PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2011

PET TOP TALK 17 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 05/11 www.petpla.net 17 are after, i.e. more output from the plants. In Western Europe the chal- lenge lies in rapid tool change capabil- ity: Using smaller installations in the best possible way, changing tools faster, changing cavities fast. PETplanet: What the beverages industry is calling for is ”extended shelf life“. Which solution does Hof- stetter favour? Stefan Zatti: We have found enquiries have fallen significantly. Even scavengers are being used less and less because the material costs too much. PETplanet: Every boom comes to an end. Is growth a condition for stable existence? Otto Hofstetter: If we want to keep our market position as No. 2 in the present environment we need to grow. In our principal market of Western Europe, to which we supply between 60 and 70% of our tools, we are in good shape. Approximately every 2-3 years a new generation of preforms comes along. PETplanet: And what if you don’t grow? Otto Hofstetter: The corporate structure and the flexibility of our oper- ation enable us to cope with setbacks relatively easily. In 2002 and 2003 we suffered a 30% slump in market and sales. We reacted fast, cut work- ing hours and sent people home. And managed to keep out of the red. Crises don’t upset us. As a family firm we may be dependent on profit as well but we have a long time horizon. PETplanet: To take a look at the classic ‘five year period’, are you thinking of making any acquisitions? Otto Hofstetter: We would like to make an acquisition, perhaps pur- chase a machine manufacturer. How- ever, we have a high quality standard. We are looking for a partner who is just as good and sophisticated as we are – maybe even better. There is actually only one left .... But also amongst the Swiss mould- makers, a meaningful supplementa- tion and pooling of resources would be a possibility. We have no difficulty in imagining ourselves cooperating with a cap manufacturer in the PET sector at some point in the future.