Armenia’s Jermuk Group installs blow molding line for PET bottles

Armenian mineral water producer Jermuk Group has installed a complete filling line for 5-litre PET bottles, supplied by PET Technologies.

Jermuk Group has made the switch from 48mm to 38mm Bericap preforms across its 3-litre and 5-litre PET bottles, made on its new APF-5 automatic stretch blow molding machine. The subsequent reduction in cost has improved the competitiveness of the retail price, and reduced the use of materials needed for every bottle.

The change in preforms has reduced the weight of the bottles by almost 20g and will save up to 90 tons of PET material every year – the equivalent of $135,000.

The APF-5 automatic blow molding machine has a capacity of 1,600 bottles per hour. It is appropriate for bottle sizes of between 3 litres and 10 litres, and features two independent blowing units that are compatible with both neck standards, PET Technologies said.

The changes have taken effect at Jermuk Group’s bottling plant in Armenia, next to the hot springs from which it sources its water.

A spokesperson for Austria-based PET Technologies said that the project was ‘proof of a long and fruitful partnership between PET Technologies and Jermuk Group’.