Ichoosing 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.
21 October 2015
The introduction of the new line has created thecapacity required to provide flexible aseptic production to meetthe fast-changing tastes and demands from consumers for sensitiveproducts.
"As a co-packer, the challenge for us is to improve ourproduction efficiencies to help our clients get their products onthe market as and when they need to," says Mr. Keith Dai, Chairmanof Hon Chuan. "Improving our capacity and maintainingflexibility to respond to the needs of the market are key to oursuccess."
A competitive marketplace
Competition in the already competitive beverage industry hasfurther intensified following the last two years' slowdown of theChinese economy. In 2014, the volume growth rate of thebeverage market was only 7% - a fall of 2% compared to the previousyear. Beverage growth dropped to an all-time low in the thirdquarter 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 ofmany new soft drinks by various manufacturers and the expansion ofseveral market segments. The resulting demand for thisgreater variety of beverages requires an increase in the number oftechnologies involved in their production. Consequently,producers and co-packers need to find greater flexibility fromtheir production lines in order to react to evolving consumertrends and demands.
With increases in the costs of raw materials, packagingmaterials, energy, labour and overall production now reducingproducers' profit margins, it is important for beveragemanufacturers in the region to optimise their business operationsand to improve their supply chain management.
Great savings and sustainable achievements
The Sidel Combi Predis FMa Capdis, an aseptic blow-fill-capsolution with dry decontamination of both preforms and caps, isoperating at Hon Chuan's plant at Taichung, to the west of thecentre of the island and the third-largest city in Taiwan. Itis used for the bottling of a range of low acid to high acidproducts, such as ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, milk tea and coffee in350ml, 450ml and 600ml PET bottles in round and rectangularformats. It has an output rate of 40,000 bottles perhour.
While delivering the vital reliability in foodsafety and hygiene for co-packer Hon Chuan, it provides a solutionthat is highly competitive, offers faster production with lowercosts and dramatically reduces use of energy, resources andchemicals, thereby contributing to the company's ambitioussustainability goals. The Sidel Combi Predis FMa Capdis alsohad to be flexible enough to manage frequent changeovers as bottleformats, shapes and product recipes change several times aweek.
Compared with their existing aseptic PET line equippedwith the traditional wet bottle decontamination which runs at36,000 bottles per hour, the new line runs at 40,000 bottles perhour. The team at Hon Chuan is pleased with the performance of thenew line and in particular its contribution to increasingsustainability in production and reducing operatingcosts.
"With the recent acquisition of the aseptic Combi solutionequipped with dry preform decontamination in Taiwan, we benefitfrom lower operating and maintenance costs to lighter bottles andreductions in energy," says Mr. Dai. For example, basedon a 6,000-hour operation with 85% overall efficiency, the bottlercan save 40,800 litres of chemicals, 32,640 tonnes of water and3,641 tonnes of steam.
These resource savings of water, energy and chemicals fitperfectly with Hon Chuan's overall sustainability goals. "Drivingsustainable solutions and respecting the environment are top of ouragenda," says Mr. Dai.
Aseptic line testing took place a few months after theinstallation was completed. These tests checked the microbiologicalvalidity with high acid and low acid products. The finalcommissioning was completed only five weeks after the line startedup and the first commercial run took place shortly after.
Staying ahead by continually expanding
Well known throughout Asia, Hon Chuan is Taiwan's largest andlongest-running beverage packaging manufacturer. It offerscomplete solutions and an all-in-one service for beverage companiesand producers, providing preforms, PET bottles, metal and plasticcaps and other products. As a co-packer, Hon Chuan producesmany customers' products on their behalf at production facilitiesthroughout Asia in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam andMalaysia, as well as Taiwan.
As Taiwan's leading beverage packaging manufacturer, Hon Chuan isalways looking to retain its position and to maintain its lead in ahighly competitive market. In order to achieve this over its40 years of operation, Hon Chuan has undertaken a policy of activecollaboration with other leading beverage companies within theregion, combined effectively with a programme of continualexpansion. By investing in high quality production lines, thecompany has been able to forge partnerships for the co-packing andaseptic bottling of sensitive beverages in PET.
Mr. Dai explains: "We have been an early adopter of asepticsolutions in Taiwan. To date, we have installed four asepticlines with Sidel across Asia, producing more than 20 products forseveral leading beverage companies. We are more thansatisfied with the results."
Confident in Sidel aseptic technology
Hon Chuan chose to work with Sidel again on thisoccasion because the co-packer is confident in Sidel's aseptictechnology. Mr. Dai explains: "One of the main reasons whyleading beverage companies continue to place their trust in HonChuan, is our attention to quality, whether it's hygiene standards,project execution or our entire supply chain from raw materials toproduction. And we expect the same from our suppliers."
Hon Chuan has a longstanding relationship with Sidel that datesback to 1997 when the Taiwanese company first placed an order for astandalone blower. Hon Chuan ordered its first asepticbottling line from Sidel in 2006 and placed the order for a secondfour years later. As a consequence of the two companies' longhistory of collaboration, Hon Chuan has great confidence in Sidel'sproven expertise in aseptic production and its high levels of bothtechnological and practical know-how.
Highly competitive solution
By investing in the Sidel Combi Predis FMa Capdis, Hon Chuan isreplacing bottle rinsing with dry preform decontamination. With the additional facility of Capdis, the company is alsosterilising its bottle caps in the same way, that is, by usinghydrogen peroxide vapour. The solution uses no water in thesterilising process and, requiring only 10% of the agents used intraditional systems, only minimal use of chemicals. However,most importantly, due to the uniform distribution of the hydrogenperoxide vapour on the inner walls of the preforms and itsactivation by the heat of the oven, Predis achieves 100%sterilisation and offers complete safety. Once sterilised,the preforms are blown with sterile air to create the finishedbottles, which are transferred to the aseptic filler by the neck ina controlled atmosphere. This high-temperature treatment of thepreforms - rather than the blown bottles - also presents greaterfreedom in bottle design and lightweighting opportunities, openingup further possibilities for ultra-light containers.
Mr. Dai sums up: "We are constantly working towards reducingwaste, energy and raw material cost. Technology plays a keyrole and we are glad we chose Sidel's Combi Predis FMa Capdis forour latest aseptic line. Predis dry preform decontaminationensures high hygiene for sensitive beverages while offeringcost-effectiveness along with product and environmentalbenefits."
