CAPS & CLOSURES 16 PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 03/23 www.petpla.net Interview with Federico Zannier, Arol Group Chief Strategy and Commercial Offi cer and Maca Engineering Managing Director Perfect parameters It might be thought that these days everything concerning the implementation of the EU regulation for the tethering of caps revolves around single use bottles. In fact, the conversion process is still ongoing. That apart, development work on other topics does not stand still, as Federico Zannier, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer Arol Group and Maca Engineering Managing Director, explains. In their Closure Test Laboratory, developers and customers are working constantly on the best parameters to adjust the main characteristics that influence the capping process, to improve the interaction of the closure and preform and to adapt the capping process to the requirements of faster and faster systems. PETplanet: At Maca Engineering, which markets do you cover, geographically and by product segment, and in what volume range do your lines operate in the plastic closure sector for PET bottles? Zannier: We produce three types of equipment at Maca Engineering: complete lines to produce aluminium caps, complete lines for the assembly of plastic caps (for spirits, sports caps, etc.) and end-of- line for slitting folding of plastic caps. Thanks to the extensive Arol network, we cover all areas of the world. PETplanet: When we met at Drinktec last year, your company had just expanded with a new manufacturing facility in San Quirino, Pordenone, Italy. What made this step necessary and how are you positioned now? Zannier: From the acquisition [of Maca Engineering ME in January 2020] onwards we have tried to make available to ME the resources and the global presence of the Arol Group. This has allowed us to give a greater visibility to ME and consequently to stabilise the company on sales volumes that have made necessary the expansion of the plant. We have thus doubled the production capacity. With the new factory, the company occupies a total area of almost 9,500m2, of which 1,000m2 is office space and the remainder to produce components and to assemble machines that are shipped from San Quirino all over the world. But the amount of complete caps production lines is already saturating even this additional acquired capacity. In particular, aluminium and plastic assembly are driving the market but the tethered cap conversion is also giving an important boost to growth. PETplanet: You have also set up a Closure Test Lab for feasibility studies or sample runs. What can be tested and analysed here, in relation to plastic closures? Zannier: The modular Laboratory System produced in collaboration with Arol provides for the possibility to customise the cutting/folding of the plastic cap and then to test the application of the same on a preform. We are thus able to determine in a fully automatic way the most suitable application parameters for a new capping solution. In fact we can simulate any type of application. Our end-of-line systems for caps to be applied on PET bottles are up to a capacity of over 80,000 cph but we also have a range of laboratory solutions suitable for caps manufacturers. PETplanet: In what way do different masterbatch materials for the closures differ in handling? Zannier: The use of resins, colourants or special additives strongly influence the application torque and this is at the expense of the removal torque and therefore the customer experience. It is not uncommon to find two seemingly identical caps that behave differently in the production line and it is here that Arol’s experience with over 25,000 machines installed allows us to quickly identify the most suitable configuration for each application. The use of automatic laboratory systems also means we can identify in advance any problems caused using resins or particular CAPS & CLOSURES Federico Zannier Detail of the slitting/folding process by Gabriele Kosmehl
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