PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2014

NEWS 10 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 05/14 www.petpla.net Russia to triple PET capacity within the next few years PET production capacity in Russia is set to triple within the next few years. Two plants are scheduled for completion in 2014: two more, even larger, are at the planning stage. Currently there are four major chemical factories in Russia with advanced synthesis systems in which PET is produced. These companies are Alko - Nafta in Kaliningrad with a capacity of 230,000t, Senesch in Moscow with 100,000t, Sibur - PETF with 76,000t and Polyef in the Republic of Bashkortostan with 140,000t. In fact, if all plans currently being put forward are imple- mented, and this will depend inter alia on the supply of the basic constituents, terephthalic acid and monoethylene glycol (ethane), PET capacity in the next two to three years could triple - to 1.5 million tonnes per year. The biggest new project is being planned by Chemie Holding Onk. The Group is building a facility to produce 600,000t terephthalic acid and 600,000t/a PET. According to market expert Viktor Kernizki, the project is at the preliminary planning stage. Similarly, large plants are also planned in Kabardino - Balka- ria. There, Etana is planning a new PET plant costing 15.7 billion rubles (about €320m). Etana plans to produce annu- ally 486,000t PET, of which 15% will be PET fibres. At pre- sent, the planners are reportedly looking at Etana’s propos- als relating to the infrastructure in and around the plant site. In the packaging industry, the main consumer of PET, there is still potential for growth. The market volume for PET in Russia is estimated at US$ 2bn. The growth forecast for the next few years is plus 4%/a. Actual growth will depend crucially on who comes out the winner in the long-running controversy over beer in PET bottles. Currently, about one third of PET production goes to breweries. Every second litre of beer sold in Russia is in plastic bottles. However, glass, metal and vodka producers are lobbying for a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in PET bottles. For their part, PET bottle producers and the breweries are supporting the status quo. In contrast to alcoholic drinks, demand is grow- ing steadily for milk and bottled water. www.gtai.de www.creon-online.ru PTI announces oPTI PET technology partnership Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI) announces new technology partnerships to assist in the commercialisa- tion of its overmoulded oPTI PET bottles. Foboha GmbH and Ferromatik Milacron GmbH have now joined PTI to improve speed-to-market and commercial viability for the lightweight foamed PET bottles. The Foboha cube mould system has been designed from the ground up to maximise cavitation and minimise cost for overmoulded parts. The goal was to increase production output criteria for the oPTI inner layer and an overmoulded traditional PET outer layer bottles. Coupling Foboha’s cube mould technology with Ferromatik Mila- cron’s injection moulding platform results in an increased number of cavities in the mould, thereby increasing the output. The oPTI process produces bottles with striking visual and tactile attributes, ideal for applications seeking brand differentiation. It is based on MuCell technology licensed from Trexel, Inc. Ideal applications are said to include foods, beverages (wine, spirits, beer, juice, nutriceuticals, etc.) health and beauty aids, cosmetics, etc. www.plastictechnologies.com Bühler Thermal Processes AG PET plants with SSP technologies Bühler Thermal Processes AG (BPAG) has introduced SSP technologies for strand cut pellets (ECOstrand) and underwater cut pellets (ECOsphere) which is said to reduce energy consumption by up to 50% compared to conventional technology. In addition the MEG consumption in polymer production can be reduced by 0.5kg/t of PET. The two lead- ing PET producers Indorama Ventures and Far Eastern New Century have chosen the new BPAG Eco SSP technologies for their plant expansions in Europe and Asia. The Eco- sphere technology will be commissioned by the middle of 2014 and the Ecostrand technology will be producing PET by May 2015. BPAG claims that the Eco SSP technologies allow a compact building structure and a lightweight building design with a minimum number of floors. The savings on the build- ing structure costs are up to 50% compared to conventional design. www.btpag.com drink technology India and Interna- tional PackTech India in Sept 2014 drink technology India and International PackTech India will take place under one roof in Mumbai from Sep- tember 25-27 and present solutions for the international packaging, package labelling, processing, food and bever- age industries. Six months before the start of the trade show double, the organisers expect an increase in sold floorspace of between 10 and 20%. A total of at least 260 exhibitors are expected for both events; they will present their products and services in Hall 1 of the Bombay Con- vention & Exhibition Centre. During the previous double feature in November 2012, the organisers recorded a total of 220 exhibitors. This year’s number of visitors is also expected to rise. A total of 7,500 specialists visited the last event; this year, the hosts anticipate about 8,500. For the first time, drink technology India will feature Round Table Talks: manufacturers from the beverage and food segment will present case studies to illustrate a spe- cific topic. The presentation will be followed by a discus- sion with suppliers and the audience. The overall subject of this year’s Round Table Talks is “The Outlook for Bever- ages and Food in India 2020.” A second feature of the drink technology India sup- porting programme is the exhibitors’ forum with exhibitor presentations on the subjects of “Beverage” and “Food”. www.drinktechnology-india.com www.packtech-india.com