Evert van de Weg revisits Can x Lab to discuss its additional services andexpertise in seaming for beverage cans in the craft beer sector
All images courtesy of Can x Lab
In my small Dutch village, I know a man whohas indulged in the hobby of brewing his ownspecial type of beer since 1992. These types ofcraft beers are usually prepared in breweries thatproduce small amounts of beer. Craft breweriesgenerally put an emphasis on new flavours, specialingredients and varied brewing techniques.
In the last few decades, as was explored in CanTechInternational November 2022, craft beer brewing hasreceived an enormous boost, especially in the UnitedStates and in Europe. In the US, there are now over9,000 craft breweries of various sizes. In Europe, thenumber of craft breweries rose from approximately2,000 microbreweries in 2008, to more than 9,500in 2020, and the growth only continues. Socialmedia, local events and promotion have been andare important tools to growing the market. Brewersof Europe predicts that the European craft beermarket will grow annually about nine per cent in thenext five years.
Some 20 years ago, the mark of a good beerwas the glass bottle, but that soon changed.I remember seeing the slogan: “Canning is now theunsung hero of the craft beer revolution.” A majorconsideration in adopting cans for craft beer is itslogistical advantages: minimal weight, strength,lower costs and moreover the eternal recyclability ofthe aluminium used.
However, the often-limited quantities of a startupcraft brewery presented a barrier to investing in acanning line. This situation opened opportunitiesfor companies all over the world that were able tohelp. Dutch company, Can x Lab, is one of them.
Arjen van Zurk
The craft brewing effect
The company Can x Lab originates from the Dutchcompany Mus Verpakkingen, a specialised wholesalerin metal packaging since 1986. The company offers awide range of non-food and food cans.
I spoke to Can x Lab co-founder and chiefcommercial officer, Arjen van Zurk, (formercommercial manager at Rexam, later Ball), andCan x Lab’s technical manager, Sjoerd Wolf, in thecompany’s plant and warehouse in Deventer, whereemployees were working on a sleeving line forunprinted beverage cans.
Van Zurk commented, “As a commercial managerof a big beverage can producer, I saw how theenormous popularity of craft beer brewing in theUS caused big waves in the UK beer market and, viathe Scandinavian markets, landed in the Beneluxcountries, as well as France, Spain, Italy and EasternEuropean countries. The striking thing about thepackaging choice is that where craft brewers oftenstarted out by using glass bottles and then movedonto cans, the newcomers now start straight awayin cans.”
Sjoerd Wolf added, “What I hear now from all thecustomers I visit, is that glass bottles have becomeextremely expensive by the high amount of energyused in glass production. Moreover, the logisticaladvantages of cans are very convincing.”
Can x Lab witnessed the growth of the niche marketwhich was created by the boom of craft brewers thatwere often not sufficiently equipped to put theirspecial beers in personalised cans on the market.
“The services we can offer [craft brewers] arewarehousing the cans for them, on the pallet sizethey need. Startup brewers are mostly unable towork with the standard pallet height of large canmakers. If required, we can personalise the cans forthem at our premises with sleeves printed with theirbranding, and keep these on stock until they needthem,” said van Zurk.
“We have a rather unique system to sleeve opencans without the need of a steamer. We even offersupport when it comes to the design and the supplyof digitally printed sleeves in runs of small or biggersizes. To be able to supply cans in the size andquantities the brewers need, we have successfullyestablished agreements because of long-standingrelations with all the leading can manufacturers.”
Sjoerd Wolf
Additional services and seam checks
Apart from the tailor-made supply of bare, labelled,sleeved or (soon) digitally printed cans from 150 to500ml, Can x Lab offers a unique service to craftbrewers, namely filling and seaming the cans at thebrewer’s location.
Wolf said, “We have already been able to servesome brewers with our canning unit, so we havea lot of experience. For a minimum volume of1,500 litres or more, we can provide a mobilecanning line in the form of the very reliable WildGoose WG 4 system. What we then need is beerof the right temperature, electricity, filtration andcarbonisation equipment, and some helping hands.
“Extreme hygiene during the whole canningprocess is essential and we take that fully intoaccount. Our canning line has a capacity of 40cans per minute, so we can fill 2,400 cans of 33clper hour, which is equal to 800 litres per hour.Doing the right things in the critical filling processis extremely important for the final beer quality, butwith our many years of experience, we are equippedto handle that.”
A critical step just before filling the cans ispurging them with CO2, and, after filling, a processof underlid gassing and putting the end on a thinlayer of beer foam is then applied. “In general,oxygen is the enemy of beer quality, so we try tokeep those numbers as low as possible. If it is toohigh, we immediately stop the line,” stated Wolf.
Seaming the cans properly is the essential finishingtouch of the canning process. Can x Lab has built upsignificant experience in this technology.
Wolf explained, “We are aware that the rightseaming operation is critical for the closure ofthe can, so we are regularly checking the seamsby means of an inspection unit from the Swedishcompany Metop. They are specialised in this typeof equipment, and we are quite satisfied with it.We use their rather simple Double Seam TeardownKit, which enables manual seam evaluations,both externally and internally. Some measuringparameters we take with the Metop kit are first andsecond operation seam thickness, seam height andcountersink depth. For operation two, we take bodyhookand end-hook measurements as well.”
Wolf highlighted the support Can x Lab recievesfrom Q-lise, a company based in Raalte, theNetherlands, that is fully specialised in the seamingprocess.
“Q-lise maintains for us, in an agreed scheme,the seaming unit, including the seaming heads.Moreover, we send them regularly seamed cans filledwith beer and then they analyse the seam quality forus on all relevant aspects. We receive a full reporton the seam quality from them. We have very goodexperiences in working with Q-lise,” said Wolf.
Seaming check with camera at Q-lise
Q-lise seaming technology
I found Wolf’s positive recommendation a goodreason to speak to Niek Kappert, the owner of Q-lise.
Kappert expanded on the company’s development:“My father worked for many years at the technicalcustomer service unit of Thomassen & Drijver –Verblifa, can maker in the Benelux countries, asa seaming specialist. He advised many importantcanners about seaming issues and how to overcomethem. At a certain point he became independentand he – and later myself – expanded the rangeof services, all focused on seaming. Today,Q-lise supports companies like Krombacher,Heineken, Nestlé, Refresco, Wyeth Nutrition,FrieslandCampina and many others, all related totheir seaming operations.”
Q-lise has a solid team of specialised engineerswho have extensive knowledge about the seamingprocess. They have specific and detailed knowledgeabout the seamers of the following seamer brands:Ferrum, Angelus, FMC/JBT, Continental, IMC,Comaco and Sima.
Kappert stated, “We conduct, for example,so-called zero inspections of the seamers [for theseamer brands], preventive maintenance, overhaul,upgrades, audits, etc. Aside from that, we are alsoactive in the craft brewing market. We offer them,for instance, extensive seam measurements, whichthey often cannot do themselves.”
Q-lise also runs a training school for customerswanting to increase the knowledge of their operators,mechanics and quality staff about seaming.“We have different seamers and a fully operationaldouble seam measurement system for that trainingavailable on site,” said Kappert.
Can x Lab continues to develop
Arjen van Zurk concluded our interview by tellingCanTech International about further developments atCan x Lab: “We estimate that, by the second quarterof this year, we will be able to print cans for craftbrewers on a digital printing line. That will be animportant step to offering even more high-qualityservices to our customers, in the Netherlands butalso further abroad too. In the meantime, we areservicing more fillers of drinks other than beer,for instance wine, hard seltzers, mixed drinks andkombucha. Fortunately, we’ll never be bored!”
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