PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2012

NEWS 10 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 04/12 www.petpla.net Engel and Plastisud create Green Cap Mould manufacturer Plastisud and injection moulding machine producer Engel Austria have established Green Cap, a joint venture company that is offering turnkey solu- tions for the production of sealing caps for water and soft drinks containers in China, the world’s largest market for caps and closures, in terms of volume. China is imposing increas- ingly stringent requirements on packaging products and their manufacture. Packaging weight has to be reduced, quality has to be raised and demanding performance levels have to be delivered with energy efficiency. The two partners claim to have analysed the Chinese market and the demands of Chi- nese manufacturers in great detail and their aim is to offer an economically viable solution to plastics processing companies in China. Plastisud and Engel were launching the new com- pany at the Chinaplas 2012 trade fair in Shanghai. The Green Cap stand (F41 in hall W1) will feature an all-electric Engel e-cap 3440/420 injection moulding machine with a 96-cavity mould made by Plastisud that will make nearly 130,000 seal- ing caps per hour, reaching a cycle time faster than 2.8s. Green Cap is promising energy consumption of just 0.75kWh per kilogram of granules and efficient use of cooling water. Green Cap solutions come with 32 to 96 cavities moulds as standard along with machine clamping force of 200 to 420t, with 500t machines also available. Plastisud has a sales office in Shanghai; Engel has a production plant in Shanghai as well as three sales and service offices. www.engel.at €400 million Artlant plant starts production The new €400 million Artlant PTA plant, located at Sines, Portugal, began production of PTA (purified terephtalic acid) in March 2012. PTA is used in the manufacture of PET and is 100% recyclable. Construction of the plant commenced in 2008 and has an installed capacity of 700,000t of PTA annually. It is projected to become one of the world’s major strategic produc- tion plants and is expected to have a European market share of 17%. The facility has been equipped with state-of-the-art PTA production equipment and is expected to be 25% more energy- efficient than existing equivalent factories. Artlant will create 400 new jobs, both directly and indirectly. The plant was deemed to be of national interest for the Portuguese government. Reve- nues at Artlant PTA are anticipated to exceed €600 million Euros annually, with 95% of its production destined for international markets, such as Brazil, the Middle East and India. www.artlantpta.com Krones grows in 2011 Beverage filling and packaging technology manufacturer Krones reported that its sales revenues in 2011 were 14.1% up on 2010’s figures, rising from €2,173.3 to €2,480.3 mil- lion, which is ahead of growth target. Booked orders were 14.6% higher, at €2,514.0 million. Earnings before taxes rose from €70.8 to €74.6 million. These results are affected by a provision in the financial statements for 2011 relating to potential settlements arising from litigation in the USA*. Earnings after taxes fell in 2011 by comparison with the pre- ceding year, from €50.9 to €43.7 million. Due to the above- mentioned one-off effect and the expenses entailed by a tax audit, the company’s tax rate rose significantly in compari- son to the preceding year. The Supervisory and Executive Boards will be proposing the AGM a dividend of €0.60 per share, 50% up on the preceding year. As at December 31, 2011, Krones had no debts with banks and net cash totalled more than €125 million and the equity ratio was 38.5 %. Krones expects a positive development for the 2012 busi- ness year, and is anticipating a significant strengthening of its profitability. *Krones is currently engaged in mediation with US plaintiffs with respect to the Le-Nature’s case. The legal disputes are related to the financial scandal involving the bankruptcy of the US company, whose former directors have been convicted of fraud. In 2005/2006, Krones produced, deliv- ered and commissioned filling lines representing a contract volume of approximately US$100 million for the Le-Nature’s facility in Phoenix, Arizona. www.krones.com IVL captures Old World Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), the Thailand-listed producer of PTA, PET and polyester fibre, has completed its US$795 million acquisition of the US- based Old World Industries I, Ltd., and Old World Trans- portation Ltd. Based in Clear Lake, near Houston, Texas, Old World operates the largest single ethylene oxide (EO) and ethylene glycol (EG) production facility in the U.S. with crude EO capacity of 435,000t/a. Old World will continue to serve the US’ purified EO merchant market in addition to its glycol customer base. Old World Indus- tries, LLC will continue to own and operate its Consumer Products Group business. Indorama Ventures will con- tinue to supply Ethylene Glycol to Old World’s Consumer Products Group for its coolant business under a long-term contract that was part of the purchase agreement. IVL has 9,000 employees worldwide and generated consolidated revenues of US$6.1 billion 2011. www.indorama.net Sidel honoured in India At the annual Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Strate- gic Supplier Summit in Gurgaon, India, Sidel was pre- sented with the Supplier Performance Silver Award 2011 in the Production Equipment category. On February 1, 2012, Plastindia Foundation, the Indian industry asso- ciation, awarded Sidel the silver trophy in the Innovative Plastics Processing Machinery & Ancillary Equipment cat- egory. The prize was awarded at the Plastindia tradeshow in New Delhi. Sidel highlighted its Synergy Combi linear PET stretch blow moulder at the show. www.sidel.com Appe opens factory in Poland Appe, the packaging division of LSB, has announced the establishment of Appe Polska in Poland, which will serve emerging Eastern European markets. The company is invest- ing in excess of €15 million in a new factory in Katowice in South Poland, which will offer its full range of services, including preforms and bottles, advanced technologies, bar- rier bottles, bespoke container designs and the capabilities to provide dedicated Through-The-Wall operations at customer sites. The factory is due to open later in 2012 and Appe says that it has already secured two major new contracts with lead- ing companies for the Polish facility. www.appepackaging.com