PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2015

EDITOUR REPORT 13 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 07+08/15 www.petpla.net The company started life 40 years ago with the manu- facture of electrical switch cabinets. Then, in 1992, the transition was made to the manufacture of stretch blow moulding machines. The company saw sufficient potential for future growth in stretch blow moulding machines for the manufacture of PET bottles and containers. Basic know- ledge from the electrical side was brought in at the same time and so it is not surprising that all the machines are fully kitted out electrically and the switch cabinets continue to be wired and assembled by the company itself. The machine sizes range from 1 to 6 blow moulding stations with capacities of up to 10,000 containers/bph. Of the 40 machines that are delivered every year, the focus is on machines with 1 and 2 blow moulding stations, for high quality PET bottles. The spectrum of application ranges from 100ml to 30l containers in the sectors of detergents, edible oils, cosmetics, food packaging and, in smaller quantities, drinks, mineral water and beer (kegs, 5 gallon water dispensers). It is predominantly PET that is pro- cessed but PE, PP and bio-resins are also used. The focus of application is on containers for detergents which account for 30% of machine turnover. Oriol Vives explains: “We have always been export- orientated and even today boast an export share of 95%. It is an advantage for us that we are not reliant on the Spanish market. The PET market in Spain is just taking off and there- fore we hardly envisage a substantial number of investments in the near future. Fortunately for Side, 50% of our markets are in Europe and the other 50% in America.” Oriol Vives went on: “One of our specialities is PET containers with a handle for edible oils and juices, deter- gents and milk, specially our T-handle development, to save money and improve the product image. Out of a total of 40 stretch blow moulding machines that we deliver every year, 12 are lines for containers with T-handles. The range of machinery is made up of all-electric linear stretch blow moulding machines whose particular feature is that each blow mould has its own heating furnace and this means that each preform has the same temperature history as would be the case with a rotary machine.” Side’s range of machinery includes the following: Bottle/Container Bph Type TMS No. blow moulding stations Up to 2l 3,000 1002e 2 6,000 2004e 4 10,000 2006e 6 Up to 10l 1,400 Maxiblow 1 2,800 2002e-G 2 3,600 2003e 3 Up to 30l 700 5001e-G 1 Josep Jimenez takes up the story: “We are a family company and therefore we need to proceed with great caution, adopting a step-by-step strategy. Before we open up new markets we ensure that we are going to be able to offer a locally based service. We see ourselves as an engineering company, even though we do manufacture the switch cabinets and machine frames ourselves. Otherwise we only assemble and test the machine systems prior to shipment. The majority of the stretch blow moulding machines are individual machine projects. However, our aim is to offer more complete solutions to problems. The containers and bottles with T-handle represent an impor- tant approach to this. Here it is predominately complete solutions that are in demand, for instance from advice on bottle design right through to systems delivered complete with moulds, peripherals and handling equipment and to have it all commissioned at the customer’s premises. Our team is geared to this. We are already registering growth in established mar- kets such as Latin America and Mexico. In addition, we are conscious of a developing trend whereby some applica- tions, such as, for example, in cosmetics, are moving away from the single-stage machines to 2-stage machines. The reasons for this lie in more flexibility. Good to hear, as our competitors are the single-stage machines and this gives us the potential to acquire additional market share.” www.side.es 100% domestic market won’t do any more PFP Termopolimeros | May 9, 2014 We met: Mr Fernando Sirera, Commercial Director After visiting Side we meet a customer of theirs on the same day, Messrs. PFP Termopolimeros. Here in El Figaro-Montmany, Barcelona we make the acquaintance of Fernando Sirera, Commercial Director. The company has been under family control with a facility here in Spain for 30 years. PFP is a manufacturer of PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, ABS, EVA, etc. containers with a focus on the pharmaceu- ticals industry. 85% of the products are for pharmaceutical use and the remaining 15% are broken down into deter- gents, foodstuffs, cosmetics and medicine (such as clinical containers for cotton swabs). The production portfolio ranges from individual containers right through to complete packaging solutions with closures and all the necessary certificates and document. The premises cover a total of 8,000m 2 (500m² clean room Iso 8). The business turns over €8m, entirely for the domestic market, and has 37 employees.