Big Tree Beverages, headquartered in Zambia and part of the Trade Kings Group, is a real industry insider. In just a few years, and with a tight investment plan in European technology, the company is now at the top of the market, with many brands ranging from Vatra to Fruticana, Mojo, Appy, Wildcat Kungfu , Fruitop etc.
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What are the reasons behind the success? "We started in 2018 with a very ambitious investment programme," explained the director, Hussein Patel. "Our goal was to become a major player in bottling with complete solutions, capable of accompanying the launch of new products and offering our customers the best consumer experience. At the time we purchased the first CCM SACMI machines for the production of capsules and also IPS presses to make preforms. This enabled us right from the beginning to present ourselves as a complete bottler, thanks to a unique partner and superior technology".
It was a winning bet for Big Tree, which over the years has installed multiple IPS & CCM machines and again in 2022 two more IPS and one CCM are currently being shipped to be installed alongside the existing machines, where Big Tree is producing its entire requirement of preforms and caps. Patel also said: "We have experienced the continuous growth of our brands in the market, and we have launched new ones. This is thanks to the extreme versatility of the SACMI technology, which guarantees not only high performance but also good adaptability to our needs, not to mention the ease of operation and use, which is truly extraordinary for such an advanced technology".
With this in mind, all the preform presses supplied are based on the IPS 220 model, the first one developed in-house by SACMI, which kick-started the Italian company's conquest of international markets in the preform production sector ten years ago, after the leadership it had already acquired in the caps lines. "It is a very high-performance press, which is easy and immediate to use and installation and commissioning is also smooth and takes only about 3 weeks," explained Subhodeep Brahmachary, Head of Manufacturing and Projects at Big Tree, "and is also highly efficient in terms of consumption".
Hence CCM, compression technology, a solution unrivalled in the world for the production of one-piece capsules for water, CSD, juices, which SACMI has supplied in several versions, 24, 32 and now 48 cavities. There were several CCM highlights that the customer was able to appreciate, underlying the commercial success and the decision to sign further supply contracts. "What CCM enables," continued Brahmachary, "is to produce the most modern capsule standards at very high speed and in an extremely versatile way, with important advantages ranging from the lower extrusion temperature compared to alternative technologies, and the precise control of each individual cavity-mould guaranteeing 100 per cent quality and yield".
Also the 'integrated' approach offered by SACMI makes a difference. "Our teams worked together to develop the most innovative capsule-preform designs, identifying the best performing and most profitable solutions,' Brahmachary revealed. A clear reference to the SACMI Rigid Packaging Laboratory that has accompanied the development of the project, with more than 1,000 capsule-preform designs developed over the years for its customers all over the world and with cutting-edge results in terms of quality, lightweight and consumer experience offered to the customer.
"Our company has a dynamic identity, it's constantly searching for new products that reflect the personality and taste of our customers," explained the director, Hussein Patel. "That's why what we looked for and chose is not only the best technology available on the market but also a partner capable of accompanying our ambitions and our desire to propose new and successful quality products".
