Oishi ramps up capacity to churn out PET bottles
Oishi Group is boosting its PET bottle production capacity by 15 million bottles per month by purchasing a hi-tech aseptic cold filling system from Shibuya Kogyo, a Japanese bottling system manufacturer.
The company is investing Bt1.3 billion to expand cold aseptic filling line 3 at its plant at the Navanakorn Industrial Estate in Pathum Thani to serve domestic and export markets and to capture opportunities presented by the Asean Economic Community in 2015.
Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi, president and CEO of Thai Beverage and chairman of Oishi Trading, said yesterday that ThaiBev’s strategy is to expand in the robust non-alcohol business with the aim to optimise its distribution network, and Oishi Beverage plays an active role in growing ThaiBev’s non-alcohol product portfolio throughout the region.
“Shibuya Kogyo’s equipment, a reliable production system with state-of-the-art-technology that meets international standards, ensures the highest quality for our facilities and sound environmental management.
“This implementation is a stepping stone in the path for ThaiBev to become the dominant leader in the region’s overall beverage industry.”
The BoI-approved line is now being installed and will commence commercial runs in December of next year. The company’s existing cold aseptic filling line 1, which went live in September 2011, is also located at the Pathum Thani plant, while the cold aseptic filling line 2 started production at Oishi’s Wang Muang plant in Saraburi in March.
The plant’s current capacity is 60 million bottles per month.
Marut Buranasetkul, president of Oishi Group and director of Oishi Trading, said this excellent production facility is a major step on the way to becoming a leading regional beverage player.
“The expansion of cold aseptic filling line 3 for PET bottles will help us maintain our market dominance in Thailand while enabling Oishi to increase our footprint in the AEC markets, which present tremendous growth potential for RTD green tea.”
The Shibuya high-speed rotary aseptic PET/HDPE filling system was the first aseptic rotary system approved by the US FDA. The line allows for the use of thinner containers, which offer savings on material costs and lower environmental impact. It also helps to reduce the need for preservatives, provides for longer product shelf life with less flavour loss and means more freedom in bottle design due to ambient filling.
Hidetoshi Shibuya, managing director of Shibuya Kogyo Co, said it was indeed an honour for them to be involved in this strategic expansion project with Oishi, as it presents an opportunity for supporting continuous production using the new system and technology.
“We will make our best effort, with the cooperation of the Oishi project team, for a successful start-up of the new cold aseptic filling line. It will be a great pleasure to contribute to the business expansion and continued outstanding success of Thai Beverage Group including the Oishi brand.”
Launched in September 2011, Oishi is Thailand’s first green tea beverage production plant to feature world-class cold aseptic filling technology from Japan. Every step of the production process is controlled by a precise computer system in a centralised control room to ensure the highest levels of quality, in line with ISO9001, ISO14001, GMP and HACCP and ISO 22000 standards.
The facility’s excellence is also reinforced by the advanced, top-quality standards of Oishi’s laboratories, which conduct both chemical and biological testing.
“Our latest cutting-edge production line will be one of key success factors that supports Oishi’s long-term growth plan to be a top regional brand. This investment is not only a driving force for the company’s business expansion, but also underpins our vision to become a global brand,” Thapana said.
