STM was established in 1981. Back then, the company was specialized in refurbishment of filling machines. As the company grew and started expanding into new markets, STM began constructing complete filling lines. At the beginning of 80’s, as one of the first companies in Poland, STM started manufacturing PET bottle production lines with the output of 12000 bottle/hour. Before long, they were offering bottling machines with even higher performance: 24000 bottle/hours. STM also started working on their own filling machines and machines for PET packaging production. Today STM is a stable company with over 30-year long experience in designing and implementing new technologies for food and beverage industry.
Interview with Izabela Stubińska, Marketing Specilist at STM GROUP.
A brief description of the company and its activities.
Izabela Stubińska: STM GROUP brings together three companies: STM, TES and HTG Industry. As a dedicated team of designers, constructors and engineers, our mission is to implement innovative solutions. We specialize in manufacturing complete technological lines, as well as palletizing and production automation. Depending on your individual needs, we can design a stretch blow molding machine, a cans filler, a PET bottling line or a bottle filling line. At STM GROUP we care about effective cooperation and smooth project launch for our clients. Continuous development and improvement of the technologies offered is the key to success of the STM, TES and HTG Industry.
Currently STM GROUP employs 240 engineers and technicians. Our production plant has a total floor area of 6000 m2. We have a cutting–edge technical base, including professional construction office, equipped with state–of–the art software. It ensures high quality of manufactured products and enables agile management of implemented projects. Whether you need an automatic canning or bottling line, we are able to manufacture and deliver it anywhere in the world. From PET blowing to beer filling – you can rely on our sales representatives to prepare a scalable offer for your business.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
I.S: STM offers complete lines for filling industry – we deliver excellent quality tailored turnkey solutions due to nearly 40 years of expertise in the fields of the blow molding industry, filling industry and production automation. Our products speak for themselves – every day worldwide hundreds of thousands of PET bottles, glass bottles, aluminum cans and PET cans run through our filling lines. As a complete lines supplier, STM supplies beverage bottlers, breweries as well as food producers from all over the world with a very individual approach to our clients and their projects whether or not it is about individual machines or complete production lines. STM is an expert in designing and implementing complete filling lines that include every single step of the manufacturing process starting from production of the container or depalletization, filling product, labelling and dating, packaging and palletizing the product – we are able to provide all these solutions for your business.
What’s the news about new products/services?
I.S: Our latest machine is the STM Arrow Can EPV 14/2 with a nominal capacity of 6,000 cans per hour of 500ml. The machine is equipped with 14 mechanical isobaric fillers, whose opening and closing is operated by an electronically controlled pneumatic cylinder system. This gives incredible autonomy to the operation of each filler, which is correlated to a preset position during the rotation of the filling machine. The operator can manage parameters such as the timing of the aeration, the length of the can purges and the timing of opening and closing – a major advantage when bottling highly carbonated or foaming beverages such as beer. The filling machine is also equipped with a dissolved oxygen product meter, a carbon dioxide modulating valve unit, a beverage proportional valve, pressure and temperature sensors or one of the best product pumps available on the market.
The whole is topped off with a two-headed ‘seamer’, a special sealer which, during its two operations, permanently stitches the lid together with the can, ensuring total sealing and barrier integrity. The sealing procedure itself is enhanced by the injection of inert gas under the lid and the optional use of liquid nitrogen or a foam breaker when required. All product contact parts are made of AISI 316L stainless steel, which is resistant to the highly invasive agents used in the CIP procedure. We are a member of the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Designe Group), which obliges us to apply the world’s strictest guidelines and rules when designing filling machines.
On the other hand, our long-standing passion for beer has taught us what to do to ensure that our machines have a record-low oxygen build-up during the bottling of this product, which affects the TPO (Total Packed Oxygen) and this very parameter determines the preservation of sensory qualities over the long shelf-life axis. Another strength is our block production system for machines, we need no more than four months to deliver a new STM Arrow Can EPV 14/2 or any other machine of our production. It is also worth noting that the design of the latest filling machines has changed, they are designed with separate enclosures, so operators have ideal service access which is also an advantage from a hygiene point of view.
What are the ranges of products/services?
I.S: https://stm-pack.com/products/
Complete filling lines
STM has been an expert in the production of canning equipment and bottling machinery, mostly complete filling lines. During over 40 years, we successfully launched over 300 complete filling lines around the world. We owe it to comprehensive approach to the design of bottling machines, as each of them is individually tailored to the customer’s needs. Thanks to our specialists and years of experience we are able to deliver even the most complex complete filling line.
