SIG, a leading packaging solutions provider for a more sustainable world, today reinforced its commitment to provide an industry-leading innovation base for the entire value chain of food and beverage packaging, from research and development, validation of packaging material, to conducting customer product filling trials. The two brand new buildings increase the total build-up area of the SIG Technology Center Asia Pacific (TCAP) in Suzhou, China, from 17,450 sqm to 21,860 sqm.
The expansion will enhance SIG TCAP’s technological innovation capability and help accelerate business growth. Lidong Fan, President and General Manager, Asia Pacific North at SIG, said: “As the innovation engine of SIG in Asia Pacific, the expansion and upgrading of the technology center has once again set a new milestone for SIG’s development in China. The expanded and upgraded facility will further accelerate SIG’s sustainable business growth in Asia Pacific.”
The brand-new expansion in Building 3 simulates the customer’s real production environment and is equipped with Class 100,000 clean rooms. This includes the new R&D filling and testing area with seven filling machine stations, covering aseptic and chilled filling equipment, which will provide in-house SV3 (system validation) capability. The conversion of the former pilot plant into building one into a filling machine prototype development and testing facility will strengthen SIG’s R&D capabilities for equipment in the Asia Pacific region, enabling it to continuously develop new products with customers to meet market needs.
Angela Lu, President and General Manager, Asia Pacific South at SIG said: “The expansion and upgrading of the technology center allows SIG to continue accelerating the pace of innovation. With core technology support from the TCAP, we will become the industry leader in developing the next generation of innovative and sustainable packaging solutions for our customers in the region.”
Since its establishment in 2018, TCAP has been instrumental in the development of a series of innovative products, such as aseptic packaging without an aluminum layer, and the development of chilled technology, including high-speed filling machines, one-step opening, local carton conversion and optimization of existing filling equipment in the market.
Julie Liu, Associate Director of Technical Services, TCAP at SIG said: “Remarkably, it took just one year from the start of the construction to the opening of the new building. The success of the expansion was made possible by the strong support of the SIG management team, as well as the close and efficient collaboration with the Government Relations and Procurement departments, which demonstrated the importance and value of teamwork.”
About SIG
SIG is a leading solutions provider of packaging for better – better for our customers, for consumers, and for the world. With our unique portfolio of aseptic carton, bag-in-box, and spouted pouch, we work in partnership with our customers to bring food and beverage products to consumers around the world in a safe, sustainable, and affordable way. Our technology and outstanding innovation capabilities enable us to provide our customers with end-to-end solutions for differentiated products, smarter factories, and connected packs, all to address the ever-changing needs of consumers. Sustainability is integral to our business, and we strive to create a net-positive food packaging system.
Founded in 1853, SIG is headquartered in Neuhausen, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The skills and experience of our approximately 9,000 employees worldwide enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of our customers in over 100 countries. In 2022, SIG produced 49 billion packs and generated €3.1 billion in pro forma revenue (incl. unaudited revenue from recent acquisitions). SIG has an AA ESG rating by MSCI, a 13.4 (low risk) score by Sustainalytics, a Platinum CSR rating by EcoVadis, and is included in the FTSE4Good Index. For more information, visit our website.