PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2020

PREFORM PRODUCTION 46 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 06/20 www.petpla.net Preforms and closures for local brands Is there a gap for a convertor to fill between multi-brand suppliers and simple preforms? Yes, according to Mr Ashutosh Gandhi, MD of Ahimsa Industries, Ahmedabad, who flew to Düsseldorf for the K trade-fair in 2010 and bought the then recently introduced, compact, fully automated H-PET AE 180 preform injection moulding system from Husky. The Green- pet brand was established and its work began. Greenpet Ahimsa Industries Ltd. June 2019 We met: Mr Ashutosh Gandhi, MD Mr Sanjay Agrawal, CEO It was, and still is, important to Gandhi that Greenpet supplies top quality products and is able to provide a wide variety of local fillers: from Alaska Neck water preforms to PCO 1881s for 150ml and 2-litre CSD and juice bottles, as well as offering a complete package that includes clo- sures, together with first-class service. Nowadays, his customers can fill bottles at speeds of up to 12,000 bph, compared to 3,600 bph eight years ago. Greenpet has grown in step with its clients, with the result that one mil- lion preforms now leave the factory every day in a twin-shift operation. On request, he supplies the correct caps which he buys in and keeps in stock. “This is how we deliver our product to the customer within two hours of the request being received”, is his philos- ophy. He sells preforms in cardboard boxes and also in air-tight bags. “A bag is cheaper for our customers than a box”, explains Gandhi. Just as he always gives his utmost for his customers, so he also demands total commitment from his suppliers. His H-PET AE 180 was Husky’s first lower output, compact system to be sold to the customer. “To improve its control system Husky technicians came in”, recalls Sanjay Agrawal, CEO, of that time. “They helped us plan for three days and stayed for 18. After that, everything worked like clockwork.” Software development at Greenpet has ulti- mately benefitted all users of the compact Husky system. He opted for a Canadian manufacturer as the after- sales service is provided directly from India. Originally designed for 40 cavi- ties, soon moulds for lower-weight preforms were being produced that increased this number to 48 cavi- ties, thereby allowing him to produce 20% more preforms in one go. As the preforms have become lighter and thus more thin-walled, savings of an extra 10% of cycle time can be achieved. In 2013, a second H-PET AE system with a closure force of 230 t was added to the portfolio. The original plant now produces all water preforms (Alaska Neck) which are all new PCO 1881s. In all, Greenpet sup- plies a total of 11 different preforms, five for water and six PCO 1881s. In order to do this, he needs six mould sets. “Most of our capital is tied up here but we can only run two systems at the plant at any one time”, explains Gandhi. His idea is to build a second fac- tory for his customers in the south and east of the country and regularly interchange the equipment so that four out of the six systems are always running. The team is also looking to maximise production and energy con- sumption. A change of machinery that took eight hours to complete some eight years ago now takes just 120 minutes. Whereas previously the cool- ing system needed 7,000 l per week, it is now able to achieve the same con- sumption over a period of two weeks. www.greenpet.in Tour Sponsors: Everything compact next to one another. Offices on the left, and the two Husky plants, with room for plant no. 3, on the right. Preforms can be packed in bags at the customer’s request.