Sidel is highlighting the importance of filling accuracy, along with production flexibility and sustainability, in capitalising on the dynamic carbonated soft drinks (CSD) market. All are important factors in helping beverage manufacturers to convert market opportunity into profitable, long-term success."There's no doubt that the CSD market is changing at an exceptional pace," says Stefano Baini, Product Manager for Regular Filling at Sidel. "However, with CSDs remaining one of the world's most valuable soft drink categories - exceeded in quantity sales only by bottled water - these changes are creating room for growth."
Opportunities in both emerging and established markets
In developed and emerging markets, there is a noticeable difference in the challenges that beverage producers face - yet both can offer opportunities for growth to the proactive CSD bottler.In developed markets, the industry is seeing a shift to 'healthier' carbonated soft drinks. In 2015, 25% of global launches of new carbonated soft drinks carried some kind of 'natural' claim , which highlights the increasing role that such beverages are playing in the CSD market. This trend towards 'better-for-you' innovations shows no signs of slowing, with market analysts suggesting that they are likely to be important in the future prospects of CSDs in all the fastest-growing markets.
Production flexibility is key to success
In the global CSD market, commercial growth requires consumer understanding supported by flexible production technology. In fact, new technology continues to open up opportunities and helps manufacturers create the new products that consumers want while meeting their own needs for greater sustainability.With equipment that can easily and quickly be converted to accommodate different stock-keeping units (SKUs), manufacturers can enjoy the flexibility to adapt to different market needs. Modular lines that can be easily converted to new beverage recipes and container formats are a quick and cost-effective way to get new products onto the supermarket shelves.
Over 85 years' experience in bottle filling
With a history in the filling of beverages dating back to the 1930s, Sidel now provides solutions for filling all kinds of beverages and liquids, including CSDs. A comprehensive range of beverage filling solutions offers performance, product quality, flexibility, hygienic design, food safety, minimal maintenance, automatic changeovers and quicker cleaning - together with lowest total cost of ownership (TCO).Choosing the right filling technology is essential to producing a consistently high quality beverage. From the company's different solutions, Sidel helps producers to choose the filling technology best suited to their needs. The decision takes into account many factors, including the producer's hygienic requirements, their consumption of utilities, the skill levels of their operators and the ambient production and transportation conditions.
Alongside the need for the right technology is the means to identify how the beverage will perform within the bottle. Sidel has two laboratories for filling and aseptic microbiological contamination analysis in Parma, Italy - and two laboratories for liquid-packaging and aseptic analysis in Octeville, France, to support beverage producers around the world. In order to determine the most suitable size, shape, closure and PET resin to use for packaging, as well as identifying how it behaves during the filling process, Sidel experts test the recipe, viscosity, PH level and carbonations of the product being bottled over a period of time.
