The ITACA Institute at the Universitat Politècnica de València has awarded Krones with the «ITACA-Industry Collaboration Medal», recognising ten years of cooperation between the German company and the DIMAS-ITACA group, led by José Manuel Catalá.
The relationship began in 2016 at the initiative of Christian Compera, then head of Krones’ bottling technology business line, to explore the use of microwaves for the continuous heating of PET preforms.
“The initial technical discussions and proof-of-concept tests led to a stable collaboration built on trust, applied research and knowledge transfer”, says José Manuel Catalá.
Work developed and results
Over the past decade, the two organisations have worked on the development of a compact, open system capable of processing preforms of different geometries and sizes, applying specific thermal profiles and achieving production capacities of up to 100,000 bottles per hour.
Our collaboration with Krones has enabled us to apply our expertise in microwave engineering to a highly complex industrial application, developing prototypes and solutions with a clear market focus
According to José Manuel Catalá, head of the DIMAS-ITACA group, this innovation demonstrates the value of building stable relationships between universities and industry.
“This medal recognises ten years of joint work, trust and the constant search for solutions to highly demanding technological challenges. Our collaboration with Krones has enabled us to apply our expertise in microwave engineering to a highly complex industrial application, developing prototypes and solutions with a clear market focus”, says the UPV professor.
In this regard, the German company values the DIMAS-ITACA group’s ability to integrate design, simulation, measurement technologies, manufacturing and experimental validation, as well as its flexibility in adapting projects to new industrial challenges.
This cooperation has resulted in eight collaboration agreements and mobilised investment of more than €2 million
“Expertise in technology transfer, a focus on the end customer and an open collaboration model that facilitates the exploration of new solutions and the management of intellectual property have been decisive in maintaining a continuous and lasting partnership”, representatives from KRONES state.
In total, this cooperation has resulted in eight collaboration agreements and mobilised investment of more than €2 million. The presentation of the medal, held as part of WIICT 2026, recognises a strategic partnership that continues to make progress towards the future commercialisation of this technology.