PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2014

EDITOUR REPORT 20 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 04/14 www.petpla.net It’s Wednesday and we are crawl- ing through the rush hour traffic in Rio towards our meeting with Coca Cola. At their offices, we are welcomed by Paulo Roberto Villas, Head of Supply Chain for Packaging, and Lucas Angelo Amendola, Packaging Specialist. Both tell us a lot of interesting facts about the company’s current and future projects. The next day and together with Paulo Roberto we have our next appointment with Coca Cola franchisees Andina. André Braga, bottle blowmoulding production manager, and Ana Carolina Almeida, Industrial Supervisor bid us welcome and take us on a tour of the plant. Before we leave, our hosts kindly help us fill the Editourmobil water tanks. The next stage of the journey, accord- ing to the itinerary prepared by our col- leagues in Heidelberg, is a mere 200km away – or so we were led to believe. But sad to say, having driven for an hour it turns out that Lindóia, where we have our next interview, is nearly 500km away. Something seems to have gone badly wrong here. Naturally we would not be able to manage this distance even if we drove all day and all night, especially as we have only a couple of energy drinks to keep us going. In the morning, on the way to Lindóia, we come across a shopping centre and although it is not fully open, we manage to find a coffee shop to recharge our bat- teries before finally reaching Genuina Lin- doya. In an interview with Julio Almeida, Administrative Director, and Andre Arlotti Giao, Head of Marketing, we get a lot of information about the health-oriented drinks company. The week was, to say the least, full of ups and downs. There’s no shortage of excitement on an Editourmobil tour! The following week begins early Monday morning in the car park of a shopping centre in Barueri in the district of São Paulo. Our upcoming visit, to Grupo Ravi, is first on the list. Grupo Ravi produces, amongst other products, closures for PET bottles in South America. Director Aure- lio Silva welcomes us together with Erica Rodrigues from the research and develop- ment department and accountant Claudia Mello. In the course of a most interest- ing interview we learn about the compa- ny’s broad portfolio of products and their coverage of the South American market. (by Florian Roscheck) eral Manager of Amcor Rigid Plastics Brazil. In response to a question about location, proximity to the customer was the argument presented. Here in Jundiai Amcor have two blow moulding plants for PET bottles. One plant is directly linked with an important CSD PET bottler. PET bottles are passed through the wall and collected ready for filling. The other plant next door (where we are) produces PET bottles for CSD and hot fill applications using the 2-stage process. Amcor operates a total of six plants in Brazil, among the two blowing plants located in Jundiai, a third blowing plant located in Goiania is dedicated to blow food containers for an important multinational company. Two preform injection plants, one located in Manaus in the Federal State of Ama- zonas; and Amcor’s newest plant in the industrial and port area of Porto de Suape in the Federal State of Pernambuco. The sixth plant in Louveira (São Paulo State) is dedicated for pharmaceuticals, personal care and home care sec- tors. By contrast to all the other plants in Brazil, this plant in Louveira produces a wide range of containers and closures with different production platforms and technologies, as well as different resins according to market requirements. One step machines, extrusion blow, injection blow and injection moulding machines are in perfect alignment with decorating machines capable of fine printing containers. Particular features of the Brazilian market Brazil is by far the largest market in South America with a population of more than 190 million. In this market we find more than 150 beverages bottling companies and brewing operations, from the family firm through to enterprises boast- ing a global presence, from local to global brands. According to Ruben Melara “there’s a special place in the market for each and every option. As a result, however, an enormous diversity of geometries and sizes is developing where bottles are concerned, together with a range of differ- ent specifications. A challenge that can only be overcome by means of innovation and technology.” Nor is the growth of the market currently of much help. 2012 brought with it a growth in the sector amounting to 2% by comparison to a normal growth rate in the past of 6-7%. The root cause of this is attributed to the sluggish growth of the Brazilian economy over the past year. Lightweight preforms Amcor is continuously working on programmes aimed at reducing the weight of preforms and bottles from an early stage. Their philosophy here is to manage the various stages in development themselves before presenting them to the market. To this end, Amcor Brazil tend to fall back on the development departments within their American headquar- ters who, with their extensive experience and test facilities, are able to offer the required support. The largest customer in Brazil, has, in their own factories in Brazil, an important migration to the 1881 neck finish for beverages bottles with the aim of achieving 100% in a very near future, causing an important weight reduction of the container. This migration, combined with the most innovative program to reduce weight on the body of the containers, has caused enormous savings in terms of total PET resin tons demanded: in 2009, 2.1bil- lion preforms were being manufactured using a total weight