PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2017

PREFORM PRODUCTION PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 09/17 www.petpla.net 14 Interview with Stefan Zatti, CEO, Otto Systems AG Joint forces for the perfect preform system by Alexander Büchler Otto Hofstetter AG and Yudo are founding a joint venture to enable them to offer complete preform systems. To do this they are relying on machinery and components from providers already on the market to enable them to offer customers the perfect system for their preform. Stefan Zatti, CEO of Otto Systems, Uznach, Switzerland is presenting the new concept in the BMB factory in Brescia, Italy. As a first proof of con- cept, Otto Systems together with BMB reveals the BMB320 (clamping force 3200kN) with an Otto Hofstetter 96-cav system. This produces an 8g preform with a 29/25 neck. Output is 60,650 items per hour (1.4 million/day). With a micropitch of 50*84mm, the mould is very compact in con- struction. It can therefore be removed both laterally and also upwards from the cavity between the spurs. The machine moves the moveable platen and plasticising is also effected using electricity. The result out of this is an excellent electricity consumption balance. The shooting pot and the ejector work hydraulically. The robot is supplied by JV partner Yudo. Because of the low pitch, the extraction arm has only two cooling stations, making this machine design more suitable for lighter preforms. The system is sup- plied by a Piovan Genesys system. We asked Stefan Zatti about the back- ground behind why the Otto Hofstet- ter AG wants to gain a foothold in the preform machinery market. PETplanet: Mr Zatti, with Otto Systems you are entering the fiercely competitive market for complete pre- form systems. Many powerful com- panies have tried it and subsequently withdrawn. What makes you think you’ll be successful? Zatti: For our parent company Otto Hofstetter AG, every customer project begins with the preform. The customer has certain ideas here. But which mould design or machine to use is very often a secondary consideration. And this is where we see our expertise; we have over 40 years of experience in the imple- mentation of specific customer requirements. We would like to pull this expertise together with our JV partner Yudo. PETplanet: So you do not want to build machines yourself, but merge available components into an overall system? Zatti: Depending on the require- ments of the preform and the situation of the customer, different components from different manufacturers can be the best solution. We are not commit- ted to any one preform system manu- facturer or on any one kiln provider. PETplanet: Does this ultimately mean that Otto Systems also offers moulds that have not been built by the Otto Hofstetter AG? Zatti: Our main concern is to build systems uncompromisingly tai- lored to the needs of the customer. If an Otto Hofstetter mould is the right solution – fine. But if another mould proves more suitable, we will also offer the option of third-party moulds. PETplanet: If you combine all brands with one another, there will be an unbelievable mountain of interfaces. How will you control this? Zatti: As I have already men- tioned, we have been building moulds for the widest variety of systems for over 40 years now. So the machine-mould interface is no problem for us. New for us is the robot-machine interface, and that is Yudo’s area of responsibility. PETplanet: Your workshops in Uznach are working to capacity so how do you plan to build a complete system before delivery so as to guarantee a functioning unit for the customer? Stefan Zatti from Otto Systems is passionate about the new concept. The extraction side is from JV partner Yudo