PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2011

imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Landhausstr. 4 69115 Heidelberg, Germany phone: +49(0)6221-65108-0 fax: +49(0)6221-65108-28 info@hbmedia.net EDITORIAL Doris Fischer f ischer@hbmedia.net Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Ilona Trotter Wolfgang von Schroeter Anthony Withers MEDIA CONSULTANTS Ute Andrä andrae@hbmedia.net Martina Hischmann hirschmann@hbmedia.net Ursula Wachter wachter@hbmedia.net phone: +49(0)6221-65108-0 fax: +49(0)6221-65108-28 France, Italy, Spain, UK Elisabeth Maria Köpke phone: +49(0)6201-878925 fax: +49(0)6201-878926 koepke@hbmedia.net LAYOUT AND PREPRESS Exprim Kommunikationsdesign Matthias Gaumann | www.exprim.de READER SERVICES Kay Krüger reader@hbmedia.net PRINT Chroma Druck & Verlag GmbH Werkstraße 25 67354 Römerberg Germany WWW www.petpla.net | in dia.petpla.net PETplanet insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ sub- scription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 06/11 www.petpla.net Due to the dominant position of two-stage conversion in PET markets, our magazine has inevitably focused on this sector. It was a deliberate policy on our part, reflecting the interest in high volume pro- duction, the issue of cavitations, increased speeds and cycle times, all of which are the core concerns of the beverages sector. Although PET is a staple of this sector, it is also being used increasingly in other areas, such as the cosmetics, pharmaceuti- cal and food industries. Here, however, it is the single-stage process which takes centre stage, combining injection and blow-moulding in one single unit. We at PETplanet Insider take pride in our reputation as “the maga- zine for bottlers and bottle makers”, irrespective of whether the PET bottle is made by the single-stage or two-stage process. Recognising that some very innovative ideas are being generated by the single- stage process, we decided to take a closer look at the sector. The new applications offered by the single-stage process are bound to be of interest to all of us in the industry, whether we are bottlers, converters, machine manufacturers, and, of course, the world-wide readership of PETplanet. Starting today, and continuing in forthcoming issues of the maga- zine, we are presenting a short series of articles focusing on the major questions raised by the single-stage and the two-stage processes. We have canvassed the views of the experts. Here is Karel Keers- maekers of Nissei ASB with the confident assertion that: “Single-stage is pushing the technical boundaries of bottle development.” Some of the major players in the single-stage sector tend to avoid the public gaze, preferring a more low-key approach. Kaoru Yoshi- matsu, CEO of Aoki, is typical. When we spoke to him in Mexico some years ago, he made his view quite clear: “We would rather make mil- lions of dollars than millions of bottles.” A sly reference to the fact that specialised single-stage applications offer the potential for bigger profit margins. Might this cause converters in the beverages sector to sit up and take notice? After all, they are constantly seeking bigger volumes and better margins. Ever alert to the importance of keeping abreast of new develop- ments, we at PETplanet Insider have undertaken a comprehensive investigation of the single-stage market. We spoke to the major play- ers and other experts in an effort to clarify the key issues. Amongst them: which technology is most appropriate for specific applications? Are there any regional issues that need to be taken into account? To learn more, read our in-depth review on page 16f. Yours, Wolfgang von Schroeter EDITORIAL dear readers, EDITORIAL EDITORIAL dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers, dear readers,