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May 13, 2023

Empire Can Handling introduces its innovative new products

A new manufacturer of canning equipment, based here in the Pacific Northwest, is

A new manufacturer of canning equipment, based here in the Pacific Northwest, is introducing products designed for small- and medium-sized producers. Not just products that will work for those kinds of beverage producers, but products actually designed for those kinds of beverage producers. Empire Can Handling says that its modular, small-footprint end-of-line innovations offer benefits for any small- and medium-sized brewery looking to increase the efficiency of its canning line.

This Friday at the Washington Craft Beer Summit in Puyallup, Empire Can Handling will introduce its craft-focused machines. "There's just not a good option for the craft beverage producer when it comes to quality American-made end-of-line equipment," says Joel VandenBrink, one of the company's founders. "We wanted to put an end to that problem."

If Joel's name sounds familiar, it's because he's the guy who founded Two Beers Brewing, Seattle Cider Company, and Sound Seltzer. Now he's moved on to help start Empire Can Handling and build the kind of equipment he envisioned when he was a beverage producer.

"I have purchased so much over-engineered and hard-to-maintain equipment in my 12 years as a beverage producer that I wanted to offer an alternative option to producers, says VandenBrink. "Something built specifically for them. With cost, size, and ease of maintenance in mind"

"As we designed the machines at Empire Can Handling we strove to create machines built from the ground up with craft beverages in mind. Lowering the cost of ownership and keeping the barriers of entry as low as possible."

"Unlike many of the other machines on the market, our machines are built with the craft beverage producer in mind. Small footprint, lightweight, efficient, and off-the-shelf parts — making our machines easy to maintain and to run!"

Here is the press release with more information about the company and the products.

Seattle, WA, November 2, 2022 – Three craft brewing industry veterans have come together with a combined experience of more than four decades to create a new class of Made- in- America modular canning equipment. Joel VandenBrink, Owen Lingley, and Mike Cameron have spent decades on the front lines as suppliers, producers, and fabricators. They have been around craft beverage canning equipment since the early days, and have now come together to create Empire Can Handling.

Empire Can Handling (ECH) automates end-of-line packaging equipment, specializing in modular and small-footprint designs intended for small to medium producers with limited space. ECH is a new class of canning equipment which is specifically designed to integrate with industry-standard canning lines. With a passion for precision and an intimate knowledge of the needs of craft beverages, ECH is here to ensure the operations team has the equipment they need to get it done right and as efficiently as possible.

Empire Can Handling offers three machines: Weigh Cell 60, Labeler 60, and Canturion 60

Weigh Cell 60: Built with ease of use and small footprint in mind, this machine is light on resource needs, is capable of 60 cpm and supports 202 cans in all sizes (8, 12, 16, 19.2 ). A star wheel powered by a stepper motor ensures accuracy to +- 1 gram. Comes standard with reject system for underweight cans. Can be attached to a 3-foot conveyor or attached to your current system. Never send an underfilled can out the door again!

Labeler 60: Ever wonder why all labelers apply a label to a round can in a linear motion? Yeah, we did too! It doesn't make sense and it causes quality issues. Thanks to the revolutionary label drum we’ve removed the biggest headache of label application – and all in a much smaller footprint!

Canturion 60 : The smallest footprint possible for a weigh cell, reject system and labeler. This machine does it all. It weighs the cans using a star wheel powered by a stepper motor, rejects underweight cans and then labels only the cans with the proper amount of liquid to meet your quality standards!

Sales are based in Portland, OR, and design, fabrication and assembly is based in Seattle, WA. All three machines are available for purchase immediately. Go to www.empirecan.com to learn more.

ABOUT EMPIRE CAN HANDLING

Empire Can Handling automates end-of-line packaging equipment, specializing in modular and small footprint designs intended for small to medium producers with limited space as well as mobile packagers. With sales based in Portland OR and design, fabrication, and assembly in Seattle WA we are a true American-made and assembled company focused on making your end-of-line equipment more efficient.www.empirecan.com