PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2020

BOTTLING / FILLING 22 our brand stand out in a very crowded marketplace. Our new bottles needed to offer convenient handling to our con- sumers and be robust enough to hold their ergonomic shape and carbona- tion once opened,” explains Beverley Reeves, Senior Brand Manager at Bick- ford’s. Talking water, the Sidel packaging team started from scratch: new contain- ers were designed for the 1l Aqua Pura branded water, applicable both to spar- kling and still water, with the latter one supported by the proven StarLite base. To accommodate future needs, Sidel also developed an additional 600ml design, perfectly applicable to a variety of recipes, including flavoured water. A redesign was needed also around the family of drinks previously pack- aged via hot-fill technology. In this case, the number one priority was to optimise the packaging, while keeping the same premium brand attributes, and also lightweighting the bottle. For instance, by changing the production set-up from hot-fill packaging to aseptic PET bottling with dry preform sterilisa- tion, the Australian player halved the weight of their 1l juice bottle – down to 32g – while enhancing its attractiveness and expanding its shelf life up to eight months. The new bottles are designed with quite straight body panels with simplified ribbing at the sides to allow the application of either sleeve labels or PSL; the biggest format (1l) engraved with the iconic Bickford’s brand name. Flexibility for greater product variety Refreshed designs within a diversi- fied, premium portfolio are answering the needs of a niche market, which is why Bickford’s is targeting small batch production; an approach perfectly sup- ported by the Sidel low-speed aseptic line. To install the new set of equipment, Bickford’s reorganised the production set-up and raw material localisation: for instance, by removing two out of three hot-fill lines they had, they gained empty floor space to be dedicated to the new complete line. The challenge for Sidel’s team was to complete the installation without disrupting the production rou- tines, while also securing the very high hygienic requirements needed in aseptic production. The new versatile PET line, set-up at the Adelaide plant, includes Tetra Pak Processing Systems technologies, guar- anteeing full product safety and maximising uptime starting from the process step. Additionally, the Aseptic Combi Predis is completed by the Capdis system for dry cap decontamination, while the CSD Combi features the compact and hygienic BlendFill configuration, com- bining carbonator and filler in a single system for reduced consumption of CO 2 . Gebo OptiDry, a fully washable, stainless steel drying system with a proven efficiency of over 99% is integrated. As part of the line, the customer opted also for Sidel’s proven Roll Adhesive labeller, ensur- ing great stability and preci- sion in the process, plus a sleever intended to handle PSL. Bickford’s hyper-flexible line manages both aseptic and regular PET packag- ing on two different Combis, thus dealing with products featuring two different bottle necks, namely 28mm for CSD and 38 mm for the aseptically-bottled prod- ucts. They chose to use one single End-of-Line (EOL) solution to optimise the TCO while leading to maximised uptime, as changeovers are very easy. This EOL includes a VersaWrap wrap-around case packer and a PalAc- cess palletiser. Both pieces of equipment are designed with multi-format versatility and fast and simple format changeovers in mind, there- fore perfectly suiting Bick- ford’s needs. The line is now running at 12,000bph for the asepti- cally filled drinks and up to 18,000bph for the CSD products, with a greater effi- ciency than the one commit- ted on the purchasing agree- ment, thus contributing to a production capacity reaching approximately 60 million bot- tles per year. www.sidel.com Supplier of preforms and inspection systems for preforms In this survey we would like to present you preform manufacturers and the inspection system suppliers who are taking care of the preforms before, during or after processing. We thank all the participating com- panies: Avid Corporation, IMD Ltd., Pressco Technology Inc., Resilux NV, PDG Plastiques, Varioform PET Verpackung Ges.m.b.H, PET-Verpackungen GmbH, Hodmeter, Empacar, Sacmi Imola S.C., Retal, Chemco Group, SGT France, In- travis GmbH, Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co KG, Plastipak, Eskapet, Novapet, Energo PET and Torus Meas- urement Systems. Although the publishers have made every effort to ensure that the information in this survey are up to date, no claims are made regarding completeness or accuracy. 04/2020 MARKET survey Resins & additives Preform machinery  Preform production & inspection Preform & SBM mould manufacturer SBM 2 stage Compressors Caps & closures & inspection Filling equipment & inspection Recycling Palletising & shrink film machinery MARKET SURVEY 22 Vol. 21 No. 04/20 www.petpla.net