PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2015

BOTTLING / FILLING 16 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 12/15 www.petpla.net Filling challenge in Asian market As a co-packer, Hon Chuan pro- duces many customers’ products on their behalf at production facilities throughout Asia in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, as well as Taiwan. Hon Chuan has undertaken a policy of active collabo- ration with other leading beverage companies within the region, com- bined with a programme of continual expansion. By investing in high quality production lines, the company has been able to forge partnerships for the co-packing and aseptic bottling of sensitive beverages in PET. Competition in the already com- petitive beverage industry has further intensified following the last two years’ slowdown of the Chinese economy. In 2014, the volume growth rate of the beverage market was only 7% - a fall of 2% compared to the previous year. Beverage growth dropped to an all- time low in the third quarter of 2014, yet market analysts remain ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the overall outlook for the beverage industry. Over the past year, the industry has witnessed the launch of many new soft drinks by various manufac- turers and the expansion of several market segments. The resulting demand for this greater variety of beverages requires an increase in the number of technologies involved in their production. Consequently, pro- ducers and co-packers need to find greater flexibility from their production lines in order to react to evolving con- sumer trends and demands. With increases in the costs of raw materials, packaging materials, energy, labour and overall production now reducing producers’ profit margins, it is important for beverage manufacturers in the region to optimise their business operations and to improve their supply chain management. Mr Keith Dai, Chairman of Hon Chuan, explains: “We have been an early adopter of aseptic solutions in Taiwan. To date, we have installed four aseptic lines with Sidel across Asia, producing more than 20 prod- ucts for several leading beverage companies. We are more than satis- fied with the results.” The Sidel Combi Predis FMa Capdis, an aseptic blow-fill-cap solu- tion with dry decontamination of both preforms and caps, is operating at Hon Chuan’s plant at Taichung, to the west of the centre of the island and the third-largest city in Taiwan. It is used for the bottling of a range of low acid to high acid products, such as ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, milk tea and Taiwan Hon Chuan Enterprises has installed a new Sidel Combi Predis FMa Capdis line to meet the fast-changing tastes and demands from consumers for sensitive products in the fiercely competitive Taiwanese/Chinese marketplace. Well known throughout Asia, Hon Chuan Enterprises offers complete solutions and an all-in-one service for beverage com- panies and producers, providing preforms, PET bottles, metal and plastic caps and other products.