DrinkPAK, one of North America’s largest canned beverage manufacturers, has a North American network of facilities where it batches, fills, tests, warehouses and distributes drinks for global beverage brands at speeds of up to 3,000 cans per minute.
The company’s two current facilities — in Santa Clarita, California, and in Fort Worth, Texas — are the largest canned contract manufacturing facilities in the USA; and with the addition of the company’s third facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, set for early 2027, DrinkPAK offers ‘the largest, fastest, and most flexible canned manufacturing assets in the world’ — and through a combination of ‘advanced automation, smart infrastructure and tailored financial solutions’,
Siemens Corp (a US subsidiary of Siemens AG) has helped DrinkPAK scale its operations.
Brian Aster, DrinkPAK’s chief strategy officer, said: “Partnering with Siemens gave us the flexibility to scale rapidly while investing in energy-efficient automation. Their industry knowledge and tailored financing solutions have been critical to our growth and long-term success.”
Intelligent power monitoringIn Fort Worth, for example, Siemens provided a comprehensive suite of energy infrastructure and integrated automation solutions, including switchboards and metering, that both power the plant’s critical operations and allow for intelligent power monitoring to ensure reliable, high-output performance and energy efficiency.
In addition, DrinkPAK integrated Siemens’ advanced automation components, including PLCs and HMIs, into its automatic laser-guided vehicle (AGV) systems. These systems are supplied by DrinkPAK’s intralogistics partner, E80 Group, to automate pallet movement throughout the warehouses and support truck loading and unloading operations.
Mr Aster concluded: “Siemens technology plays a critical role in ensuring this automation runs smoothly and reliably. Siemens’ PLCs handle critical control and communication functions with each AGV, ensuring precise coordination with sensors, drives and safety systems. The HMIs provide operators with clear, intuitive visibility into system performance, diagnostics, and status updates to minimise downtime and enable predictive maintenance.”