IDC Enters Into Global Strategic Alliance With Sealed Air

The strategic alliance between IDC and Sealed Air has been instrumental in developing proprietary aseptic BIB filling equipment that is designed to fill at unprecedented speeds of up to four to five times faster than standard aseptic BIB fillers.

06 Mar 2013 --- International Dispensing Corporation, a leading food-and-beverage packaging innovator, announced its strategic alliance with Sealed Air Corporation to develop an ultra-high-speed aseptic filler for bag-in-box (BIB) products and to promote this new system throughout the world. A global leader in food safety, product protection, and facility hygiene, Sealed Air has a presence in 62 countries and serves customers in 175 countries, with over 25,000 employees and annual sales of approximately $7.6 billion in 2012.

The strategic alliance between IDC and Sealed Air has been instrumental in developing proprietary aseptic BIB filling equipment that is designed to fill at unprecedented speeds of up to four to five times faster than standard aseptic BIB fillers.

The ultra-high-speed filler was designed and manufactured for IDC and Sealed Air by Alfa Laval in Parma, Italy. In December 2012, it was installed at the Island Oasis low-acid manufacturing facility in Buffalo, New York. Besides being a source of potential new business for IDC and Sealed Air packaging materials, the location will be showcased as a demonstration facility for potential customers to view the filler in operation. IDC and Sealed Air anticipate global demand for the filler, especially from high volume aseptic producers who can capitalize on the operational advantages of a much higher output system.

While IDC’s proprietary aseptic tap, The Answer, was the inspiration for the development of the ultra-high-speed filler, the potential reach of the filler extends beyond ready-to-drink beverages to a wide array of BIB foodservice categories. Concentrates, coffee creamers, smoothie bases, cheese sauces, soups, stocks, salsas, syrups, and ketchup are a few of the products currently packaged in BIB. Virtually every beverage or ingredient dispensed from a machine at a cafeteria, restaurant, or stadium is delivered from a bag or pouch below the counter or in the back of the facility, and represents opportunity for the IDC-Sealed Air strategic alliance.

The ultra-high-speed filler creates an additional profit center for IDC, while also enhancing its ability to market The Answer by offering a complete packaging solution.

“IDC’s strategic alliance with Sealed Air is a milestone, and a major step toward establishing the bulk aseptic package as a mainstream format,” said Greg Abbott, founder and CEO of IDC. “The benefits that should accrue from a large-format aseptic package—lower cost per fluid ounce, less packaging material, lower carbon footprint—can now be realized on a mass scale for Sealed Air and IDC thanks to our ultra-high-speed system. When one adds to the equation that The Answer safely and continuously dispenses aseptic products without the need for refrigeration, as if the package has never been opened, IDC offers a compelling competitive advantage that addresses many of today’s global packaging challenges.”

Abbott continued, “IDC is partnered with one of the world’s most respected and forward looking packaging companies with a vast global sales and service network. We are now in a position to capitalize on and create a myriad of BIB opportunities, whether the particular demand is for our taps, the ultra-high-speed filler, or both.”

“Sealed Air’s strategic alliance with IDC is an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to the aseptic packaging market,” said Karl Deily, President, Sealed Air Food & Beverage business. “Besides complementing our existing bag-in-box portfolio, it extends the value we bring to customers through greater operational efficiency.”