Today, Eibau offers beer lovers all over the world considerably more than just Schwarzbier. In addition to the mildly hopped Jubiläums Pilsner 1810, the refreshing, light country-style beer and the sweet, aromatic Lausitz Dunkel, they also brew unfiltered light and dark Zwick’l beers. Wheat beer lovers can also find something to tickle their tastebuds. Depending on the season, the private brewery expands its product range to include bock beers, shandies or the refreshing SummerMint and SummerCoco editions.

The new generation of pre-modular labellers
The beers from Brauerei Eibau are optimally packed and presented in the familiar long-neck bottles. You can select from a range of different sizes (0.25 litre, 0.33 litre and 0.5 litre), depending on your level of thirst. Only a few select beers are additionally filled in a 0.5 litre NRW bottle. For perfect product labelling, the brewery has been putting its trust in the Bavarian labeller manufacturer Gernep for over 25 years. “The labeller always worked reliably and handled innumerable bottles. But when we heard that Gernep had developed a new machine type perfectly tailored to the brewing industry, we wanted to invest in a new labeller,” Julia Böhmer, Managing Director, explained. 
Just like the previous model, the Gernep Labetta 4/4/12 720 2A is equipped with two wet-glue labelling stations and applies body, back, shoulder and neck-around labels with precision to four different bottle sizes. Gernep service engineers were on site for the machine commissioning process and to introduce the experienced engineers, operators and master brewers to the machine’s technical innovations.

The new labeller generation is designed to achieve the highest flexibility; the reason for this is the pre-modular machine concept. Thanks to flexible mounting devices around the labeller, the labelling stations can be installed just five centimetres away, if the customer requires it, to ensure exact labelling and a custom-fit integration in the existing production line. This new machine design allows Gernep to comply with customer requirements in the best possible manner while also achieving a form of series manufacture for its own production. The focus of the development was not only an improved level of usability for the operator but also on optimised cleaning options through the “clean design”. Thanks to the closed housing surrounding the labelling station, all cables are securely stowed away and the exterior of the wet-glue labelling stations is easy to clean. The round design and innovative guards mean the labelling stations can be arranged so that the automatic gluing process can also be adjusted while production is in progress. The labelling stations are precisely adjusted at the side of the machine table using handwheels and number displays. As a result, it was possible to omit the complicated carriage systems from underneath the labelling station. The Privatbrauerei Eibau labeller is equipped with a total of two wet-glue labelling stations from the new 207 generation which ensures the highest labelling accuracy with its unique simulated cam control. In 2019, Gernep developed the cam calculation in collaboration with Krones AG. The glue pallets have a fixed basic setting (glue pattern) which is achieved with the glue roller and ensures that each change-over is reproducible without the need for readjustments. The pallets are manufactured with extreme precision in accordance with Krones standards and impress with their low-wear rubber composition.  

Quality assurance and traceability play an extremely important role, particularly in the food and beverage industry. With this in mind, variable data such as best-before dates and batch identification codes are set directly on the labelling station and printed on the back label of Eibau beers with an ink-jet printer. To ensure that all the labels have actually been applied to the bottles by the end of the labelling process, sensors check the bottles for the presence of all the labels stored in the type memory. The production operators have an overview of all the settings in a newly designed operator panel (HMI). “In contrast to the 25 year-old previous model, the selection of speeds, times, cycles and formats is considerably more efficient and easier,” Mr. Kuntzsch, Head of Maintenance, commented. All adjustments can be made on the touch-screen with ease. 

In addition to its technical upgrades, the wet-glue labeller also shines thanks to its fresh, new look. Developed for global transportation and tailored for the often confined space conditions in production halls, the labeller has a particularly streamline design. In the centre of the new omega construction is the Gernep SecureLift lift-guard. Geared to provide maximum safety, it significantly facilitates maintenance and cleaning work. A broken-container detection unit is integrated in the brewery machine as standard. If a bottle breaks in the machine carrousel, production is stopped automatically so that the labeller can be cleaned and protected against damage. Thanks to the Gernep hoist system, the SecureLift lift-guard can be easily opened and closed with just one hand. Accessibility to the machine carrousel has never been so simple. 
“We are extremely pleased that our new generation of wet-glue labellers has seen such great market acceptance,” enthused Marten Hammerschmid, Managing Director of Gernep GmbH. Privatbrauerei Eibau is now best equipped for production with this new machine. With a top speed of 15,000 labelled beer bottles per hour, the 213-year-old brewery tradition can be effectively continued in the coming years.