IN CHOOSING TO INSTALL THE FIRST SIDEL COMBI PREDIS™ FMA CAPDIS™ ON THE ISLAND, TAIWAN HON CHUAN ENTERPRISE HAS GAINED FURTHER ADVANTAGES IN THE FIERCELY COMPETITIVE TAIWANESE/CHINESE MARKETPLACE.
The introduction of the new line has created the capacity required to provide flexible aseptic production to meet the fast-changing tastes and demands from consumers for sensitive products.
"As a co-packer, the challenge for us is to improve our production efficiencies to help our clients get their products on the market as and when they need to," says Mr. Keith Dai, Chairman of Hon Chuan. "Improving our capacity and maintaining flexibility to respond to the needs of the market are key to our success."
A competitive marketplace
Competition in the already competitive beverage industry has further intensified following the last two years' slowdown of the Chinese economy. In 2014, the volume growth rate of the beverage market was only 7% - a fall of 2% compared to the previous year. Beverage growth dropped to an all-time low in the third quarter of 2014, yet market analysts remain 'cautiously optimistic' about the overall outlook for the beverage industry.
Over the past year, the industry has witnessed the launch of many new soft drinks by various manufacturers and the expansion of several market segments. The resulting demand for this greater variety of beverages requires an increase in the number of technologies involved in their production. Consequently, producers and co-packers need to find greater flexibility from their production lines in order to react to evolving consumer trends and demands.
With increases in the costs of raw materials, packaging materials, energy, labour and overall production now reducing producers' profit margins, it is important for beverage manufacturers in the region to optimise their business operations and to improve their supply chain management.
Great savings and sustainable achievements
The Sidel Combi Predis FMa Capdis, an aseptic blow-fill-cap solution with dry decontamination of both preforms and caps, is operating at Hon Chuan's plant at Taichung, to the west of the centre of the island and the third-largest city in Taiwan. It is used for the bottling of a range of low acid to high acid products, such as ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, milk tea and coffee in 350ml, 450ml and 600ml PET?bottles in round and rectangular formats. It has an output rate of 40,000 bottles per hour.
Photos: Sidel
