PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2021

TOP TALK PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 01+02/21 www.petpla.net 11 of projects at different levels of maturity which were already on their way. And we wrapped it all up in a single Stra- tegic Plan for the company until 2030. The basic theme of this Plan is to create and to promote throughout the action of different divisions of the company a real and concrete circular economy for PET, which is, we believe, a wonderful mate- rial. For doing so, the Plan organises Novapet into three different divisions at the service of a unique strategic vision: Novapet resins and concentrates; Novapet packaging; and REnovaPET. PETplanet: With REnovaPET you are announcing a new subsidiary for recycled PET in addition to your virgin PET resins. Can you tell us more about this? González: REnovaPET has assumed and undertaken the fasci- nating mission to create real circular economy conditions for PET in the coming years. And this will be achieved not only because of the transforma- tion of our industrial assets to pro- duce PET with collected material (we expect to produce 120,000t in 2024), but because of our involvement as a company in the setting up of collection systems complementary to the existing integrated schemes. The installation of the first equipment to produce 15,000t of rPET will be done within this year and we expect to have it in operation in Q1 2022. We strongly believe in PET as a great material for the future. But “future” for this material means social and indi- vidual responsibility, adequate practices along the length of the chain, and the promotion of the right culture for it all. PETplanet: Mr González, during your Open House in 2016 you told me about your observations that your customers are increasingly outsourcing the injection moulding process but order the preforms from you instead. Your Barbastro plant was refitted from seven to eleven injection moulding machines by then in a record time. Now you have just announced that you are expanding the preform area even more. Can you briefly outline the developments for us? González: Our injection plant in Barbastro, close to the central Pyr- enees, is equipped with eleven lines providing a total yearly output of two billion preforms. The new investments we have already announced involve new contracts signed with customers in France and northern Spain. These investments will lead to fourteen lines operating in Barbastro at the end of this year for a total output of 2,5 billion pieces a year. Moreover, nowadays Novapet Packaging is looking for loca- tions for a new injection plant to be built in the South of Spain and with the plan to have it in operation at the end of 2022. We consider the installation of 4-5 injection lines in this second plant, for a total production of around 700 mil- lion preforms a year. PETplanet: Back in 2016, you also defined the dairy market as a major growth market for PET. How has this developed for you? González: Novapet has always considered the dairy market as one of the most important growing opportuni- ties for PET as material. I do not think I need to insist on the convenience, functionality and shelf appealing virtues of PET compared with other traditional dairy packages. And these growing opportunities do not come exclusively from the plain clear bottles already widely used for fresh dairy products distributed under refrigerated condi- tions, but more importantly from the white bottles suitable for long shelf life dairies (ESL and UHT). Novapet was one of the very first companies dealing in this sector, and has today a global presence in it throughout the licence agreement upon our technology signed with Colormatrix (today Avient) four years ago. Today, our special PET tech- nology for dairies is sold, under Avient’s brand Lactra SX, in four continents and is supporting the substantial growth of this market. PETplanet: Thank you very much! www.novapet.com Novapet restructures its business divisions Novapet, a Samca Group company, has undertaken a restructur- ing of its internal divisions which went into effect in January 2021. It is derived from the growth recorded in recent years in the company’s activ- ities related to the production of containers, and from the approval of the company’s new Strategic Plan to the year 2030. Novapet will continue applying its strategy of progressive downstream integration of its activi- ties in the PET market, with growth in the injection of preforms and in the design and production of finished PET containers. In the upcoming years a strong investment plan will serve this strategic line dedicated to:  Reinforcing the production capacities of preforms in the plant in Bar- bastro, that is envisaged to pass the 2,500 million units in 2021.  Consolidating the presence of the company in new functional mar- kets.  Creating a second injection plant in the south of the Peninsula.  Making its subsidiary Farmaplás a leader in the market of finished containers of PET and polyolefins. To accomplish this, Novapet will concentrate all these activities in a new division with the business name Novapet Envase (Noven), which will be organised in two different branches of operations: Noven Pre- forms (for PET preforms as well as the technical, logistical and financial services associated with them) and Noven Farmaplás (including all the activities of the current Farmaplás). Secondly, Novapet has recently incorporated a new subsidiary, REn- ovaPET, which will concentrate all the assets and activities related to the production of rPET. In this regard, the company has already approved a first investments that will come on stream throughout 2021 to offer to the market, starting in 2022, 15,000 t/a of rPET. The company will continue the marketing strategy under the Nova- pet umbrella of virgin PET resines and concentrates, of the commodity resins and the wide range of speciality resins for sectors increasingly different from the traditional ones. www.novapetenvase.com