EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 03/22 www.petpla.net 17 BEYOND THE HORIZON PROCESS SOLUTIONS FOR POLYMER RECYCLING AND SOLID STATE POLYMER UPGRADING Polymetrix, a Sanlian Buhler Company, provides process technology including EPCM services for the polymer recycling and manufacturing industry. Leading supplier of rPET systems and integrated rPET plants for single line capacities up to 70’000 tons per year. www.polymetrix.com www.slhpcn.com “There are lots of these HDPE bottles with PE or PP closures. Our’s is a solution that will cost less, it uses the same HDPE resin and their environmental message gets stronger,” said Mark. Dairy is an obvious example. It has very tight margins, is dominated by HDPE as a material and uses tonnes of liner material. Being able to get rid of the liners – and the challenges associated with collection and recycling – could be a major step forward. Personal relationships: key to satisfaction One thing that UCL has always regarded as very important is personal relationships, for sales, trials, service and support, and the pandemic has got in the way. Quarantine periods before and after site visits – if they are even allowed – mean that a trial that should take just a few days can extend to five weeks or so. Rod Druitt gave up his Christmas to help smooth the installation process at a customer in Thailand. He took responsibility, rather than expect an employee to shut themselves away for such a long time. And it goes further. “You need to have a line trial to prove a product is fit for purpose. We have our own product laboratory at UCL and we can undertake all the validation – we are fully Pepsi accredited and there’s nothing we can’t do to prove that the closure is functional,” Mark explained. “But key projects tend to get over the line when you are face to face and that is a key element that has been missing. It’s being able to look someone in the eyes and being able to read subtleties, better than you can in a Zoom or Teams call. We can be working on something for several months, we can develop and demonstrate all the concepts, then you do the pilot and being there is crucial. It’s being able to spot that there’s a query that hasn’t been raised, so you haven’t answered it. You can see someone look at someone else, press to understand the issue and answer their concerns immediately. We simply cannot do that as well virtually.” Like many of us, UCL is willing and eager to get back to normal, to working closely with clients all over the world. As restrictions are lifted in territory after territory, its clients will find Universal Closures coming to see them with a wider range of ideas and solutions, with better performance and more cost saving than ever before. It’s a company full of ideas and it hasn’t wasted time during lockdowns. www.universalclosures.com UC 2925 HMC (hinge-moulded closures) for still beverages
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