PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2015

PET news 6 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 01+02/15 www.petpla.net Sipa acquires Automa PET bottle production activities Sipa has officially acquired all activities related to the production of injection-stretch-blow moulding (ISBM) equip- ment at Automa S.p.A. The acquisition represents an important strategic move for Sipa. It will enable the company to extend its exist- ing offering in single-stage ISBM systems and to gain a stronger position in the market for equipment producing specialty products, such as containers for pharmaceuti- cals, cosmetics, personal care products and spirits. And it is in line with Sipa’s objective of becoming a leader in the development and supply of complete solutions for filling and packaging. Automa ISBM machines are designed for the production of containers in smaller lots than Sipa’s existing units, with features that enable quick change-overs between diffferent product configurations. The machines are also character- ized by their compact layouts and high energy efficiency. The three-station ISBM 50SR unit, for example, with a 500-kN injection clamp force, has a rated power consump- tion of just 18.5 kW/h for the machine, hot runner system and PET loader. The 800-kN ISBM 80SR, which has four stations (separate stations for stretch-blow and discharge), consumes 20 kW/h. Enrico Gribaudo, General Manager of Sipa, says the company intends to maximise synergies between Sipa and Automa’s ISBM operation, in three areas in particular: in packaging development, in research and development of the ISBM process and containers, and in technical support, which Sipa now provides through 18 branch offices and 23 technical assistance centers worldwide. www.sipa.it Bottled water consumption projected to be the number one packaged drink by 2016 Information presented by the Beverage Market- ing Corporation (BMC) during the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) Annual Business Conference in Dallas, Texas, points to bottled water’s growing share of the packaged beverage market.While other beverages struggle to gain or maintain market share, bottled water is expected to have a 7.4% increase in 2014. Every seg- ment of the bottled water industry is growing and bottled water can be considered to be the most successful mass- market beverage category in the U.S. In fact, single serve PET plastic bottled water outperformed all other bever- age categories, posting an increase of 8.4%. Sales of bottled water in 2014 are expected to grow to $13 billion, an increase of 6.1% from 2013. Reflecting a clear trend of consumers increasingly choosing healthy, convenient, zero-calorie bottled water, BMC reported that over the past five years alone, bottled water has increased its “share of stomach” of the overall beverage market from 14.4% in 2009, to 17.8% in 2014. With 20.9%, carbonated soft drinks currently holds the number one position. However, BMC now predicts that by 2016 bottled water will be the number one packaged beverage sold in the United States. Even with this continuing growth and increased consumption, bottled water still has the smallest water and energy use footprint of any packaged beverage. The results of a recent benchmarking study show that the amount of water and energy used to produce bot- tled water products in North America is less than all other types of packaged beverages. On average, only 1.32l of water (including the liter of water consumed) and 0.24MJ of energy are used to produce one liter of finished bottled water. www.bottledwater.org PTI expands PET bottle testing to Southeast Asia via Hemetek partnership Companies in Southeast Asia will now have access to state-of-the-art polyethylene terephthalate (PET) package and bottle evaluation services. The new capability is a result of a partnership between Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI) and Hemetek Techno Instruments, Mumbai. An open house was planned for January 20th, after which the facility will be accepting bottle performance projects. The expansion into the region has been driven by brand owner requests for PTI to establish a local resource to help them determine if their preforms and bottles are meeting performance parameters. Up until now, companies were forced to send these components to laboratories in other parts of the world or rely on limited internal capabilities. PET resin, preform and bottle testing will include solution intrinsic viscosity, acetaldehyde and moisture content, finish dimensions and bottle expansion and burst. The new capa- bility will be based out of Hemetek’s expanded testing facility in Baroda, located in the Gujarat state in western India. www.plastictechnologies.com www.hemetek.com Read more Ne ws: www.petpla .net