German packaging and bottling equipment supplier Krones (Neutraubling; www.krones.com) has entered into a licensing agreement to further develop and commercialise LiquiForm’s manufacturing technology. LiquiForm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian packaging giant Amcor (Hawthorn; www.amcor.com), and its technology is jointly owned by DISCMA, a partnership between Amcor and Swiss machinery company Sidel (Hünenberg; www.sidel.com).

The technology combines container forming and filling processes into a single step, using liquid product instead of compressed air to form a rigid plastic container. The process is said to offer a more sustainable and efficient procedure compared with traditional blow and fill technology. “With the 'LiquiForm' technology, Krones has an opportunity to build on existing bottling technology, intellectual property and know-how to develop unique industrial solutions for improving the total cost of ownership for customers even further,” said Christian Compera, head of bottling technology at Krones.

Ashish Saxena, vice president and general manager of the LiquiForm Group, said Krones would aid commercialisation and enable the technology to reach its full potential, adding to the existing efforts of Sidel, Amcor and Japanese bottle manufacturer Yoshino (Tokyo; www.yoshinokogyosho.co.jp).