A toast to quality with Henri Ehrhart

Passion for winemaking: a family tradition

In Alsace, the French wine region which is one of the most famous for its white wines all over the world, history, tradition and environment coexist in the products of Henri Ehrhart winery. The company, based on a long passion for winemaking and handed down from father to son, has a prominent position, thanks to its ability to meet the market needs and search for constant innovation. With the aim of providing customers with the best products, Henri Ehrhart “maison” chooses only high level suppliers and partners to create strong, transparent relationships, as happened with the recent modernization of the bottling and packaging line at Ammerschwihr, that has involved the collaboration of SMI to install the new WP 400 ERGON wrap-around case packer.

The story of Henri Ehrhart company is not just about numbers, hectares and bottles. It is a story written by men for men, who “put humanity in the heart of daily work” to produce enjoyable, elegant and high quality wines.

Every decision taken shows the strong sense of belonging and respect for the land, that marry traditional ways to modern management, thanks to the use of cutting-edge technology, like the automatic wrap-around case packer from the WP 400 ERGON range, equipped with a system to insert cardboard separating partitions.

The growth path taken by Cyrille Ehrhart, son of the founder Henri and current General Manager, has led the company to install more and more modern and efficient production plants, that needed bigger spaces to accommodate new bottling and packaging systems, designed according to the innovative concepts of the smart factory.


The wrap-around case packer installed by SMI is equipped with the optional PID device to insert stretch board pre-assembled partitions into cardboard boxes, in order to protect glass bottles from damage and to protect labels from any abrasion.

Technology of the latest generation to celebrate quality

Uncorking a bottle of wine is a gesture full of meaning, because underneath every cork there is much more than just wine. Indeed, the cork seals values, culture, tradition, innovations, enthusiasm, experience and passion. Each step of the production process is carried out meticulously, taking great care with every control to obtain a quality product. Nothing can be left to chance, as attention to detail is the strong point for this French company.

Automatic machines that adapt to consumers

The WP 400 ERGON wrap-around packer, equipped with a system of pre-assembled partitions to protect glass bottles, offers several advantages:
 

•  procedure of packaging with the wrap-around system to make the cardboard case and close the product inside. This system allows wide flexibility of use, high production speeds, improved stability for the packs and optimizes space used for storing packaging materials
•  continuous motion packaging, which guarantees a fluid production process, without any hitches and ensures greater reliability, improved quality of the final pack and reduced mechanical wear and tear on the machine
• ideal solution to achieve a pack that is resistant to knocks, able to protect the wine bottles during transport
•  the WP ERGON case packers are equipped with fixed guides, which keep the sides of the case pressed at the machine outfeed. This system guarantees that the cases are perfectly shaped and resistant, unlike rotary chain pressing systems that are not able to provide the same level of quality

Advantages of pre-mounted separators compared to those non-mounted:
 

•  less cost for purchasing separators by around 20%
•  less volume of storage by at least 60%
•  the size of the wrap-around case packer does not change as the separator magazine and the insertion device are mounted on the top of the packaging machine
•  the process for inserting the separators and loading the magazine is fast as these are already pre-mounted

If you want to find out further information about the line solution installed in Henri Ehrhart plant and the advantages offered by the machines supplied by SMI, we invite you to read the last issue of our SMI NOW magazine or to contact our sales department

Marketing Department

SMI S.p.A.
E-mail: info@smigroup.it