No.12 2022 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 05 . 12 . 22 PETplanet is read in more than 140 countries MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S IN THE AMER ICAS, AS IA, EUROPE AND AL L AROUND THE PLANET MARKETsurvey Suppliers of palletising & shrink film machinery Page 23 Page 10 BOTTLE MAKING Page 14
ClipAside, drink, love! Tethered ClipAside closure wins high acceptance Contact us and arrange your line trials now! www.bericap.com PET 38 PET 29/25 PCO 1881 PET 33 PET 26 PET 26 GME 30.40 A recent consumer real-life “diary study” conducted in France found a high level of acceptance among consumers for the innovative new closure. After just one or two experiences, even the youngest and oldest users could handle the smart closure without difficulty – often with one hand. What’s more, many praised the eco-friendly nature of the cap, which remains on the bottle neck and avoids creating additional plastic waste. Best of all for you, this premium product can be integrated into most lines and any popular bottle neck format without major modification of your production equipment.
No.12 2022 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 05 . 12 . 22 PETplanet is read in more than 140 countries MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S IN THE AMER ICAS, AS IA, EUROPE AND AL L AROUND THE PLANET MARKETsurvey Suppliers of palletising & shrink film machinery Page 23 Page 10 BOTTLE MAKING Page 14
We think about your caps, so you can think of everything else. www.corvaglia.com
imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Hubweg 15 74939 Zuzenhausen, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 info@petpla.net EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Anthony Withers WikiPETia. info petplanet@petpla.net MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann hirschmann@petpla.net Johann Lange-Brock lange-brock@petpla.net phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur | exprim.de Matthias Gaumann READER SERVICES reader@petpla.net PRINT Chroma Druck Eine Unternehmung der Limberg-Druck GmbH Danziger Platz 6 67059 Ludwigshafen, Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ subscription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net Dear readers, We wouldn’t want to deprive you of the current market situation. We think the summary from Pulse, PETplanet’s monthly price overview, speaks for itself: Lower PET price despite higher energy costs In October, the high energy costs seem to have had no influence on the PET price. According to the available information, PET currently costs around 1,360-1,400€/t. PET is therefore around 95€/t cheaper than in September. “With the high energy costs, we need a sale price of at least 1,500€/t. Otherwise, production isn’t viable,” says one producer. Besides the high energy costs, transport costs that have increased by 20% are also a major cost factor. “We are bound to contracts that we agreed last year under quite different conditions.” Numerous European PET producers are therefore trying to reduce capacities with a shutdown and save energy that way. Four European manufacturers have announced shutdowns for the autumn. Later and later deals For several months already, it has been clear that price deals for feedstocks are being made later and later. Often, at the end of the month there has only been one or even no deal for feedstocks. This situation became particularly evident in October. Asian PET in high demand PET from Asia is currently especially cheap and therefore in very high demand. Compared to September, prices have fallen again. The Asian countries are profiting from cheaper oil from Russia and lower electricity and gas prices. No wonder more and more European processors are importing the necessary quantities of PET from Asia. At 930US$/t FOB, China is by far the cheapest provider. On average, Asian PET costs around 1,000US$/t FOB. As container prices have meanwhile also fallen sharply, Asian PET producers are amongst the winners in the current situation. Recyclate prices remain at a high level Also in October, prices for recyclate have moved very little. For flakes, prices of around 1,500-1,600 €/t have been quoted. Compared to last month, regranulate currently costs a little less, around 2,500 €/t. The major retail companies, especially discounters, are turning to their own closed circulation systems. The aim is to lower the costs for recyclate and to be independent of the market. With these impressions of the current situation on the PET market, we enter the new year with the hope of improvement! We look forward to accompanying you again next year and wish you happy holidays! Yours, PETplanet Insider Team
PETcontents 4 PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 12/2022 Page 38 EDITOUR 10 Always in tune with the times - Spanish state-of-the-art PET packaging service 12 Radical change for Acque Minerali d’Italia - Comprehensive restructuring from marketing to energy consumption BOTTLE MAKING 14 Body and handle made entirely of rPET - Bottle with glued-in handle for home care & food 16 Inauguration of a PET water bottling plant in the midst of a war - A joint project of Avalon Group and PET Technologies EVENT REVIEW 17 PET Day 2022 - How to get out of the perfect storm? 20 PETinar: Technical highlights at Drinktec, day 2 26 Austrian PET recycler celebrates its 15th anniversary - Company growth enters its third phase MARKET SURVEY 23 Suppliers of palletising and shrink film machinery DRINKTEC REVIEW 28 Prepared for the future - State-of-the-art PET processing machinery 30 100,000 PET water bottles in one hour 32 Drinktec appearance at four locations 33 SoftBoost, a new split heating hopper 34 Filling valves for aseptic and ESL products - Magnetic filling valves increase product flexibility K’ SHOW REVIEW 35 New inject to blow (I2B) system - Mold-Masters at K’ 2022 36 K’ show review BUYER’S GUIDE 40 Get listed! INSIDE TRACK 3 Editorial 4 Contents 6 News 38 PET bottles for home + personal care 39 On site 46 Patents Page 12 BOTTLE MAKING Page 35
yellow.agency T OTA LLY SW I S S. A FAMILY OWNED SWISS COMPANY. OUR INJEC T ION MOULDS FOR PE T AND PAC FE ATURE CRAF TSMANSHIP THAT IS UNIQUELY SWISS . OT TO-HOFS TE T TER . SWISS
PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net Manjushree Technopack signs an MoU with IISc for recyclable plastic packaging Manjushree Technopack Ltd. (MTL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to create innovative and sustainable plastic packaging solutions. As part of the MoU, IISc will establish a Centre of Excellence for upcycling and recycling thermoplastics used in a wide spectrum of rigid plastic packaging present in everyday life, ranging from soft drink bottles to cleaning products such as washing tablets. This will see IISc and MTL developing solutions to turn waste into plastic packaging to allow repeated recycling of products. The organisations will also collaborate to develop a recyclable elastomeric material for all plastic pumps and triggers and also work to strengthen the caps of PET bottles, which are made from 100% recyclable plastic. One of the key aims of this MoU is to replace a number of non-recyclable packaging materials with recyclable monolayer materials, which is expected to help make transport cheaper and reduce breakage and damage. Another area of focus for the collaboration is the replacement of cardboard-based packaging, such as that used in pizza boxes, with foamed polyolefins, offering improved thermal insulation and weight reduction. IISc, established in 1909, has become India’s premier institute for advanced scientific and technological research and education and is an Institution of Eminence recognised by the Government of India, and MTL. With over 42 academic departments and centres, IISc collaborates with a number of technology giants to find scientific and technological solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. MTL is South Asia’s largest PET bottle and preform manufacturing company. With 40 years of packaging expertise in India, the company caters to the packaging requirements of the FMCG, pharmaceutical and liquor industries, and works with some of the biggest brands in these segments. www.manjushreeindia.com www.iisc.ac.in Plastipak’s major recycling investment in Spain officially opens Plastipak, a global leader in the design, manufacture and recycling of plastic containers has announced the formal opening of a major recycling investment at its manufacturing site in Toledo, Spain by Don Emiliano García-Page, President of the Castilla-La Mancha Region. The new recycling facility converts PET flake into food-grade recycled PET (rPET) pellets suitable for direct use in new preforms, bottles and containers. The new recycling plant will produce 20,000 t/a of foodgrade recycled pellet and will eliminate recycled resin transport-related emissions since it is co-located at Plastipak’s current preform manufacturing site. The recycling plant is Plastipak’s fifth recycling facility, with other recycling plants located in USA, France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. In Europe, Plastipak is the largest producer of food-grade rPET, with well over 150,000 t/a of rPET capacity. Pedro Martins, Plastipak’s Executive Managing Director Europe, said “The use of rPET is a key tool in reducing our customer’s Scope 3 related emissions and forms an important part of their ESG-packaging related commitments. As well as supporting our customers to reduce their financial obligations under the planned Spanish plastics tax, the plant will also contribute to the meeting the minimum recycled content levels mandated by the Single Use Plastics Directive.” To support on-site energy generation, the state-of-theart facility incorporates advanced energy-saving technologies and equipment that includes the rooftop installation of over 1,800 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. The PV panels are expected to generate more than 1,339MWh/a of electricity that will be consumed entirely on-site, saving more than 443 t/a of CO2 through the avoidance of consumption of electricity from the national grid. This is in addition to the CO2 avoided by using 20,000 t of recycled resin instead of virgin resin, says the company. www.plastipak.com
7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net Coca-Cola HBC opens new recycling plant in Italy The Coca-Cola HBC Group inaugurated its second plant in Gaglianico, Italy, for the production of rPET bottles. The facility will transform up to 30,000 t/a of PET into new 100% recycled PET preforms. The company says that this will be enough to meet its beverage bottling needs in the country. Thanks to an investment of more than 30 million euros, Coca-Cola HBC converted a disused factory into an innovative hub which is powered 100% by electricity 100% from renewable sources. As a result, the plant will reduce the CO2 emissions of producing a preform by up to 70% compared with virgin plastic. The site, which will employ 41 people, and covers a total area of 18,000m2 is claimed to have among the first in Italy and in the world, some of the most advanced technologies to date. It is able to produce nine types of preforms, performing 4,700 quality checks per day. Speaking at the plant’s inauguration, Frank O’Donnell, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Italia said: “We want to keep investing and doing our part both to move toward a real circular economy in Italy and to contribute to the development of innovative projects in a region to which we are particularly close, despite the difficulties in our sector related to the rising cost of raw materials and energy. This renovated plant proves that giving companies the opportunity to do business and investment allows them to innovate and be more sustainable.” www.coca-colahellenic.com Faster and cooler than ever optiSTACK saves your time and money! German Technology Petainer: New manufacturing center in Tennessee, USA The global manufacturer of PET containers Petainer is kicking off a new PET blow moulding and custom designs facility in Tennessee, USA. The new center is intended to position Petainer’s supply chain closer to their customers to increase business performance and reduce carbon emissions. The new facility is located in Troy, Tennessee. The broad-based special ist team - materials scientists and engineers, injection moulding and blow moulding experts - is reported to provide packaging service and del iver solut ions wi th a ‘right f irst t ime’ mental i ty. For blow moulding, the site has two production lines operated by experienced engineers, enabling production from 250ml bottles to 30 l containers. From the new site in the United States, disposable PET drums and water cooling bottles can be delivered to the Midwest, reducing costs, delivery times and carbon footprint. www.petainer.com
