PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2013

PET news 6 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 06/13 www.petpla.net Indian summer for Cermex French company Cermex, part of the Sidel Group, has announced the opening of a new plant in Pune, India. The facility will initially assemble three machine models, one from each major product line family and including a machine that was designed in India. They are: the vertical Pick & Place Packer; an automatic shrink-wrapper with sealing bar; and a P9 four-axis gripping/transfer palletiser, which has been developed for local industry needs. Cermex says that its 15-person Indian team, which was established in 2011, will now be able to create end-of-line packaging machines that are specifically adapted for the local market. As it has its own design capacity, can handle assembly of existing machines and has the capacity to accept further technology transfers from France, the team is expected to expand as business develops. The company intends to open additional sales offices in India, which will be in addition to offices in Vietnam and Indonesia. www.cermex.com Husky World Tour makes stop in Austria and Brazil The Husky World Tour 2013 touched down in Austria in April for a two-day Speciality Closures Conference at the company’s Technical Centre in Waidhofen. Represent- atives from across the packaging industry saw presenta- tions on the latest trends and developments in closures manufacturing, including Husky’s speciality closures manufacturing technology. The event included tours, case studies, demonstrations, discussions and presentations from Husky and other industry experts. Topics included advanced mould technologies, complete speciality closure systems, a presentation from Joseph Everard, Senior Manager, Mould Management from Unilever, and a demonstration of Husky’s Easycube mould technology. The next event on Husky’s World Tour was the South American Beverage Packaging Conference in São Paolo, Brazil in May 2013. On May 14, 2013, Husky hosted its first South American stop on the Husky World Tour 2013 – a Beverage Packaging Conference at its Technical Center in São Paolo, Brazil. More than 130 business leaders rep- resenting over 70 different companies gathered together to learn about the latest innovations and challenges in the beverage packaging industry. The one-day event included networking opportunities and presentations from Husky and industry experts, including guest speakers Paulo Villas, Packaging Supply Chain Manager and Lucas Amendola, Chemical Engineer from Coca-Cola Brazil, highlighting current and upcoming industry trends. Husky also presented its comprehensive range of products and services. Some of the key products highlighted include Husky’s H-PET AE system for lower volume preform manufacturing, HyCAP system for the high output produc- tion of beverage closures, as well as mould conversions and aftermarket services to help preform manufacturers keep their operations running at peak efficiency. South America has long been an important market for Husky. Recent investments to enhance regional support include increased accessibility to service specialists, as well as the addition of local PET experts.To further reduce customer downtime, Husky is working to improve spare parts ordering and delivery by increasing inventory in the region. The Husky World Tour 2013 is a series of global customer events taking place throughout the year in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Sev- eral events are being held throughout the month of June, including a North American Caps and Closures Confer- ence at Husky’s global headquarters in Bolton, Ontario, Canada, a Beverage Packaging Conference in Istanbul, Turkey and a Hot Runners Conference in Chicago, United States. www.husky.ca Resilux reports resilience Resilux NV has reported 2012 unit sales volumes 2% higher than 2011’s, with the strongest increases being seen in East and Central Europe, and Switzerland. Poor weather conditions in Northern Europe and the economic crisis in Southern Europe had negative effects. Revenues fell, by 2.6% to €279 million, which the company attributed to decreased prices for raw materials. Resilux has agree- ments to pass on raw material price fluctuations to custom- ers. “Added value” (total revenues less trade goods, raw materials, services and other goods) increased by 0.8%, to €56.3 million. EBITDA, however, fell 7.6%: from €28.28 mil- lion to €26.14. The company reported that a stronger Swiss Franc and US $ led to an increase in remuneration costs, in addition to indexation of salaries and wages. Non-personnel cash costs in 2012 increased 8.7% compared with 2011, which was attributed to variable production costs arising from increased volumes, as well as repair, maintenance and R&D outlay. Operational non-cash costs declined by €1.1 million, to €12.5 million, while depreciation costs increased by a similar amount. Pre-tax profit in 2012 was €12.1 million, an increase of 10.6% over the previous year’s €10.9 million. After-tax profit was reported as €10.1 million (2011: €9.1 mil- lion). The Board of Directors has proposed a gross dividend per share of €1.65 – unchanged from 2011. Resilux says that it expects to see a similar outturn of EBITDA in 2013 The AiroLux AG joint venture is not expected to make a posi- tive contribution in 2013. www.resilux.com