Production of new can size underway in China

Production of the first 202 neck diameter beverage cans for the Chinese market is underway.

Crown Asia-Pacific is the first can maker to bring the technology to China with the smaller diameter cans being produced at the firm’s Hangzhou plant.

The initial commercial application of the cans will hit store shelves in the country later this month.

The 202 neck diameter cans are already an industry standard in Europe and North America and will offfer several benefits to Chinese brand owners.

According to Crown, the smaller diameter reduces metal use during the production process, leading to environmental savings. Crown adds that the cans are easily adaptable to existing equipment and suitable for the filling of beer, carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), energy drinks, teas and other beverages.

“The launch of 202 neck diameter cans in China is just the latest example of how fast the market is maturing and the growing interest in beverage cans,” says Robert Bourque, Crown’s vice president of beverage cans, Hong Kong/China. “We are proud to be the first can maker to bring the technology to China and look forward to working with both international and regional brands to incorporate the smaller diameter cans into their portfolios.”

The company recently announced plans to build a new two-piece beverage can plant in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Province in Southern China, and production of 202 neck diameter cans will eventually take place here as well as at all new Crown plants being built in China.