How Uniben is conquering the beverage market in Vietnam

An 80,000-square metre property, in the middle of which stands a gleaming white building: Uniben’s site in the South Vietnam province of Binh Duong is a plant straight out of a picture book. From the footpaths and driveways to the green spaces and the graphic patterns that adorn the façade of the building in the corporate colours of yellow and green: All the details look as if they have been cut out with a stencil. Geometric accuracy as far as the eye can see. 

High standards for proprietary products

“Show me how you live, and I will tell you who you are.” If you apply this saying to Uniben, the answer is obvious: a company that adheres to precise plans and leaves nothing to chance in their execution. That is already evident from how the portfolio is structured: “Our brand strategy follows a strictly analytical approach,” explains CEO Vu Tien Dung. “Each of our products is aimed at a precisely defined target group of consumers whose lifestyle and needs had been analysed in great detail beforehand.” Based on these findings, our experts get to work with a clear mission in mind. “Our aspiration is to innovate something new which has not yet existed on the market and is precisely tailor-made to the target group of consumers,” says Vu Tien Dung. As a result, every single Uniben product tells its own, very particular story. 

When the company was founded in 1992, it initially specialised in the food sector, soon progressing to become one of the leading producers there. Whether sauces or ready-to-eat meals, food products from Uniben can be found in every supermarket. And not only in Vietnam: such brands as the famous “REEVA” noodles are gaining an ever increasing fan base internationally too. As of today, Uniben have shipped to 45 countries around the world and that number is continuously rising, as Vu Tien Dung emphasises: “Our mission is to develop Uniben into a multi-product, multi-brand, multi-nation company.” 

Ready for a new market

It was for precisely this reason that the company made the decision a few years ago to conquer a new product segment – the beverage market. Why did they choose beverages? “Because these two worlds simply belong together. Anyone who enjoys a good meal will also want the right drink to go with it,” Vu Tien Dung answers with a laugh, before going on to explain: “The market is simply ideal for the further development of Uniben because it offers enormous growth potential for us.”  

First, though, they needed to create a suitable home for the new product segment – making absolutely sure that it would not be too small, given the expected growth. Instead of enlarging one of their two existing food plants, Uniben opted to build a completely new one.  

We believed it was important to have a supplier with a long-standing tradition in Vietnam and a direct local presence, supported by a skilled and professional team. Vu Tien DungCEO of Uniben

The province of Binh Duong was chosen as the location, which is just fifty kilometres away from Ho Chi Minh City. This comes in very handy: Krones also has a representative office in the Southern Vietnam metropolis. The latter was partly the reason why Uniben awarded Krones the turnkey contract for the beverage lines along with the associated process technology. “We thought it was important to have a supplier with a long-standing tradition in Vietnam and a direct local presence, supported by a skilled and professional team,” Vu Tien Dung explains. Turning to the technical side, the key factor was the great degree of vertical integration: “With Krones lines, both the machines and the large majority of components come from the same manufacturer,” the CEO acknowledges. 

Uniben decided to start production in the new plant with two PET lines. Both are configured for an output of 36,000 containers per hour, with one running in the hotfill and the other in the standard process. The ample space in the new plant allowed the two lines to be installed in parallel. This had the advantage of ensuring a well-arranged line layout with easy accessibility for the operating and maintenance staff. The process equipment room, which centrally and fully automatically supplies both lines, is located at the front of the production building.  

Top speed for sleeve equipment

Both lines are equipped with a Contiform Bloc BF that produces and fills the PET containers. Wrap-around labels are applied to the standard CSD bottles by a Contiroll, while the adjacent hotfill line is configured with a sleeve labeller. What is unique about this is that because Uniben opted for the top-speed Sleevematic TS version, the line can manage even an output of 36,000 containers per hour with just one single labeller. “Typically, lines in this performance range are designed with two sleeve machines installed side by side. The hotfill line for Uniben is the first in Vietnam that we have delivered with the leaner and more efficient top-speed version,” says a delighted Truong Do Khang of the regional Krones sales team. Each of the two lines features two Variopac Pro packers at the dry end, one dedicated to producing shrink packs in various sizes, the other for carton packaging.  

The first two lines were just the start

Uniben’s new Krones equipment enables it to cover all the containers and product types of its current beverage range. While the ABBEN Energy Drinks whiz by on the CSD line, the hotfill line processes JOCO Fruit Juices and BONCHA Honey Tea. What all the beverages have in common is that they are aimed at a young generation that likes to experience new flavours and makes purchasing decisions easily for what fits with their lifestyle. 

Uniben has got off to a blistering start on the Vietnamese beverage market. We at Krones are incredibly proud that our technology and service have been a part of this success. Truong Do KhangSales Krones Vietnam

Just how well Uniben’s product and brand developers know and understand their target groups of consumers is evident from the high-capacity utilisation of the production lines. To meet the fast-growing market demand, the plant has since added a third Krones line, another hotfill line for sensitive products which is going into production by late 2024. “Uniben has got off to a blistering start on the Vietnamese beverage market,” says a visibly impressed Truong Do Khang, adding: “We at Krones are incredibly proud that our technology and service have been a part of this success.”