8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net Repi appoints Dimitris Dounis as new Managing Director in Repi LLC Repi, a leading manufacturer of performance additives and colours for polyurethanes and thermoplastics, announces the appointment of Mr Dimitris Dounis as new Managing Director of the US based company to further support the growth in North and South America. Mr Dounis brings over twenty years of extensive experience in the chemical and polyurethanes industries. He holds a degree in chemical engineering and polymers science and has held various executive positions in multinational companies. Repi will leverage his extensive know-how and network in the chemical industry to boost its strategy to become a reference partner for liquid colour and performance additive solutions in the Americas. Repi entered the United States market with own offices, laboratory, and technical service department back in 2003 to introduce the colour ranges for polyurethane applications. The line of products for thermoplastic polymers followed soon after and in 2012 a new facility with state-of-the-art laboratory, manufacturing, as well as prototyping capabilities for PET packaging applications, was inaugurated in Gastonia, North Carolina. Today the American affiliate serves the Americas with the complete product range, directly or through established partners. www.repi.com Pact’s Australian billion bottle recycling project wins award Pact Group has won a major sustainable project award for bringing Australia’s biggest and advanced PET plastic recycling facility to life in just 370 days. Pact was awarded the Australian Institute of Project Management’s Sustainable Project Management Achievement Award for NSW for the $50 million Circular Plastics Australia (CPA) PET plastic recycling facility in Albury, New South Wales. The CPA facility is a joint venture between Pact, Cleanaway Waste Management, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). A team from Pact project managed the build, which was delivered safely, on time and under budget on a greenfield site during a period of major global challenges, including the Covid 19 pandemic, supply chain pressures, and the blockage of the Suez Canal. Despite these challenges, it took one year and five days to establish the site, construct the facility, install the equipment and services, commission the machinery, and train a new team. The facility, which commenced operations in February 2022, has the capacity to recycle the equivalent of around 1 billion 600ml PET plastic beverage bottles each year into high-quality food-grade resin. Cleanaway collects, sorts and delivers PET plastic waste from kerbside collection bins and container deposit schemes to the Pactoperated facility for recycling. The recycled resin is then used by Asahi and Coca-Cola to manufacture new beverage bottles, and by Pact to make new beverage bottles and food packaging. Pact Group CEO Sanjay Dayal said it was a great honour for the Pact team to be recognised for its commitment to driving the circular economy in Australia. The CPA joint venture is building a second PET recycling facility with similar capacity in Melbourne which is due to commence operations in the first half of 2023. The CPA PET project in Albury was supported by a $5 million grant through the NSW Government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, and the Australian Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund. The award coincides with National Recycling Week, which this year has the theme “Waste isn’t Waste Until it’s Wasted.” www.pactgroup.com Florian Werner to become new CEO at Interzero Plastics Recycling Florian Werner will take over as CEO of Interzero Plastics Recycling, a segment of Europe’s leading provider of recycling solutions, Interzero. The focus of his activities will be on the further expansion of the segment, which is known for its plastics recycling and, with over 800,000 t/a, the largest sorting capacity in Europe. Florian Werner’s work will focus on the strategic development and the deepening of value creation. The measures already started to increase the performance and sorting quality of the plants, as well as the increase in the degree of recycling for plastics - for example, for the provision of plastic waste for chemical recycling - are a good starting position, on which it is now necessary to build further. In addition, the final integration process into the Interzero group of companies, which was newly created this year, is in full swing. “I am looking forward to the new tasks at Interzero. In many industries, the consistent closing of material cycles is moving more and more into the center of attention. Implementing innovative solutions together with the international Interzero team and our customers and thus contributing to a more sustainable use of raw materials is an exciting task on the pulse of time. As an innovation leader and Europe’s largest plastics sorter, with its people, team spirit and wealth of experience, the Interzero Group is excellently positioned for this,” Florian Werner emphasises. Florian Werner previously worked for the Swiss technology group OC Oerlikon AG, where he was head of the “Materials” business unit with locations in the USA, Canada, Germany and China and drove its successful turnaround. The CEO of Interzero Plastics Recycling GmbH, Stephan Schwarz, has left his position on November 1st 2022, to join ArcelorMittal. This step was planned and closely coordinated with Dr Axel Schweitzer, shareholder and chairman of Interzero, as a result of the sale of the former Alba International Recycling metal companies to the steel company. www.interzero.de
