Chivas Brothers Enhances Scotch Whisky Production at Kilmalid Facility, Glasgow

Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard and renowned for its Scotch whisky and gin, is set to establish itself as a leader in the premium Scotch sector. The company is boosting production efficiency at its key Kilmalid bottling site in Dumbarton, near Glasgow, pivotal in distributing flagship brands such as Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, and Beefeater Gin.

Currently, the facility is seeing significant upgrades, particularly to Line 15, which follows the successful integration of eight automatic case palletisers and enhancements to Line 12, including an automatic bottle de-palletiser. These upgrades are part of Chivas Brothers' strategy to meet increasing demand for its premium products.

To further advance its production capabilities, Chivas Brothers has engaged Automatica Systems, a Worcestershire-based firm representing Lita Srl of Turin, Italy—a leading European provider of palletising and de-palletising systems. After assessing the requirements for handling high-speed, tapered bottles within a compact space, Automatica selected the Lita Metro de-palletiser for the task. This sophisticated system allows operators to load pallets of glass onto the in-feed conveyor with a forklift, input the glass type and pallet code via the HMI, and then automate the de-palletising process.

The system features a pneumatic robotic arm that efficiently removes layer trays, which are sorted for recycling. Bottles are transferred at speeds of up to 250 per minute to the bottling line, with manual adjustments made for premium glass bottles. The fully automated setup ensures that empty pallets are stacked and removed efficiently, maintaining a high throughput.

The upgrade was fast-tracked to commence production within 3 months, minimizing downtime. Extensive pre-delivery testing and trials were made in Turin by Automatica' Project Manager, Geoff Hunt, alongside the Chivas project team to ensure a seamless installation at the Kilmalid facility.

These strategic upgrades at Chivas Brothers' Dumbarton site not only enhance operational efficiency but also reinforce the company’s commitment to leading the premium Scotch whisky market.