PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2012

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 14 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 10/12 www.petpla.net Universe Chen, General Manager S.O.E. Group Production  Resin processed: 9,600t/a PET  Number of preforms: 200 million, primarily heavy pre- forms  Projected increase after investment into two more pre- form systems: Additional 7,200t/a PET  Biggest customers are Pepsi (CSD) and Canten (min- eral water). Locations  in Xiamen (facility rented): one KraussMaffei PETForm system, 72 cavities  in Guang Zhou one Husky system, one Krupp system, two Netstal systems with 128 cavities are on order. Long term policy: the Husky/Krupp systems are for CSD preforms, the KraussMaffei PETForm system for edible oil preforms, the Netstal systems for water. Project SOE has been concerned with the topic of recycling for the past six years. Talks have been held with the local municipalities about collection systems and with Chinese authorities about the use of rPET in food applications. Talks are also on the way with expert companies to supply equip- ment for re-processing bottles into pellets for bottle-to-bot- tle usage – such as Starlinger, Erema, Herbold and others. The capacity of recycling plant under consideration: between 25,000 and 30,000t of rPET. Quote from Universe Chen – probably referring to recent orders and addressed to Netstal: “We have no inventory, no preforms in stock. When the need arises with new orders, we rely on the timely response and the professional support of our suppliers.” Xiamen Yinlu Foods Group “More beverages, more investments, more machines.” F.l.t.r.: Tony Chen, Wolfgang von Schroeter, Michael Mueller We met: Tony Chen, Head of Purchasing (together with Michael Müller ) China’s PET sector speaks in hushed, reverent tones about Xiamen Yinlu Foods – or Yinlu for short, because the company’s image is totally at odds with the standards gen- erally applicable to an industrial operation. This, however, does not make it any the less successful. Yinlu occupies grand and prestigious head office prem- ises in the centre of the city of Xiamen – a high-ceilinged entrance hall with an impressive chandelier hanging from the ceiling, empty of people (unusual in China), marble columns and a marble floor. Here financial power and grandeur are displayed before which leaves the visitor from Europe awe-struck. The production operation takes place outside the city. In the company of David Tso, who represents the Netstal brand at the KraussMaffei Group in China, we visited the main plant, travelling across the open site, no fencing, no barrier, no need for the time-consuming identification process in order to gain access. David Tso knows his way around, he is, literally, at home here, as he navigates his way without hesitation into what is known as the ’Netstal Bay’ where a number of Netstal machines are working alongside a Huayan injection moulding machine. The main- tenance people take a break from working inside the Chi- nese mould to say hello to us and, in particular, David Tso. The production facilities – aseptic bottling is a speciality at Yinlu – are spread over an extensive green area, with a lake and garden as well as villas for the owners (the Chen family) and management personnel on the same plot. Alongside the production bays is the company’s own conference centre. 20,000 employees are said to work here, 300,000 Chinese with a direct or indirect connection/ relationship with the Yinlu enterprise.