PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2016

BOTTLING / FILLING 37 PET planet Insider Vol. 17 No. 10/16 www.petpla.net “In 1989 we saw a developing trend towards PET bottles in Japan and other countries across South East Asia,” Hans Hou recalls. “We got off the ground in 1990 as ‘China Resources C’estbon’ and we were one of the first bottlers to focus on production of puri- fied water under our own brand name, packaged in PET. We are still produc- ing own-brand water to this day. Until around the year 2000, the key focus of our products was on southern China; we went nationwide in 2010. Our suc- cess throughout the country is based on the strategy that we embarked on with China Resources Holding in 2008, of rolling the brand out from the regional level to the whole of China, in the form of both sales and production.” The prod- uct’s history of popularity in southern China was an important factor in its nationwide success. In a market like China, where water plays a dominant role, the price, quality and brand of a product deeply influence the ultimate purchasing decision. Bottled water accounts for over 90% of C’estbon’s business; in 2015 it bottled 7m tonnes of water, the majority (approximately 85%) packaged in small bottle sizes. It offers the following pack- aging sizes: 350ml, 555ml, 1.555l, 4.5l and 18.9l. With a total of 40 factories in China, including two aseptic lines – one each in Guangdong and Shanghai – the company has achieved substantial market coverage. It also deploys its pro- duction capacities as a co-packer and, in addition to still water, offers mineral water, RTD tea, coffee, and functional drinks. C’estbon consumes around 180,000t of PET annually and works with up to eight suppliers of preforms, who manufacture primarily on Husky, Huayan and Unique equipment, Lu Jing explained. Complete systems from CBE, Sidel, Tech Long and Newamstar, along with others, are used for bottle blowing and filling. “It is important to us that we convey our company philosophy along with our product,” Hans Hou explains. “C’estbon aims to stand for trust, quality and culture, and those are the values that we want to convey to our customers. It is also important to us that we further improve, all the time, and that we con- tinue learning.” www.cre.com.hk Swiss Made | www.imdvista.ch K16 Düsseldorf, 19.–26. October 2016 Inspection Systems for the Plastic Packaging Industry IMDvista TWIN «Flying Closure» for true, 100% inspection. See newly invented closure testing @ Husky, Hall 13 Stand A61 IMDvista PRINT «Roll to Roll» print inspection for a perfect design. See this well integrated system @ PackSysGlobal, Hall 3 Stand D90 IMDvista LAYER «Multi-Layer» measurement for transparent & opaque plastic. See the new terahertz technology @ Milacron, Hall 15 Stand C06