9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 10 Spanish state-of-the-art PET packaging service Always in tune with the times by Heike Fischer The next part of our Editour starts in the north-east of Spain. 230 km from Barcelona, heading northwest, the Editourmobile reaches the Spanish province of Huesca, which belongs to the autonomous community of Aragon. Our destination is the Comarca of Somontano de Barbastro, with the district capital of the same name, Barbastro. In this small town of about 17,000 inhabitants, the history of the place is as vivid as its corporate culture. The Novapet company plant is located in the south of the city. We are warmly welcomed by Ana Chéliz, Marketing Manager at Novapet, and David González, General Manager of Novapet. Tour Sponsors: When we enter the company premises, we cannot yet guess the dimensions of this impressive production site. In the air-conditioned office, a commodity not to be underestimated in the Spanish summer, David starts directly with some details: “Novapet was founded in 1996 and belongs to the Samca Group. It started with a production of 30,000 t of bottle grade PET resin per year. The polymerisation plant was expanded in two steps with TechnipFMC Zimmer + SSP from Polymetrix technology. Today, we have a capacity of 260,000 t PET resin per year. After successive expansions of our injection plant since 2016, we produce 75,000 t of preforms a year.” After these impressive figures, David continues: “We are always in close contact with the bottlers and can therefore react quickly to demand. We don’t just produce standard PET resins, our special motivation is the challenge, the special. We are market oriented, accomplished to manage packaging supply chain, in direct contact and together with fast-moving consumer goods producers,” he emphasises. Production side But enough of dry figures, Ana and David take us on a tour of the factory. As we put on our protective clothing and reach the entrance to the production hall, we pass a small showroom. Novapet produces more than 30 different types of PET resins. “We want to meet the needs of our customers and are in close and continuous contact during a project,” David adds. The company offers its customers rapid prototyping and pilot production, as well as special contracts to ease the price risk management. An important service in times like these. In the anteroom of the production hall, we meet Carlos Álvarez, who is responsible for the management and control of the industrial injection moulding area. From a viewing platform, he proudly explains his machinery to us: in total we see 15 injection moulding machines. On the right, the red lettering PET on a blue and white machine catches our eye. Here are five Netstal PET Lines plus nine Husky-HyPET machines with clamping forces from 3,500 to 6,000 kN. “We get our moulds from Husky, MHT and Otto Hofstetter. We work with moulds up to 96 cavities from 10 to 98 g. A wide range of configurations, wall thicknesses, colours or weights etc. are possible, of course this is based on the customer’s needs. We have maximum flexibility thanks to the interchangeability of the moulds and direct production monitoring with absolute process control in real time. One special feature is our software Shotscope, which is dedicated for monitoring and controlling the number of cycles and ensuring the perforF.l.t.r.: David González, General Manger Novapet, Heike Fischer & Kay Barton, editors at PETplanet, in front of the Editourmobil at Novapet plant in Barbastro, Spain. Novapet is equipped with 9 Husky machines: 1 GL300, 3 HyPET 300, 2 HyPET 300HPP, 1 HyPET 400HPP, 1 HyPET 3005e+, 1 HyPET 4005e+ and 1 pilot line HyPET90 RS45/38. Further we see 3 PET-Line 3500/3550, 1 PET-Line 3500/6600 and 1 PET-Line 4000/6000 from Netstal.
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 11 mance of preventive maintenance. Our vision technology for quality defects at the preforms has a capacity of 27,000 pph. It is a real-time detection of any deviation from the established quality criteria,” Carlos finally explains and says goodbye at this point. We leave him to his machinery. We go outside in front of the production facility and after a short briefing by Ana we know what to expect next: the laboratory! R&D and quality Quality has a high priority at Novapet. Accordingly, there is a system that has grown since the company was founded, which adapts to new requirements and thus ensures quality. This integrated management system is called Lims. It includes ISOs for process quality, food safety, environmental and safety & health at work, as well as energy certification. The quality control of the produced resins and preforms takes place in the laboratory. Here we meet Olga, she explains that 15 people work in the lab 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They test 11,000 samples per month. Their analysis service includes research, chemical and bacteriological analysis. The labor stuff examines the raw material, the end product and the environment. To ensure the quality of the working processes, Novapet places particular emphasis on the training and long-term employment of its employees. Continuous training keeps operations personnel trained in the use of the latest technologies in the sector. Recycled PET prduction As we leave the lab, our gaze falls on a part of the factory site that still looks a little like a construction site. However, some installations can already be seen. David explains that the production of Novapet’s own rPET will take place on this part of the factory site. A 15,000 t/a plant is to be put on production by January 2023. However, due to demand, capacity expansion to double the volume is already being considered. The rPET produced will not be available for sale but will be used exclusively to produce own rPET products. “We use the Vacunite technology from Erema. The Austrian producer of plastic recycling machines combines its Vacurema bottle-to-bottle process with Polymetrix’s recently patented Vacuum Solid State Polycondensation (SSP). What makes this combination so special is that all steps of the thermal process take place in a nitrogen atmosphere. The result is unique quality rPET pellets that more than meets all the requirements for food contact.” Sustainability and recent projects After the explanation of this construction site, we visit another highlight on the Novapet site: We drive by an off-road vehicle from the lower production area to a hill and look down on a 25 ha area with a photovoltaic plant. “This is our self-consumption photovoltaic field project. As you see we have already started.” From the hill we have also a look on the beautiful landscape around. From up here we can see a small stream meandering through the company grounds, as well as stork aeries on the factory buildings. “We try to support the storks, their aeries are very heavy, they weigh up to 500 kg,” David explains. “We live in harmony with nature here and try to reduce our environmental footprint through various partnerships and optimised transport routes, as well as at all points of our production. This starts with reducing the weight of the preforms, continues with an in-house biological wastewater treatment plant and continues with reducing emissions by shifting transport from trucks to rail. By switching transport alone, we were