Page 11 - AWA Vol.42-No3

FOOd PrOCeSSING TeChNOlOGy ANd eQuIPMeNT

ducona chooses Sidel’s blower with Preferential heating

to expand into sauces

Ducona Holland BV (Ducona), a leading family-owned PET The Sidel blower also helps the company to overcome
bottle manufacturer based in the Netherlands, strengthened challenges such as sustainable operations processing re-
its commitment to efficiency and sustainability by installing cycled PET (rPET) accounting for eighty percent of its total
Sidel’s SBO 8 EvoBLOW blower with Preferential Heating
volume and lightweighting packaging. To match its sustain-
technology to produce flat PET containers for sauces.
able ambition, Ducona is also supplying over thirty percent
Ducona’s ongoing collaboration with Sidel reflects a shared
of the company’s energy needs with 8,800 solar panels.
dedication to sustainable growth and flexible, high-perfor-
addressing the constraint of limited electricity availability
mance packaging. This last investment enabled Ducona to
in the Netherlands which makes energy-efficient solutions
expand into the sauce market and further its focus on light-
weight, energy-efficient packaging. essential.
The partnership between Ducona and Sidel spans more As Schepers explained: “Of course, we use recycled PET
than three decades, with Sidel’s expertise and innovative in a lot of our products. Depending on what the customer
solutions supporting Ducona’s evolution from its origins in wants, we have from zero to hundred percent. If you pro-
1991 producing bottles for Selchemie, to its current position duce rPET, the process window is more restrictive than if
as a leading PET packaging supplier.
you blow virgin bottles. And with Sidel Preferential Heating
“We are growing not only in volume but also in the vari- process, we achieve superior packaging quality with a bet-
ety of products and market segments, offering more add- ter bottle base’s shape whatever the recycling rate. And we
ed-value packaging for water, syrups, juices, smoothies
also have the double air recovery system to save energy
and now sauces,” said Gerben Schepers, CEO of Ducona.
which is very important for Ducona”.
The company’s commitment to flexibility and rapid deliv-
ery, guaranteeing shipment within 48 hours, is underpinned Sidel’s advanced technology addresses all these distinct
by its investment in state-of-the-art equipment, a need con- manufacturing needs, supporting Ducona’s flexibility and
sistently met by Sidel’s advanced technologies. rapid changeovers across more than 500 SKUs and over
Preferential Heating technology for flat containers su- 300 million bottles produced annually. “With Sidel’s quick-
perior quality change technology, we can easily produce a wide variety of

Ducona investment in Sidel’s SBO 8 EvoBLOW with Pref- bottles within the expected delivery time,” Schepers noted.
erential Heating marked a turning point in its production Long-standing partnership
capabilities. The new equipment enabled the manufacture
of 16,000 bottles per hour and delivered substantial PET The long-standing partnership with Sidel has been in-
savings, reducing packaging weight by up to ten percent. strumental in Ducona’s growth and ability to meet evolv-
ing market demands. Schepers recalled the importance of
This technology proved especially valuable for producing
complex, shaped containers for sauces, allowing Ducona to Sidel’s early machines in improving bottle quality. He also
achieve superior packaging quality at higher speed . “The highlighted the comprehensive support Sidel provides,
Sidel Preferential Heating technology provides much better from packaging design, testing, molds to operator training,
quality for the top-down flat bottles at a competitive cost counting on a turnkey supplier with everything in one hand.
compared with the traditional blowing process”. Circle 11 on enquiry card
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