American Canning has opened a second shrink-sleeve line in their canning plant which will increase their capacity and ability to service craft beverage producers needing cans at lower minimum quantity orders.
The supply of cans for craft brewers has been stressed in recent months due to a number of factors. Cans now make up over 74% of all beer sold in the US, up from 58% 10 years ago.
VP of Operations at American Canning, Russ Spooner, said, “Our company is here to serve the small- to mid-sized craft beverage makers, and sleeving is one of the most valuable options for them to get their brand out there. It’s part of who we are.”
Sleeved cans allowed the company to serve craft beverage producers by creating an approachable minimum order quantity, price and lead time for decorated cans. The demand for this decoration type has only heightened as printed cans become scarce, and the company is seeking to absorb craft’s excess demand in time for peak canning season.
“The focus for sleeving is small- to mid-size producers, and for peak season, we needed the added capacity in order to keep up with demand,” said Spooner. “It gives us the opportunity to be more efficient. We’ll have two lines running – doubling the line capacity.”
American Canning began operations in 2013 as a mobile canning service, providing onsite packaging for craft beverage producers in central Texas. The demand of the industry propelled them forward, expanding to supplies distribution and machine manufacturing and shrink-sleeve decoration on cans.