A new KeyKeg production line in Germany

Jul 28, 2016

Lightweight Containers is opening a new production plant in Grossbreitenbach, Germany. The fully automated production line has a capacity of 400 KeyKeg^® Slimlines per hour and will be operational in the third quarter of this year. The line can produce all the members of the KeyKeg^® Slimline family of kegs. PET-Verpackungen Deutschland is the production partner and will manage the day-to-day production.

The new production capacity will ensure that Lightweight Containers can meet the region’s sharply rising demand for the next few years.
Anita Veenendaal, Chief Commercial Officer of Lightweight Containers, says, “We see service as a crucial element for our success. We aim to offer the best possible service, so we want to produce as close to our customers as we can. This new location and the extra capacity will reduce both delivery times and transport distances even more. In the last six years, our sales have grown more than 40% each year, and we’re seeing accelerated growth in the demand for our kegs almost everywhere in the world we serve. With this new production line, we can continue to serve our customers in this region at the level they’re used to.”

Concentration on solutions for the total supply chain
The new plant is being set up in close collaboration with production partner PET-Verpackungen Deutschland. Jan Veenendaal, CEO of Lightweight Containers adds, “Our one-way kegs have a lot of added value throughout the supply chain. They also fit in perfectly with trends like specialty beer exports and wine on draft, which partly explains why we’re growing so fast. We intend to keep concentrating on solutions for the beverage industry, and on crucial trends. We can do this by collaborating with a professional and flexible production partner like PET-Verpackungen, who completely shares our view of quality.”

Two partner companies
According to Oliver Wiegand of PET-Verpackungen GmbH, “Lightweight Containers has an international focus that fits in well with our international ambitions. Construction of the production line is going very smoothly. Lightweight Containers’ knowledge of and experience with production processes makes them a valuable partner. Both companies are also family-owned, which turns out to be a good foundation for an efficient and pleasant working relationship. We have all confidence that this line is just the beginning of a long and successful collaboration between two partner companies.”
KeyKegs are currently produced in three locations: Schwerin (Germany), Den Helder (the Netherlands), and Joliet (USA). The line in Grossbreitenbach (Germany) will be operational in the third quarter of 2016.

Lightweight Containers BV
Lightweight Containers is well known for the one-way 20- and 30-liter KeyKeg^®. The family-owned company, market leader in high-quality one-way kegs, develops, produces, and sells the KeyKeg^® and guarantees the continuity and quality of the KeyKeg^® concept.
This revolutionary and successful one-way keg develops and leads the market for one-way kegs and is available in 10, 20- and 30-liter versions. Breweries, wineries and other beverage companies prefer and use KeyKegs all over the world, as they are especially suited for carbonated and still beverages.
KeyKegs are currently sold to clients in more than 52 countries. KeyKegs are produced in Germany, the Netherlands and the US. Further expansion of production plants is planned.

PET-Verpackungen GmbH
PET-Verpackungen GmbH Deutschland, part of the Wiegand Glas Group, takes full advantage of more than 400 years of proficiency and tradition in the production and distribution of food and beverage packaging.
The managing directors, Nikolaus Wiegand and Oliver Wiegand, run a successful family-owned company which offers a variety of packaging solutions. They adhere to glass as the traditional material, while the same time also creating new possibilities and the latest trends in PET packaging with PET-Verpackungen GmbH Deutschland.
PET-Verpackungen GmbH, located in Grossbreitenbach (Thuringia), has become one of the most advanced and well-known preform and PET bottle manufacturers in Europe today by continuously upgrading and improving molds and production systems with the latest technology.