Rivella invests in state-of-the-art filling technology for its new brand

Switzerland and Rivella – these two belong together like the Alps and fresh mountain air. Generations of people hereabouts have grown up with the iconic fizzy drink that boasts an impressive brand awareness rating of 95 per cent. Mind you, the Rivella Group is not resting on its classic laurels but is purposefully continuing to develop new drinks like FocusWater, a light soft drink rich in vitamins, which captures the spirit of the times.

Nowadays, more and more consumers are paying particular attention to a balanced diet and therefore reaching for drinks containing no sugar or only minimal calories. “And that’s precisely the trend FocusWater is addressing,” says Dr. Martina Pfeiffer, Head of Supply Chain at the Rivella Group. Not only is the vitamin-rich water available in low-calorie and no-added-sugar variants, its fresh and light flavour also caters for the taste of an active, young target group. The main market for Rivella’s new brand, which has been sold since 2019, is Switzerland, with exports going to France and Luxembourg as well. And its success has proved the company right: Sales of FocusWater boast double-digit annual growth rates.

Aseptic, efficient, reliable: the new line for FocusWater

FocusWater had previously been filled on a 20-year-old line – field-proven, that’s true, but no longer up to date. “As the new brand kept on growing, it became clear that a more advanced, more efficient solution was needed,” to quote Martina Pfeiffer. The group opted for a line from Krones, featuring the new compact Contipure AseptBloc – a state-of-the-art set-up for the small output range. What’s special about it is that it combines container and cap sterilisation, stretch blow-moulding, filling and capping in a single aseptic, microbiologically safe and reliable process.

Collaboration with Krones has proved highly successful for Rivella. The group has had a Krones PET line with a stretch blow-moulder up and running since 2015. A clear plus is certainly that Krones runs its own branch in Switzerland, so the group’s reliable partner is always close at hand. This was a crucial point for Rivella, as Martina Pfeiffer points out: “It gives us security.” That is because a local presence means fast service support and thus even more reliability in everyday production.

Maximum reliability on a minimised footprint

In addition to dependability and close-at-hand service support, there was yet another thing that mattered for the Rivella Group: a solution that was perfectly tailored to the limited space available in the production hall. It was imperative that the new line not only boast high performance but also be compactly dimensioned into the bargain. And that is precisely where the Contipure AseptBloc unleashes its strengths since it has a surprisingly small footprint. A smaller filler and optimised machine design save valuable space, without compromising on performance. Its nominal output of 14,000 containers per hour is a bit lower than that of the old line, but its efficiency more than makes up for that.

Compared to the old line, consumption of both water and chemicals has been reduced, which not only boosts sustainability but also cuts operating costs. And yet another smart move: The new line was erected in a mirror-image configuration to the existing aseptic line. That means that the filler and packer of each line are located directly opposite to each other, enabling the operators to efficiently control both lines. What’s more, the process logistics are the same, so that there are hardly any new routines the operators must learn, thus rendering the change to the new technology a whole lot easier.

Installation during production

Installation of the new bottling line began in mid-October 2024 but there was one challenge: The production hall where the line was to be erected was on the second floor, so the machines could not simply be rolled in. Instead, they had to enter the hall from above. The heavy line components were lifted over the roof of the hall and then precisely lowered into it – a logistical masterstroke. Each day, three to four machines were ingressed while production continued as usual.

“Installation during production was a definite challenge,” recalls André Marbach, the project manager. Each new machine that was erected shrank the space available. But safety at work and logistics pathways still had to be ensured at all times. “To protect the existing bottling line from dust and other interference factors, we erected a temporary wall for the flooring work,” says André Marbach. That enabled the team to perform work on the new line without affecting ongoing production – a measure, which not only ensured a clean environment but also made for a smooth transition.

By mid-December, all machines had been installed in their proper places. Next came intensive water tests, acceptance testing and validations – all of it aimed at creating the perfect production environment for FocusWater. Finally, the big day came in early March 2025: the successful start of 24-hour operation. All processes were already running smoothly by the second night shift. Martina Pfeiffer is full of praise: “That success would not have been possible without the dedicated work and enormous commitment of our entire workforce.”

From operator to optimisation specialist – thanks to digital transparency

It is not just the bottling line’s technology that’s new. Back in 2020, the Rivella Group joined forces with Krones to develop a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) based on SAP software, which is now also being used in the new bottling line and for the first time integrates the data from the Checkmat inspector as well – an additional quality-assurance feature that the old line did not have. This is instrumental in detecting any quality-relevant deviations even faster, thus significantly enhancing process reliability.

Both the new bottling line and digital transformation have changed the operators’ role: “Instead of changing over machines and controlling production processes manually, the operators are now supervising a highly automated line,” explains André Marbach. The automation software records malfunctions and performance data in real time and performs the requisite adjustments. That relieves the operators from routine tasks, so they can focus their attention on analysing and optimising production processes. “It’s quite exciting to watch that change. Thanks to the digital support we’re getting, we don’t have to intervene so often. We observe more closely, understand better and achieve more effectively targeted optimisation,” says Martina Pfeiffer.

With FocusWater rigged up for the future

The decision to buy and install the new bottling line resulted in a mammoth project, with a deliberate strategic alignment. That is because it has made sure that FocusWater not only enjoys optimum acceptance among consumers but also the best possible production processes. A modern, healthy beverage deserves an equally modern, smart environment for making it – and that is precisely what the new aseptic line is providing.