For beverage manufacturers running multiple SKUs across the same filling and labelling line, changeover time is one of the most predictable, repeated sources of lost production capacity, yet it rarely gets the same structured improvement attention as unplanned breakdowns. A changeover is planned, expected, and built into the production schedule, which paradoxically makes it easy to treat as an unavoidable fixed cost rather than a process that can be systematically shortened.
Why changeovers deserve more scrutiny
Unplanned downtime tends to attract investigation because it disrupts the schedule unexpectedly. Changeover time, by contrast, is simply absorbed into the plan, which means a line running ten SKU changeovers a week at forty five minutes each, when a well optimised process could achieve the same changeover in twenty five minutes, loses over three hours of available production time weekly without ever showing up as a notable incident on a downtime report. Across a year, that gap compounds into a significant volume of recoverable capacity, often enough to defer or avoid a capital investment in additional line capacity altogether.
Where changeover time actually goes
A detailed time study of a typical changeover usually reveals that the time is not evenly distributed across the process. Container and format specific tooling changes, adjusting guide rails, star wheels, and infeed and outfeed conveyor guides for a new bottle or can size, frequently account for a disproportionate share of total changeover time, particularly on older equipment not originally designed with quick change tooling in mind. Label format changes on the labeller, recipe and parameter changes on the filler, and verification and quality checks before restarting the line at full speed each add further time, and the order in which these tasks are sequenced often creates unnecessary serial delays where parallel work would be possible with better planning.
Mechanical interventions that shorten changeover
Several mechanical design improvements consistently reduce changeover time on multi format lines. Quick release guide rail and star wheel systems, designed for tool free or minimal tool adjustment, cut the mechanical reconfiguration time considerably compared to fully bolted systems requiring extensive manual adjustment. Purpose built container handling solutions, such as inverter blocks used for product rotation during coding, rinsing, drying, or sterilisation steps, can also be specifically engineered to accommodate quick changeovers, reducing one of the more fiddly aspects of multi format conveyor reconfiguration. Where conveyor accumulation and transfer points are properly sized and designed for the range of formats a line actually runs, rather than optimised only for the most common format, changeover related conveyor adjustment time drops correspondingly.
Automation and recipe management
On the control system side, well structured recipe management on the PLC and HMI allows operators to select a stored format profile rather than manually re-entering filler parameters, labeller settings, and line speed targets for each changeover. This not only saves time directly but reduces the risk of operator error during the changeover, which is itself a common source of quality issues or restart delays immediately following a changeover. For lines still running on older control platforms without structured recipe management, this is frequently one of the more cost effective automation upgrades available, since it leverages existing equipment rather than requiring new capital purchase.
Sequencing and parallel work
Beyond mechanical and automation improvements, a surprising amount of changeover time can be recovered simply by reviewing the sequence of tasks. Many changeover procedures evolved informally over years rather than being deliberately designed, and frequently include tasks performed serially that could be performed in parallel by two technicians working different sections of the line simultaneously, or preparation steps, such as staging the next format’s tooling and label rolls, that could be completed before the line actually stops rather than after.
Building the business case
For procurement and operations teams, the case for investing in changeover reduction should be built around the recovered production time multiplied by the line’s contribution margin per hour of output. Even modest reductions, ten to fifteen minutes per changeover on a line running several changeovers weekly, compound into a meaningful annual capacity gain, often comparable to a fraction of a new shift’s worth of output, without the ongoing labour cost that an additional shift would carry.
Engineering support for changeover improvement
Bevtech Engineering and Automation works across both the mechanical and electrical automation dimensions of changeover reduction, from quick change conveyor and tooling design through to PLC recipe management upgrades, drawing on over 25 years of experience specifically within beverage and FMCG production environments. To discuss a changeover time study and improvement plan for your filling or labelling line, contact Bevtech on +61 400 881 321 or admin@bevtech.com.au, or visit 25 Silvio St, Richlands QLD.
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