PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2019

PACKAGING PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 10/19 www.petpla.net 19 greatest challenge in the creation of the moulds was the correct represen- tation of the rib design in the upper third of the bottle. Detergents by Amir, Algeria What’s happening now, and where is the journey going? Mr. Giovanni Milesi, OEM Key Account Manager SMI S.p.A. We talked to industry expert Gio- vanni Milesi, OEM Key Account Man- ager at Italian company SMI Group, one of the world’s largest bottling and packaging equipment manufactur- ers. Globally represented with local machine production in San Giovanni Bianco and annual sales of € 145 mil- lion in 2018, the turnkey supplier for beverage, food and non-food is well aware of the trends and potential of PET packaging in the latter segment. “The fact that PET has significant advantages as a preferred material in cosmetics and beauty care, household products and other non-food areas is reflected on every supermarket shelf,” Milesi explained. “In addition to the low cost, ease of process, positive mechanical properties, high availabil- ity of raw materials worldwide and an annual growth rate of over 6%, the excellent visuals of the packaging and the material throughput also speak in favour of its use in these areas. This is joined by the high recycling capabil- ity of PET. Compared with the outputs of HDPE extrusion equipment, for example, PET stretch blow mould- ing equipment is able to manufacture significantly higher quantities. A key challenge for non-food processors is to make the right choice of closure. Ideally, these should correspond to uniform preform necks, so as to avoid having to invest in new preform moulds for each type of neck.” Mr Milesi is con- fident that “if influential companies in the industry further develop the closure design to a standard, this could unify the preform market for non-food con- version, globally improve the availabil- ity of preforms for these segments and, in the best case scenario, render the neck issue obsolete.” The fact that there has not, so far, been a standard for necks explains the success of both technologies, whether single-stage or two-stage. What used to be a single-stage attribute can now also be used in two-stage processes, thanks to selec- tive or differential heating technology for PET preforms. This means that stretch-blown, non-cylindrical contain- ers, such as rectangular, oval and additional designs with a completely uniform material distribution are now possible. According to SMI, the mes- sage that the product on the shelf sends to the customer is now more important than ever before and a key factor for success and sales, which is why huge efforts are now being made in packaging and design. “PET’s attributes enable it to fulfil these requirements in the non-food sector,” Mr Milesi explained. Despite this, it is difficult to predict how the market will develop, whether there will be a uniform neck standard or innova- tion in the handling of different neck finishes, which will make the equip- ment more flexible. DNC boosters Turnkey all-in-one system • Compact powerhouse with a footprint of only 2.35 m² ‡ ,QLWLDO SUHVVXUH XS WR EDU ² ÀQDO SUHVVXUH XS WR EDU • Plug and play: ready for immediate operation ‡ 3UHPLXP HˣFLHQF\ ,( PRWRU GHOLYHUV LPSUHVVLYH SHUIRUPDQFH DQG HQHUJ\ VDYLQJV • Sigma Control 2 controller: RSWLPXP HˣFLHQF\ DQG QHWZRUN FDSDELOLW\ ,QGXVWULH www.kaeser.com KAESER KOMPRESSOREN – Your compressed air systems partner Visit us in Düsseldorf, 16th – 23rd October 2019 in Hall 11, Stand G59