Radnor Hills and SMI: Wonderful things happen on the Welsh hills

Radnor Hills Mineral Water, a leading Welsh company in the bottling of water and soft drinks, has been innovating and diversifying its production for 35 years, paying great attention to sustainable packaging made from a wide range of machines supplied by SMI since 2008

It recently installed a WP 800 ERGON wrap-around case packer to pack cans of water into kraft cardboard boxes and a 90° infeed ASW 40 F ERGON shrinkwrapper.

Small beginnings for a great story

“When we first found water on our family farm, we dug a well. The aim was to use it for our livestock, but the taste of this water was so good that it deserved a wider audience and the product needed to be offered on the market. With this Radnor Hills was born” - says William Watkins, founder and CEO of Radnor Hills.

Diversified production for a sustainable future

35 years have passed since the discovery of the Radnor Hills spring. Today, the company is a household name and is a significant reference in the water and beverage industry thanks to its ability to continuously develop new products packed in a more sustainable way.

The production facilities in Knighton (Wales), produce and package a wide range of beverages in various formats, using recycled plastic, cans, glass, or Tetra Pak cartons; among them, the 125 ml format of pure fruit juice, specifically developed for the travel sector, and the new range of flavoured infusions and still water in 250 ml Tetra Pak containers with a tear-off opening that do not even require a plastic straw.

Radnor Hills and SMI: a historic partnership

SMI has been a long-standing supplier of Radnor Hills, as it has supported the Knighton company since 2008 in choosing the most suitable solutions for the secondary packaging needs of a wide portfolio of canned drinks, PET bottles, glass, and Tetra Paks under the Radnor brand. Never before, even in the UK, has the packaged beverage industry experienced such strong and diversified development.  With its continual investment in numerous shrinkwrappers and case packers the Welsh company has been able to seize market opportunities, increasing the capacity and efficiency of its plants to meet the greater demands of consumers. 

SMI solutions for Radnor Hills

In addition to the quality of the product, Radnor Hills pays great attention to the characteristics of the packaging, because appealing, up-to-date, easy and safe-to-use packaging is often a fundamental element for the success and competitiveness of a brand.

A distinctive feature of the Welsh company's commitment to sustainability is the use of kraft cardboard and 100% recycled shrink film for the secondary packaging; solutions that ensure a lower environmental impact and high-quality packaging.

WP 800 ERGON Wrap-around case packer

It packages different types of cans in various formats. Possibilities range from fully enclosed wrap-around kraft paper boxes, to corrugated cardboard boxes in the 'fridge pack' format, as well as standard tray packs. 

Benefits for flexibility and the environment

The transition from one format to another is simple and quick, allowing for immediate adaptation of production to current packaging needs and enabling to face the increasing market competitiveness.
The strong environmental commitment of Radnor Hills puts the packaging of its products at the forefront, by using sustainable materials such as lightweight kraft cardboard. The WP 800 ERGON case packer is suitable for creating strong packages using both 1.5 mm microwave kraft cardboard and 3 mm standard cardboard, by simply changing settings the machine can handle packaging materials with different thicknesses. The use of kraft cardboard allows Radnor Hills to achieve resistant and lighter packaging thanks to the reduced use of material, resulting in savings in material and production costs.

Benefits for the operator

The Easy-Load automatic loading system, standard equipment on the WP 800 ERGON case packer, offers the great advantage of making the workload of the machine operator easier during the loading phase of the cardboard magazine, and, ensures that the wide range of 3 mm micro-flute cardboard and kraft paper blanks are loaded smoothly and consistently.

ASW 40 F ERGON Shrinkwrapper

A compact machine with a single-lane infeed that repacks cardboard boxes and trays coming out of the WP 800 ERGON wrap-around case packer.

Benefits for ergonomics and cost-effectiveness

The reduced size of the packaging machine easily adapts to the logistical conditions of the end-of-line, as, thanks to the single-lane infeed belt, it is not necessary to have a divider to lane products into the machine. Ergonomics is an important 'plus' for the safety of line operators, as the single-lane infeed, preferably positioned on the opposite side of the operator, facilitates the correct channelling of loose containers onto the packaging machine infeed conveyor belt. With the single-lane infeed, it is possible to work with different types of containers of various sizes without needing additional conveying equipment, with the advantage that format changes are easy and quick as there’s no need to adjust the guides of the various lanes

For more information on the SMI latest innovations for circular packaging and sustainable development, please contact our sales department or visit our website.

Best regards,

Marketing Department
SMI S.p.A.
E-mail: info@smigroup.it