PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2011

BOTTLES PET bottles 31 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 12/11 www.petpla.net Aje Thai launches new water brand in Thailand Thailand is battling against the flood waters, 30% of the country is inundated. The shelves in Bangkok and over much of the country are bare with one of the most important goods missing: drinking water. Broken supply chains, a lack of plastic bottles (especially closures) and panic buying are the main reasons. Major discount- ers such as Tesco Lotus and Big C have ordered bottled water from Malaysia to restore the supply chain, leading to criticisms and objections from established water suppliers in Thailand. It was at this precise moment that Aje Thai Co., the bottler of Big Cola soft drinks, entered the Thai market with the launch of its its new water brand. For the first time in many weeks consumers can find 600ml water bottles on the shelves once more, but this time in the unfamiliar livery of the unfamiliar “Cielo” brand. At the launch, there were no fanfares and no big marketing campaigns, but the timing, tragically inopportune as it was, did help alleviate the serious lack of bottled water in the affected areas. The factory of AjeThai is located in Chon Buri (South-East of Bangkok) and is not directly affected by the flooding. Responding to the crisis, the company modified two soft drink production lines and can produce 200,000 bottles of water per day. And due to the high demand, the company is already in the process of converting further production lines to bring the total capacity to 400,000 bottles per day. Aje Thai is highly successful in the Thai market. In just five years, Big Cola has gained a 27% market share in cola drinks in Bangkok, and 22% for the whole country. Currently, Aje operates four factories in Asia: in Chon Buri, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, and Pune, near Mumbai. All in good spirit… RPC Containers Llantrisant, Wales, is supplying an industry-standard PET bottle for the packaging of an environmentally-friendly paint cleaner. The manufacturer, EG, claims that its Spirit Green solvent-free alternative to the commonly-used white spirit is safe on skin and can be poured down the sink after use. EG says that it sought to create a product with strong images of envi- ronmentalism as well as professionalism, which would fit within the company’s existing market offering. Spirit Green is a totally non-toxic, non-flammable and non- smelly paint cleaner that works on all paint types. The bottles are injection stretch blowmoulded in clear plastic, with a large labeling area and a child-resistant closure. www.rpc-llantrisant.co.uk Czech brewery selects Petainer keg Nachod Brewery has selected the Petainer Keg for the pack- aging and supply of its Primá- tor brand beer to its customers worldwide. It is the first Czech brewer to use Petainer Kegs, which are available with one-way fittings that allow it to be con- nected to existing tapping sys- tems for draught beer. Nachod said that the Petainer-packaged product is aimed particularly at seasonal customers, restaurants and bars with limited storage space, as well as other outlets that sell beer on tap. No advances are charged for the Petainer kegs and return costs are eliminated completely, as empty kegs can be crushed and put into the recycling bin. Nachod uses a KHS Innokeg Till PETboy F2 machine for filling. Primátor beer is now supplied in 20l Petainer kegs in branded card- board cartons to markets across the world including Hong Kong, Italy and Russia. The kegs are available in 15, 20, 30 and 40l sizes. www.petainer.com  www.primator.cz Children’s sports drinks Minerálne Vody a.s., a Slovakian bottled water company, has recently launched a new format 0.33L bottle in their Drobček range, which is aimed at the children’s market. The Drobček range comprises four water varieties, three of which are flavoured. All four are equipped with a standard transparent 28mm Original Sport Cap. The closure manufacturer, Aptar, says that the Original range offers a number of features in the areas of safety and hygiene. It has no risk of either the lid or spout detaching; the recloseable lid and tight seal keeps the spout clean and prevents spills and elaks; it is easy for children themselves to open and reclose; and it is easy for even small children to use. A SimpliSqueeze silicone flow control valve option is also available. The Original sport caps are avail- able in a range of standard colours and in different colours for spout and body. www.aptar.com