France-based fruit and vegetable juice producer Jus de Fruits d'Alsace (JFA) is investing €15m ($17.9m) in a new PET bottling line at its production plant at Sarre-Union.
With the new line that will become operational in April 2015, JFA will increase its production capacity to 80m plastic bottles annually at a rate of 24,000 units per hour.
JFA CEO Francis Serfass said that the new acquisition will help the company increase its output by around 20%, reported Just-Drinks.
"This investment will allow us to meet the requirements of the (growing) PET market, having been specialising in glass and carton packaging until now."
Located at Sarre-Union in France, the company produces fruit and vegetable juice, nectars and drinks conditionner in glass bottles and cardboard briks.
JFA has two partners, the LSDH group that specialises in packaging preparing and packaging all liquid food products (refrigerated or aseptic) in carton packs, plastic bottles and glass bottles. Its second partner is the L'ABEILLE company that develops and packages drinks without alcohol, particularly carbonated soft drinks like colas, sodas, tonics, fruit juice drinks and energy drinks in PET bottles.
Founded in 2008, after its acquisition by the the Laiterie de Saint-Denis de l'Hotel group of companies from former owner Eckes Granini, the company currently employs 235 people.
The company recorded sales of around €180m in 2014 with global production totalling 330m units. Out of this number, close to 70% was accounted for by supermarkets' private labels.
