PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2012

BOTTLING / FILLING 24 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 11/12 www.petpla.net The average per capita consumption of mineral water in Switzerland is about 122l/a. Much of this comes from the over 20 mineral water springs in Switzerland itself. One of these is Bad Knutwil. The newest development to come out of the plant, the CellaNova brand, is a special beverage that provides natural cell protection and is only sold in PET bot- tles. Just recently the company invested in a KHS InnoPET Blomax Series IV stretch blow moulder and in a KHS Inno- pro Paramix C dosing and blending system. Mineralquelle Bad Knutwil, to give it its full Swiss name, was first mentioned in 1484. For centuries spa guests especially profited from the favourable mineral properties of the healing spring water. In the middle of the 20 th century the spring began marketing its product further afield, initially supplying clinics and schools and later branching out into the hos- pitality and food trades. The mineral water bottling plant underwent major change when the company was taken over by Robert Schmidlin in 2001. “As someone who knows the trade, my fascination with mineral water plus the fascination of owning my own company prompted me to invest in the Bad Knutwil plant at the age of 55”, states Schmidlin. In retrospect this was exactly the right thing to do, as today the company is flourishing. Schmidlin has helped to prepare Min- eralquelle Bad Knutwil for the future to the best of his ability. In 2010 he sold the mineral water bottling plant to Oskar K Schwenk. When Schmidlin decided to pur- chase Mineralquelle Bad Knutwil, sales figures were at just two million litres. These have now climbed to 12 million litres, with sales continu- ously rising over the years without any drops or peaks in the sales curve. When the plant was taken over in 2001, the number of personnel totalled just five. Today, the company employs 20 people. Mineral water quality Thanks to its low nitrate (<0.1mg/l) and sulphur levels (19–21mg/l), the mineral properties of Bad Knutwil’s water are beneficial for inclusion in a low-sodium diet and for preparing children’s food. Mineral water from the Bad Knutwil spring is available in the classic carbonated version, as mod- erately carbonated water, and as still spring water. In 2001 the percentage of still mineral water sold was just 5% of the total sales figure. In the mean- time, this figure has greatly increased and is now at 40%. Of the remaining 60%, 15% is attributable to the low carbonated water variant, with the lion’s share going to the plant’s classic fizzy beverage. With sales at 80%, mineral water is still the most successful segment at the Bad Knutwil mineral water bottling plant. The spring also sells a range of soft drinks like orange, grape, and citro soda pops, and the near-water brand products RedLine, WhiteLine, and Yel- lowLine. RedLine tastes of lemon balm and raspberry, WhiteLine of elderberry blossom and grape, and YellowLine of pear, apple, and lemon balm. Trend towards PET bottles As ‘young products’ the com- pany’s near-water beverages are bottled exclusively in PET, with the classic soda pops and mineral waters available to consumers in both glass and PET bottles. The ratio of glass to PET fillings at the mineral water plant is 1:1. “We’re seeing a clear move towards the PET bottle,” says Schmid- lin. “We’re also reckoning on a strong growth in the PET segment in the future.” *Based on an article by Lutz Müller, Manager of KHS GmbH Switzerland, Wolfwil Bad Knutwil mineral water bottling plant invests in KHS technology Edelweiss, in a bottle! The Bad Knutwil mineral water bottling plant has recently started manufactur- ing its PET bottles on a KHS Innopet Blomax IV