New ABI line will add more fizz

The new line will increase output considerably at the plant, which provides a wide range of products and packaging for the Gauteng area, and take care of its PET growth requirements for the next few years.

"Another great advantage of the line," said ABI manufacturing director Trevor Sanderson, "is its versatility. It can be converted in only two hours - versus eight hours for a smaller line - to fill 500ml, one-litre or two-litre PET packs."

This is the fastest line in the plant and will be manned by 45 employees on a 24-hour three-shift basis. An additional 35 people had to be employed to meet increased production requirements.

ABI decided to install the line because of the unexpectedly high demand for products packed in PET. "There are several reasons for this: the country's economic growth, more disposable income and the supermarkets' move into townships," said Sanderson.

"The weather has also played a role. This year, for example, a much warmer winter led to an increase in the sales of our soft drinks."

"We are now well-placed to ensure that our customers will always have what they have come to expect from ABI - quality products that they can depend on every single day of the year," Sanderson commented.

ABI is the soft drink division of the South African Breweries Limited. It produces 60% of all Coca-Cola products in South Africa, and services more than 40 000 direct and 18 000 indirect outlets from its franchise area. It also distributes its 37 brands in the Indian Ocean islands of the Comores and Mayotte. In 2004, ABI produced 13 million hectolitres of soft drinks at five plants, using about 125 000 tons of sugar, 480 000 litres of concentrate and 32 million hectolitres of water.