Uniquely triangle

WHEN Société des Eaux d’Aix-les-Bains (SEAB) asked Sidel to design and manufacture a stylish new bottle for its still water product, what did the liquid packaging company come up with? Sidel developed a triangular PET bottle that would represent several firsts in water bottle packaging. Aside from the shape, it is the only PET bottle for mineral water today whose labelling has been processed differently. The product’s statutory information has been engraved by laser machine directly into the mould, with Sidel making sure that the engraving did not compromise a uniform quality in the bottle.

How it all began

Indeed, a good 12% of mineral water volumes produced by bottled water companies are sold in the French hospitality sector (cafes, restaurants and hotels), 47% of which is for still-water sales whilst 53% is for sparkling-water sales. SEAB decided that it wanted a share of the growing market for water in this sector, and because their existing production line was already equipped with a Sidel Combi machine, it made sense to ask the packaging company to develop the new bottle design that would stand out in that market.

Surprisingly, in table service restaurants, traditional water carafe consumption accounts for two-thirds of customer’s orders, a fact that SEAB took note of.  Exploring the possibility of distributing its Aix-Les-Bains water product in PET bottles within that sector, therefore, in which mineral water is still traditionally served in glass bottles and carafes, seems like a great opportunity for SEAB to make its product physically dominate. But the looks ought to be unique and exclusive to signify the high quality of the water itself.

Part of the industrial division of the Mousquetaires Group, SEAB is located in Gresy-sur-Aix in Savoy, at the foot of the French Alps. SEAB collects water drawn from the natural environment of two springs deep in the rocks of Aix-les-Bains, where premium mineral and spring water are produced.  The balanced water contains low-concentration mineralised versions of essential calcium and magnesium and does not contain nitrates.

 
Attractive and user-friendly

The idea to have a triangular bottle came from SEAB whose design brief suggested the new 0.75 L bottle in PET be shaped as so to differentiate it from the brands already established on that market. But the bottle had to be simple in appearance to convey the mood of quality as well as purity – meaning that minimalist aesthetics is required. The solution was a triangular bottle with an engraved Aix-les-Bains logo and the legally required information.  The bottle was appealing, and most importantly, easy to handle, despite or because of its unusual shape. 

 
Wise line conversion

But Sidel didn’t have to do much conversion of the existing bottle, thanks to its expertise and close collaboration with SEAB. The whole existing production line did not need modification on any of the installed equipment. All that was done was simple adaptations with certain package-dependent parts to make way for the new shapes and sizes.

The road to SEAB in France. The company collects water drawn from the natural environment of two springs deep in the rocks of Aix-les-Bains, where premium mineral and spring water are produced

Currently, the line is able to blow-mould the bottles, and fill and cap them in a single, integrated system. And that systemNike Benassi Slide