SIG Combibloc Continues to Develop Customer Relations in South America
In its drive to expand its production capacity, Brazilian dairy group Quatá Alimentos has once again opted for filling machine technology from SIG Combibloc.
José Henrique Coutinho, managing director of Quatá, remembers the company’s first SIG Combibloc filling machine: “For the modernisation of our factory in Campo Belo, we chose filling technology from SIG Combibloc, as this flexible technology met all our requirements. The filling machines perform very well and have low waste rates – using them, we’ve significantly improved our productivity”.
Optimally prepared
In 2014, a further five SIG Combibloc filling machines were installed at Quatá, and at the beginning of 2015 an additional machine started production. Nine filling machines are now in operation at three Quatá production sites. UHT full cream milk, skimmed and semi-skimmed milk, chocolate milk, cream and sweetened condensed milk are now filled in combiblocStandard and combiblocSmall carton packs.
This means Quatá is optimally prepared for the demands of the sizeable Brazilian market. Brazil is currently South America’s biggest market for aseptic carton packs. World-wide, the country is in second place, right behind China. According to information from a market research institute, Brazil is the world’s biggest market for UHT milk, with annual consumption of around seven billion litres. The research shows that in 2014, more than 15.5 billion carton packs for long-life food were sold in Brazil. This figure is expected to rise to more than 21 billion by 2019, equivalent to an increase in volume of around 7% per annum (in units). Milk is now the product most commonly filled in carton packs in Brazil. In the 1980s, unpasteurised milk dominated the market. The share of UHT milk has increased slowly but steadily, to a current level of about 60%.
Source: SIG Combibloc