PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2010

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 19 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 09/10 www.petpla.net www.urola. com • Technical solutions for PET bottles How to produce bottles and protect the environment? UROLA, S.C. - Urola Kalea, s/n - Apdo 3 20230 Legazpi (Gipuzkoa) SPAIN Tel. 34-943 73 70 03 • legazpi @ urola.com THE ECO -MACHINE A more Eco logical and Eco nomic way to make PET containers NEW AT K 2010 There’s an important message waiting for you at our stand Hall 14 - Stand B14 Come and get it yourself Oct 27th - Nov 3rd, 2010 Düsseldorf, Germany Blow moulding (two-stage system) and filling In France the biggest blowers are the biggest fillers, i.e. The Alma Group (Roxane)  The Coca-Cola Co.  The Danone Group  Nestlé Waters France  The market for blowers and filling lines is highly diversi- fied. High volume bottlers blow and fill on integrated lines with the machines electronically integrated and connected by means of conveyors. Small volume bottlers normally buy bottles from converters. At the end of the 1990s Sidel introduced the blocked blower/filler onto the market - the Sidel “Combi”. Sidel is the leading supplier of bottle blowers in France and has the largest population of blowers in the market. Recently Krones have challenged the leader, in particular with high tech, quality and output. We estimate an approxi- mate 450 blowers (including Combis) of all makes operat- ing in France. Sidel have a customer base of 100 to 120 companies and a machine population of about 400 – esti- mated market share 90%. We saw Krones equipment at Coca-Cola in Bierne and at Danone/Evian at Lake Geneva. Sipa’s strength in France lies in their single-stage (injection blow moulder) system. 15 units were supplied with single-stage and another 15 in two-stage technology (linear and rotary blowers). Amongst Sipa’s prominent clients are Danone/Volvic, Des Eaux Minerales and obviously L’Européene D’Embouteillage (which is commonly known as Orangina-Schweppes). The latter company is financially connected with the influential Zoppas Group in Italy. In contrast to PET blowing, which is dominated by Sidel, French PET fillers can choose from a comparatively large number of established suppliers. Sidel, together with the former Simonazzi, is amongst them, as is Krones and KHS. Recycling “PET waste is not waste but added value in the chain of PET processing.” This statement may sound contradictory, but is true in general and very valid in France. In France political pressure is on plastics. Pierre Papillaud, President of the Alma-Roxane tried to differentiate plastics from PET by saying: “PET is not just any plastic, as it can be recycled 100%.” Which appears to be an emotional and incomplete definition. Other plastics may also claim recyclability – subject to intelligent collection and re-use – but it shows how serious the conflict is in France between industry (especially water producers) and environmentalists in municipalities across the country. Thus a forward strategy was developed by the industry – very much promoted and supported by the French water producers – as a resort for securing the future business in that country. Packaging – preferably in PET – and recycling of that packaging have become major strategic issues.