PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2015

PET TOP TALK 24 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 11/15 www.petpla.net Tour Sponsors: Talks at Pack Expo 2015, part 1 No, not New York, this time we’re in Las Vegas, where Pack Expo takes place every other year, alternating with Chicago. This year, the event is celebrating its 20 th anniversary. Our visit to the event has been scheduled to coincide with our tour of North America in the Edi- tourmobil. Basically, this is where we get to admire the achievements of 2,006 exhibitors in terms of machinery, plant and packaging materials for dry packaged goods. For those with an interest in PET, there were some 20 exhibitors showcasing their products. Lollicup - Chino, CA, USA Founded in 2000, Lollicup Coffee & Tea is a leading retailer of milk-and tea-based beverages complemented with tasty, chewy add-ons and addictive snacks, such as Boba Milk Tea and Popcorn Chicken. Today, with 36 locations in the U.S. and China, Lollicup Coffee & Tea plans to continue expanding over- seas into Europe and the Middle East. Later the company expanded to incorporate its own packaging production operation, Karat. Established in 2004, Karat offers a full line of premium, cost- effective food and beverage packaging products. Customers may mix and match compostable paper cups and lids to fulfil diverse needs and budgets. Their products are sold not only to their own company. You can find them also as IP, Dixie, Sweetheart, and Solo. Karat PET plastic cups have an important part to play in terms of interactive teamwork. They are claimed to be of high-clarity compared to alternative materi- als such as PP or PS. Also known for its ability to maintain product integrity as it is odour-free, PET can maintain the original aroma and flavour of food and beverages and is freeze-, heat-, and crack-resistant, making it the most popular disposable plastic material in the market used for a wide range of products, such as iced tea, slush, juice, ice cream, beer, and more. www.lollicupusa.com Amcor - Ann Arbor, MI, USA Amcor were simultaneously showcasing three new developments at the exhibition. The first was a PET wide mouth container with an 82mm opening diameter for classic twist-off lids made from tinplate. This is a further develop- ment of a similar container featuring the 63mm neck. As a hot fill packaging for tomato products it has to compete with glass containers on the shelves. For this reason it was important as far as the developers were concerned, quite apart from the external appearance, that the tinplate lid should open with exactly the same “pop” sound as it does with the glass product. However, Amcor has also paid special attention to the weight of the packaging. Using the traditional hot fill PET base would have meant that the packaging would have weighed at least 10g more. The developers have optimised the base so that only 39g of PET is used in the new packaging. They refer to the developments as the “power strap”, which means that the new packaging is some 40% lighter than glass when completely filled with product. Amcor has also succeeded in winning Bronco Wine as a customer for their new 750ml barrier bottle. Bronco are already using the single serve 187ml bottle and are looking at marketing their organic wine in it as an environmen- tally friendly alternative to the glass wine bottle. The target group is primarily first class airline passengers and, for those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, Joe´s Retail Stores in the USA. An aluminium screw cap is used as a closure. www.amcor.com F.l.t.r.: Terry Patcheak and Jocelyn Cory, Vice President Marketing Jerome Tung, Sales Manager