Epirotic uses Krones technology to reach a new target group

Epirotic Bottling Industry S.A. is a family-owned and operated Greek company that was founded by Petro Sepetas and Elenia Theohari in 1990. The second generation, that is Pavlo, Kosta and Rigino Sepetas, meanwhile also work for their parents’ business, as do 500 employees whom they fondly call their “extended family”. The enterprise operates three production facilities, two of them located in Ioannina’s neighbourhood and one in the Peloponnese, plus three logistics centres, one each in Athens, Thessaloniki and the Peloponnese. The Vikos brand of natural mineral water is the country’s best-selling water.

Ever since the company was set up, Epirotic has sought to achieve sustainable organic growth, whether in regard to new production facilities or the vertical integration of a preform manufacturing plant. The decision to reach out to new target groups by using two more container types fits in seamlessly with that growth strategy, and so does opting for Krones.

“We’ve been working together with Krones for many years now, starting in 2005 when we installed the country’s first PET bottling line made by Krones, and we are very satisfied. Since then, the number of Krones lines up and running in our plants has grown to seven,” says Pavlo Sepetas. When they set out to expand their horizons to gain a foothold in the market for hotels, restaurants and cafés with stylishly designed bottles and cans, the Epirotic team wanted to have a partner by their side who can draw upon plenty of experience in building and handling returnable-glass and canning lines. But ultimately it was not just Krones’ expertise that won the company over, as Pavlo Sepetas explains: “Planning work for this project began back in 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic forced us to put it on the backburner. When we resumed it in 2021, Krones won the bid with flying colours: Their quotation was attractive, and the team was incredibly fast. They very quickly submitted an ideal layout for the two lines.”

The two-in-one project

It was precisely this layout that set the project apart from others before, as Dimitris Vassos, the plant’s maintenance manager, explains: “The biggest challenge for the planning team was that both lines had to be accommodated in an existing hall. And the raw-materials and finished-goods store located on one side of that hall didn’t make things any easier because it meant the start and finish of both lines had to be placed at the same end of the hall in order to facilitate the intralogistics involved. Krones provided the best possible solution to all these requirements.”

Both lines were up and running in less than one year, as an enthusiastic Pavlo Sepetas tells us: “The first machine arrived in our plant on 5 August, and on 31 October, production was already up and running on both lines! That’s impressive.”

Quality and sustainability

Besides the layout, Epirotic’s stringent quality standards for their own products were a major reason for choosing Krones. The filler the company selected for their canning line is a Modulfill VFS-C with a Modulseam seamer, which are combined in the Modulfill Bloc FS-C. The advantage of the compact block solution is an isolator design that enables a microbiologically hygienic can filling process on a small footprint.

Inner and outer values 

Another highlight of the line: For an especially upmarket look, the glass bottles of both the Vikos cola and the grapefruit soda are dressed in an out-of-the-ordinary label that gives the impression the bottle hasn’t got a label. This “no-label look” is accomplished with the help of transparent labels and an Ergomodul labeller. 
Besides the aesthetic aspect, flexible packaging options are another primary consideration for Epirotic – and this is where Krones technology is in demand again: The glass line can handle both returnables and non-returnables. It features three different packers producing pack variants that are as attractive as they are efficient: two Variopac Pro packers (FS and WTS) and a Smartpac C, enabling the company to serve a variety of sales channels and target groups.