PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2018

TRADE SHOW REVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 07+08/18 www.petpla.net 38 Eight years market presence and customers in more than 30 countries Blow moulding machines from South China by Kay Barton Friend Machine, based in Zhongshan, between Guangzhou and Macau in southern China, has since 2010 been developing blow moulding plants that produce PET bottles and jars for packaging drinks – including mineral waters and hot fill products – edible oils, cosmetics, personal care, medicines and more besides. The company was founded by James Zhang, who currently holds he position of General Manager. It is focusing on global growth and is a regularly presence at Asia’s key trade fairs. At Chinaplas, Friend presented its 10 cavity FR-L10E model, which has an output of up to 18,000 bph. Its capabilities were demon- strated with the production of 500ml milk bottles, with the growing international market for PET packaged dairy products in the single serve segment very much in mind. “James Zhang’s vision when he founded the company was to promote bottle blowing technology in China,” says Mrs Bonney Zhao, Zhang’s wife. The company founder had previously worked as Director of Sales at a mechanical engineering firm located in Taiwan that made blow moulding equipment and recognised the growing demand in China for locally-produced machinery in this sector. Friend now produces about 100 linear blow moulding machines and components every year, has roughly 50 patents and installations in more than 30 countries; exports account for roughly 30% of the company’s total output. “We want to continue growing over- seas and to develop our international customer base in particular,” said Mrs Zhao. Half of the company’s machines end up in the edible oil segment, fol- lowed by water (30%). Juices and cos- metics applications currently share the balance of customers, with 10% each. In China itself, the firm’s customers include influential brands like C’estbon, Watsons Water, Red Bull, Yanjing Beer and Lee Kum Kee. The Friend factory floor space totals 10,000m 2 , 6,000m 2 of which is used by the production function, and accommodates roughly 80 employees. Friend Machine has been recog- nised as a “Key Project for Equipment of Zhongshan City”; it is the only machinery producer of its type in Zhongshan. It is also officially recognised as a “Guan- dong Province High Technology Enter- prise”. “Our equipment is modularly inte- grated into the production line at the cus- tomer’s and is both energy-efficient and quiet,” Mrs Zhao explained. “It is easy for machine personnel to operate and to maintain, and the installed components guarantee bottling companies consistent quality for PET containers. We want to continuously improve our technology in future, particularly in terms of speed and consumption.” www.friend-machine.com L IGHTWE IGHT WI TH CONF IDENCE CONTACT US TODAY TO LEARN MORE! AGRINTL.COM | +1.724.482.2163 | SALES@AGRINTL.COM PROCESS PILOT ® Blowmolder management easy as . . . Highly accurate material distribution guarantees that even WKH OLJKWHVW FRQWDLQHU PHHWV \RXU VSHFLȴFDWLRQV