Sidel sees growing demand for premiumization of packaging

One example is Brazilian company, Jussara, which makes UHT milk in PET bottles and Fanta, part of The Coca-Cola Company.

Jussara UHT milk

Sidel collaborated on a project with Coca-Cola to produce a spiral PET bottle to rejuvenate the Fanta brand, which is its biggest brand after Coke.

Speaking to Vincent Le Guen, VP Packaging, Sidel, he said like many products, Fanta has evolved over the years, with a number of bottle re-designs but its Fanta Splash bottle shape since became a generic bottle for sparkling beverages on the supermarket shelf.

Consequently, Coca-Cola wanted to design and develop a new proprietary Fanta packaging shape, applicable to both PET and glass bottles, to provide a protectable global standard for the brand.

“After years of success in the international soft drinks market, the Fanta Splash shape had become owned by the carbonated soft drinks category rather than the brand​,” said Gregory Bentley, packaging engineer, Coca-Cola.

“This meant it was the right time to redesign the bottle with an impactful shape to make it stand out once again on the shelves​.”

Alongside partners Leyton Hardwick and Drink Works, Sidel helped Coca-Cola understand how the PET bottle shape behaves under pressure, particularly with regard to how the carbonation of the beverage can potentially deform the bottle sections, which could lead to the drink spilling.

The bottle designed by Drink Works features a spiral, inspired by the twisting of an orange to release its juice. It is based on a series of ribs decorated with small bubbles, including a torsion in the bottom half.

The spiral gives the Fanta bottle an unusual, asymmetric structure, but also created challenges in terms of developing a container, which can withstand deformation and stability issues.

Global-roll-out

The Spiral bottle required full design testing and refinement, achieved through more than 60 technical drawing iterations and FEAs (Finite Element Analysis) to test performance using computing analysis.

It involved the production of 15 pilot molds and feasibility tests with Sidel to achieve validation of the final bottle design.

The position of the label panel also has the added advantage of excellent visibility as it is no longer subject to potential masking by the front panels of some shelves or stacking units.

A similar bottle shape has been deployed for the whole Fanta bottle family and it is now available for 500 ml, 1L, 1.5L and 2L formats.

Today, the Spiral Fanta bottle in PET is sold in Italy, Poland, Malta, Serbia, Finland, Romania and the UK, with plans for a global roll-out.

Sidel Group, along with Gebo Cermex, will join Pack Expo International in Chicago October 14-17, showcasing its packaging lines in the beverage, food, home and personal care sectors. A special focus will be on its EvoDECO flexible labeling portfolio and its Super Combi.