able to reduce CO2 emissions by 80%. And now we are expanding the photovoltaic system to use only our own produced green energy. Also, we do not create products that are not possible to be handled in a circular way,” David summarises. The morning has passed quickly and the heat on the photovoltaic field finally drives us back indoors. We ask David one last question: Where do you see serious challenges today and where do you see Novapet in 10 years? “Despite all the difficulties we face in the packaging market, we have shown that PET-producing companies have a great capacity to respond to the market in complex or emergency situations and this gives us added credibility and confidence in our clients,” David affirms. We thank Ana and David for their time, their patience, their conversations, and their willingness to provide information, and look forward to seeing them again soon - in Barbastro or at any other place where new, promising developments in the PET industry are being discussed. Novapet is a local company with a strong packaging culture, placed close to the market and close to its customers, and offers multitude of different PET solutions. Novapet has around 200 customers worldwide. It is located in 30 countries on 4 continents. The company has a total turnover of 400 mill €. It is integrated into the conversion process, injection, blowing and finally into special and adapted projects. The company manufactures resins, preforms and blows bottles. The PET resins and concentrates are for: still and carbonated drinks, hot fill, stretching PET, glass-like looking PET bottles, matt-or shining metal look, ovenable trays, PET for direct injection, for different mono- and multilayer bottles, and a family of resins for extrusion/ blowing bottles with and without handles. The preforms offer diverse types of mouths which cover the different needs of the current market. A second plant in Fuenlabrada near Madrid produces bottles for food and non-food products. www.novapet.com David González and Ana Chéliz driving with us up on the hill from where we have an overview over the plant and the the photovoltaic field.
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 12 Comprehensive restructuring from marketing to energy consumption Radical change for Acque Minerali d´Italia From before the coronavirus crisis, revenues at Acque Minerali d´Italia had halved. PETplanet insider spoke with the new CEO Alessandro Frondella, whose job it is to put this right. To do this, he is leaving no stone unturned – marketing, the team, customers, and technology. The energy consumption of the compressors was also checked. Tour Sponsors: Alessandro Frondella has been with Acque Minerali d´Italia (Ami) since mid2021 and has recently been appointed CEO to take the company forward. With its 8 factories and 27 bottling lines, Ami is one of the largest bottlers in Italy. Shortly before the coronavirus crisis, sales fell from 1 billion litres to 0.5 billion litres. This year, Ami is aiming for 0.7 billion litres. Alessandro’s task is to get Ami back on track. An analysis revealed that Ami sells 463 different products to around 1,000 customers. Alessandro wants to start by reducing the portfolio to around 270 products and the customer list by about 30%. The company will then focus on its three largest premium brands: Norda, Sangemini and Gaudianello, plus some local brands. In terms of technology, Alessandro is dealing with structures that have been established in perhaps a haphazard fashion in the factories. Bottling lines with individual machines are just as likely to be found there as modular systems. Filling speeds vary from 10,000 to 50,000bph. What they all have in common is the need for compressed air for stretch blowing. Here, too, Alessandro has found a mix of machines of various ages from various suppliers. An analysis showed that producing 1,000 l of compressed air consumes between 23 and 48kWh. The old 2-step compressors in particular, which first generate up to 7-10 bars of pressure then use a booster to increase this to the required 40 bars, have shown themselves to be energy guzzlers. In light of rocketing energy prices, Alessandro has decided on prompt action here. To carry out this strategic activity, he found in Siad Macchine Impianti, already an established supplier to Ami, where he developed a close cooperation with Marco Bassi, Italian Sales Manager for Food & Beverage Compressors. Based on the customers’ needs, Siad has created a product focused on sustainability and optimised for energy saving with complete service provision, their Vito Next. Alessandro says: “With the Vito compressors, we have simply constructed compressors that are easy to maintain, extremely energy efficient, and make only a minimum amount of noise and vibration. Full technical support is also fast and efficient.” Meanwhile, 6 Vitos are operating in the factories, 2 of which are from the new Vito Next range. In line with signed agreements, Siad’s software for the management of the entire compressor room will soon come into operation, which will allow Ami to optimise the production of compressed air and further increase efficiency and energy savings. Alessandro’s highly detailed knowledge of all technical and managerial aspects of production, systems and machines is impressive. It is rare for a CEO to know so much about every last nut and bolt – but a quick glance at his CV makes it clear why this is the case. Over 15 years, Alessandro has worked his way up through all departments, from machine operator to general manager of one of the first Italian mineral spring water companies. He brings together a wealth of knowledge from the front line, which he can now put to very good use. His primary concern however is the management structure. All the changes can only be implemented if they are dealt with by a team. Accordingly, Alessandro has built up appropriate structures in all of the eight factories. There are now organisation teams that are bringing the new ideas and radical changes to every nook and cranny of the workspace. Alessandro sees the predicament as a significant challenge. “The Italian water market is one of the most competitive markets in the world. Barely anyone can buy packaged water more cheaply than here, but consumers have understood that the price of water isn’t the only factor. So the goal is clear: concentration on premium brands with higher margins so that Ami can emerge once again in all its glory. We wish Ami every success. www.siadmi.com Vito compressors installed at the Norda production site in Primaluna, Lecco, Italy F.r.t.l: Alessandro Frondella, CEO of Ami and Marco Bassi, Italian Sales Manager for Food & Beverage Compressors of Siad Macchine Impianti
