Beverage packaging equipment supplier Groupe Sidel has invested US$4.7 million in a new packaging development and tooling center in Guadalajara, claiming mold orders in the country are ``skyrocketing.''
According to Le Havre, France-based Sidel, Mexico is the world's largest consumer of soft drinks and is experiencing ``a surge in demand'' for health and fitness products.
``In this particular segment, the appeal of the package is pivotal and has resulted in a proliferation of bottle shapes and capacities. As a result, mold orders are skyrocketing,'' the company said in a news release.
The 13,000-square-foot facility opens this month.
Sidel, a division of Tetra Laval Group, employs 5,500 worldwide.
The plant offers plastic bottle manufacturing services, including shape design, industrial qualification and mold production and commissioning. Also available are prototype molds and mold repair services.
The facility has capacity for about 2,000 molds per year and will serve Sidel's customers in Mexico and Central America. It is Sidel's sixth such center. Others are in Atlanta; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shanghai; and Paris and Octeville-sur-mer, France.
Sidel said it produced 19,000 molds in 2007.