PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2020

BOTTLING / FILLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 04/20 www.petpla.net 21 Aseptic technology with dry preform sterilisation Flexible PET line for South Australia Bickford’s, a family-owned and treasured Australian brand, put their trust in Sidel for the very first time and installed a complete, flexible PET line, handling both sensitive bever- ages and carbonated soft drinks (CSD). Riding the wave of healthy living, Bickford’s was not only able to expand their portfolio but also to improve production efficiency and sus- tainability. All in all, this significantly optimised their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), while relying on new bottle designs. Bickford’s is one of the oldest and most valued Australian brands, holding a premium positioning in the market with exports to 32 countries worldwide. Founded in 1839, they are an independently owned business, with head office and operations based in Adelaide (South Australia). Their offer is diverse: producing CSD, cor- dials, flavoured water, still and spar- kling water as well as juices, dairy and non-dairy drinks, syrups and alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, spirits and cider. In Bickford’s home of Australia, as in many other countries, one can observe increasing health conscious- ness and wellness concerns as key drivers for the growth of beverage categories such as bottled water, especially flavoured options. Juices, nectars, soft drinks, isotonics and teas (JNSDIT) are also affected by this change in consumer behaviour and are predicted to show a positive trajectory in the next three years. Notably, Aus- tralia also has a strong coffee culture. Although the focus on RTD coffee clearly is about taste and functionality with customers seeking a quick energy boost, future products might shift towards health-promoting benefits. Furthermore, given the keen com- petition within these segments as well as the premiumisation trend across the board, new product developments are increasingly focusing on flavour variety, accompanied by the introduc- tion of new packaging formats for further diversification in the market. In the beverage industry but in particular in water, JNSDIT and CSD segments, PET is projected to remain a popular packaging material in the future. Aseptic PET bottling with dry preform sterilisation To accommodate those opportuni- ties, grow their share and diversify their portfolio, Bickford’s started to search for a very flexible production line, able to handle both still and sparkling, as well as low- and high-acid products with two different short bottle necks and two distinct decoration possibilities. For this particular challenge, they turned to Sidel for the first time in their long history. In fact, this also marks the very first time the Australian player has invested in aseptic technology with dry preform decontamination, which has not yet been widely adopted in the country. Angelo Kotses, Bickford’s CEO and owner says “We really wanted to diver- sify our product portfolio by introducing new references, including dairy products and plant-based alternatives, and by moving some drinks formerly packaged in glass and can to PET”. The Austral- ian brand decided to inaugurate the cooperation with Sidel by investing in one complete, versatile PET line, man- aging both sensitive products and CSD through an Aseptic Combi Predis and a Combi SF300, respectively. This move helped Bickford’s enjoy great freedom in terms of packaging design. They can now benefit from the wide branding surface to apply both sleeve labels and pressure sensitive labels (PSL). Moreover, thanks to the dry preform sterilisation technology, the Australian player is also leveraging a safe, easy to operate, cost-efficient and sustainable packaging solution. The line welcomes expanded manufacturing capabilities in terms of volume and type of beverages, while switching quickly from one product to another. In total, the new line now processes more than 20 different SKUs including still water, coffee with milk, coffee with almonds, four different flavoured waters and eight types of juices – all in either 250ml, 500ml or 1l formats. Bottle and decoration design capabilities Throughout the project, Sidel’s packaging experts worked in close collaboration with Bickford’s marketing team to launch their products. “Look- ing at our water and CSD range filled through the Combi SF300, we wanted to achieve an iconic shape to help