A QLD CCA production facility has received a $1.3 million government grant to install ‘blow-fill’ bottle technology
April 3, 2013
A Queensland Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) production facility has received $1.3 million in Federal Government funding to help produce the lightest bottles in the global Coca-Cola system.
Global beverage giant CCA last week announced it had received support for an energy-saving project at its Richlands facility in Queensland as part of the clean technology food and foundries investment program.
CCA plans to use the funds to install PET bottle self-manufacture, or ‘blow-fill’ technology to drive a 32 percent reduction in carbon emission intensity on the production line for 1.25 litre, 1.5 litre and 2 litre PET bottles.
CCA Queensland Supply Chain Manager Dermot Hawkins says the technology will increase bottle filling efficiency, increase production line performance, reduce CO2 wastage during the carbonation process, and reduce energy costs.
“The technology will save CCA’s Richlands facility up to $285,000 a year in energy costs,” Hawkins says.
“It will also help safeguard us against rising energy expenses, while significantly reducing the environmental impact of our packaging.”
Over the life of the project at the CCA Richlands facility, the new blending and filling/blow-fill technology is aimed to reduce the quantity of plastic in bottles by up to 35 percent and reduce energy usage by 40 percent.