Creation of a pet bottle for the company's new changyi brand
21 February 2017
15/03/2017
Months of close collaboration between the Sidelpackaging team and Yili's Liquid Milk Division has seen thecreation of a PET bottle for the company's new Changyi brand. Thenew range of yoghurt drinkshas been rolled out throughoutChina.
Largest dairy producer in China
China has recently enjoyed a period of sustained economicgrowth. As consumer income levels and spending power increase, thebeverage market has seen a shift to more natural, 'healthier'beverages, a category in which innovation is key to succeeding andPET packaging is likely to be instrumental over the comingyears.
The Yili Group is the largest dairy producer in China and one ofthe fastest growing companies in the country. A privately ownedbusiness, Yili Group is engaged in processing and manufacturing ofmilk products, including ice cream, powdered milk, sterilised milkand fresh milk, to name but a few. The new range of yogurt drinksis intended to attract active, health-conscious consumers withgrowing expendable income. This demographic is particularlyrelevant among young Chinese people who, typically, have fast andbusy lifestyles but do not want to compromise in terms of theconvenience and the design of the products they choose.
Excellent technical support from Sidel
When Yili's Liquid Milk Division contacted Sidel to discuss thedesign of the PET bottle for the new Changyi yoghurt drinks, it wasan exciting opportunity for the packaging team.
Seizing the opportunity, the Sidelteam had put together an initial design proposal within just twoweeks. "Our packaging experts delivered a wide selection ofcreative proposals, producing various conceptual bottles based ondifferent design directions, to give the client severalalternatives to differentiate its yoghurt brand from thecompetition," said Steven Xie, Packaging Design and DevelopmentManager at Sidel.
The customer's marketing department undertookanalysis on the various designs and returned with a shortlist offour preferred choices. Collaborative work continued as Sidel madesmall adjustments to the different designs that were beingconsumer-tested. These elements included the shape of the bottle'sbase, as the customer was searching for longer shelf-life andimproved rigidity to avoid deformation during transportation,without compromising on distinctive design.
The right team working closely together
"Leveraging our global expertise in PET packagingdesign and production, we ran multiple tests to assess theperformance of the bottle and finally we found the best solution,"says Steven. "The project was a real team effort and we succeededin creating a container able to combine both the customer'stechnical requirements as well as their aesthetic wishes."
Within three months, the bottle design was completely finalisedand new moulds were manufactured for the two Yili production linesdedicated to the new yoghurt range.
Professional approach for product success
The drive of the Sidel design team - to exceed the customer'sneeds in this project - paid off when the product design wascommercialised and the first bottles rolled off the productionline. Zhang Yibo, Yili's manager for this project, says, "We'revery pleased with the final result and our partnership with Sidelduring the design process. Their design capabilities, technicalexpertise and professional approach have played an important rolein ensuring the product success." The project has furtherstrengthened the relationship between Yili and Sidel - and looksset to pave the way to exciting new projects in the Chinese dairyindustry.
The company began selling bottles of the new Changyi yoghurtdrinks in the first quarter of 2016, throughout the whole of China.Response towards the new container shape and the branding of Yili'snew product has been very favourable with both being well receivedby local consumers.
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