Project management is key to performing successful line adaptations and Sidel’s experienced senior project managers help bottlers to ensure this. Their engineering knowledge enables them to take industrial considerations into account to prepare the production line in advance and to determine exact parts needed.
Shorter necks, significant savings
As raw materials account for 70% to 80% of a bottle’s price, lightweighting preforms and caps along with shorter necks can lead to substantial savings in weight and costs.
In addition, these benefits come with a quick return on investment and a smaller carbon footprint, factors that are increasingly important for bottlers’ purchase decisions.
Last year, Sidel helped its customer, Zywiec Zdroj, a Polish water brand of Danone, to switch its lines to short necks. After analysing various contractors Zywiec Zdroj decided Sidel best suited their needs for quality, reactivity and close support during implementation.
The order concerned two lines and only four days of stoppage for each line for the short-neck conversion. ‘This project proceeded exceptionally well, especially in terms of co-ordination and support from Sidel,’ comments Grzegorz Krzak, Zywiec Zdroj’s buyer.
Quick product launch
Sidel not only provides central project management for line conversion but also assists customers to design bottles for new products. Both were required by Norwegian bottler, Isklar. The company decided to launch a sparkling water and needed to completely redesign the bottle to withstand pressure after carbonating.
Sidel supported Isklar’s design engineers and created a bottle that maintained the brand-specific facets but was stable enough to contain sparkling water.
Another critical aspect of the project was a tight time frame. Although an optical detection system had to be installed, a first for a high-speed PET line, Sidel completed the line conversion within two weeks of complete stoppage.
‘In many markets the trade has shelf review dates meaning that if you fail to launch by that date you can miss the full year. We had a tight schedule but Sidel succeeded and our target was achieved. We have to credit Sidel for meeting the project’s deadline,’ applauds Helge Valeur, Isklar’s chief operating officer.
With all line conversions Sidel’s experts guarantee the technical validation of the project, its feasibility and its industrialisation. Every project relies on centralised, comprehensive project management, with a single contact person, in-depth knowledge of installed equipment and packaging, complete analysis of the line, short times to market and low costs for optimal TCO.
Finally, there’s the guarantee of quality, with original spare parts and installation by Sidel experts for immediate equipment efficiency.
Sidel
www.sidel.com
