PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2015

EDITOUR REPORT 14 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 07+08/15 www.petpla.net The facility has a fleet of 40 machines.  2 x Side stretch blow moulding machines (2-stage)  7 x injection moulding machines  25 x extrusion blow moulding machines with up to 4 blow moulding stations made in Spain  2 x injection blow moulding machines with 12 cavities  Assembly lines for complete containers (for instance with closures) Mr Fernando Sirera, Commercial Director On the two Side 2-stage linear stretch blow moulding machines, PET containers from 100ml to 1l are produced for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, detergents and foodstuffs. One product typical of these machines is 250ml pregnancy testing kits. The installation includes machines in two sizes, one with a blow moulding station and a capacity of 1,400 containers an hour whilst the second machine has two blow moulding stations which can handle up to 2,500 containers an hour. Fernando Sirera discussed some of the challenges facing the company: “With 100% domestic sales, we are facing an increasing challenge due to a declining market and dwindling buying power. We would not have thought that there would be any need for us to think about direct exports. Tradition- ally we are geared to the domestic market and now need to explore other avenues and put some effort into direct export. That we are growing despite this is due to the fact that the majority of our customers export. We are a small firm and can only adopt a step-by-step approach. This is why we have started to focus on export markets, in particular France and Italy. In spite of the situation in Spain it remains for us an important market where we are well established. Currently, there are signs of a revival of demand here in Spain, although everything is very short term and very cautious, sometimes even unrealistic. Before the financial crisis hit, for example, 20,000 containers would be ordered, although only 10,000 were actually needed. Today our cus- tomers are ordering precisely 10,000 containers and the order is only increased at the last minute if demand is there. This plays havoc with forward planning”. Fernando Sirera explained the implications for their busi- ness. “For us, this means we have to be flexible enough to react to short-term requirements. The markets are simply not thinking long-term. Helping us to do this are, increasingly, 2-stage PET stretch blow machines that can be more flexibly deployed than single-stage equipment and which are some- times also able to manufacture more cheaply. We also have to search the market for the correct preforms, and at the moment that means Poland, Germany, France and Spain”. And what about the future? “We shall be increasing our efforts to identify more export opportunities. But we will also be looking at increasing flex- ibility, for instance through the extended use of 2-stage stretch blow moulding machines. A further point is the expan- sion of project business incorporating complete packaging solutions since, when it comes to spatial considerations, we are well provided for here”, Fernando Sirera concluded. Following a tour of the works we thank our hosts for the interview and resume our journey in the direction of Madrid. www.pfptermopolimeros.com Wide neck containers in PET for foodstuffs Farmaplas s.l. | May 14, 2014 We met: Mr. Justo Antonio Yanez Vega, General Manager En route from Barcelona to Seville we stop off at Fuen- labrada (Madrid). Here we visit Messrs. Farmaplas, a manu- facturer of plastic containers destined predominantly for the foodstuffs and cosmetics industries. The General Manager, Mr. Justo Antonio Yanez Vega, has agreed to make himself available for interview. Farmaplas, a family concern set up in 1982, today employs 100 people and has a turnover of approximately €20m. According to Justo Antonio Yanez Vega, the total plant capacity is 365mil containers a day at 90% efficiency. The factory premises extend to a total of 9,000m 2 , 4,000m 2 of which are taken up by the production area. Of this, 1,300m 2 are assigned to PET applications. PET, HDPE, PP and, in small quantities, PVC too are processed. The lion’s share in terms of quantity goes to PET with 65%. The area of application for PET containers lies predomi- nantly in the foodstuffs sector, home and body care appli- cations such as, for example, mayonnaise, instant coffee, water, soap dispenser, washing up liquid and wine.