Bottling Line Upgrade

Salas O’Brien provided engineering and project management services to upgrade a whiskey bottling line for a beverage manufacturer. We designed mechanical systems, created electrical layouts, developed line controls, and managed contractor scopes. We also supported extensive installation and startup to modify the existing line while keeping operations running. During the design phase, we encountered challenges, including limited accumulation capacity on the line and the need to convey round bottles in a single-file flow. To address these issues, we implemented carefully designed conveyors and operational strategies, maintaining half of the product population on the conveyors to regulate flow and prevent instability and damage. Our team adapted existing equipment, reconfigured line components, and integrated new packaging and inspection systems. As a result, the bottling line efficiently and flexibly handles both existing and new product formats, operating effectively despite physical constraints and limitations related to bottle geometry and accumulation capacity.