News

This family-run ale firm watched its new bottles fly off shelves after a bespoke kit spend. By Simeon Goldstein

Who Hall & Woodhouse
Aim Labelling a new lightweight bottle
Spend Undisclosed
What Kosme modular wet glue labeller
When August 2008
Target New and existing customers

Challenge
Dorset brewery Hall & Woodhouse has created some of the most recognisable names in the bottled ale market, such as Badger First Gold, Fursty Ferret and Tanglefoot. The family-run business wanted to update its bottles to keep up with changing drinking demands and attitudes.

Bottled ale consumption has grown by 160% since 2000 and the brewery wanted to take advantage of this growth and create the capacity to do so. "We wanted to come up with a more contemporary bottle, taking into account consumer, environmental and procurement considerations," says Toby Heasman, Hall & Woodhouse’s brewery manager.

As a result, the bottle was made lighter and given a new shape. However, redesigning the bottle meant that the company had to rethink how it applied the labels; Hall & Woodhouse needed new labelling machinery that was accurate and fast.

Strategy
The company launched the new bottle in July 2008, in response to in-depth consumer research. The bottle, which was produced by O-I, has a new shape, new embossing and a new label in order to improve its on-shelf presence and make it attractive to a fresh market without ignoring the demands of existing loyal drinkers. The more elegant bottle has also been reduced in weight to 300g, in collaboration with the Waste and Resources Action Programme. The firm says the move will save some 1,500 tonnes of glass each year, the equivalent of 1,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. "It’s been possible for all stakeholders to benefit from the project," adds Heasman.

However, the taller, lighter bottle created a problem when it came to labelling. The firm wanted to retain the front, back and neck labels, and required equipment that was accurate enough to deal with the new bottles but fast enough to cope with growing demand for the ales. After consulting other companies, the brewery opted for a bespoke machine from packaging machinery supplier Kosme UK.

Implementation
Kosme, which is an independently run part of the Krones Group, proposed a modular wet glue labeller with an optical orientation system. The digital system uses a camera to scan the bottle and aligns the label to a pre-specified mark on the embossing that is used as a reference point. "This was the first time we’d worked with Kosme, but the big advantage for us was the digital alignment, which enables us to accurately label a lightweight embossed bottle," says Heasman.

The machine also fulfils Hall & Woodhouse’s need for speed. The firm currently operates the machine at 300 bottles per minute, although Kosme says it can work faster. The interchangeable modules mean the firm can easily convert the line to perform different functions as its requirements change. As well as commissioning and installing the kit, another important aspect for Hall & Woodhouse was the after-sales service and regular visits from Kosme engineers. "This has been closely linked to training our operators and craftsmen to use the new machine," adds Heasman.

Results
Hall and Woodhouse says it’s been extremely pleased with the whole process, both the collaboration with Kosme UK and further support from the firm’s head office in Italy. "The bottles were changed over seamlessly and the project completed on time and in budget," says Heasman. Since the new bottles were launched, the firm has gone from strength to strength and Hall & Woodhouse beers are among the fastest growing in the bottled ale category. A number of the Badger ales have beaten their previous sales records, and the volume of Fursty Ferret sold has increased by 63% year-on-year. Tanglefoot has increased by 16%. "Last year was relatively buoyant for our bottled ales, in an otherwise difficult market. We’d like to think the bottle redesign has had some impact on that," says Heasman.