With PET-packaged juices, teas and sport drinks continually gaining popularity and market ground, beverage producers need a standout packaging solution that can set their brand apart. This means choosing line equipment that allows for substantial differentiation and expanding business opportunities, with the goal of achieving top-grade bottle quality that still packs a visual punch.
Sidel believes the heat-resistant stretch blow-moulding process helps bottles stand out on shelves. This technique, first pioneered by Sidel in 1986, involves traditionally reinforced PET bottles with vacuum panels to withstand high hot filling temperatures.
But a strong bottle is nothing if it is not great to look at. By choosing the right partner, beverage producers can achieve differentiating and cost-effective packaging solutions, making it possible to create Heat Resistant bottles without panels, while allowing for lightweighting. These increased shape design possibilities ensure an ideal customer experience, and are an important factor for brands when promoting their products to the public.
Lastly, beverage producers should consider that consumer purchasing trends favour those brands that express and exercise their commitment to sustainability and minimal waste. A lighter bottle is a more cost-efficient and environmentally conscious bottle. With that in mind, it is important to consider the significant weight reductions made possible by both the right packaging approach and the right equipment, and the noticeable impact these reductions will have on the ability to meet goals while keeping costs low and improving the customer experience. These considerations will help achieve dramatic savings on PET resin, while bottle performance and durability remain consistent.
By selecting the right packaging partner, packaging solutions can be made more safe and also more sustainable. Recent innovations in heat-resistant (HR) bottle production, led by Sidel, add another dimension to hot-fill solutions. By using electricity instead of hot oil to heat the mould for the PET bottle body, the new process heats at a rate three times quicker than the previous method, accurately providing the correct temperatures immediately from the very first bottles produced. This results in a blow process which is uniform between blowing stations, ensuring high bottle quality and consistent performance in the hands of the consumer. Compared with blowers that used traditional heating with oil, this method of electrical mould heating and proven Sidel Matrix blower technologies offer together energy savings of up to 45%.
With the right supplier, a complete approach to packaging - from preform and bottle design all the way to complete line engineering and production start-up and beyond - gives producers the chance to combine every step in the packaging process for results that match high PET production standards with uncompromising efficiency.
