The line includes a case erector, closing machine, weight-checking, Vitop handle insertion machine and BIB700 Double Head filling machine, which can control the amount of oxygen to increase the shelf-life of its Bag-in-Box wine.
Bordeaux produces 28% of the volume of wine
Veronika Necasova,Bag-in-Box marketing department, Smurfit Kappa, told BeverageDaily, it won the contract having worked at another facility of Maison Johanès Boubée in Nimes since 2009.
“They were happy with our filling machine, our product and our service, so when they decided to build a brand new facility in Beychac-et-Caillau, they chose us to supply the complete filling line which was installed end 2015 and now is fully operational,” she said.
Maison Johanès Boubée decided to build a facility at Beychac-et-Caillau because it is strategically located near to Bordeaux, which represents 28% of the volume of wine it produces.
The 10,200m2 warehouse opened in Q4, 2015 and became fully operational this year. It has a Bag-in-Box line and two bottle lines that can produce 12,000 bottles per hour, according to Didier Thibaud, directeur general, Maison Johanès Boubée.
4th bottling line to open in 2017
“Next year, we should sell the equivalent of 45 million liters on this site that can be bottled up to 70 million liters with the addition of a 4th line in 2017,” he said.
The filling machine, at the heart of the line, is a BIB700 Double Head, a high-speed automatic machine. Designed for large industrial production facilities, it features a new generation filling valve with two separate circuits for nitrogen and vacuum.
Mathieu Soulard, plant director, Maison Johanès Boubée, added the BIB700 filling machine has a new generation funnel which ensures delicate drops of the bags and a new filling valve.
“This complete line allows us to optimize and increase our Bag-in-Box filling and packaging. It is also equipped with a Vitop handle insertion machine to automatically insert handles on Bag-in-Box packaging,” he said.
“It has a rapid insertion rate, is easy to use and is flexible as it can insert handles on a wide range of box styles and sizes.”
Maison Johanès Boubée, established in 1860, is one of the central purchasing agencies for the Carrefour group. It has three complementary activities: trade/purchasing for private labels, bottling and logistics, and it recently opened a bottling centre near Bordeaux in France, to modernise and increase its capacities.
It has trading houses in the main wine-growing areas of France including Maison Johanès Boubée for the wines of Bordeaux and the South-West; Vignes et Terroirs du Beaujolais for Beaujolais wines; Les Caves Saint-Ronain for the wines of the Rhone Valley; Les Celliers des Terres de Loire for the wines of the Loire; Maison Chausseron for Burgundy wines and Les Celliers des Terres de France for Vins de Pay.