PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2016

ON SITE 33 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 01+02/16 www.petpla.net ON site Growth at United Caps: new factory in Schwerin Following the recent announcement of its new name and strategy (see PETplanet Insider 11/15), United Caps, the Luxem- bourgeois closure manufacturer, is seeking to further expand its reach and effectiveness in national and international business. After its 2013 acquisition of the Schwerin, Northern Germany-based SME Schoeller Cap Systems (SCS, €12 mil- lion turnover) Procap – as it was then named – undertook a series of meetings with authorities representing the city and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, the company commenced building a larger, more modern facility in April 2014. The prem- ises first had to undergo a survey by a bomb disposal team, after it emerged that it was a former military exercise ground. The project was managed by Chief Project Officer Rony van Regenmortel and, on November 25, 2015, with the completion of the construction phase of its €26 million investment in the site, United Caps Schwerin GmbH opened its doors. It is now located on a new industrial estate that is also home to Nestlé’s Dolce Gusto capsules factory. “With this step, which is in line with our philosophy of cus- tomer proximity, we seek to strengthen our business in Ger- many and in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe,” says Managing Director Harry Briese. Aged 64, Mr Briese is an experienced hand in the plastics sector and has worked for United Caps and Procap for several years. He began his career as a plastics mechanical engineer, working at Plastmaschinenwerk Schw- erin from 1971 to 1991. He became operations manager and then head of SCS and later Procap/United Caps, a position that he retains. The Schwerin factory includes two production halls extend- ing to 10,000m² in total; another two are already planned. One of the existing halls produces standard sizes for water, carbon- ated soft drinks and juice bottles; the second is dedicated to the manufacture of two- and three-part closures for use in cartons of milk and fruit juice. United Caps says that the new factory, whose client list includes Wesergold and Darguner Brewery, could produce up to 2.5 billion closures annually; output of 5 billion units are forecast for 2016/2017. The company currently employs 58 people; it expects to double its workforce over time. The new building houses 19 machines, including Husky and Engel brands. Some systems are new; the other machines were brought over from the previous factory, according to Mrs Astrid Hoffmann-Leist, Director of Marketing & Communication. Material supplies are held in 12 x 800t silos. www.unitedcaps.com MHT MOLD & HOTRUNNER TECHNOLOGY AG Your Machine - Our Solution E1E59 1996-2016 20 YEARS