Our filling machines are designed for water filling, soda canning, dairy products filling, beer bottling, edible oil bottling. Whether you need a line for can filling, PET bottle filling, glass bottle filling or PET can filling – we’ve got you covered! Our main focus is complete filling lines, turnkey, customized solutions.
https://stm-pack.com/products/complete-filling-lines
Blow molding machines
A stretch blow molding machine is an essential piece of equipment in mineral water production, edible oil production, milk production, juice production, detergent and chemical liquids production. TES blow molding machines are fully automatic and are designed for different bottle sizes and production capacities. If you equip your smart factory with PET technology from TES, you can expect:
- high efficiency (2000 bph from one cavity)
- low energy use (1,5W for 0,5 bottle)
- minimal maintenance time
- online monitoring
We currently offer linear blowing machines with efficiency ranging from 800 to 12000 bottles per hour. These stretch blow molding machines are a perfect choice for medium-sized manufacturing plants. Depending on the size of the PET container, we will suggest an appropriate blowmolder. Experts at TES will design your bottle and create PET blow molds – you can choose volumes as small as 10ml or as big as 12l. To note, apart from PET bottles, we produce our blow molding equipment for PET cans as well.
https://tes.com.pl/blow-molding-machines-for-pet-bottles
Filling machines
STM filling machines guarantee maximum hygiene and extremely fast change of formats (reduced to 10 minutes). Whether it’s a machine for cans or a machine for bottles, every rotary filling machine features a unique, internal, neck-based transport of packages without the necessity of setting the height. It allows for fast change of packaging formats with different diameters. Finally, qualities, like: user-friendly touch panel with automatic diagnostic software, precise positioning of packages and operation limited to the minimum make each bottling machine and canning machine a solid choice for your business. Opening up to new solutions, running our own laboratory and deep analysis of efficiency, allows us to optimize the production of all kinds of liquids at every stage of the filling process.
https://stm-pack.com/products/filling-machines
Mixers and saturators
If you are planning to launch a beer filling line or a soda filling line, then you will need STM mixer and saturator. JG Flow Mix and JS series machines are automatic devices with a modern design. They allow for deaeration of your beverage before carbonating it. Not only do they mix water and syrup in required proportions and add CO2 to the beverage, but also they cool down the drink before carbonating.
STM mixers and saturators achieve capacity of 3000-20 000l/h of ready product. To add, we maintain high stability of the saturation process ensured by electromagnetic Endress+Hauser flow meters and constant-pressure modulating valves.
The process of carbonating water and juice is controlled by means of a B&R controller that is easy to operate, while at the same time being technologically advanced. The control algorithm requires only to be given the syrup concentration in a drink and the quantity of prepared drink All STM process machines guarantee maximum hygiene, as we use AISI316L and AISI304 steel for manufacturing. All components are made in compliance with EHEDG standards concerning hygiene and adapted to support CIP.
https://stm-pack.com/products/mixers-and-saturators
Syrup filling lines & CIP
Whether you are interested in soda canning line or soda bottling line, you will need syrup room and CIP station to complete your production process. STM supplies full cycle syrup lines. We manufacture machines for, both, sugar-based beverages, as well as, for beverages with artificial sweeteners.
STM Syrup Room is a complete system to process crystal sugar, sugar syrup or artificial sweeteners. It achieves the capacity of 3000-20 000l/h of ready product, it’s design matching our premix machines.
We work with the best suppliers of components. Sterilizers, homogenizers, sugar feeders, process vats and other auxiliary devices are made of materials designed to be used in food processing industry, mainly stainless steel AISI 304, but also AISI 316L.
We also produce CIP stations for washing process lines, as well as, more simple devices for smaller plants. No matter if you own a juice bottling machine or a soda canning machine, STM offers you 3 possible CIP automation options: automatic & PLC controlled, semi-automatic and manually operated. All of the CIP systems are suitable for all industrial washing needs.
CIP systems are fitted with pressure pumps and special dosing system for cleaning concentrates – mixing water with detergent in flow with self-washing program. To note, tanks are insulated to enable caustic washing.
