained.
From the Contiform blow moulder and Modulfill filling machines to the dual Contiroll labellers, the line is a marvel of precision. Auto-splicing rolls, pre-feeders, cap feeder, pasteurisers and ozone water treatment systems ensure agility keeps pace with speed. Sustainability is embedded in the design: smaller, fully recyclable closures, nitrogen dosing to optimise PET rigidity and the ability to handle 25% recycled material without compromise.
‘Technology alone does not define excellence,’ Moses noted. ‘It’s about people.’ Krones Southern Africa invests heavily in operator training, blending VR simulations, AR-guided support and real-time problem-solving to empower technicians. ‘The right technician with the right spare part makes all the difference,’ Clinton added. ‘Krones technology offers the lowest cost of ownership in the long run.’
End-of-line excellence
Completing the ecosystem of expertise is Millchem, South Africa’s representative for Ocme and Robopac, responsible for the line’s end-of-line solutions. David Damen, Millchem’s technical director, described their role with palpable pride. ‘This is actually our second installation of the same functional design for CCBSA.. The Midrand line is essentially a copy of the Pretoria solution but optimised for even higher speed and flexibility.’
Millchem’s systems manage the full end-of-line journey: primary packs are configured into six- or four-packs, over-wrapped into 24-bottle units, palletised and stretch-wrapped with robotic precision. Robots manipulate layers, configure packs and transfer them to pallets, achieving world-class accuracy. ‘The lines are designed for today’s and tomorrow’s SKUs,’ David said. ‘CCBSA can introduce new pack configurations without being boxed in.’
Sustainability drives innovation just as much as efficiency. Ocme’s redesigned shrink tunnels cut energy use by 40-60%, dramatically lowering carbon footprint and production costs. Motion control, servo motors, airflow optimisation, insulation and sophisticated electronics are orchestrated to maximise energy efficiency. David emphasised: ‘We only propose solutions we know will work. The Midrand line is future-proofed for new pack formats and higher throughput, ensuring CCBSA can meet tomorrow’s market demands today.’
The partnership between CCBSA, Krones and Millchem is decades in the making. Millchem began working with Coca-Cola in 2009, during its transition from PET crates to shrink-wrapped bottles. ‘We started discussions in 2007 and hosted CCBSA’s technical team in Italy,’ David recalled. ‘They could see the technology in action and experience what other customers were doing. That trust and exposure laid the foundation for all subsequent high-speed lines.’ Today, Millchem’s expertise underpins the majority of South Africa’s PET bottling operations, delivering precision, reliability and flexibility at scale.
Empowering the line
The Midrand line is also a stage for human ingenuity. Krones Southern Africa’s Melanie Chetty, one of the first female project managers to lead an installation of this scale, orchestrated the deployment with a largely male team, delivering with confidence. Two female technicians have joined Krones’s pool, signalling a shift in gender diversity in a traditionally male-dominated field. ‘It’s not tokenism – it’s about skill, capability and leadership,’ Clinton asserted. Apprenticeships, continuous training and on-site operator education ensure that the pace of innovation never outstrips human capability. Dominique summed it up: ‘Our digital tools don’t replace technicians – they guide them. AI predicts issues, AR connects expertise and VR trains the next generation. It’s collaboration, not replacement.’
Looking ahead, digitalisation, operational efficiency and sustainability will continue to drive innovation.
Clinton concluded: ‘The Midrand line proves that speed, skill and sustainability can coexist. Every bottle tells a story – of engineering, people and a forward-thinking strategy. And Drinktec 2025 in September will reveal just how mind-blowing the next wave of innovation will be.’
![05 New[2] FCF Flowe Pac Jul26 ED](https://www.packagingmag.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/05_New2_FCF_Flowe-Pac_Jul26-ED-scaled.jpg)
