Fuze® Launches Eight Varieties in Custom PowerFlex(TM) PET Bottles from Amcor
Manchester, MI - (February 26, 2007) - Fuze Beverage, LLC, Englewood Cliffs, NJ has launched eight varieties of its beverage products in a custom, PowerFlex(TM) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle from Amcor PET Packaging. The PET containers are being introduced to address markets which are more suited to the attributes of plastic such as outdoor venues, sporting events, concerts and vending
Fuze® Healthy Infusions, a line of healthy alternative, non-carbonated, energy drinks, is extending the reach of its glass containers by bringing eight of its 18 SKUs to market in custom, 16.9 ounce PowerFlex(TM) PET bottles from Amcor. The most popular flavors in each of the company's four lines are represented: Tea (green tea), Slenderize (tropical punch, strawberry melon), Vitalize (blackberry grape, orange mango and fruit punch) and Refresh (peach mango and banana colada).
"Glass has restrictions in certain channels of trade," explains Bill Meissner, vice president of marketing, Fuze. "Additionally, we wanted to find a plastic solution that could act as a catalyst for future multipacks."
Fuze first began its quest several years ago. At that time, hot-fill PET technology was still relying on ribs and panels to gain structural stability-a look that was not compatible with the sleek contour of Fuze's iconic glass bottle.
"A paneled bottle would be inconsistent with our branding. Consumers love the shape of our glass bottle and it is an asset in achieving the higher price points that a premium beverage commands," says Meissner.
As Fuze worked to grow its brand equity, sales and flavor alternatives, Amcor PET Packaging was making inroads in panel-less, ribless PET bottle technology. The company that brought the two together was bottle distributor, Zuckerman-Honickman, King of Prussia, PA.
"We had worked with Zuckerman-Honickman on previous packaging innovation. Zuckerman-Honickman brought Amcor's new technology to our attention. They have been an essential partner in this development," Meisner says.
Up until now, many beverage bottlers did not have a PET alternative that met both their hot-fill and their aesthetic requirements, thereby forcing their premium brands (juices, teas, isotonics, etc.) to stay the course in glass containers. However, the launch of PowerFlex(TM) permanently changes the playing field.
Amcor's PowerFlex(TM) bottle features a revolutionary patented panel-less design which takes hot-fill (185° degrees Fahrenheit) bottle options to a new level. Amcor's structural design not only eliminates the panels, but unlike recently launched competitive containers, PowerFlex(TM) has a large, completely smooth label panel - free of any kind of ribbing.
Amcor's technical staff, through a combination of design and manufacturing innovations, has created a patented bottle that absorbs vacuum via a specially designed base. A unique diaphragm within the base draws upward as the liquid cools. It has the geometric characteristics to enable the inverted cone shaped diaphragm to deflect upward as the vacuum is created.
"Bottles with panels create constraints that dramatically limit design options and therefore a brand owner's ability to use the container to creatively market the product," explains William Featherstone, vice president, sales, Beverage Division, Amcor PET Packaging.
"Because you no longer have panels in the sidewall, this makes the bottle easier to label. You don't have to worry about mislabeling-missing the vertical bars in applying labels. Nor do you have to worry about the ripple effect labeling over panels can cause," Featherstone explains.
The geometry of the straight wall design gives PowerFlex(TM) great top load characteristics. The straight wall has no points of stress concentration which removes the potential of bending. Also, unlike competitive technologies, PowerFlex(TM) bottles can be run easily on existing glass filling lines with little or no equipment modification.
However, because Fuze required the custom route vs. selecting one of the two stock PowerFlex(TM) bottles, additional engineering work was needed.
"The first challenge was to see how closely the new technology would allow us to mimic the shape of our glass bottle. We knew there were going to be some limitations, but we wanted to see how far we could push the envelope," Meissner says.
Brian Pieszchala, manager, PowerFlex(TM) development, Amcor explains that the project was easy from a design standpoint. The challenge, however, was in how the gently sloping shoulder would react to the vacuum.
"Vacuum is going to take place at the weakest point of the structure. The bottle is designed so that the diaphragm in the base panel absorbs the vacuum. We wanted to make sure that the sloping shoulder didn't affect that," Pieszchala says. "The key was in shaping the radiuses for maximum performance, while still giving Fuze the distinct neck and shoulder design for which they were looking."
"The other challenge that presented itself was the tendency for the full shrink label to creep up from the bottom of the bottle. We like the look of full label coverage and for the first few production runs, the shrink sleeve didn't have anything to grab onto at the base," Meissner says.
The solution was to create dimples at the bottom of the mold ring, which translate into subtle bumps on the bottle's base. That, coupled with a slight reduction in shrink sleeve material, gives the label something to hold onto which, in turn, creates full coverage, Meisner notes.
The move to PET will also give Fuze the ability to vend its product. "Vending was essential to the success of this initiative. We will now be able to vend it in both Royal and Dixie Narco vending machines, with the addition of a shim kit," Meissner says.
"Our company has a strong heritage in glass, however, we couldn't be more excited about the incremental volume that the plastic will give us in these new channels," Meisner concludes.
Since 2001, FUZE Beverage, LLC has been reinventing the beverage industry by introducing non-carbonated drinks that are "infuzed" with real health benefits and antioxidants without high fructose corn syrup. With over 350 distributors throughout North America and the Caribbean, FUZE is stocking supermarkets and convenience stores with healthy beverage alternatives: Slenderize, Refresh, Green, White and Oolong teas and the new Vitalize line. FUZE is available nationwide and can be found in: Whole Foods, ShopRite, Costco, Acme, Albertsons, Circle K, Giant, Hannaford, Safeway, Sav-On, Holiday Stationstores, Jewel, King Soopers, Kroger, Kum & Go, T/A Travel Centers of America, Publix, QFC, Sheetz, The Fresh Market, Tops, and other fine stores. Visit www.drinkfuze.com for more information."
For more than a century, container distributor Zuckerman-Honickman has been a leader in beverage packaging. The company has a reputation for excellent customer service, superior buying power and industry know-how.
Amcor PET Packaging is the leading manufacturer of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic packaging for the global beverage, food and non-food industries, with over 80 manufacturing sites in 19 countries. Its parent company, Amcor Limited, offers a broad range of packaging solutions and ranks as one of the top three packaging companies in the world. Amcor's extensive operations include 217 plants in 34 countries. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, had sales revenues of US$8.8 billion. For further information, visit www.amcor.com.
Please forward sales inquiries to:
Shelley Steele
Director of Marketing and Communications
Amcor PET Packaging
935 Technology Drive, Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-8919
Phone: (734) 302-2264
Fax: (734) 302-2810
Email: shelley.steele@amcorpet.com
Bill Meissner
Vice President of Marketing
Fuze Beverage, LLC
140 Sylvan Ave., 3rd Floor
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Phone: (203)515-8689
Email: bmeissner@fuzebev.com
Michael Zuckerman
Zuckerman-Honickman
191 S. Gulph Rd.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
Phone: 610.962.0100 x8449
Email: mfzuckerman@zh-inc.com
