Greatview Aseptic Packaging Company is a multinational
aseptic processing
Aseptic processing is a processing technique wherein commercially thermally sterilized liquid products (typically food or pharmaceutical) are packaged into previously sterilized containers under sterile conditions to produce shelf-stable products ...
company with its head office based in
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Founded in 2003, Greatview offers aseptic carton solutions and related services for
dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
and non-carbonated soft drink companies whose products are compatible with Tetra Brik Aseptic filling machines. Greatview presently has three packaging facilities worldwide, two of which are located in China, in Gaotang, Shandong and Helingeer, Inner Mongolia; the third facility is the company's primary exporting facility and is located in Germany, in the city of
Halle (Saale)
Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the Germany, German States of ...
,
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
.
Originally named "Tralin Pak″, the company was initially engaged in the production and sale of multi-layered compound packaging materials, paper cartons and other paper packages for beverage companies in the PRC, but re-established as a manufacturer of aseptic packs after its current CEO, Mr. Jeff Bi and Chairman, Mr. Hong Gang joined the company in 2003.
Breaking Monopoly
Greatview's early years in the PRC were difficult, which was largely owing to Tetra Pak's hostile tactics in trying to eliminate competition in the
monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
market between 2003 and 2005. However, by the end of that year, rapid expansion in China's dairy industry had meant that a capacity bottleneck occurred at Tetra Pak China, and Greatview seized the opportunity of supplying cartons to some of Tetra Pak's smaller customers, which turned to Greatview as an alternative supplier.
Though the bottleneck offered a crucial lifeline for Greatview, Tetra Pak's tying and bundling competitive strategy with exclusivity restrictions on customers continued to hamper the company's progress.
[Tao, Zhigang ''Tetra Pak Versus Greatview: The Battle Beyond China''.] It wasn't until August 2008, however - when China's Anti-Monopoly Law came into effect - that Greatview was able to grow and turn the aseptic packaging industry into a new playing field.
Expansion in China
In 2005, CDH Investments became Greatview's main investor, and the following year,
Bain Capital
Bain Capital is an American private investment firm based in Boston. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, public equity, impact investing, life sciences, and real estate. Bain Capital invests across a range of industry se ...
followed with a US $40 million investment, gaining a 43.2% stake in the company. During the following three years, the aseptic carton industry in the PRC grew substantially, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.8%. Greatview's per unit production cost had been 5-10% lower than the market leader, which led to Greatview's market share in the PRC growing from 7% in 2008 to 13% in 2012 as it took market share mainly from Tetra Pak.
Entry into Europe
After beginning operations in Europe in 2007, Greatview listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2010, and in 2011, it made a 50 million euro investment to build a factory in the German town of Halle(Saale), in Saxony-Anhalt. The factory launch took place on June 25, 2013 in front of 200 or so special guests, amongst whom were customers, suppliers and government officials.
References
{{Reflist
Packaging companies of China
Food packaging