PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2010

PET news 6 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 06/10 www.petpla.net Mann + Hummel confirm their commitment to Protec At the press briefing on the annual results of Mann + Hummel GmbH, Alfred Weber, Chairman of the Board of Management, reported that the company’s subsidiary Protec would continue to play an integral part in company strat- egy. In 2009 Protec recorded a sharp decline in orders of 38% compared to the previous year. As far as turnover was concerned, things were just as bad: turnover in Germany fell by 48 % and overseas by 20% . Mann + Hummel sales, however, dipped by just 8.4% to €1,672bn in 2009, despite that fact that almost 100% of its output goes to the automo- tive industry. The reason for this was the continued high level of stability in its filter business. In the PET sector Protec introduced a completely new product in 2009, a mould based on the turbulent fluidized bed technique. In addition the developers have standardized a large number of their products. “As soon as the injec- tion moulding machine manufacturing sector begins to pick up, that’s when we expect to see our confidence in Protec restored “ is how Alfred Werner justified his faith in Protec to PETplanet. www.mann-hummel.com Extending market leadership – new capping system announced Peter Neumann, Manag- ing Director of Engel Austria, presented the company’s figures on the occasion of the K Preliminary Press Confer- ence. According to him, this was the most difficult period the company has faced virtually since its foundation. In Neumann’s opinion, even the major floods in 2001 which destroyed practically the entire production capac- ity of the company was not as devastating as the current situation. As he observed to PETplanet, “At that time we knew what we had to do; we had orders but no produc- tion facilities. The present crisis is, however, precisely the opposite - we have production capacity but no orders! “ Although sales fell from €591m in 2008/2009 to €358m in the 2009/2010 trading year, Engel succeeded in main- taining its high profile status on the world market in the injection moulding sector at an historic high of 13% (in value terms). In Europe Engel has also been successfully extended its market share to 27%. By way of a focus of attention at the K Fair, Prof. Dr. Steinbichler, Vice President R&D, announced the enlarged Engel e-cap with a clamp- ing force of 430t. This entirely electric machine will be used to produce single caps (26mm x-light) weighing 1 gram in 2.6s using a 96-compartment mould. The small, wholly electric system featuring a clamping force of 280t was exhibited at PETpoint. As to future strategy in relation to PET Systems, Engel remained tight-lipped. However, we were able to view a PET System 330 on our subsequent tour of the plant. www.engelglobal.com Closure Systems International and Pact Group announce Australasian Partnership Plastic packaging manufacturer Pact Group has signed a license agreement with Closure Systems International (CSI) for Australia and New Zealand. Pact Group says that this new strategic partnership will give its customers immediate access to leading edge closure technologies, designs, and research and development. It says it is now better positioned to source and manufacture a wide range of high performance, light-weight closure solutions. The partnership will also give the Pact group access to CSI’s technical service network, high-speed capping machinery products, and new product and service devel- opments. Additionally, it broadens the range of closures that the Pact Group can offer its bottled drinks customers. The agreement provides CSI with an opportunity for geographic expansion in Australia and New Zealand. The company believes that it will receive mutual benefits from Pact Group’s large footprint in the area and reputation for quality, new technology, innovation and customer service. www.csi.com German company branches out into new portfolio Krones AG offers complete factory planning to the food and beverage industry. The firm says that it is able to offer its customers plants with state-of-the-art technology and the best possible material flows, with comprehensive IT network- ing facilities. It has further stated that it is able to help factory owners with flexibility and expandability while keeping capital and operating costs low. The company has already completed many projects and is able to draw on this experience when talking to new clients. Krones AG has reported a significant increase in interest in complete factories from the food and beverage industries for various reasons, including the downsizing of clients’ in- house engineering teams. The company believes this is a log- ical step forward in the expansion of its product portfolio, and feels it has the in-house expertise and experience required for the planning and building of complete beverage factories. www.krones.com Alfred Weber, Chair- man of the Board of Management of Mann + Hummel Peter Neumann, Managing Director of Engel Austria