Coca-Cola Bottling System has benefited from the expertise of Sidel’s worldwide network for the manufacture of approximately 2,000 blow molds for its new On-the-Go bottle.With the 2008 opening of two new Packaging and Tooling Centers (PTC) in Guadalajara (Mexico) and Beijing (China) in 2008, Sidel has enhanced its local service capability and its customer proximity for new packaging development and blow mold manufacture.
The launch by Coca-Cola’s of the new On-the-Go (OTG) bottle shape, replacing the traditional contour bottle for small formats (0.4 liter, 0.5 liter and 0,6 liter), started in late 2007 in China, before being extended to Europe in 2008 and now to North and South America. Sidel’s unique, worldwide network of six PTCs has enabled it to handle the major order from Coca-Cola Bottling System for nearly 2,000 OTG molds in one year.
Coca-Cola Bottling System was looking for a world-class partner that can manage complex projects thanks to its network and its expertise. The PTCs created by Sidel concentrate all packaging development skills in one site: bottle and mold design, as well as manufacture of blow molds and perso parts. All products meet the same high quality standards, since each center benefits from the Sidel Group’s expertise in various blow mold technologies, acquired over the last 50 years.
Above and beyond simple mold manufacturing, Sidel also guarantees the industrial performance, and in many instances, improvements of the bottle’s mechanical properties. As an example, Sidel was able to readjust the OTG bottle design by addressing technical challenges in terms of material stretching and positioning of the radii found in the original design made by an independent designer.
Today, it is Mexico’s turn to see the new bottle shape arrive on its shores. In Mexico, Sidel has received an order for more than 400 molds from the network of converters that work with Coca-Cola Bottling System. Order fulfillment was made possible by the newest PTC, which opened in Guadalajara, Mexico in May 2008. This plant’s industrial capacity, added to that for the PTCs in Atlanta (USA) and Sao Paulo (Brazil), brings total production up to 8,000 molds per year for North and South America, and has enabled Sidel to ensure delivery of the new molds within the country in a record time of just four weeks.
The Sidel Group is one of the world’s leading suppliers of beverage packaging equipment. It employs 5,500 persons worldwide and is a division of Tetra Laval.
The Group has six Packaging Development & Tooling Centers worldwide: Atlanta (USA), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Guadalajara (Mexico), Octeville-sur-Mer (France), Shanghai and Beijing (China). Nearly 300 persons work in these centers, and 21,000 molds were produced in 2008.
