PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2014

imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Häusserstr. 36 69115 Heidelberg, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 [email protected] EDITORIAL Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Kay Barton Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Waldemar Schmitke Ilona Trotter Wolfgang von Schroeter Anthony Withers MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann [email protected] Johann Lange-Brock [email protected] phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 France, Italy, Spain, UK Elisabeth Maria Köpke phone: +49 6201-878925 fax: +49 6201-878926 [email protected] LAYOUT AND PREPRESS Exprim Kommunikationsdesign Matthias Gaumann | www.exprim.de READER SERVICES Till Kretner [email protected] PRINT Chroma Druck & Verlag GmbH Werkstr. 25 67354 Römerberg Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | w ww.petpla.net PETplanet insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ sub- scription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 10/14 www.petpla.net Many factors come into play when decisions are being made about whether or not to invest in a new line. In the majority of cases, it boils down to the specification. This establishes the key factors: the desired output range of the equipment, the products to be produced, whether the line is compatible with existing machinery and so on. These are the “hard” facts, but “soft” factors increasingly have a part to play. What about servicing? Are spares easily available? Is the quality of training up to scratch? Every supplier will, of course, offer reassurance on such issues, but does the reality match the rhetoric? In our on-site reports we are used to hearing all sides of the discus- sion, but for us, it is never clear whether it is simply an individual view- point we are hearing, or whether there is actually something amiss in the sector. In the Western European orientated countries (efficient infrastructure, stagnating economies), complaints are considerably fewer than in the rapidly growing countries. In many cases on-site knowhow – especially for new market participants – is not as great as would be the case with a manufacturer with 50 years acquired experience in the market. All the more important, then, for suppliers to tailor their after-sales service to the particular features of these rapidly growing markets. We wanted to examine these aspects systematically, and we there- fore asked Prof. Dr Dipl.-Ing. Michael Koch of the Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany, to carry out an in-depth investigation covering no fewer than 102 countries. These countries may not necessarily be classi- fied as major industrial nations of the western world, but they are growing rapidly. Taking part in the survey were just under 200 companies with more than 900 machines between them, and equipment from the pre- form, stretch blow moulding and bottling systems. We are deeply grate- ful for their participation and cooperation. The results of this extensive survey will be presented in a three-part series. We begin today with the first part – a look at the current state of play. Enjoy reading! Yours Alexander Büchler dear readers,