Kowledgeshare live 2015 in chengdu, china, proved an excellent forum for discussing the latest developments in the chinese beverage industry.
22 April 2015
22/04/2015
The event also provided insights into where the beverageindustry is heading and the challenges and opportunities that itfaces going forward. Almost 500 participants attended the twoday event from 24-25 March which covered a wide range oftopics.
The invitation-only event, presented in association with Sidel,saw thought leaders and senior players from across the beverageindustry gather at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chengdu. Commenting on the event, the second time KNOWLEDGEshare Live hasbeen staged in China, Fan Li Dong, Vice President of Sidel GreaterChina said -"China is one of the world's fastest growing beveragemarkets. Beverage companies are constantly looking out for newpackaging ideas to stand out from the competition and bottlingsolutions to drive costs down. The KNOWLEDGEshare platform bringstogether key players from across China to discuss theseissues. We are hosting this event in China for the secondconsecutive year and are delighted to see an increase of 75%participation rate compared to last year."
Following a welcome to the delegates, the scenewas set with a presentation on the demands of tomorrow, recognisingissues such as rising global population - a particular factor inChina - and the challenges this presents. Individual sessionsthen considered a range of beverage industry-specific topics. The opening session looked at the bottle and how the value of PETcan be unlocked, including how packages can be reinvented and howinnovation can be adopted through labelling. The secondsession addressed the liquid and included a review of beverageindustry trends throughout the world, how to innovate to meetchanging demands and a look specifically at dairy beverages,particularly the market for PET packaging in liquid dairy productsand the production and processing requirements for milkbeverages.
The focus of the second day was the line and how tomorrow'sbeverage production line can be defined. Subjects coveredincluded hotfill technologies, packaging for premium water, how todrive
higher productivity through automation and how beverage plantefficiency can be improved. On the evening of the openingday, a gala dinner provided opportunities for networking, as wellas a highly entertaining evening for the attendees.
KNOWLEDGEshare is an online forum for the global beverageindustry, supported by live events around the world which providethe opportunity to take the ongoing discussions to the stage. Throughout KNOWLEDGEshare Live 2015 in Chengdu, the focus was on acollaborative approach to much more effectively address the commonchallenges in beverage production. Areas discussed rangedfrom raw materials through to package design, sustainable methodsof production, transportation, point-of-sale, the consumer andbeyond.
Continuing the successful format of theKNOWLEDGEshare Live events, in Chengdu participation from thedelegates was actively encouraged. An interesting development fromthe previous event in China was the introduction of iPads, with thedelegates using them to contribute by raising questions on thetopics discussed during the sessions and voting on a range ofissues. This ensured that opinions were captured from thedifferent perspectives of those who attended, with questions raisedvia the iPads answered in a dedicated Q&A session.
This was the fourth staging of KNOWLEDGEshare Live, with eventsheld in Germany and Dubai, in addition to the previous staging inChina in March 2014. Comments from those who attended clearlydemonstrated the value of KNOWLEDGEshare Live 2015 in Chengdu:
"The professional organisation and innovative concept of theevent left a strong lasting impression. I look forward to continueddiscussions driven by Sidel in the future."
Mr Yi Deping, General Manager, ZijiangEnterprises
"The innovations and technologies discussed at KNOWLEDGEshareChengdu were of a high level. From packaging innovations toprocessing solutions, the technologies presented at the eventmeet the exacting needs of today's beverage industry. We benefittedgreatly from the discussions and solutions showcased."
Mr Wang Jie, Chief of Lean Department, WahahaBeverages
