Case Study: Fully Automated Filling at Symrise AG

Liquid filling for canisters, drums, and IBCs

Industry:

Chemistry

Attachment:

A-DOS-K and A-DOS-P1

Challenge:

Safe, precise, and efficient automated filling of liquids of varying viscosities into containers of different sizes

Kanister Abfüllung Chemie

The customer

At its Goose Creek, South Carolina, facility, Symrise faced the challenge of efficiently, safely, and ergonomically filling increasing volumes of cosmetic ingredients—while managing a wide variety of products and containers.

Symrise is a global supplier of flavors, cosmetic base and active ingredients, and functional ingredients. The company supplies approximately 6,000 customers in 160 countries. Symrise places great emphasis on sustainability and consistently adheres to the principles of the circular economy. Among other products, cosmetic ingredients are manufactured at the site in Goose Creek, South Carolina, in the U.S.

The Starting Point

Before the project began, a semi-automatic canister filling line was in use at the production site. Two employees manually placed the containers on the conveyor belt, initiated the filling process, and then manually sealed, labeled, and palletized the canisters. The physical strain was high, and output was limited to around 6,000 kg per eight-hour shift.

The requirements

The expectations for a new solution were clearly defined:

  • Significant increase in filling capacity
  • Reduced workload for staff through the automation of physically demanding tasks
  • Improvement in process quality and consistency in fill volumes and closures
  • Flexibility for container changes and products with varying viscosities (from 77 to 4,254 mPas)
  • ATEX compliance for future applications
  • Reduction in staffing requirements on the line for optimized resource utilization

The solution: GREIF-VELOX A-DOS-K and A-DOS-P1, Full Line

GREIF-VELOX supplied a fully automated solution consisting of the A-DOS-K canister filling system and the A-DOS-P1 drum and IBC filling system. The A-DOS-K features two filling lances, enabling parallel filling and thus a significant increase in output. The containers are now automatically destacked, filled, sealed, labeled, palletized, and strapped. The integration of flexible conveyor technology and a robotic palletizer ensures smooth material flows—even with varying container types and viscosities at the A-DOS-P1.

Customized Innovation

A special feature developed by GREIF-VELOX at the customer’s request is the automatic removal of dust caps from the canisters prior to filling – a process that was previously performed manually and was prone to errors.

Now, all process steps – from the tightening torque of the closures to the fill volume – are documented and monitored. In addition, defective containers – i.e., those that have already been opened and may be contaminated from the inside – are automatically rejected and not filled.

Kanister Abfüllung Chemie

System performance

  • Up to 139 canisters per hour (15 m³/h at 0.6 bar, viscosity 77 mPas)
  • Up to 27 drums per hour (15 m³/h at 2 bar, viscosity 100 mPas)
  • Up to 9 IBCs per hour (15 m³/h at 2 bar, viscosity 100 mPas)
  • Up to 7 drums per hour (2 m³/h at 4 bar, viscosity 4,254 mPas)

Special features:

  • ATEX / UL / NEC
  • A-DOS-K in ATEX version
  • Automatic removal of dust caps before filling

The result

By switching from manual to fully automated filling, Symrise was able to massively increase its productivity: Instead of 240 canisters per day, the new system now produces up to 130 canisters per hour. At the same time, working conditions for employees have improved significantly: physically demanding tasks have been completely eliminated. The employees freed up by this change can now be deployed in other areas within production, further increasing operational efficiency.

Thanks to the plant’s increased flexibility—particularly the ability to fill not only canisters but also drums and IBCs of varying viscosities – significantly more requirements can be met in the future, strengthening both the site’s adaptability and its future viability.

In addition, automated capping with controlled tightening torque not only ensures consistently high quality but also significantly increases process reliability. All screw connections are monitored and documented, ensuring complete traceability. Uniform filling, a neat pallet layout thanks to robot-assisted palletizing, and automated load securing further contribute to process stability and increased customer satisfaction.

Our collaboration with GREIF-VELOX was very positive: Our contacts were always open and approachable, and communication was prompt, reliable, and solution-oriented. The technical engineering team, in particular, did an outstanding job—thanks to their targeted follow-up questions, we were able to quickly resolve any outstanding issues.

Maik Ulbig
Process Optimization & Engineering, Symrise

Increase from 240 canisters per day to up to 130 canisters per hour

Complete relief of employees from physically demanding tasks

Greater process reliability through documented closures and fill levels

Future-proof flexibility for canisters, drums, and IBCs