Beverage packaging equipment maker Sidel celebrates 10 years of its India subsidiary that leads in the bottled water, soft drink, and fruit juice markets.

After opening its doors in January 1998, Sidel India now has 105 employees in three locations: Pune (offices and manufacturing), Gurgaon (New Delhi), and Mumbai, where sales, services, and engineering are located. The subsidiary has propelled Sidel to the lead in India’s bottled water, soft drink, and fruit juice market.

Sidel founded its subsidiary in India at a time when global industry giants like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola were making the switch to PET in a historically PVC-dominated market. At the time, this mostly local market consisted of low output packaging lines, and producers typically incorporated blow molding machines into their lines. To meet demand, Sidel India opened an assembly plant in Chakan in 2001-2002. Located near Pune, the plant produced the first small linear blow molding machines. As for the former Simonazzi, the company had installed its first filler in 1987 and opened an Indian subsidiary in 1997.

In 2005, the teams from Sidel and Simonazzi merged. The staff grew and so did the market trend toward complete packaging lines. Today, Sidel India supplies its customers with all machines found on a bottling line. Already in early 2008, installation is underway for two complete lines and end of line equipment.

In a vast country with over one billion inhabitants, India’s market is a potential gold mine. The sub-continent’s packaging industry appears poised to flourish as economic growth soars, a thriving middle class emerges, trade barriers come down, and the country’s retail distribution network continues to expand.

In 2008, Sidel India will expand its manufacturing operations to include the assembly of additional packaging line equipment.

Sidel is one of the world’s top suppliers of beverage packaging equipment. The company employs 5,500 people around the world and is a division of Tetra Laval.