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BOTTLE MAKING 14 PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net Bottle with glued-in handle for home care & food Body and handle made entirely of rPET KHS has further developed its rPET containers for the home care and food sectors. In addition to bottle handles slotted into place mechanically, the Dortmund company now offers a glued-in process: stretch blow moulded using the preferential heating method, the bottle is claimed to be more stable than the extrusion-blow-moulded polyolefin alternatives currently available on the market. Glued-in handles also require a simpler contour than the clip-in variety. The development of the 2.3 l PET bottle with a glued-in handle is the result of a one-and-a-halfyear cooperation between KHS and Logoplaste Innovation Lab. The aim was to design a bottle specifically for home care products with the smallest possible carbon footprint. With its ready-for-market system, KHS and Logoplaste Group wish to support the industry’s striving for greater sustainability. “Our adhesive technology enables us to cut down on the amount of energy and material used in production and manufacture a container that’s both more stable and visually more appealing than the standard products currently available on the market,” says Sebastian Wenderdel, PET sales business development manager at KHS in Hamburg, Germany. Direct comparison reveals that up to 30% fewer resources are used in the manufacturing process, with 10% in material saved over a clipin handle. Instead of producing the bottle on an extrusion blow moulder as is common, stretch blow moulding it is particularly energy efficient – a not inconsiderable advantage in view of the rising prices for energy and raw materials. In conjunction with preferential heating KHS claims to provide a precise and reliable piece of plant equipment. This tried-and-tested, energy-efficient heating method permits homogenous distribution of the material during the stretch blow moulding process in plastic bottles with an irregular and complex design, thus lowering the number of resources used and boosting bottle stability. Neck alignment with millimeter accuracy as an optional component allows precise product dosing with the help of oriented spout caps. Furthermore, as the new PET bottle does not have any seams – as opposed to those on standard containers made of HDPE or PP – it has proved convincing in rigorous in-house drop tests, claims Wenderdel. When selecting a suitable adhesive, the design team drew on the years of expertise accumulated by KHS during the Nature MultiPack project. The container provides a further plus when it comes to product marketing. “The transparent PET material makes the product visible,” Wenderdel states. Moreover, customers can have their very own bottle designed with the help of KHS Bottles & Shapes service program. Moving towards a circular economy With the development of its new PET bottle with a glued-in handle KHS is moving closer towards a circular economy. With this system, the company wishes to not only address manufacturers of home care products but also food producers. “We provide a circular container whose bottle body and handle consist of 100% recyclate and are themselves fully recyclable. This is still fairly unusual for containers with an integral grip,” emphasises Wenderdel. www.khs.com The new PET bottle with a glued-in handle from KHS reduces material consumption by up to 30%. Both the bottle body and handle are fully recyclable and made of rPET. Sebastian Wenderdel, PET sales business development manager at KHS in Hamburg, Germany BOTTLE MAKING
B309 internal diaMETER Non-contact internal diameter measurement for varying sized and shaped containers, from small vials to large jars, with a two-axis camera system for automated neck centralisation. COMPLETE QUALITY CONTROL SOLUTIONs Scan the QR Code to view our full range of plastic packaging inspection systems www.torus-group.com MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION FINISHED DIMENSION BOTTLE STABILITY BOTTLE CAPACITY & WEIGHT BOTTLE INTEGRITY FINISHED DIMENSION B300 Wall thickness Material thickness measurement using non-contact white light technology to provide process control and quality assurance for material distribution from the blow-moulding process. B302 THREAD, BODY, THICKNESS A combined material thickness and dimensional measurement gauge where external dimensions are made possible by intelligent and adaptive machine vision. B303 BURST Destructive burst test with automated critical pressure, expansion volume and hold-time measurement. B307 top load Destructive vertical and horizontal load test adhering to ASTM D2659. Programmable customised tests available with automated graphical and numerical reports. B304 top load, volume & weight Critical load, volume and weight testing is combined into a fast single cycle inspection system. This can process empty, filled and capped containers as well as sealed and vented test types. measurement systems
BOTTLE MAKING 16 PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net A joint project of Avalon Group and PET Technologies Inauguration of a PET water bottling plant in the midst of war Water is a real miracle without which we cannot imagine life on earth. Water is life; it is a unique combination of simple and complex. It consists of only 3 atoms - 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen. But it still remains a mystery how they interact with each other. To begin with the period of implementation: martial law in Ukraine, turbulent times for both companies, the partial destruction of the newly built Avalon plant, the newest enterprise in Eastern Europe, equipped with modern production lines. Despite all the difficulties, the company persevered, rebuilt the premises and is now providing people with water. The Avalon plant is equipped with domestically produced equipment, in particular with PET Technologies blow moulding machines: an automatic blow moulding machine APF-6004 and semi-automatic blow moulding machine UPF-10. Avalon uses them to produce 500ml, 1 l, 2 l, and 6 l PET containers. The history of Avalon Group begins with the spring. It has been sought for a long period