Boosting PET bottling efficiency: how a bespoke blowing block solution delivered 10% more output for Tech-Long
The challenge: doing more with less in PET bottle production
For OEMs supplying the global bottling industry, PET production lines have to deliver three things at once: high throughput, low energy consumption, and the hygiene standards needed for sensitive beverages such as dairy, juice and functional drinks. As output targets rise and energy costs climb, even small inefficiencies in the blowing block become significant over the life of a line.
Tech Long, a leading supplier to the global bottling industry, had been running into exactly those constraints with its legacy system. High compressed air demand was driving up energy use, while output was capped below where their customers needed it to be. They wanted a solution that tackled efficiency and hygiene together – not one at the expense of the other.
Starting with the application, not the product
Rather than offering an off the shelf component swap, we started with the application. Our team in China worked closely with Tech Long to understand the operating conditions, line speeds, hygiene requirements and energy profile of their PET bottling environments.
That application‑led approach is how our local engineering teams collaborate with OEMs around the world. The goal is never simply to replace a valve – it is to redesign the architecture around the customer's commercial and operational priorities, and to deliver measurable performance gains over the life of the line.
A bespoke four-valve blowing block, built around Tech-Long's needs
From that brief, we developed a configurable four valve blowing block system incorporating a Px/AR single valve, designed specifically for the efficient production of PET bottles. The system is engineered to operate reliably in both aseptic and non aseptic conditions, giving Tech Long a single platform that can serve a broad range of beverage applications without re engineering the line.
By redesigning the blowing block architecture, rather than retrofitting around the existing one, we were able to address both efficiency and hygiene requirements at the same time, and give Tech Long a solution that scales with their customers' production demands.
10% more output, lower compressed air demand
The new system has reduced compressed air demand - one of the most energy intensive aspects of PET bottle production - while simultaneously increasing machine output by 10%. For Tech Long's customers, that combination has a direct commercial impact: more bottles per hour, less energy per bottle, and a more sustainable operating profile across the line.
Just as importantly, the system meets the stringent hygiene requirements of aseptic production, making it suitable for sensitive beverage applications such as dairy, juice and functional drinks - categories where contamination risk and process reliability are non negotiable.
The value of close collaboration with OEMs
For Tim Chen, Business Development Manager, Industrial Automation at IMI, the project highlights what is possible when OEMs and engineering partners work together from the start. By working closely with Tech Long, our application engineers developed a new concept for PET blowing block applications used across the bottling industry," he explained.
The solution overcomes previous challenges around production capacity and energy consumption, while ensuring reliable operation in sterile environments.
He added: "The results have delivered measurable efficiency gains, supporting Tech‑Long's operational performance goals."
Why this matters for the future of PET bottling
As global demand for PET bottled beverages continues to grow, OEMs and bottlers face the same fundamental question: how do you increase output and protect product quality, while reducing the energy and environmental footprint of every bottle produced?
This project is a clear example of how those goals can be aligned. By combining deep application engineering with a configurable, hygiene‑ready blowing block design, we have helped Tech‑Long deliver more, with less - without compromising on the standards their customers depend on. For PET bottling OEMs looking to unlock efficiency and capacity gains in their next line, the message is straightforward: the biggest performance improvements come from rethinking the architecture, not just upgrading the components.