Milky Mist will utilise three SIG filling machines at its manufacturing plant near Erode, Tamil Nadu including SIG SmileSmall 24 Aseptic, SIG Midi 12 Aseptic, and SIG XSlim 12 Aseptic. With SIG’s fast and flexible filling system, Milky Mist will cater to a large variety of packaging formats, volumes, and designs. For instance, with the SIG Midi 12 Aseptic filling machine Milky Mist can fill 12,000 SIG MidiBloc, SIG MidiFit or SIG MidiStyle carton packs per hour in three different volume sizes such as 500, 750, and 1,000-ml.

Vandana Tandan, head of markets India and Bangladesh at SIG, said,  "In the dairy sector, speed and flexibility are paramount. SIG’s filling technology can help with both. We are looking forward to this promising partnership, which will provide an excellent opportunity for both of us to expand our reach in India.

SIG says its advanced filling technology will benefit Milky Mist in maintaining the standards of product quality and safety. SIG carton packs are delivered as flat-packed sleeves with the long side already hygienically sealed. In the filling process, the products are filled into the open top SIG carton packs. Only after this filling process the packages are ultrasonically sealed above the filling level. This prevents product residues or fibres from being trapped in the sealing seam, which could lead to leakage or contamination. As a result, the quality, taste, nutrients, and natural colours of the products are preserved for up to 12 months without the need for refrigeration or preservatives.

Sathish Kumar T, founder and managing director, Milky Mist, said, "The partnership with SIG aligns well with our core values of providing safe and high-quality dairy products to consumers. We are convinced that SIG’s filling technology will enable us to enhance our offerings and cater to the evolving needs of our valued customers."

For food and beverage companies having an agile and flexible system for filling is crucial. And, the key to high performance filling is to ensure both can increase, so manufacturers never have to compromise on high speed or flexibility.

With the SIG XSlim 12 Aseptic filling machine, Milky Mist will be able to introduce dairy products in SIG XSlimBloc carton packs in nine different volumes from 80- to 200-ml to reach diverse consumer groups and cover a wide range of different price points, and it only takes less than 15 minutes to complete the volume change.

The SIG SmileSmall 24 Aseptic filling machine runs at a speed of 24,000 carton packs per hour with volumes ranging from 180 to 250-ml. It primarily covers the premium product segment. With the SIG Drinksplus technology integrated into the machine, Milky Mist will be able to aseptically fill beverages with bits such as real fruit or nut pieces in SIG SmileSmall carton packs. Also, Milky Mist will use the SIG filling machines to pack products with higher viscosity like dairy creams.

K Rathnam, CEO at Milky Mist, said, “We are expanding the beverage categories to cover all consumer needs from basic to specific. With the help of SIG filling technology, we will explore our packaging options to meet the diverse needs of our consumers.”

The installations supplement the growth of both Milky Mist and SIG, by fostering customer engagement. Also, it favours the mission of the latter. During his visit to India in April this year, SIG Group’s CEO, Samuel Sigrist, said, “The brand has expanded its operations and will have over 40 SIG filling lines for aseptic carton packs in operation at its customers in India by end of 2023."