PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2013

BOTTLE MAKING 23  Chameleon Series (built in Taiwan) with 1-2 blow moulding stations. This model is especially suitable for the manufacture of wide neck containers with a neck finish diameter of 33mm to 200mm and PET containers with handles.  L-Series with a continuous heating system (built in Taiwan) with 1-16 blow moulding stations. This model is used predominantly for CSD and mineral water PET bottles but there are also versions suitable for hot fill applications.  Phoenix Series (built in China) 2-6 blow mould- ing stations. The principal area of application, in addition to beverages, is geared more to the area of edible oils, household articles, cosmetics and foodstuffs packaging. Markets According to Mr Bush Hsieh, Chum Power has more than 3,000 machines on the market. Exports of linear machines account for around 90% of production. Key countries are, in order of importance, China and the Far East, followed by Africa. The highest level of growth is currently to be found in Africa. In China, Chum Power is benefiting from the imminent change from single stage machines to 2-stage machines. The main applica- tions for the stretch blow moulding machines are as follows:  50% Mineral water  25% Beverages  15% Edible oils  10% Household, cosmet- ics, detergent, food Service According to Mr Bush Hsieh, service lies at the heart of the company’s corpo- rate strategy. Or as he put it during our interview: “If there is no local service, ultimately there is no business.” It is a motto that Chum Power takes to all its operations in a total of 92 countries world-wide. In Indonesia, Korea and Japan the service staff are based in the dealer- ships. The company’s first wholly-owned sales and service branch is in Thailand. A further branch is planned in Africa. We raised the question about the competitive situation in China, both in relation to indigenous Chinese manu- facturers and their European counter- parts. His answer was an interesting slant on the widely-held view that China competes solely on price. “We at Chum Power find ourselves in pretty much the same position as European manufactur- ers”, he said. “Namely, we are alleged to be expensive. Our response is that we are not only determined to maintain our competitive edge through technol- ogy and quality but to aim for constant improvement.” He concluded with an interesting observation. “Our Chinese competitors in the linear stretch blow moulding machines sector are probably three years or so behind us. Our focus on the importance of service helps to keep us ahead of the game.” www.chumpower.com PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 10/13