PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2011

BOTTLE MAKING 17 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 06/11 www.petpla.net PET conversion - that is the question! Another obstacle for greater sales of two stage machines is that newly developed equipment has become more productive, more effective, enjoys a much longer life time on the shop floor and needs replacing less frequently. Applications The market situation of single stage PET processing is very differ- ent: single stage markets tend to be niche markets, with an abundance of PET containers in small to medium quantities, in sizes from very small to very large, in all round, rectangu- lar, oval and other shapes – a golden opportunity for the designers - , with large neck for jars and/or with and without neck. Some distinctive single stage examples:  Champagne base or  Split type conditioning blow, i.e. stretch blow moulding polypropyl- ene narrow necked containers or  Extreme oval, by using an ovalised conditioning station component or  Deep pinch grip  Front parting line  Handle moulding - post-moulded or in-moulded - and/or handle moulded on neck or  PET can with very thin upper flange or  Off-centre neck or  Fixed neck orientation or  Complex neck design/ very short necks allowing greater flexibility on cap design or  Long Neck Liquor Design or  Zero/Minimum Support Ring etc. With the application described single stage markets have made great advances over the years – parallel to, but in the shade of the two stage mar- kets with the eye-catching spectacle of fast cycling and record number of cavi- tations and greatly reduced cycle times. “Inevitably, more applications will come onstream ” – as Karel Keers- maekers – Managing Director of Nissei ASB in Europe – told us: “The number of applications is increasing every year. So does the number of customers using single stage. We are continu- ously on the lookout for new applica- tions – together with our customers.” The majority of users of single stage machines are converters, who supply the bottles ready made for filling. Their customers are drivers of innovative packaging – with the larg- est portfolio of creative ideas, often inspired by fashionable trends in per- fume, often inspired by extravagant promotions in cosmetics. In food the substitution of glass is in full swing – due to cost advantages with PET packaging. The same applies to the pharmaceutical sector. Managerial and geographical considerations in the rest of the world In Europe and US – no doubt - the special applications are the prime drivers of the single stage process. In other areas of the world mana- gerial and logistic issues are playing into the hands of single stage, which we learned in Hangzhou/China at Wahaha, China’s largest water bottler: Why is single stage being used rather than the two stage process for Waha- ha’s multi-billion bottle production? The directors of Wahaha – at the time of our visit – pointed to the simplicity of product management using the single stage process and mentioned transport and logistics in China, where cities are far apart . Two stage processes would require a centralised plant for manufacture of preforms. Transportation of preforms over long distances to blowing/filling plants around the country is costly, if not impossible due to the poor road infrastructure. For Wahaha, Sipa has developed single stage machines with an exceptionally high output. Product management and logis- tics are vital issues in many emerg- ing markets in Asia, Africa and South America. In forthcoming issues of PETplanet: Single Stage Converters   PET Power Single Stage Machine Makers   Nissei ASB   Aoki   Sipa