of time, and once finally discovered, the extracted water delighted and surprised with its naturally balanced composition and mild taste. Avalon natural water is crystal-clear, pleasant-tasting and nutritious artesian water from a spring 108m deep in the Cenomanian water horizon (Kyiv region). It is a perfect thirst-quencher, ideal for daily use. The finished product complies with national certification standards and has taste qualities that are highly prized by consumers. Consumers can choose the water they like best: still, slightly carbonated or strongly carbonated. All of it is enriched with calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Avalon chose the APF-6004 to produce bottles with a volume of up to 2 l. This machine model is reliable and very easy to use, perfectly suited for a first-time user. Furthermore, according to PET Technologies, it guarantees the production of 6,000 bph. PET Technologies also brought its knowledge to bear on the design of a new bottle. The PET bottle encapsulates the idea that Avalon is an ideal form of water. It is elegant and ergonomic, attractive from the outside and convenient for the consumer. The decorative line on the walls of the bottle curves like a flowing and gurgling stream. The line that wraps around the walls of the bottle is dotted with small elements – the shagreen. It resembles the uneven surface of water, with its fast and turbulent currents. This decorative element also adds to its ease of use. PET Technologies manufactures moulds on 4- and 5-axis CNC machining centres, which allows an array of complex surface designs, - from completely flat to the most elegant curved elements. The absence of reverse osmosis during filtration preserves the original structure of Avalon water molecules, and PET Technologies blow moulding equipment gives it a perfect shape. Such symbiosis became the key to the success of the project, which successfully faced the challenge of conflict and emerged triumphant! www.pet-eu.com BOTTLE MAKING
PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 17 EVENT REVIEW How to get out of the perfect storm? PET Day 2022 The PET Day, an annual event organised by GSI (Global Service International) of Italy, has undoubtedly become, in the 20 years since its start-up, a defining moment where the policies of the main decision makers of the industry are forming the basis for all strategic decisions for the coming years. The information and the arguments discussed within the space of this single day, which has a special mark on the agenda of all involved in PET and the raw materials of the polyester industry, are thoroughly developed and dissected and are surprisingly precise, anticipating market movements. This 20th edition, for the third time in the form of webinar, took place on September 29, 2022. The turbulence that shook the world in 2020 has created unexpected challenges for all industries, and the industry is now urgently seeking a route map out of the storm. PET Day is the place where experts and top managers are looking at how to steady the ship out of the stormy seas and into calmer waters. Mr Francesco Zanchi, CEO and founder of GSI, began by welcoming the specially invited audience. He underlined the difficulties the sector is facing, but he also expressed confidence that these same difficulties can be transformed into opportunities: There is a way out of this ‘perfect storm’. The morning session was opened by Mr Paul Hodges, of New Normal Consulting, now a regular guest at the event, who addressed the economic situation, with particular regard to the inflation issue, or, better, the ‘Putinflation’ as he put it. When the unexpected happens, old models are no longer valid, he said. It is not possible to control the economy of billions of people just by acting on interest rates, as Central Banks used to do. Putinflation is taking us back to the ‘70s, he stated, but we should see the challenges ahead of us as opportunities. Hodges continued: The trends in the chemical industry were already revealing months ago what was about to hit us. A confluence of calamities, as the IMF said. Supply chain outages have caused major disruptions: we moved from ‘just in time’ stocks before Covid to ‘just in case’ stocks (on the expectation of problems). The Chinese economy, disrupted by the government’s zero-Covid policy is not helpful. To illustrate the situation, Hodges used the image of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: war, plague (Covid), famine (food shortages), inflation. Finally, he went on, it will take another couple of years, according to past experience, to see overvalued stock markets bottoming out. But there are new opportunities. Hodges mentioned Elizabeth Kuebler Ross and her paradigm of loss model (in relation to Covid). It shows that people react to problems from denial to anger to bargaining, then to depression and finally acceptance. The latter opens the way to eliminating the earlier pessimism. It is necessary to transform the success factors, Hodges stated. More flexibility, solution-oriented policies, innovation, being closer to customers. And less global reach, size, locationoriented. Technology today must be greener. Sustainability, in the widest sense, is the great opportunity. So the economic recovery of industry needs to focus on the new risks (including energy and demographics). Risk management is clearly among the top priorities: increase in financial debts and environmental pressures must be rapidly managed today by the plastic industry. Eventually, Hodges summed up, investing in the future to make everything more sustainable is the key to survival and the only way out. Mr Zanchi, in applauding the analysis by Paul Hodges, sought to bring a ray of hope in the bleak picture of the scenario, by first introducing what GSI, through its Saint Lawrence Foundation and SBD (Social Business Development) is successfully doing in Sierra Leone to support the population of one of the poorest areas in the world. Thanks to the education of the local young generation, support in building a model poultry farm and, recently, establishing the growing of corn and maize, SBD is attempting to create a domino effect, to bring better food and health and to instil pride in local people to develop better living standards in their own homeland. Global polyester market Zanchi then started its analysis of the global polyester market: PTA has a big overcapacity issue, and next year it will be even bigger, MEG too.
EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 18 PET production in China will be in surplus by 7 million tons. That means all margins will be squeezed further. And there will be a bigger push to export excess capacity from Asia. In Europe demand and production are steady. But manufacturers will have huge problems in 2023 to run at full capacity, due to the huge increases in energy costs and possible power outages. PET and raw materials will again become more competitive from China (and a few other countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Turkey) as Indian producers will have to face a return to higher import duties from January. The situation of recycled PET is totally different. There is lack of material today and that will remain also until the 2025 deadline (for the target of 25% rPET in beverages). The estimate is that Europe will need 400,000 t/a by then! Hardly a negligeable amount. Zanchi stressed the point that, apart from improving bottles collection, it will be necessary to facilitate import of flakes and rPET from outside Europe and relax a number of regulatory constraints which, today, are stifling any increase in the use of recycled materials in the bottling industry. The logistics situation also is still an issue currently but, at least, freight rates are appearing to drop week by week. Zanchi pointed to some final questions worth considering. Among them, the evaluation of the effect of the sanctions on Russia, the Dollar/Euro rate, the increase in all production costs making Europe less competitive, and support for speeding up a circular economy. PET industry – production, converter & bottlers The afternoon session of the webinar opened with a first round table on the current situation facing the PET industry. Mr Hemant Sharma (Reliance) explained the efforts done in India to develop bottle and plastic collection and organise a PET recycling industry which is becoming a model for Asia and the world. Mr Hikoji Kosaka (Toyotsu PET Recycle S. – TRS) showed the activity of its new company, an investment of the Toyota Group into PET recycling, with a brand-new capacity of 40,000MT/a. Mr Christian Mayr (Alpla) underlined that the industry in Europe will be losing competitiveness but also consumers, and that increasing imports is merely a short-term remedy. Then Mr Dirk De Cuyper (Resilux) stressed how also his Group is already well into recycling activity, and called for more protection of the recycling chains in the old continent to make them sustainable and more competitive than virgin products. Distribution & consumers trends The second round table, on topics related to ‘Distribution & consumers trends’ started on a high note with the presence of Mr Hans Van Bochove (Coca-Cola). He explained that the limits imposed for 2030 on recycled contents in beverage bottles are just the minimum: people expect to get 100% of recycled material. But the fact is that there is not enough rPET in the market, and not of the right quality. Then Van Bochove brought some breaking news, disclosing that new regulations are coming soon from the EU Commission, particularly on packaging directives and collection. They will be game changers. There will be a more decisive push towards the encouragement of re-usable packaging (beverages will have an obligation for minimum 5% re-use). Most important is that the involvement of retailers towards collection will be considered an important necessary step forward, by requesting Member States to define how they propose to enact their own deposit return system rules. Mr Coert Michielsen (Refresco) agreed that it is possible to do more in Europe. Collection rates must be improved, and Japan and India are an example. The new rules of the EU, as explained by Van Bochove, will ensure better quality material for bottles too. In his opinion the EU should make it mandatory for retailers to accept collecting, making them more responsible on this issue. Closing this intriguing round table was Mr Philippe Gruyters (EMD, European Market Distribution), who is opening the way for the very first direct presence of retailer opinion in the PET Day. Gruyters explained that retailers already have their own policies on packaging and the use of recycled content. They are open to dialogue and to contribute to improve the system. However, it is necessary to study together with the small and big suppliers how to proceed, and the decisions must be for the long term, avoiding changing policies every one or two years. Circular economy The third and final round table examined the relationship between the circular economy and the current legislation in Europe. Mr Werner Bosmans (Policy Officer Environment, EU Commission) stated how the European Green Deal deals with the circular economy not underestimating the value of plastic, and PET in particular. The EU Commission is also working on a policy for bio-based and biodegradable materials, and on new rules for safe recycling in food contact materials. He finally declared that the Commission is most certainly not against plastics, but aims at tackling their unsustainable use. Mr Antonello Ciotti (Petcore Europe) criticised instead the Com-
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