PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2019

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 11/19 www.petpla.net 12 India’s biggest water brand relies on sustainability – Bisleri part 1 Water for Bangalore and the region by Kay Barton Bisleri water is, quite literally, on everyone’s lips. The coun- try’s largest water bottler has its own plants in all conurba- tions, which means it’s always close to the shops and cus- tomers, ready to quench the thirst of the population of India. PETplanet has had the opportunity to visit various Bisleri plants several times in the past and to talk to the makers on site. We are now doing this on a grand scale, during the India Road Show; the production plant in Bangalore was the first of several scheduled factory visits. Here, we met Plant Manager Mr Vishwanath and his colleague Mr Sathyam Chaudhary, South Procurement Head, and talked about everyday business and water recovery. April 2019 - Bisleri Ltd We met: Mr G. N. Vishwanath, Senior Plant Manager Mr Sathyam Chaudhary, South Procurement Head On entering the premises of Bisleri, at some locations, we noticed signs on the buildings stating that photography was expressly welcomed – something rather unusual at a production facil- ity. Bisleri aspires to be transparent to everyone, it seems. Indeed, as we found out in the interview, open com- munications are part of the company’s strategy. The Senior Plant Manager on site is Mr Vishwanath, who has been working for Bisleri Bangalore for 13 years. He and Mr Chaudhary who is responsible for the Devanahalli plant, welcomed us to the factory, which is situated approximately 30km outside the city, near the airport. “We launched the location here in Bangalore in 2000, and produc- tion started in 2001,” Mr Vishwanath explained. “In those days, PET was our direct starting point; alternative packaging was out of the question. The initial situation in Bangalore spoke in favour of this location as, at that time, clean water availabil- ity wasn’t good. Back then, we filled about 30,000 crates a year. Today’s figure is around 1 million; that’s about 500,000 litres per day, with our best seller being the 500ml bottle.” Turnover nationwide is USD 86.5 million, of which 35% is attributable to the activities in Bangalore. Water is the factory’s leading bottled product, with 90% of output. Carbonated fruit drinks and sodas account for the rest. The trend, we were told, is away from classic CSD beverages; not least because of the sugar tax. Bisleri’s share of the branded water segment is approximately 38% and its annual growth rate in the Bangalore area is around 30%. Tour Sponsors: Discussions on Bisleri’s activities with (f.l.t.r.) Mr Vishwanath, Mr Chaudhary and Kay Barton Bisleri’s drinks come in 250ml, 500ml, 1 l, 2 l, 5 l and 10 l disposable bottles with an Alaska neck finish, and in 20 l reusable containers. On site, technology from Mahavir is used for the treatment of the water. Three water filling lines, equipped with Kosme, Sidel and SMI machinery, are dedicated to the regular bottle formats. Two of the lines have an output of 100 bottles/minute each; one has a capacity of 200 bottles/minute.