History
Southeastern Container was formed to manufacture polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) soft drink containers. The Company was organized by a group of Coca-Cola bottlers in the Southeastern United States to meet their need for cost effective PET soft drink bottles. Southeastern Container is organized as a cooperative, which means that member bottlers purchase products at the actual cost to produce them. Prior to Southeastern Container, PET bottles were purchased from merchant suppliers at a much higher cost. The availability of products from the co-op substantially reduced the cost of a key raw material to the member bottlers, in addition to creating a Company that has become a technology leader in the PET beverage industry.
The Company’s first plant, including injection molding and blowmolding, was opened in 1982 in Enka, North Carolina, near Asheville. Over the years, the Company has experienced substantial growth, largely due to the addition of member bottlers throughout the Eastern and Midwestern US. The Winchester, VA plant was opened for injection molding and blowmolding in 1992, and Bowling Green, OH was added with injection molding and blowmolding in 1999. In 2000 the Company started the Cleveland, TN operation as a blowmolding plant, and in 2005 the Company relocated blowmolding out of the Enka, NC facility and opened the Kings Mountain, NC plant, creating additional blowmolding capacity in Kings Mountain and increasing space for the expansion of injection molding in Enka.
The operation of efficient injection molding and blow molding equipment is key to the success of Southeastern Container. To this end, close working relationships are maintained with the Company’s primary manufacturers of injection and blow molding equipment worldwide. In addition, SEC is committed to supporting container recycling and recovering through the use of post-consumer recycled content in their products. Southeastern Container looks to the future while continuing to provide products, services, and packaging solutions to the Coca-Cola bottling community, utilizing the core values of Commitment, Sustainability, Teamwork, Accountability, and Trust.
