Two new turnkey PET lines for Jeju, South Korea

Jeju Province Development Co. is South Korea's market leader for bottled water. And now the company is expanding its capacity from one million tons per year to 1.4 million. To accomplish this goal, JPDC has ordered two additional turnkey PET lines from Krones. Neither line includes a labeler, because JPDC is leading the trend toward label-free PET water bottles. This marks the third order the company has placed with Krones.

At the southernmost point of South Korea lies the volcanic island of Jeju. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve and, thanks to its beautiful beaches, also a popular vacation spot. Some 670,000 people live on the island, which measures 70 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide and boasts the 1,950-meter-tall volcano Hallasan.

When South Korea first began issuing licenses for the sale of ground water on industrial scale back in 1995, the provincial government of Jeju decided to take commercializing the island's volcanic springs into its own hands. In that way, the island was able to protect its natural resources while at the same time generating revenue with which to drive the region's development. The company that was established for this purpose in 1995, Jeju Province Development Co. (JPDC), is still owned by the provincial government. JPDC currently fills around a million tons of water into PET bottles each year and holds a 42 percent share of the market, making it the leading supplier of bottled water in South Korea.

Independent experts have selected Krones three times in a row

JPDC chose Krones to supply its very first high-speed line back in 2012. And that line has been filling and packing 2-liter and half-liter PET bottles at 54,000 containers per hour ever since. In 2018, JPDC added a second line that processes 82,000 half-liter PET bottles per hour.

*Jeju offers regional volcanic spring water in 2-liter and half-liter label-free PET bottles.* Image credits:
Jeju Island

South Korean consumers primarily buy large water bottles for household use. Prompted by rising demand, JPDC is now expanding its capacity for producing such containers. In December 2022, Krones received an order for two identical turnkey lines for filling and packaging 2-liter PET bottles, each of which is rated at 32,000 containers per hour. The two new lines will add 400,000 tons of water per year to JPDC's production capacity.

The company's process for selecting suppliers is rather unusual: As a government-owned enterprise, JPDC must meet strict transparency requirements and must involve independent, third-party experts in the final selection. In all tender processes – for the first two lines as well as for the current contract – expert panels, each one consisting of different individuals, identified Krones as the vendor with the best solution. In October 2022, JPDC named Krones its preferred supplier.

*On the occasion of the 30-year anniversary of Krones' South Korea office, Chief Sales Officer Thomas Ricker visited the country and JPDC in October 2022.*

Label-free bottles, focus on sustainability

JPDC sets great store by sustainability, which is why Krones offered a solution that had until now been unavailable in South Korea. The latest, ultra-efficient generation of the Contiform stretch blow molder is enviro certified. Thanks to Air Wizard Triple technology, the machine uses up to 20 percent less compressed air than its predecessor and also requires far less energy for the infrared heating of preforms. Likewise for the sake of sustainability, the conveyors are designed to operate entirely without lubrication.

Neither of the new turnkey lines includes a labeler since JPDC has done away with bottle labeling altogether, opting instead to simply print a QR code on their caps. South Korea offers tax incentives for companies that use labelless PET bottles since it makes them easier to recycle. As a result, more than half of all water bottles in the country contain no label. This trend can also be seen in other regions of the world.

JPDC is currently constructing a new building to house the two new turnkey lines, which are slated for delivery in 2025.

Project:	Two turnkey lines for filling and packing PET water bottles
Customer:	Jeju Province Development Co.
Location:	Jeju Island, South Korea
Planned commissioning:	2025
Scope:	Two PET lines for filling into 2-liter bottles, each rated at 32,000 containers per hour and consisting of Fourth-generation Contiform stretch blow molder, including the PET-View inspection system and Contifeed RS preform roller sorter Modulfill filler VFJ Checkmat FM-X and Checkmat CI-C inspectors Variopac Pro FS packer Modulpal 2A palletizer

In addition, Krones' subsidiary IPS Plastics delivered the equipment for producing preforms and caps. With that, the entire solution – from tools for preform and cap manufacturing all the way through to the end-of-the-line packing onto pallets – will come from the Krones Group.