O Beverages Launches O Infused Waters in Custom PowerFlex(TM) PET Bottle from Amcor
Manchester, MI - (January 8, 2007) - O Beverages, Cambridge, MA, has launched its new infused water line in a custom, PowerFlex(TM) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle from Amcor PET Packaging.
The bottle is the first 17-ounce PowerFlex size (previous launches were 16.9) and also is the first to feature etching on the shoulder and base. (The bottle has a 38mm finish.) The larger capacity further pushes the envelope on panel-less, hot-fill bottle technology.
In 2005, the O Beverages had a successful launch of its first product-O Water, which is "ultra purified with a twist of natural fruit flavor."
"Our typical letters read: 'Thanks for making this product.' But we didn't want to stop there. While people were raving about O Water, they were asking for more," explains Tom First, founder, O Beverages.
"Again, we looked at shelves. We saw a lot of super sweet vitamin and sucralose-enhanced sports drinks-some coming in at 100-plus calories per bottle. Could we make a refreshing, enhanced water with only 25 calories per serving? Of course we could."
Although it took a year of work and constant tweaking of flavors and sweetness, O Infused Waters, was ready to be unveiled. But first, the right bottle had to be found. The company wanted to differentiate itself in a crowded market and also wanted a premium look.
"We had looked at hot-fill PET bottles when we were doing our first launch, but at that time, the only ones that were available had ribs. We didn't like the way the ribs affected the ability to label the bottle, so we went a different direction," explains First.
Luckily, the development of O Infused Waters coincided with the commercialization of Amcor's PowerFlex(TM) bottle. The company that brought the two together was bottle distributor, Zuckerman-Honickman, King of Prussia, PA. "Zuckerman-Honickman has been tremendous. They brought Amcor's technology to our attention and gave us the confidence to keep the process moving. When you are dealing with a new technology and you are a small company, it is critical to use your time and money efficiently," notes First.
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.
PowerFlex(TM) features a vacuum absorbing base. Previously, sidewall panels were necessary to absorb the distortion that occurs as a hot-filled beverage cools to room temperature. (After the bottle is capped, the filled liquid cools, which, in turn, pulls an internal vacuum that must be dissipated structurally.)
"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.
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 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.
"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 O Beverages preferred to go the custom route, vs. selecting one of the two stock PowerFlex(TM) bottles, additional engineering work was needed.
"There were at least three or four versions that we went through before we found a bottle that we liked and one that could be commercialized without paneling or ovalizing," says First.
And then there was what Tom First calls a "happy accident."
Amcor uses a patented stereo lithography (SLA) process to create rapid prototyping molds out of a liquid resin. The molds are used to create a limited number of actual bottles so that the product can actually be tested in a container that closely resembles what the finished product would look like. The process helps speed to market and helps eliminate costly mistakes that could otherwise happen with a different type of approval process.
Because the molds are built by adding multiple layers of resins over each other, the surface becomes a little grainy. In turn, that texture is blown into the bottle prototypes.
"They sent us the prototypes and I loved the way they looked. I had never seen an effect like that before on a PET bottle, so I asked Amcor to duplicate it on the commercial run," says First.
Amcor engineers were then faced with a new challenge. "The SLA process creates a purely random pattern. To translate that into a production mold is extremely difficult. We had to go through several iterations to get a pattern out of the production mold that would be acceptable to O Beverages," says Brian Pieszchala, manager, PowerFlex(TM) development, Amcor.
The end result is a bottle that is already receiving rave reviews. "At several of our product samplings, we've had consumers tell us how much they love the bottle," First says.
O Infused Water is available in seven different flavors-Hydrate in black raspberry and orange; Vitalize in blueberry and peach mango; Replenish in lemon-lime; Sooth in lemon, and Energize in strawberry.
O Beverages was founded in September 2004 by Tom First and Ed Slade. First is one of the two "Juice Guys" who co-founded Nantucket Nectars in 1989. Slade was formerly the president and chief operating officer of FIJI water.
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.
