PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2013

PREFORM PRODUCTION 34 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 09/13 www.petpla.net KraussMaffei and Netstal’s PET Business join forces Under one roof In October 2011 KraussMaffei Group bundled the PET activi- ties of KraussMaffei and Netstal under the Netstal banner. One and a half years ago the Group also strengthened their injection moulding business by creating one group-wide segment. We spoke with Dr Hans Ulrich Golz, President of KraussMaffei and Netstal’s group-wide integrated injection moulding machinery segment and CEO of Netstal, while the KraussMaffei PET activities has apparently been consoli- dated under the Netstal umbrella for K and drinktec/PETpoint. range of machinery to Näfels in Swit- zerland. PETplanet: The product range has always offered excellent value for money. Can you continue to maintain this at the relatively expensive Swiss location? Golz: The moulds used to come from Switzerland as a rule anyway and many parts of the line come from outside Switzerland. So the cost struc- ture at the production site in Switzer- land should remain much the same. The important factor was to bring together at a single location the PET competencies of the group, which had hitherto been spread over two loca- tions. PETplanet: Are you considering producing the PET lines in China? Golz: Yes. The KraussMaf- fei Group has a production facility for injection moulding and reaction moulding machines and extrusion lines operating over in Haiyan. While we want to serve the Asian market better, we want to provide our PET portfolio and better services from a local base in the future. PETplanet: Let’s talk about the PET portfolio. Will we see anything new in next year? Golz: Yes. We are strengthening our leading market position worldwide by presenting the new Netstal PET- Line 2400 for the first time at drinktec 2013 in Munich. With this product we now have an extensive product range as well as comprehensive application and system expertise for beverage bottles and caps. At the same time, the new Netstal PET-Line 4000 will be available for individual inspection at works in Näfels. We are very confi- dent that the new products will serve the needs of our customers perfectly. They will be able to improve their pro- duction and energy efficiency as well as their productivity. Great empha- sis is also placed on material, and hence, cost savings. Hydromechani- cally driven axes with state-of-the-art valve and control technology as well as a further increase in throughput performance of the injection unit make it possible for Netstal to reduce cycle times again, hence massively increas- ing output capacity. Thanks to the use of the innovative “Eco Powerunit” drive technology and the possibility of recovery in the intermediate circuit, energy savings of up to 10% can be achieved at the same time. PETplanet: And one last question: your major competitor has declined to participate either in the K-Fair or in drinktec/PETpoint. Are you anticipat- ing fewer visitors with an interest in PET at your stand? Golz: All the customers I have spoken to are coming to these impor- tant fairs. I believe we can look for- ward to holding more intensive talks and perhaps more of them. www.kraussmaffei.com PETplanet: Mr Golz, over a year ago the announcement that Netstal was being integrated into KraussMaf- fei generated some disquiet. Pes- simists were already forecasting the end of Netstal. Golz: I would like to mention that Netstal became part of the Krauss- Maffei Group in 1992. Last year we bundled our group-wide injection moulding activities to strengthen our position in key markets and deliber- ately extend our presence on growth markets. Therefore we maintained the independent market presence of the Netstal and KraussMaffei brands with a clearly defined product portfolio and separately operating sales organisa- tions for both brands. PETplanet: Netstal continues to exist not only in terms of its own logo but also as an own-brand with its own development section. Golz: Yes, Netstal will act inde- pendently in the market. We have optimised the product portfolio and our services we offer and eliminated any unnecessary overlaps. Netstal has a clear focus on PET and fast-moving types of thinwall packaging as well as caps and closures. During the course of the reorganisation, we decided that it would make sense to relocate pro- duction of the KraussMaffei PETForm Dr Hans Ulrich Golz, President of KraussMaffei and Netstal’s group-wide integrated injection moulding machinery segment and CEO of Netstal Here they are side by side rather than apart - the three independent brands of KraussMaffei, Netstal and KraussMaffei Berstorff 360°