Sidel invests in new aseptic laboratory at Beijing plant

Packaging equipment supplier Sidel has opened a new aseptic laboratory at its plant in Beijing, ten years after the factory first opened.

The new lab will mainly be used for validation tests of Beijing-made aseptic and ultra clean equipment, and includes a testing room as well as cleaning and sterilisation facilities.

With 56 sets of advanced equipment, Sidel’s local team can run preform and cap decontamination tests, hydrogen peroxide residual tests within the packaging, plus microorganism isolation and purification. The aseptic lab also offers customers strong training support, in addition to troubleshooting potential product-related issues.

The Italian-headquartered business – part of the Tetra Laval Group – told FoodBev that demand for aseptic PET lines was likely to grow, given the rising interest in categories like liquid dairy and plant-based drinks; according to figures from Euromonitor, this market segment ranks third behind water and beer in terms of value CAGR, and second only to water for volume CAGR.

Scarlet Chen, vice-president beverages equipment sales and services for Sidel in the Greater China region, said: “With more than 1,000 installed references for sensitive products worldwide, over 40 years of aseptic expertise and nearly 100 joint complete line projects with Tetra Pak Processing Systems, local players active in the food and beverage markets can leverage our clear leadership in this segment.”

Earlier this month, Sidel announced that CEO Sam Strömerstén will retire this summer and be replaced by Monica Gimre, who is currently executive vice-president processing solutions and equipment for Tetra Pak.

The announcement was made less than five months after Sidel completed a landmark move for packaging design company PET Engineering, boosting its range of end-to-end solutions for its customers in PET packaging.

Strömerstén said: “Our Beijing site was the largest industrial investment ever made by Sidel, the only factory we have that is able to manufacture such a wide variety of packaging equipment. Nearly 4,000 installations in the country, the professional technical trainings offered in our 1,200 square meters Technical Training Centre and our continuous focus on quality, based on a LEAN manufacturing approach and driving our industrial footprint globally, are clear proofs of our commitment to the Chinese market.”

The 40,000-square-metre facility in Beijing was opened ten years ago, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of Sidel’s presence in China.

Scarlet Chen continued: “With nearly 400 Sidel complete line solutions in the region, we have extensive and rich experiences in building customer successes. Our expert team in Beijing – closely partnering with our packaging scientists based in Shanghai – ensures a 360° service to our clients during the pre-, in- and post-execution phases.

“This is particularly important regarding aseptic applications, which are increasingly gaining favour with our customer base.”