Additionally, both syrup rooms and CIP stations are fitted with JAD heat exchanger. Finally, both machines are able to control return temperature and pH value. STM process machines guarantee maximum hygiene and reduced maintenance of your automatic bottling line and can filling line.
https://stm-pack.com/products/syrup-room-cip
Packing & Palletizing
STM offers machines for bulk packing and complete back ends of process lines. Thanks to collaboration with our trusted partner, Atlanta Packaging, our devices produce precise, stackable packs. Apart from typical formats (3×2, 4×3, 6×4), STM packing solutions can handle other types of packages. You can choose devices for packaging using heat shrink film and wrap around cardboard boxes.
Variations include:
- Film only
- Film + pad
- Film + tray
- Cardboard boxes
- Cardboard trays
Our depalletizing system can be used for different types of packaging. Although, pallets for glass bottles and pallets for cans have different sizes, our devices are universal for all containers. Whether you want to depalletize empty or full containers, STM machines can handle glass bottles, cans and PET bottles.
Refined over the years, our standard palletizing systems, are simple and reliable solutions for rapid production automation. Such optimization is possible at any stage, even in an existing line. Our standard systems can be later developed from a semi-automatic solution into a fully automatic one – including storage, film wrapping and pallet transfer, which will further automate production on the line and minimize the number of staff required. Striving to ensure the highest quality and repeatability of the palletizing process, STM became the official integrator of Kawasaki, Fanuk and Kuka robots.
In our standard solution, the operator has to deliver empty pallets to two stacking locations, and move the dividers to the divider warehouse. Once the product has been palletized, the operator takes the pallet to the free-standing pallet wrapper and on to the warehouse. Then, another empty pallet can be put in place.
More sophisticated systems only require delivering stacks of empty pallets (10pcs), adding dividers and collecting wrapped pallets. With such an automation, the same single operator is able to handle the end of the line with a much higher capacity.
https://stm-pack.com/products/packing-and-palletizing
Labbeling
STM supplies labelling equipment for your bottling line. Depending on desired performance, STM offers linear or rotary technology. Our main product is the OPP labelling machine for polypropylene labels fed from a roll. These devices apply labels with hot glue. Our OPP labellers are compact machines and can be additionally fitted with double reel for faster sticking of labels during changeover.
A linear labelling machine is recommended for small production facilities and a rotary labelling machine will be more suitable for production plants with larger capacity. Choose your labelling machine accordingly:
STM Mega Roll – Rotary OPP Labeller
- Capacity 9000 – 12000 bph
- 9 to 12 plates
- Hot glue technology for wrap-around OPP labels
- Optional: hot glue for pre-cut paper labels
- Label positioning system for highly repetitive application and working with different labels
- Adapted to work with the top hot glue applicators available on the market
- Protection system to prevent glue from being applied to a drum without a label
STM Uno Roll – Linear OPP Labeller
- Capacity 6000 – 9000 bph
- Hot glue technology for wrap-around OPP labels
- Linear solution, resulting in very short changeover times
- 3 vacuum chambers for very precise labelling
- Integrated and simplified adhesive application system
https://stm-pack.com/products/labelling
Conveyors
STM can deliver conveyor systems for your glass bottling line, PET bottling line or canning line. We have experience in the design and construction of various types of conveyor systems, as well as, in automation of transfer within process lines.
STM’s main products are:
- plate conveyors
- air conveyors
- belt conveyors
- roller conveyors
The conveyors are made of plastic and stainless steel from renowned manufacturers. We rely on suppliers, such as: System Plast, Marbett, ThyssenKrupp and Bonfiglioli.
https://stm-pack.com/products/conveyors
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
I.S: The market in the filling industry is very demanding. Investments due to the geopolitical situation, war and inflation are slowing down. However industrial development is very important for the country so we believe that the situation will normalise soon.
What can you tell us about market trends?
I.S: The biggest trend seen in the bottling industry is automation, with companies looking for ways to reduce staff and therefore costs. In addition, rising energy costs are driving an increasing interest in machines with low energy consumption. It is also worth noting the increased awareness among customers and the emphasis on environmental solutions in machinery.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
I.S: STM GROUP is an expert in designing and implementing complete filling lines that include every single step of the manufacturing process starting from production of the container or depalletization, filling product, labelling and dating, packaging and palletizing the product – we are able to provide comprehensive solutions for your business.
What estimations do you have for 2024?
I.S: In our view, can filling lines will become increasingly important in 2024. Can packaging is more environmentally friendly than plastic, customers will place an emphasis on green solutions.