PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2012

PET news 6 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 11/12 www.petpla.net Uhde Inventa-Fischer to build Europe`s biggest PET plant for JBF Industries Ltd. The plant engineering and construction company Uhde Inventa-Fischer is to build a PET plant for its Indian customer JBF Industries Ltd. The plant is based on Uhde Inventa- Fischer’s Melt-To-Resin (MTR) technology and will have a total name plate capacity of 432,000t/a. It will be located in Geel, Belgium, and will produce PET for bottling and packag- ing applications. Feedstock terephthalic acid will be produced by BP Chembel N.V. on the same site and supplied. Integra- tion of a 54,000t/a Flakes-To-Resin (FTR) recycling line will also allow 25% of the PTA required for the production of PET to be replaced with recycling material. The FTR process is FDA-approved, which certifies that the quality of the PET pellets produced is adequate for food applications. Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s scope of supplies includes the know-how licence for the MTR- and FTR technologies, the basic- and detail engineering, supply of all plant components and super- vision of the construction and commissioning activities. The operating personnel will also be trained by Uhde Inventa- Fischer’s specialists. The detail engineering for the project will be carried out by Uhde Inventa-Fischer and Uhde India Private Ltd., thus bearing testimony to international coopera- tion within the Thyssen Krupp Uhde group network. www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com Italy reports recovery in machinery volumes Italian trade association Assocomaplast, which represents around 160 manufacturers of plastics and rubber process- ing machinery, has reported that its members have experi- enced higher trade in imports and exports in the first half of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. Imports, while less than previous quarters in 2012, grew by 6% over 2011, to a value approaching €300 million. Exports increased by 11%, to more than €1.23 billion. The main types of machin- ery exported were extruders (approximately 12% of the total); blow-moulding machines (+16%) and moulds (+28%), which represent 28% of the total. However, exports of injection machines fell by 14%, primarily due to a slump in European sales, especially to Russia, although volumes are reported to be rising in European markets outside the EU. Exports to African countries, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, are increas- ing, although from a lower value base. Sales of machines and moulds are climbing in the Americas, especially in the Nafta area, with Mexico leading. Brazil, by contrast, has slowed down. Lower demand in China and India has seen Far East- ern markets stagnate, and the unstable political situation has led to falls in exports to the Near and Middle East. The top five countries for Italian exports are Germany, France, Russia, USA and China. www.assocomaplast.org Husky launches next-generation HyCap Husky Injection Molding Systems has announced the commercial launch of its next generation HyCAP system, which was introduced at NPE 2012 (see PETplanet Insider Issue 4, p 36). The new system adds to Husky’s existing suite of beverage closures products and is the first to utilise the resources of closure mouldmaker KTW. Changes made to the HyCap hot runner include modified insulation technology and heating requirements to reduce energy consumption. Husky maintains that the develop- ment of a complete integrated solution has enabled it to streamline how each discrete component works together, in order to deliver industry-leading cycle times. A new mould design is claimed to improve overall operational productivity and to maximise uptime by eliminating unnec- essary stoppages and facilitating easier maintenance. The mould incorporates features to provide easy set-up and improved longevity, while eliminating the need for sensors to monitor specific components. www.husky.ca Management shake-up at Corvaglia Thomas Marder, formerly CEO and member of the Corvaglia Group’s board of directors, left the company on 1 October 2012 due to differences of opinion about the Group’s future direction. Operational control has passed back to Romeo Corvaglia, company owner and chair- man of the board. Franco Bischof has taken over Thomas Marder’s position on the board, which will see a third member appointed once a suitable candidate has been recruited. Thomas Marder was a member of the board from 2009 and became Corvaglia Group CEO in summer 2011. Romeo Corvaglia thanked Mr Marder for his contribnution to the company and acknowledged his “significant contri- bution to the consolidation and ongoing development of Corvaglia Closures Eschlikon AG”. www.corvaglia.ch