If GEA Procomac’s experience at drinktec 2013 is anything to go by, the leading beverage exhibition drew visitors from even more sharply focused companies, with a deep knowledge of their specialist areas and with serious questions to ask and business to place. The company reported tremendous interest in its aseptic technology from visitors from around the globe.
AMERICA
Well-established market players and representatives of multinational corporations, with which GEA Procomac already has a strong business relationship, visited the GEA stand. Many visitors were from North America, especially the United States where GEA Procomac is considered a market leader for aseptic filling machines in PET bottles. “The innovative ABF (Aseptic Blow Fill) system on show was met with great approval by the visitors involved in aseptic projects,” said Pierpaolo Mattana, GEA Procomac North America. “Also many people were interested in the recently introduced Sterilcap VHP cap sterilizer especially for upgrades in existing wet PAA machines”. The customers riding the wave of the new market for ready meal beverages focused their interest on the Aseptic Dual Filling system for the filling of PET bottles with products containing particulates.
Luigi Dallasta also from GEA Procomac North America said, “Visitors will also be able to meet GEA Procomac staff at Dairy Show 2013 in Chicago, IL, where a test rig of the new dosing valve will be on display”.
Latin America has been growing as a key market for GEA Procomac since the recent positive economic trend increased the consumption and the request for new categories of products, which ideally suit GEA Procomac’s Aseptic Filling Technology. Alberto Tuberti and Andrea Giordani, both Area Managers for Latin America said that the company is involved in many projects that were given a boost following the visit to the stand of leading sensitive beverage producers, top liquid dairy industry representatives and co-packers from international corporations.
FAR EAST / ASIA PACIFIC
The PAA-based aseptic filling line installed at GCMMF - the largest supplier of dairy products in India with a 25 per cent share of the organized dairy sector - is generating a lot of interest in GEA Procomac’s aseptic filling, according to Valerio Cazzato, head of sales in India: “In a country where paper is still the front runner in low acid beverage containers, the company has been allowed to pioneer the bottling of several Amul branded milk-based products in PET containers, to meet the consumers’ changing habits”.
Valerio added, “GEA Procomac DRY technology was also much acclaimed by Indian customers. As we know, the Indian market always shows a great interest in the most recent filling technology”.
New contacts have been recorded from rising markets such as Thailand and Indonesia. The fact that aseptic filling technology is increasing its appeal in countries where hot fill has been evaluated so far as a consolidated technology, seems to foresee a promising future for GEA Procomac in the Far East market. “The ABF system in particular generated much interest among fruit juice and milk based beverage producers,” said Luca Bucchianica, Sales Manager based in Singapore.
Australia also represents an interesting potential market, as confirmed by the large number of potential clients that met the GEA Procomac staff to examine the machines on show.
The Japanese market also seems to be ready for relevant investments in aseptic filling technology. Alessandro Bello, Regional Manager of South East Asia said, “The main projects Japanese visitors discussed with GEA Procomac staff were about the replacement of obsolete HF lines with more cost-effective aseptic systems”.
Two important companies from China - one operating in the bottled water sector and active also as a co-packer, and the other interested in investigating new aseptic technologies for the filling of juices with fruit pieces - followed the visit at the GEA stand with a meeting in GEA Procomac’s headquarters in Italy.
EUROPE / MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES
Customers from Northern Europe (Germany, Poland and Ukraine in particular) took the opportunity of meeting GEA Procomac staff to discuss submitted quotations, new layouts and upgrades in existing machines that can be provided as a result of a natural evolution in technology. “The Sterilcap VHP cap sterilizer has been the most demanded improvement,” said Marco Spinello, Area Manager for Central and Eastern Europe”. Adaptations may also be required to allow existing filling lines to handle products different from those for which they were designed”.
Following the recent trend of having pieces in beverages, even in milk based drinks, the GEA Procomac Piston Doser has often been considered as a means of converting traditional aseptic blocs into lines for the filling of drinks containing particulates.
The new GEA Procomac range of fillers specifically designed for the liquid dairy industry received an enthusiastic response when considering quotations for ABF and ABF 4C systems required in particular by Eastern Europe producers.
