PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2018

PET news 6 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 03/18 www.petpla.net Bottling manufacturing to take centre stage at NPE2018 The only show feature of its kind in the United States, the Bottle Zone at NPE2018 will showcase more than 80 companies within more than 5,300m 2 on the show floor. The exhibits within the zone will promote the latest advance- ments, products and trends in bottling and container manufacturing for this booming sector of the plastics industry. With higher consumption of bottled products and low cost of materials, the NPE Bottle Zone provides a place for manufacturers and suppliers to explore ways to incorporate new technology, supplies and equipment into their manufacturing processes. The NPE Bottle Zone, presented with supporting partners PETplanet, drink- tec and the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT), intends to give attendees access to everything needed for competitive success. With the Bottle Zone, NPE2018 provides a deeper look at issues important to this vertical segment to ensure they are able to more effectively meet consumer demands, such as sustainability and safety, while giving manufacturers the ability to invest in new technology and solutions to address these challenges and opportunities “Plastics are integral to the bottling world’s ongoing success and contin- ued innovation,” said William R. Carteaux, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association. “This vital industry segment hasn’t had a singular event and exposition where solutions providers and industry professionals can gather to exchange new ideas, technologies and answers to the unique challenges facing the beverage, bottling and PET market. The Bottle Zone at NPE2018 will change that. This is where every company in the bottling supply chain can connect with market-leading equipment and solution providers and access the combined expertise they need to move their businesses forward.” The show floor will give leaders in bottling, pharmaceutical and container manufacturing the ability to explore the next generation of bottles and contain- ers from 80-plus manufacturers and suppliers: resins, colourants, additives, preforms, moulds, dryers, labelling, filling, capping, closure design, compres- sors, inspection equipment and recyclers. The Bottle Zone Technical Forum conference, hosted by PETplanet and ISBT will put front-and-centre the innovations, trends and data focused on recent advances and the next-generation technology driving the future of bot- tling. Topics covered in the Technical Forum will include: preform and closure manufacturing; bottle blow moulding technologies; bottle filling and inspection; downstream packaging and recycling; and raw materials, additives and barriers. And, in the NPE Bottle Zone Biergarten, plastics professionals and bot- tling manufacturers will have a place to do business with new and existing partners, socialise with colleagues and mix with industry leaders and experts. In addition to the programming featured in the Bottle Zone, NPE2018 will play host to the 2018 Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit, designed for plastics and packaging leaders. Of particular interest for bottling manufac- turers is the panel discussion Biobased Bioplastic Polymers and the Future of Bottling with focus on innovations in plastics derived from renewable sources and the positive impact it will have on manufacturing operations. NPE2018: The Plastics Show - produced by the Plastics Industry Asso- ciation (PLASTICS) and set to stage May 7-11, 2018, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, USA - is featuring more than 2,000 suppliers from across the globe, nine targeted conferences, and more than 65,000 manufacturing leaders. www.npe.org/bottlezone Frutarom opens colour formulation centre in Slovenia Frutarom recently opened a natural colour formulations centre at its Etol plant in Celje, Slovenia, to provide its European customers full, customised service. The centre will help clients with natural colours application, creating natural flavour com- binations, and utilisation of its beverage compound technologies. Frutarom invested €5 million in advanced equipment and tech- nology for the new facility. The new formulation hub will serve 15,000 Frutarom’s customers in Europe— about 50% of the company’s global cus- tomers. The 90-year-old company Etol was acquired by Frutarom in 2012. Frutarom has become one of the top five suppliers of natural colours worldwide following its acquisition of several natural colours companies, and major investments in building fully integrated, safe, and con- trolled supply chains. The company has experienced double-digit growth annually in the natural colourants segment. Frutarom initiated dozens of agriculture collaborations with local farmers in multi- ple locations and countries to ensure the supply of continuous and sustainable natural sourcing of pigments and food colourings. In addition, the company has increased the technical competencies for its extract capabilities. www.frutaromnatural.com