Krones has started production at a new bottling equipment plant in Karnataka, India, built at a cost of about USD 32.9m (INR 3.15bn). The 30-acre site makes ErgoBloc bottling systems and related bottle-making machinery for the Indian market, with capacity of up to 100,000 bottles per hour and around 400 new jobs. Krones plans to progressively increase local manufacturing of equipment and components at the facility.
Why this mattersLocal manufacturing lets Krones compete on cost and lead times in India, one of its fastest-growing markets, against regional machinery makers.
- Plant located in Karnataka, India, on a 30-acre site with about 16,000 sqm of building space
- Investment of about USD 32.9m (INR 3.15bn)
- Facility produces Krones ErgoBloc bottling systems and related bottle-making equipment for the Indian market
- Production capacity of up to 100,000 bottles per hour
- Plant expected to create about 400 local jobs
- Krones plans to phase in higher local production of equipment and components, including ErgoBloc assembly, dry-end equipment, blow-moulded parts and spare parts
Krones will present new high-throughput filling and cleaning technology at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai in November 2026 and at BrauBeviale in Nuremberg, including a PET filler rated at up to 104,000 bottles per hour and a can filler rated at up to 135,000 units per hour. The Bavarian machinery maker, which reported EUR 5.66bn revenue in fiscal 2025, is also introducing a glass-bottle filler entering series production at the end of 2026 and ultrasonic pallet-cleaning equipment aimed at cutting water and energy use.
Why this mattersHigher-throughput fillers and resource-saving cleaning technology let beverage producers raise line output while meeting tightening water and energy targets.
- ErgoBloc L PET filler handles up to 104,000 bottles per hour using two modular filling and capping units
- Modulfill Bloc FS-C can filler rated at up to 135,000 units per hour
- Modulfill HES glass-bottle filler processes up to 78,000 bottles per hour, with series production starting end of 2026
- Krones reported EUR 5.66bn (USD 6.49bn) revenue in fiscal 2025
- Subsidiary Steinecker is showing a dynamic fermentation process for alcohol-free beer at BrauBeviale in Nuremberg
- Lavasonic HI ultrasonic technology is aimed at cutting water and energy use in pallet cleaning
Krones reported first-half 2026 order intake up 4.5% to EUR 2,852.5m and an EBITDA margin improvement to 10.8%, and confirmed its full-year 2026 targets. Currency translation cut first-half revenue by about EUR 60m, while order backlog rose 3.3% to EUR 4,328.0m by end-June.
Why this mattersSustained order growth and a firming margin at a leading filling and packaging-line builder signal resilient capital spending by beverage and food customers despite macro uncertainty.
- First-half 2026 order intake rose 4.5% to EUR 2,852.5m, from EUR 2,730.4m a year earlier.
- First-half revenue was EUR 2,714.9m against EUR 2,726.5m, up 1.8% adjusted for currency effects.
- Currency translation reduced first-half revenue by around EUR 60m.
- First-half EBITDA rose to EUR 292.9m from EUR 288.5m, with the margin at 10.8% against 10.6%.
- Order backlog rose 3.3% to EUR 4,328.0m at end-June 2026, from EUR 4,190.4m at end-2025.
- Krones confirmed its full-year 2026 guidance, including an EBITDA margin target range of 10.7% to 11.1%.
