EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 33 and has just started production. It is equipped with a 72-cavity mould with a cycle time of 2.8 seconds from the Austrian manufacturer Z-Moulds. With this combination, an annual output of almost 730 million 29/25size closures can be achieved. Mr Krishna said: “Moulds like this are almost a rarity in this country, but we are convinced by the Austrian technology, especially in terms of quality and the mould’s cooling system.” For the inspection part, Future Plus relies on equipment from IMD Vista, both for the Engel system and the Husky systems for preform inspection. While the Engel system is the first machine for cap injection moulding in operation here, Future Plast in UAE produces single piece and 2-piece closures with an 1881 neck finish for CSD apart from normal 30/25 high neck and 29/25 short neck for still water applications using six Sacmi compression moulding machines - so the step to add closures to the portfolio in KSA with the new system may just be the beginning. In terms of space, further expansion is still easily possible, as the available open areas clearly showed during the factory tour. PET and PE raw materials are sourced from local producer Sabic, and are also imported from Thailand, India, Oman or China, depending on availability and prices. According to Mr Krishna, the company processes 10,000 t of PET and around 800 t/a of PE p.a. or 30,000 t of PET and around 4,000 t of PE and PP for closures p.a. including Abu Dhabi. “In addition to the Saudi market, around 25% of the preforms produced in Riyadh are intended for export exclusively to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Yemen markets mainly due to Saudi efforts to strengthen primarily nationally produced products,” Mr Krishna continued. We want to know how the company is positioned in terms of recycling. “The law does not yet insist on the use of recyclate in food packaging,” explained Mr Krishna, “but this is certainly only a matter of time. The topic has already gained momentum in the region and we are certainly technically equipped for it. At Future Plast, we have already produced our first 100% rPET preforms and are currently waiting for a material dosing system with oil condensing unit from Piovan to be ready to dose partial rPET as per the brand owner’s requirements. www.futurepet.ae Three Husky HyPET systems and on the right the new Engel E-Motion The new 72-cavity mould from Z-Moulds F.l.t.r.: Murali Krishna, Mr Palanisamy, Gregor Degasperi, Kay Barton and Shihab Izzat Murali Krishna (right) with Gregor Degasperi from Z-Moulds
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