PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2018

CAPS & CLOSURES 38 PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 04/18 www.petpla.net 25 people are currently employed at the factory, working on a two shift system. If orders demand it, 24/7 operations are also possible, Michael Van Dord told us. As well as straightforward manu- facturing, the company also works with customers to develop appropriate closures for their specific needs, sup- porting them throughout the process, from idea to production prototypes. Its standard portfolio ranges from 22mm to 83mm, with demand for large diameter closures being particularly big. During our visit, closures for PET honey pots were leaving the conveyor belt; they are an important current growth market. Compared with competitors like giant-sized packaging firms Visy or Orora, Caps & Closures sees its strengths to be in areas in which a high degree of flexibility and the appropriate outputs are required in the low cavitation segment. “Of course, we can also manufacture high volumes if required but our size gives us the ability to respond at short notice and to address our customers on an individual basis“, says Brendon Holmes. In the drinks segment, Caps & Closures manufactures for Asahi, Schweppes, fruit juice manufacturers and the discount brands of supermarket chain Coles, amongst others. The focus is on the Australian market; its exporting business is limited but it has plans to expand to Asia, to China in particular, where Australian products are gener- ally highly regarded. The company esti- mates that around half of its sports drinks closures are sold throughout Asia. In the future, the company wants to gradually increase its market share in the high cavita- tion market, whose biggest segments are food, beverage and pharmaceuti- cals. This is another reason for its invest- ment in the most recent new additions to its machine park, including two Netstal Synergy systems. Caps & Closures has plans to expand the plant in the local industry park and to launch new products. “We have recently developed a new form of dispensing closure which we are presenting in this interview for the first time,” Michael Van Dord says. The new product retains the twist-pull concept on the neck of the bottle; depending on the application, whether dosing opening or drink opening, it is opened and closed by twisting. The closure is currently intended for HDPE bottles but Brendon Holmes tells us that it could be very interesting for PET bottles. “We are also working on a new technology for product traceability using microchips,” he continues. “This would be of interest for products in the higher priced segment, for example, in which counterfeiting is an issue.” In response to the question of what makes Caps & Closures the company it is, Brendon Holmes says: “Our creative teams, consisting of engineers, design- ers and specialists, are exceptionally hard working and transfer their dedica- tion to our products. We work for our customers on a global basis; we want to develop excellent new technologies and bring them onto the market in collabora- tion and partnership with them.” www.capsandclosures.com.au Brendon Holmes and Michael Van Dord (left) in the company’s foyer