German brewer Holsten is investing Euros 8M in a dedicated PET bottle line for beer and beer-based products. The company has experience of PET bottles since 2000 and no longer considers them to be for niche segments. Amcor PET Packaging is supplying Holsten with AmGuard PET preforms from its EU multilayer centre in Belgium. These incorporate Amcor's Bind-Ox active barrier technology, which extends shelf life by trapping and binding oxygen into the bottle wall and thus preventing the ingress of the gas for at least 6 months. The plastic cap features an oxygen scavenging liner supplied by Bericap. The new line will fill more than 150m 0.5 litre bottles/year, which is the industry's highest production rate. Amcor is also supplying monolayer preforms for a beer mix product currently under development.
