Powerful lightweight: KHS Premium LITE

KHS Premium LITE is the result of an extensive development study carried out at the KHS production site in Hamburg, the Dortmund company’s competence center for PET development. With 50 years of experience in PET processing to its name, KHS in Hamburg has a unique wealth of expertise at its disposal that has gone into every single detail of the new container. KHS’ specialist knowledge also plays an essential role in customer consultancy, helping clients the world over to develop innovative packaging systems. It’s on this basis that KHS Premium LITE has been developed; this is an extremely light PET bottle that weighs just 6.2 grams in the 0.25-liter size with a 29-/25-mm neck. It combines a minimal use of materials with quality aesthetics and is designed to cope with top filling speeds. “With this bottle, we’re adopting the premium lightweight approach,” explains Frank Fretwurst, head of PET Sales at KHS GmbH. “As opposed to lightweight concepts that merely center on reducing the weight of a container, we balance low weight with functionality and an attractive, elegant design.”

Precision with KHS Blomax technology
The continuously further developed InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow molder has been specifically designed to meet the requirements of high-speed systems and provides maximum bottle quality at low energy consumption, making it ideal for large quantities of ultralight PET water bottles. For its water bottling equipment, KHS uses tried-and-tested stretch blow molding technology and customized high-speed line concepts.

“The lighter the bottle, the more precise the processes have to be,” Fretwurst says. This precision is key to process stability with large batches. “Our Blomax technology enables the material to be placed exactly where’s it needed in the bottle structure, taking the demands of filling lines, logistics and end consumers into account.”

Compatible, flexible and cost effective
Engineering company KHS supplies turnkey PET filling lines – from stretch blow molder through filler to palletizer. The KHS Premium LITE bottle was developed in close cooperation with KHS’ Canadian technology partner Husky Technologies^TM, a leading global supplier of PET preform manufacturing solutions and services. The result is a bottle that with its standard neck thread can be seamlessly integrated into existing product portfolios.

KHS Premium LITE consists of 100% recycled PET. By using one to two grams less material per bottle and at a PET price of about €1.25 per kilogram, significant savings can be made without having to compromise on quality and design. “Design made in Germany makes all the difference,” says Fretwurst. With its Premium LITE, KHS proves that low weight, a high level of functionality and pleasing design can be perfectly combined with one another – even with the extremely sophisticated requirements made by high-speed filling.