ITC Limited 2020

The challenge

ITC Limited is a leading company in the Indian market, with gross sales of ten billion US dollars and a diversified portfolio covering many industry sectors. Indians are increasingly looking for ‘naturally healthy’ beverages in small formats, which offer added nutritional benefits on a daily basis. Recognising this shift in consumer preferences, ITC recently decided to expand its product range to include liquid dairy products and premium juices.
ITC decided to expand its product range to include liquid dairy products, launching Sunfeast Wonderz Milk, a milk-based drink bottled in PET and available in 200 ml and 300ml formats. In parallel, it added a portfolio of premium Not From Concentrate (NFC) juices with source-certified premium fruits to its existing B Natural brand.

The solution

ITC trusted Sidel’s proven expertise in aseptic packaging, investing in a complete aseptic PET line. The scope includes Tetra Pak Processing System (TPPS) technologies and, at the heart of the line, the Aseptic Combi Predis™ complemented by Capdis, the company’s dry cap decontamination system. The line also features a RollQuattro labeller, a sleever, packing and stretch wrapping systems, a PalKombi palletiser, and an EIT® (Efficiency Improvement Tool), with the latter significantly improving production efficiency.
As ITC was unfamiliar with aseptic PET production, Sidel provided thorough advice along every step of the supply chain. To meet the highest food safety standards and ensure a six-month shelf life, Sidel’s packaging scientists recommended the customer use an O2 PET barrier for its milk-based product range and a combined O2/light barrier to protect its 100% organic juices.

The outcome

ITC widened its nutritional drinks portfolio by expanding the packaging material choices supporting its B Natural juices, and by launching the new Sunfeast liquid dairy products in PET. The resulting aseptic complete line project was a first in many ways: it was ITC’s first partnership with Sidel, the first time it had entered the dairy-based beverage market and the very first launch for UHT milk-based drinks with fruit pieces in India, leveraging the benefits of aseptic PET production with dry preform decontamination. The installed line ensured the highest level of ease of operations and maintenance, hygiene and food safety while offering outstanding flexibility to switch easily from one product to another. All in all, a good and smart investment for ITC as it looks to expand its juice portfolio.

"“We are really proud to be the first ones in India to leverage the benefits of aseptic PET production with dry preform decontamination. This unique system perfectly supports the complete aseptic PET solution Sidel provides to us, offering flexibility, sustainability, and efficiency. Plus, the Predis system uses no water and very little chemicals during production.”"

Rajesh Ponnuru

Category Manager Juices and Dairy at ITC Limited

Varun Beverages Ltd, part of the RJ Corp group, a large franchise working for PepsiCo Inc., has installed a Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis™ at its newly established plant in Punjab, India, to produce liquid dairy products (LDP) in PET for the first time in India.

Two comprehensive end-of-lines for the production of shampoo and conditioner in shaped bottles have been successfully implemented by Sidel at Unilever’s site in Dubai, at the largest personal care factory in the Middle East and Africa.

Peruvian company Industrias San Miguel (ISM) currently has seven lines producing PET bottles, five of which are equipped with blow moulding machines supplied by Sidel. ISM recently installed a Sidel Matrix Combi.