Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a member of the Union of South American Nations. Because the equator crosses Ecuador, and Ecuador means equator in Spanish, the country is also known as the “Equatorial State”, or the “Banana Republic” for its abundance of bananas.
Ecuador borders Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The eastern regions near the coast are plains, while the central part is higher in altitude. The capital Quito sits at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano, at an altitude of 2,850 meters, making it the second highest capital city in the world.
Under the leadership of successive presidents, Ecuador has enjoyed domestic political stability and sustained economic growth. Since 2000, the annual GDP growth rate has remained around 4.8%, which has strongly boosted mass consumption and the rapid development of the food and beverage industry. Data shows that food and non-alcoholic beverages account for the highest proportion in household consumption structure, and 54% of consumers prefer low-calorie and natural products.
Changes in lifestyle, population growth, and economic growth have prompted beverage producers to improve production to meet new rounds of consumer demand, by adopting new technologies, improving product quality, investing in new equipment to increase efficiency, thereby enhancing overall competitiveness. In some large beverage producers, production automation is already very high, however in small and medium producers, more still use traditional production processes, lacking technological innovation, which has become the biggest obstacle to their own development.
Newamstar has long paid attention to the South American market. Because most South American countries are developing countries, coupled with large populations, the rapid growth of the beverage industry makes South America one of the important potential markets for beverage machinery. However, the light industry is underdeveloped, and light machinery mainly relies on imports. Newamstar’s earliest contact with Ecuadorian customers began in 2009. Before that, Chinese machinery was rarely noticed by Ecuadorian customers. The reason is that the overall poor quality image of Chinese machinery had been deeply ingrained in their minds. At the same time, they were also used to using European equipment. But the high operating and maintenance costs of European equipment inevitably make people sigh, what to do? Time is the best proof. With the rapid development of China’s manufacturing industry and the step-by-step rise of Chinese products in the international market, many customers have turned their sights to China.
In April 2009, CBC’s representative Mr. Vintimilla visited our company to purchase two automatic bottled water production lines to upgrade production technology and improve automation. CBC is a well-known beverage bottling company in Ecuador, with six brands including Pure Water, Manzana, and Full Cola. After visiting Newamstar’s R&D and manufacturing base, Mr. Vintimilla gained a deep understanding of Newamstar’s scale and professional capabilities. In particular, the advanced packaging equipment with intelligence, high efficiency and low energy consumption attracted Mr. Vintimilla’s attention. After technical and business details were finalized, the two parties quickly signed the contract smoothly.
Considering the high plateau in Ecuador and its long distance from China, we formulated high standards of configuration and requirements during equipment production to ensure stable long-term operation of the equipment in the future. Subsequently, to ensure the installation and commissioning tasks can be completed within a short time, we sent experienced senior commissioning personnel to Ecuador for installation and commissioning. During this period, the two parties established a deep friendship. The installation and commissioning were very successful and recognized by the customer. After two years, the equipment has been running reliably and steadily. In May 2011, the confident CBC company once again chose Newamstar’s products – two fully automatic 5-gallon water filling lines, which are now successfully put into production.
The excellent performance of Newamstar equipment in Ecuador quickly attracted the attention of other local beverage producers, one of which is Fruit Company. Fruit Company’s main product is carbonated beverages, with a large market share locally. Fruit Company was already aware of Newamstar’s leading position in China’s beverage filling equipment industry. After learning about the outstanding performance of Newamstar equipment in Ecuador, it signed a fully automatic 5-gallon water filling line with our company in June 2010. Two months later, it signed another fully automatic carbonated beverage filling line. Under the candid cooperation and joint efforts of both parties, the two production lines purchased by Fruit Company were quickly installed and commissioned, and have been successfully put into operation. Although Fruit Company has multiple European imported production lines, they are outdated due to their old age, while Newamstar equipment stands out among them and has become the main production force for Fruit Company.
The remarkable performance of Newamstar equipment in Ecuador triggered a new wave of enthusiasm for Chinese manufacturing. Some ambitious companies have also cast their sights here. Ecopacific is one of them. Ecopacific’s main products are freshly squeezed fruit juices and coconut water. They previously used semi-automatic filling equipment for production. As their products are naturally nutritious and uniquely flavored, they are deeply loved by consumers, with sales volume increasing all the way. The existing production lines can no longer meet market demand. In order to expand production to meet consumer demand, Ecopacific decided to purchase brand new automated production lines. After comprehensive consideration, they turned their sights to Chinese equipment. Undoubtedly, as China’s high-end liquid (beverage) packaging machinery expert and leader, Newamstar became the customer’s first choice, followed by Ecopacific signing a whole line order of fully automatic hot filling production line with Newamstar.
The long distance does not hinder Newamstar’s rapid advancement, nor the high altitude hinder the high-speed operation of Newamstar equipment. We treat every customer equally and take them seriously. Regardless of geographical distance, we wholeheartedly develop the market and serve with dedication. It is believed that in the near future, with Newamstar’s assistance, Ecuador’s beverage market will surely grow rapidly and develop steadily, further boosting the local economic level.
