PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2012

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 14 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 11/12 www.petpla.net Over and above this, there are 100 Sacmi compression moulding machines for caps and closures (32 cavities) in operation, by comparison to 28 back in 2006. Shao Jin Rong: “We are thoroughly satisfied with the quality of our machines and the service we have received from the manufacturers and suppliers. As regards the con- tracts awarded most recently, we can include Netstal/Hof- stetter – they have supplied us with nine preform systems. The blow moulding / filling lines acquired this year also come from Krones“. And the boom in investments goes on and is continu- ing because the beverages market is continuing to grow and Wahaha is determined to defend its share of the market (approx. 10%) – on the basis of the simple formula explained by Shao Jin Rong, Chief of the Machinery & Engineering Department. We have already mentioned the formula in the introduction (PETplanet Insider 07/2012). If the growth does indeed continue, the Chinese market will need a total of 300 blowers, 300 fillers and also 300 pre- form systems a year – at any rate according to Wahaha’s cal- culations. And it is for this reason that Wahaha needs to invest in 30 new lines every year and also in 30 preform systems in order to maintain its market share of 10% – this assuming a minimum 16% growth in the beverages market. (This might have been a slight miscalculation, as the company’s growth has outpaced the market over the last few years). The beverages market in China is continuing to grow The losers in this scenario of global record-breaking are undoubtedly the converters who, although they too are experiencing growth, are not enjoying the same heady rates. The major beverages bottlers – originally the major custom- ers of the converters – have in the meantime become self- sufficient suppliers of PET preforms and bottles. Naturally, not every figure and every detail featured in the discussions at the Chinese round table passes the absolute truth test – not even where the experts are involved. But the fact that growth in China is setting new standards is undisputed. The boom does indeed exist, as does the potential for significant business. Products and strategies definitely need to keep abreast of this rapid development. They also need to be available at the right time – to pass the test. Wahaha is the best example; it has passed the test with flying colours.