Always by our Customer’s Side

The success of our customers is at the heart of everything we do. That is why our job doesn’t end with the delivery of beverage cans. Our investment in their success extends to include the proactive analysis of production processes, personnel training and ongoing consultation to maximize operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction.

Our Bevcan EMEA Customer Technical Services (CTS) team excels in helping customers implement aluminum cans on their lines, aligning with existing equipment and specific product requirements. The CTS team consists of expert engineers, ready to support customers with training, audits and any assistance during the filling and packing phase. Operating across 40 countries in the EMEA region, supporting more than 350 customers in multiple locations, the CTS teams provide routine visits, seam analysis and adjustment, quality assurance, product and material trial support and consultative visits to minimize unplanned downtime. The team and Crown leadership have spent many years building trust and confidence with each customer. These strong relationships have resulted in intimate familiarity at each facility while solidifying relationships that have positioned Crown as a partner of choice.

One example of the value that can result when our R&D, operational and CTS teams cooperate with customers and suppliers is our lightweighting initiative. As a first step in the multi-year process, we assessed the properties of lighter cans to ensure their integrity and adherence to the highest quality standards. We then performed trial runs to make sure the cans could maintain the same operational efficiency on existing lines as with previous-generation cans. Tests at our own manufacturing facilities included all stages of production, from filling and seaming to palletizing. 

We then took the cans to customer sites to further test performance. Our CTS team was instrumental in this part of the process, making sure can quality and productivity remained intact. This included focusing on critical elements such as seaming, a fundamental part of the process that prevents leakage, helps maintain the right pressure levels and protects the product during stacking, shipping and storage. 

In 2021, after more than three years of development and hard work, we achieved a 4% global average reduction in our standard 12 oz. or 330 ml can weight. That puts us 40% of the way toward achieving one of our Twentyby30 sustainability goals: reducing packaging material use by making our aluminum and steel cans 10% lighter in weight by 2030.

Crown’s lightweighting initiative is just one way we are advancing sustainability and securing the future availability of natural resources in line with our ambitious Twentyby30 program, which includes a material preservation and recycling focus through its Optimum Circularity pillar. Reducing the need for virgin metal and enhancing the continual use of aluminum, our efforts are dedicated to unlocking more value from the limited resources available. Combining the efforts of our expert teams, suppliers and customers drives the beverage industry closer to a truly Circular Economy.

For the latest updates on our sustainability efforts, read our 2021 Sustainability Report.