ESCATEC delivers on multimillion Euro contract with Unilever

HEERBRUGG, Switzerland - Nov. 14, 2016 - PRLog -- ESCATEC, one of Europe's leading providers of electronics and mechatronics contract design and manufacturing services, has announced it has delivered on a multimillion Euro manufacturing contract with Unilever for the new T.O by Lipton™ capsule based tea machine. ESCATEC was responsible for industrializing Unilever's initial design for high volume production and setting up a new factory in Malaysia specifically equipped for production of beverage machines which is also Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) compliant.

The tea-brewing machinehas been designed to provide the optimal brewing experience and quality in-cup delivery across a range of over 30 T.O by Lipton™ blends.  The machine identifies the blend within each capsule and determines the corresponding optimum brewing requirements accordingly. Respecting the tradition and ceremony of tea and to ensure the maximum flavour is able to develop, the leaves move around the transparent brewing chamber with the trademarked Air Movement Infusion™ process.

"The optimal brewing conditions vary from tea to tea," explained Stefan Schwendt, technology director Refreshment Europe at Unilever. "As the number one global tea brand, we at Lipton™ have always been passionate about quality and we want our customers to experience their teas at their very best.  T.O by Lipton™ is the perfect way to do this - releasing the flavors and aromas by adjusting the brewing time and temperature for each different type of tea.  We are very impressed with the high level of customer service that ESCATEC has provided us with."

Mick van Ettinger, EVP Global Beverages of Unilever stated, "As the number one global tea manufacturer, finding the right partner for industrialization and manufacturing was key for our move into in-home capsule based tea machines. ESCATEC's expertise in electronics, dedication to quality and one team approach made them a perfect partner for this revolutionary move for Unilever and Lipton."

Dr Marcel W. Hueppi, ESCATEC's director of Beverage Systems, added: "We have built up considerable expertise in bringing household brewing machine projects to success and are therefore able to provide holistic consultancy and support to companies across the whole brewing industry. Customers now come with an initial project idea to us and ESCATEC accompanies them from requirements engineering, design and prototyping right through to industrialization and high volume production. From experience, we know the things to watch out for to ensure quality and reliability throughout the whole process."

ESCATEC was able to exploit its global footprint to deliver on this project. The industrialization and design for manufacture was done in ESCATEC's Swiss facility, in close collaboration with Unilever R&D at Colworth Science Park, UK.  "Many of our customers are based in Europe and, having a base of operations in the geographical heart of Europe enables us to rapidly progress projects," explained Dr. Thomas Dekorsy, ESCATEC's general manager Switzerland.  "Our team in Switzerland worked closely with our Malaysian team to ensure a seamless transfer to mass production in ESCATEC's Malaysian factory."

Ends

About ESCATEC

The ESCATEC Group provides fully-integrated electronic and mechatronic design and manufacturing solutions to assist customers in achieving success in their market. It enables companies to convert product ideas into reality, with full specification, design, software, prototyping, and production, offering best-in-class service to help companies around the world to operate more profitably, sustainably and efficiently. Founded in 1974, its history is full of innovation, which has made it a first choice partner for many European and North American OEMs. The Swiss-owned company perfectly blends Swiss business philosophy and attention to quality, precision and detail with the advantage of low-cost, mass-volume manufacturing capabilities in its Asian factories. Further information about ESCATEC:  www.escatec.com   enquiries@escatec.com.

Note to Editors:

HACCP is a preventative food safety system where every step in the manufacture, storage and distribution of a food product is scientifically analyzed for microbiological, physical and chemical hazards.

Photographs of the Lipton capsule based tea machine are available on request, or a web version can be viewed and downloaded here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/k4h7rx84xdd9oyg/Unilever%20Lipton%20capsule%20based%20tea%20machine%20-%20web%20version.jpg?dl=0).

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