PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2014

ON SITE 51 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 09/14 www.petpla.net Thai newcomer chooses Sidel for country’s first high-speed aspetic line Sidel has installed its first complete aseptic production line in Thailand. The installation was for a new company set up to serve the whole southeastern region of Asia. When Thai businessman, Pongsakorn Pongsak established the General Beverage Com- pany Limited in his home country, he was entering the beverage industry for the first time. In doing so, he turned to Sidel for the first time too, for the supply of a turnkey aseptic PET packaging line. Founder and owner, Kitti Pongsakdi (Pongsakorn’s father), origi- nally established the textile company Suwan Spinning and Weav- ing which is today one of the top producer of yarn and fabric in Thailand. Following a visit to the Sidel’s exhibition stand at Anuga in Germany in 2012, senior managers from General Beverage were introduced to Sidel technology and witnessed aseptic filling for the first time ever. They became keen on Sidel’s aseptic filler and the company’s overall technology capabilities. Several project discussions and meetings were conducted with Sidel. General Beverage wanted a supplier able to supply a turnkey installation to produce a broad range of beverages like coffee, tea, milk and fruit juices. The Thai producer decided in favour of Sidel. As a result, Sidel designed, manufactured, supplied, installed and commis- sioned the entire bottling line. The plant, located in the Sam Phran district of Nakhon Pathom, is being built at a cost of nearly EUR 120 million (USD 160 million) in three distinct stages. The first stage, already completed, features the country’s fastest production line for PET aseptically filled bottles and includes a Sidel SBO20 Universal2eco blow moulder equipped with the Ecoven. The pro- duction line has a capacity of 40,000 bottles per hour and is the most-advanced, eco-friendly manufacturing system in the region, according to Sidel. For the first time ever, the aseptic filler is able to handle “particulates” of up to 5 x 5 x 5mm in size. The filler is connected to an Aidlin Eco cap feeder. The line can handle high volumes of high quality beverages of low or high acidity, including the most sensitive products. The line is currently set up to pro- duce a nutritional drink with high dietary fibre (white grape juice with pieces of aloe vera), yoghurt and milk in a 280ml format, with green tea and juice in the larger 350ml format. Being new to the beverage industry, the company’s decision to bottle such sensi- tive products was a bold move as it requires special knowledge to set up and maintain the most stringent standards of food safety. The factory’s second stage follows in mid-2014, while the third and final stage is scheduled to be finished over the following five years. General Beverage is offering its services for aseptic PET filling as a co-packer to major players in both domestic and nearby international markets. The company performed roadshows across the country and other South East Asian countries to announce its presence as the supplier of various packaged products including coffee, tea, milk and fruit juices covering over 20 local and over- seas brands. Within the South East Asia Pacific (SEAP) region, the juice drinks, teas and sports drinks sector is forecast to grow by 4% per annum over the next four years, with the market share of PET bottles in this sector to grow by 6% as consumers increas- ingly recognize the material as more convenient and lighter than glass, and more hygienic than HDPE. www.sidel.com Prepare for Life. From preform to bottle. We ensure a perfect process. www.prewatcher.com