PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2013

EDITOURS REPORTS 24 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 10/13 www.petpla.net The fact that the company is very well prepared to face the future is also demonstrated by its fleet of machines which is shown and explained to me by Production Manager Ahmed Usen on a tour of the plant. During the past three years alone, five new machines have been purchased so that today there are eleven blow moulding machines and eight injection moulding machines gracing the production areas. This is another reason for the outstanding relation- ship between the company and the machine manufacturers. The Husky HyPET 500 machine, which was the first to be purchased last year, is the largest machine on site. The next scheduled investment is a preform inspection machine with a throughput of 20,000 preforms per hour. Eight injection moulding machines run in the high season, on Saturdays too if required. It is not only at Plasco that people are giving some thought to protecting the environment. The Chilean gov- ernment is this year discussing the implementation of a recycling guideline for national industry. With an eye to the future, the Chilean company is already assessing the pos- sible effects on production so as to ensure that it stays true to its environmentally aware profile. What is Plasco doing that is so exceptional, I ask, before downing the last drop of Espresso left in my cup. “We are constantly debating how we can achieve further reductions in the weight of the bottles. Doing this helps to take care of the environment. We are very efficient and bring out approximately seven new bottles every year with this in mind. Innovation is our corporate philosophy!” www.ccu.cl March 21, 2013 Refres Now We met: Walter Canido, Managing Director Nestor Fischer, Production Manager The CSD and water bottler Refres Now, located in the south of Buenos Aires, is today one of the most important bottlers in the discounter segment. In conversation with Managing Director Walter Canido and Production Manager Nestor Fischer, we find out how the company has got to where it is today. (F.l.t.r.) Production Manager Nestor Fischer, Managing Direc- tor Walter Canido and Laura (linguistic support) To begin with, and prior to the establishment of Refres Now, day-to-day business was taken up with the distribution purely of beverages and this went on for many years. Family member and Managing Director Orlando Canido, so Walter Canido tells us, embarked on the successive opening up of his market beyond the confines of Buenos Aires, first on a small scale and later expanding to bigger things. How- ever, at a certain moment, it became evident that obstacles within the sales chain were restricting further opportunities for development and growth. “To put it bluntly, we were the new kids on the block, with no track to boast of“, says Walter Canido with a smile. “At the time, the decision to establish our own bottling plant was frankly a gut feeling that it was the right thing to do”. If nothing else, it was also the discov- ery of a drinking water well on the present company’s prem- ises that got the show on the road. In 2005 Refres Now was finally set up by Orlando Canido, with three production lines to start with and technology partially salvaged from the 70s, before modern technologies came on the scene in 2009. Today the company premises cover around 54,000m² and the company has 192 employees. Refres Now’s bottling line for “Manaos Soda” The nine bottling lines and production units from Sidel, Sacmi and Acmi produce beverages bottles in 0.5, 0.6, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25 and 6l sizes using 17g to 84g preforms with a PCO 1810 neck finish. The closures are supplied by Sinea Enterprise. Their undisputed flagship product is “Manaos Cola“, whose name honours the town of Manaus. The beverage is also available in Orange,