PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2014

EDITOUR REPORT 14 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 11/14 www.petpla.net We don’t have a stretch blow moulding machine for PET by Waldemar Schmitke CFT - Catelli Food Technology Our next visit takes us to a filling machine manufacturer in Italy with a broad range of applications - Catelli Food Technology, otherwise known as “CFT“, a company based in Parma. Here at the plant in Montecchio Emilia we meet Emanuele Piva, Beverage Sales Manager. We hope to hear more about the Group from him and the role played by PET in terms of corporate focus. The CFT Group has its roots in the Catelli family who have been producing and commissioning processing plants for handling tomatoes and fruits for almost 70 years. Not only process machinery is supplied but also turnkey factories under the name of Rossi & Catelli. CFT was set up in the wake of an expansion in 2006 which resulted from the merger with Manzini, who are also a major player in the food processing machinery and plant industry. Three years later CFT Packaging came into being with the purchase of SBC, Bottling & Canning, Comaco with filling machines for foodstuffs, edible and engine oils and Sima, also manufacturers of filling machines for food- stuffs as well as downstream items and palletisers. “What this means for us,” explains Emanuele Piva, “is that we are in a position to supply everything from a single source, from foodstuffs and beverages processing, packaging all the way through to palletising. With seven branches and agents in a further 43 countries, we are represented world- wide”. Sales in 2013 were around €120million, more or less equally divided between processing and packaging. In Italy there are two locations; one here in Montecchio Emilia and another in Parma with a total of 375 employees. Of these 165 people work in the Packaging Division and in Parma all the others work for Processing. However, by the end of 2014 this will no longer apply because both divisions will have been brought together under one roof in Parma. Packaging and Beverage Division “In the Filling Machine Division we take care of the entire sector, starting with foodstuffs, beverages, baby foods, edible oils right through to engine oils”, says Ema- nuele Piva. As far as the filling machines are concerned, the beverages dominate at 60%. In turn, the biggest share of this (50%) is accounted for by beer, which is somewhat unusual for an Italian company, as Emanuele Piva has to admit. The remaining 50% is divided up into juices, tea, energy drinks, spirit, still beverages and soft drinks. If we look at Packaging, we find that glass and cans tend to dominate. PET accounts for a share of only 15% of over- all sales. The reason for this is the lack of a stretch blow moulding machine for PET bottles. “Today’s market calls for combined solutions (70% or more)”, says Emanuele Piva. There is an absence of any close cooperative relationship with blow moulding machine manufacturers because the major players have their own filling machines. “We missed out on the opportunity to purchase a very well- known player when we had the chance. So we in PET tend to focus on the markets, such as, for example, the USA or appli- cations where individual fillers are still in demand. In addition, we offer special solutions that call for a high degree of flexibility such as, for instance, fillers that are able to process PET and glass in one filling machine.” Emanuele Piva went on: “There is also the hot filling sector. Many people believe that this sector is being increasingly replaced by aseptic filling. That is not the way we see it. We have no aseptic lines in our range but are very strong on hot fill and ultra- clean applications and this applies to PET too. We have more than 175 lines on the market (predominantly in the Far East) and continue to look forward to an active stream of enquiries in this sector and that also goes for PET. Then there is a further sector, filling of soft drinks and juices using PET cans with an aluminium lid.” Although the price for the containers is quite high, Emanuele Piva neverthe- less sees further potential for growth here, as he says “it also fits very well into our portfolio”. Ten to 15 lines as well as unit machines are delivered per year; this corresponds to a turnover of approx. €30mil- lion per year in the beverage sector. There are two main filling systems available for the PET filling operation. Master PET RS/SC for still and carbonated drinks  Fill capacities from 5,000 to 60,000 bottles per hour  Air separate return to avoid product oxidation  Bottles up to a diameter of 125mm (Pitch 141mm)  Soft drinks with four vol. of CO 2 at 15-17C°  Still products filling without pressure  Patented Filling Valve Opening Control  Supplied as monoblock filler/capper or as triblock (rinser/filler/capper) Magic PET SC for still drinks only  PET bottles up to 8 / 10l  Air separate return to avoid product oxidation  Pet bottles only  Fill capacities from 5,000 to 60,000 bottles per hour Magic is also available as Magic HF for hot fill products such as juices, energy drinks, isotonic drinks and iced tea in