PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2014

TRADESHOW REVIEW 27 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 11/14 www.petpla.net 4th edition Chips & Grapes 2014 PET in the vineyards by Wolfgang von Schröter Barbastro, 1st and 2nd October 2014. Here, among the vineyards of the Somontano Region at the foot of the Pyrenees, is where “Chips & Grapes“ took place, the 4th time the ”PET conference in the vineyards“ had been staged, once more organised and hosted by a committed team from Novapet, the leading Spanish manufacturer of PET granulate and also preforms. Chips & Grapes differs from PET conferences in other parts of the world by virtue of the unique way in which it endeavours to forge a link / relationship between man and nature, between individuals involved in the development and industrial production as well as in the bodegas and in vine- yards of Barbastro. It involves people from the same region who share the same cultural background, the same capabilities, the same wealth of ideas both as regards Chips (PET granu- lates) and Grapes (the wine) and who instil each other with enthusiasm, as well as motivating and animating their colleagues. However, following a wine tast- ing in the Viñas del Vero to welcome the guests for the evening it quickly becomes clear that all this has less to do with philosophical, conciliatory idylls but is more a matter of hard- headed, strategic business dealings on the part of the organisers, their friends and customers assembled there to mark this, the 4th time that Chips & Grapes had been staged. The 3rd Conference in 2012 addressed the global topics of the PET value added chain overall from the granulate right through to the filled bottle, whereas the 4th conference had a narrower and more specific focus, namely, integrating into the value added chain those processes in which blow(ing) moulding plays a cen- tral part in the line. Other key topics addressed at the conference were specialisation and innovation, and in particular new applications and new materials. David Gonzalez, CEO of Novapet, summarised as follows: “All our efforts are directed towards identifying new perspec- tives and innovative applications for our PET material. The Nova- pet portfolio consists of 17 differ- ent formats based on 5 principle designs. We concentrate on serving niche markets and therefore smaller quantities, rather than the general commodity market. Commodities occupy something around 30% of our business. Naturally, research and developments and research for new materials are prime disciplines for Novapet.”