Sidel japan has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary supporting beverage producers in the country and surrounding regions, providing a strong local presence to its global experience in pet solutio
23 February 2015
23/02/2015
Japan is, by value, the second largest retail market inthe world after the US, with soft drinks alone accounting for20,948 million litres in off-trade volume sales. It is also one ofthe most advanced countries in terms of packagingtechnology.
Recognising more than a decade ago the importance of being closeto its customers in Japan, Sidel opened its office in Tokyo. Thecountry was considered a market which would benefit from the valueof Sidel's world-class equipment, services and people. With highengineering excellence and technology advancement, beverageproducers in the country needed complete and future-proof solutionsthat could meet their demands. Such demands include a focus ondownsizing packaging formats and lighweighting of bottles,particularly with the rise of the 'konbini' convenience storeswhich have increased in number to 56,820 in 2013. The limitationsimposed on shelf space mean that innovative ways need to be adoptedto offer smaller formats as well as adapting the supply chain toreduce the number of stock keeping units (SKUs) required.
Throughout its 10 years in Japan, Sidel hassupported beverage producers with complete bottling line solutionsand service support, meeting the high demands of the Japanesemarket through blow moulding machines, fillers, Combis, labellersand end of line solutions. The sensitive category of beverages hasperformed particularly well, with juices showing growth of 2.8%CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from 2009-2014. Over thesame period, RTD (ready-to-drink) teas, a popular beverage inJapan, grew by 1.6%. To meet the food safety and hygienerequirements that are particularly high in a country in whichsensitive products play such an important role, Sidel's dry preformdecontamination technology Predis™ has proved an effective solutionfor many of the country's leading beverage brands.
Sidel Matrix arrives in Japan
In 2014 the company supplied its first Sidel Matrix™ system to aJapanese beverage producer - the most powerful solution yet interms of performance, flexibility, cost savings and sustainabilityin PET bottling. The modular system was designed to challengethe conventions of PET production and to meet producers' needs,both today and tomorrow. The system includes blowers,fillers, the Sidel Matrix Combi and labellers and can matchvirtually any configuration customers want, with a higher level ofperformance and a lower environmental footprint. Anotherinnovation is the new portfolio of Sidel Services™, which adds morevalue to installed equipment, beverage products and producers'bottom lines.
Eric Schaffner, Sidel's Managing Director for Japan and RegionalCommercial Director for Japan and Korea, says: "The markets weserve are challenging so we have to ensure that the solutions weprovide meet the specific demands of our customers. We know that wecan learn so much more about those demands by being close to ourcustomers and we have learnt a lot over the last 10 years. Japan often leads the way in packaging technology, adoptinginnovations which eventually filter through to Westernapplications. This anniversary is an important milestone for us andprovides an excellent platform from which to continue to developand explore the considerable opportunities that Japan and thesurrounding regions present for innovative PET packagingsolutions."
Customers visiting the company's offices in Japan can witnesshow Sidel can create value for their beverage business by being ABetter Match for them, understanding the many contradictory demandsplaced on their beverage production. For example how canresource use be reduced, including equipment floor space, water andenergy, while still improving product quality and driving downcosts. These, along with many other challenges, can be addressed tocreate the optimum liquid packaging solution.
