SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 29, 2025 – As tethered caps become the EU standard for PET bottles, German packaging systems leader KHS is turning to artificial intelligence to overcome the rising complexity of closure inspection in high-speed beverage production lines.
The company has equipped its widely used Innocheck TSI closure inspection system with a new AI-powered module designed to identify defects in real time with greater precision. Developed with patent-pending deep learning algorithms, this innovation represents KHS’s strategic move toward smarter, adaptive quality control at scale.
Smarter Inspection for Complex Cap Variants
Since the EU’s tethered cap mandate came into effect in 2024, beverage producers have faced mounting challenges related to cap variation and inspection reliability. Traditional visual inspection systems have struggled to adapt to new closure geometries, leading to rising concerns around quality assurance.
KHS addresses this with an intelligent detection engine that continuously learns from newly encountered flaws. The updated Innocheck TSI system uses:
- Dual high-resolution cameras for 360° image capture
- Deep learning algorithms for on-the-fly defect recognition
- Autonomous adjustment to accommodate design diversity
“Our customers make extremely high demands of quality assurance. In intensive field tests, our AI-based fault detector has proved that it fully meets these requirements,” emphasizes Nikita Wall, Labeling and Inspection Technology Product Support at KHS.
Integration Across Existing and New Lines
The AI module is designed for seamless integration with existing Innocheck TSI installations, offering backward compatibility for producers looking to upgrade without a full system overhaul. This modularity ensures rapid deployment across legacy lines while remaining a standard feature on new KHS machines.
By embedding AI at the inspection level, KHS also reduces the burden on operators and lowers the risk of product recalls linked to closure integrity issues. For manufacturers, this translates to:
- Lower inspection error rates
- Reduced false rejects
- Consistent quality even at high throughput
Aligning with Industry Digitalization Trends
AI-driven quality assurance is fast becoming a pillar of the beverage sector’s Industry 4.0 journey. As inspection processes grow more demanding, especially with the proliferation of sustainable packaging formats, producers are increasingly turning to machine learning to maintain efficiency.
KHS’s move places it alongside other packaging innovators leveraging computer vision and AI for real-time defect analysis, predictive maintenance, and smart line control. The company is also exploring broader applications of AI across its inspection portfolio.
“In the development team, we’re currently discussing which systems this would make sense for. AI solutions are only practical where the requirements are complex – and if they give our customers clear benefits,” adds Wall.
Strategic Implications for Beverage Manufacturers
For bottlers operating in regulated markets like the EU, where tethered closures are now non-negotiable, the cost of undetected cap defects can include regulatory fines, reputational damage, and compromised consumer safety. KHS’s new inspection module offers manufacturers a compliance-ready solution that also supports operational resilience.
This upgrade may also help reduce waste, as smarter detection minimizes unnecessary line stoppages and avoids rejecting perfectly good products due to inspection ambiguity.
Explore More on KHS’s Innovation Strategy
As the KHS Group continues to digitize its inspection and packaging systems, beverage and liquid food producers worldwide can expect further rollouts of AI-enabled technology tailored to line complexity and performance needs.
Learn more at https://www.khs.com/en