EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 04/22 www.petpla.net 30 Over the years, he has expanded the machine park and the customer base continually, not only because of the larger selection of containers and capacity but also, as Mr Kone tells us, through conservative planning and efficient economic management. The recently expanded 3,000m2 operation now houses 13 injection moulding and blowing machines from Aoki, Battenfeld, Fischer, Cypet, Haitian and Nissei ASB, of which five machines process PET. And there is still room for more equipment. Currently, more than 30 different bottles and containers make up the portfolio. Around 60% of these are used for pharmaceuticals, 30% for food and 10% for chemicals. Processing volumes are 30% PET, 60% HDPE in blow moulding processes and 10% HDPE, LDPE and PP in injection processes. In total, Megaplast manufactures around 20 million containers per year. Only three million of these are destined for the PET sector, of which 80% are for food, 10% for drinks and the remaining 10% for non-food applications. 10% of all products are exported, and for logistical reasons, these are exclusively very small containers. Company growth is said to be 10-15% annually. Mr Kone continues: “We have been able to see considerable growth, especially in the pharmaceuticals segment. Thanks to several precautions introduced both internally and by the authorities, we have seen few difficulties during the Covid pandemic, as yet in our day-to-day business.” Besides the standard portfolio, designing containers and determining market requirements are just as much a part of the business. Megaplast is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485. “Our location here is right on the pulse of tourism,” explains Yiannakis Kone. “We are very close to our end customers that supply hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and hospitals. We are also close to the motorway, which allows us to reach customers in the rest of the country rapidly.” Incidentally, we learned that PET bestsellers are usually wide-mouth cans, which are manufactured on a Cypet K16 with 13 different moulds, which has been here since 2018. At the time of our visit, a two-cavity mould for 4.5 l jars was installed on the machine. “PET was and is a significant market segment for packaging in Cyprus and the market is growing continually, especially for wide-mouth containers. So we wanted to offer solutions here too,” says Mr Kone. In terms of raw material, they usually purchase Arya PET from JBF Europa; rPET isn’t even on the radar. “We still don’t use any PET recyclate because there is no demand for it on the market yet,” says Mr Kone. “However, we can start at any time because the Cypet machine is technically equipped for it.” In the future, they want to renew parts of the machine park, primarily to improve speeds and energy savings, and ultimately to reduce the carbon footprint; the Aoki machines, for example, are getting on in age. A proportion of electricity consumption can already be generated by the solar panels installed on the roof. “The quality of our products, the low production costs and rapid delivery with an eye on market demands are what set us apart,” says Mr Kone. Yiannakis Kone (right) together with supplier Michalis Sideris from Cypet
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