PETpla.net Insider 07 / 2017

imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Bunsenstr. 14 69115 Heidelberg, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 [email protected] EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Waldemar Schmitke Anthony Withers WikiPETia.info [email protected] MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann [email protected] Johann Lange-Brock [email protected] phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur Matthias Gaumann | www.exprim.de READER SERVICES Till Kretner [email protected] PRINT Chroma Druck & Verlag GmbH Werkstr. 25 67354 Römerberg Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | w ww.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ sub- scription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 07/17 www.petpla.net Dear friends of PETplaner Insider, Professor Dr. Michael Koch AN APPRECIATION Prof. Dr. Michael Koch sadly passed away on 15 June 2017 at the age of just 61. The PET pioneer had suffered a short but serious illness. His loss deprives his family with three daughters of its caring patriarch, the TU Ilme- nau of a worthy professor, the PET world of one of its pioneers and me of a close friend of many years. From 1983 to 1995 he was a manager at Corpoplast – then still under the name Krupp Corpoplast – first in Development and later in Sales. During this time he was the driving force in the development of PET bottles from niche product to mass packaging for drinks. In his later professional career he worked for Tetra Pak PET packaging machines and also for Husky. His love for PET bottles has been a constant throughout his life. In his inimitable and highly motivated style and despite all university administrative barriers, he built up the specialist area of plastics technology from nothing in 2009 to the team of 16 full-time employees and 30 scientific assistants that it is today. And at all times his work included one or two PET projects. It was always a pleasure to drop in on him, to enjoy a beer or two together in the local student bars and thus contribute intellectually to the improvement of the PET world. Frequently, he interlinked different topics, juxtaposing them in a new way and coming to new and surprising conclu- sions. These were not always readily accepted - more often than not, he rubbed people up the wrong way and his ideas fell on deaf ears. But he was usually right. But it is not right that you - dear Michael - are not able to pursue your passion for science and PET bottles to a ripe old age. You will be sorely missed. Yours Alexander Büchler Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Koch 1955 - 2017