From zero to 93 million litres in two years

PACKAGED drinking water is a huge market in Indonesia: of the approximately 14.5 billion litres packed in 2010, around 60% came from the market leader. The rest, a still-substantial 6.5 billion litres or 65 million hectolitres, is  shared by about 670 smaller and large bottlers – many of which operate only on a regional or even local scale.

In 2002, back in the early days of the water boom, Tirta Amarta had begun to  fill gallon containers, and subsequently operated a relatively small filling line for handling not only drinking beakers, but also PET containers already,  initiated sales in market regions outside the Jakarta conurbation. Tirta Amarta purchased the PET containers already blow-moulded, but due to the  market's rapid expansion they soon became scarce. The water brand viro was well received: demand was rising, Tirta Amarta wanted to expand, wanted rotary technology, wanted its own inhouse PET container production operation, better line availability, higher output.

Gain market share by attractive pricing, minimised packaging costs plus maximised efficiency in the bottling operation: this was Tirta Amarta's concept for tackling the Indonesian water market. They did this firstly by means of a newly designed lightweight short-neck container, and secondly by two high-efficiency PET bottling lines from Krones, installed in quick succession.

By 2008, the privately owned company had progressed so well that it  commissioned its first Krones PET bottling line in Bandung Barat, about two hours' drive to the southeast of Jakarta in West Java. Tirta Amarta produced  around six million litres here in the first year. This was quickly followed by the next stage of expansion. In the summer of 2010, the second line went into production, this time as a high-speed installation rated at almost double the output of its predecessor. By the end of 2010, the output had  risen to 93 million litres.

"The declared goal of our alliance with Krones was improved quality for our  bottling operations and our products, combined with enhanced line efficiency and performance," explains Tirta Amarta technical manager Rioan Silalahi.

To cope with rising demand required an in-house PET container production operation, better line availability and higher output

"We want to be operating with an efficiency of more than 85 per cent," adds plant manager Endang Retnosusmawati.

Monobloc and cleanroom

As with the first line, Tirta Amarta once again opted for a monobloc  featuring a blowmoulder and volumetric filler. In addition, the company enclosed the monobloc in a cleanroom, accessible only through an airlock. "The cleanroom not only provides a daily reminder to our operating staff of  how important hygiene is in filling operations, but also boosts confidence in  the quality of our bottling operation amongst our customers who visit," says Endang Retnosusmawati.

"We regard the monobloc as a definite improvement in terms of PET bottling technology; the trend on the market is indubitably going in this direction,"  explains Rioan Silalahi. "This kind of integration really makes sense, particularly when you're starting from scratch like us. Installation is simple, hygiene is better, and we see more advantages than disadvantages."

The PET-preforms are fed in from a room above the cleanroom through the ceiling. As the blow-moulding machine, Tirta Amarta uses a design-enhanced technologyMens Running Shoes