Nongfu Spring, a Chinese bottled water producer, has installed a second Sidel bottling line to expand its production capacity.

Sidel has provided a bottling line with an output of 14,000 bottles per hour, integrating blow, fill and cap functions in a single machine.

In 2014, the Chinese company installed Sidel's PET Combi line for 4l water bottles.

"Nongfu Spring's bottled water had a share of 22% in the country's bottled water segment in 2013."

Nongfu Spring is a leading brand for natural mineral water in China. It draws water from natural springs in various parts of the country.

Nongfu Spring's bottled water had a share of 22% in the country's bottled water segment in 2013.

Besides the regular 380ml, 550ml and 1.5l polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle formats, the company's bottled water comes in a 4l family size, which, until recently, was only available in High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

Nongfu Spring faced a challenge as it had to align the production of its bottles across the range by switching from HDPE to PET for its largest bottle size. The company then approached Sidel, a provider of production equipment and services for liquids in PET, to provide a solution.

In 2014, Sidel supplied Combi water line for the 4l PET bottle to Nongfu Spring. This line runs at 14,000bph.

Image: Nongfu Spring installs in Sidel bottling line. Photo: Courtesy of Sidel.