Coca-Cola FEMSA Mexico, the largest soft drinks manufacturer in Latin America, bought Brazil’s third-largest bottler Spaipa – which also serves the Coca-Cola system – for $1.86bn in August 2013.
In 2010 Spaipa produced 213m+ cases of 12 bottles each (2.556bn bottles in total) and recently launched its Crystal Eco bottle (pictured) with 20% less PET using PE Labeller’s Adhesleeve technology.
Pre-glued films boost efficiency
Adhesleeve is a labelling system launched in 2009 that comprises a roll-fed labeler that uses pre-glued films, PE Labellers marketing manager, Francesca Buratto, told BeverageDaily.com.
“Coca Cola started to use the Adhesleeve N 810/18T labeller and pre-glued labels in January 2013. In November 2013 Água Crystal won the Grandes Cases de Embalagem 2013 award thanks to the increase in production of the line obtained with Adhesleeve Technology,” Buratto said.
“This gave a 28% increase in line efficiency compared to a line with traditional hot melt labeler,” she added.
Buratto said that PE Labelling’s Adhesleeve is used across the world – in Europe (Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Poland), Africa (South Africa and South America), South America (Peru, Brazil) Mexico and others in production sectors including food and beverage, dairy and chemical.
The technology allows for a 70% saving on electrical consumption within the labeler, since hot glue is not used, while pre-fixed glue on the roll during printing is based on acrylic polymers.
Chemical solvent use eliminated
The machine also eliminates the need for chemical solvents to clean it since hot glue is not used, which cuts out an employee health risk in the workplace.
Using Adhesleeve Coke also cut the thickness of its label film used on the Crystal bottles by 30% – from 35μ (microns)to 25μ.
In addition, Crystal Eco allowed for a 75% reduction in the length of air conveyer belts between blow molding machines and the filler – 250m to 55m – and use of fewer blow molders.
Spaipa has four factories and 14 bottling lines for Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, fruit juices, sports drinks (Powerade), mineral water and beer.
Coca-Cola FEMSA’s purchase of the company boosted its volume in Brazil by 40%, and it now accounts for around 39% of the Coke system’s volumes in the country.