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Editor’s Note

Mark Your Calendar

The Bare Essentials

News

Spotlight on Events

Astra Polymers – Revolutionizing Medical Care with Innovation Plastics

Excellence through innovation- An interview with Sama Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd

Updates on Technology

Industry Analysis

What is a good polymer?

How to Know What’s Safe for Your Baby

One Stop Shop for All Your Plastic Packaging Need

Consistently High Quality Pet Bottles With New eHR Solution For Sidel Matrix Blower Range

Sanitized AG has appointed IR Group as their Exclusive Representation

Recycling and Pharmaceutical Industry

FAV’s Masterbatches for Pharmaceutical Applications

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Dear Readers,

Greetings from Polymer & Packaging International Magazine!

The turn of year has marked quite considerable improvements in polymer and packaging industry of Pakistan. In the global context, a huge decline in the crude oil prices may effect the price of petrochemical products which could ultimately decrease the cost of finished goods available to the consumers. As per the trade statistics provided by Federal Board of Revenue, the total imports from Jan to Nov 2015 were US$ 1.226 billion and are contributed by plastic material, paper & board machinery, plastic & rubber machinery, packaging machinery and printing machinery. Among all these sectors, Plastics Material and Plastic & Rubber machinery sector merely contributes 1.1 billion. Since Pakistan’s Polymer & Packaging industry depends on the imports of raw materials and machinery that is the reason why these imports indicates that the local demand of the industry is simultaneously increasing which depicts the future of plastics is more favorable for the industry players and overall market of Pakistan.

As the local industrial sector of the polymer and packaging in Pakistan is based on SMEs; the government of Pakistan is taking keen interest towards its growth and expansion. In this year, the trade relations of Pakistan and Iran are improved to the extent that business activities in the international market are expected to intensify in near future. The uplifting of sanctions from Iran will bring an economic boom because Iran provides end-to-end solution for polymers industry. Correspondingly, there are trade MoUs signed between Pakistan and other countries such as Turkey and Turkmenistan which supports the development of industries.

Previously during the year, we have focused on Bio-plastics, Flexible Packaging and Plastics in Automotive Applications. In each edition, we have tried to cover latest happenings and information suitable for our clients. The theme of this issue is “Medical Plastics” which discusses how different pharmaceutical companies have adopted latest trends and technologies of pharma packaging in replacing metal and glass by plastics. We have also learned that due to light weight and high portability of plastics, it is been used widely all over the globe.

The aim of Polymer & Packaging International Magazine is to bridge a gap between local and international business entities. In our mission to achieve towards this goal, we will continue to link technical and market excellence available internationally to bring Pakistan closer to more advance technology. The continued efforts of the Magazine have been gratifying for last three years. We have not only received recognition from the local industries but have also been highly recognized by many international players. Moreover, we also had an honor of representing Pakistan at leading tradeshows of the regions such as Asia, Europe and Middle East and we look ahead to cover more regions in the forthcoming year.

We look forward to another successful and prosperous year. We truly express gratitude towards all our contributors, subscribers and advertisers for their continuous support.

ContentEditor’s Note

OUR TEAMManaging EditorS.H. [email protected]

Assistant Manager MarketingParas Ali [email protected]

Business CoordinatorM. Eijaz uddin [email protected]

Editorial AssistantKarishma [email protected]

Layout & VisualizationRehan A [email protected]

Published by:Thesis Publishing (Pvt) Ltd.

Address:Room No. 706, Business PlazaMumtaz Hassan Road, Karachi-74000, PakistanPhone: +92-21-3246-1722Website: www.thesis.com.pk

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Printed at:Quick Process, Plot No; 20, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi.


MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Omanplast05-07, January 2016Oman

GPCA PlastiCon10-12, January 2016Dubai

Gulf Packaging & Polymers Show01-03, February 2016Abu Dhabi

Plastivision Arabia 201622 to 25, February 2016Expo Centre, Sharjah, UAE

PakPlas 201625-27, March 2016Expo Centre, Lahore, Pakistan

Chinaplas25-28, April 2016Shanghai, China

19th Annual PPPEXPO 201616 – 18, June 2016Nairobi, Kenya

19th PPP Africa 201612-14, July 2016Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

Plasti&Pack 201618-20, August 2016Expo Centre, Lahore, Paksitan

Iftech Pakistan18-20, August 2016Expo Centre, Lahore, Paksitan

K 201619-26, October 2016Dusseldorf, Germany

Plastics & Petrochem Arabia 201621-23, November 2016Dammam, Saudia


THE BARE ESSENTIALSPakistan’s Import of Machinery (Jan – Nov 2015)

7% PackagingMachinery

1%Paper & Paper Board

Machinery

42%Plastic & Rubber

Machinery48%Plastic Material

1%Printing

Machinery

Plastic MaterialUS$ 589.64 millionSheet Fed, Office Type s-22 & 36 (US$ 0.4m)Polyethylene SP Gravity < 0.94 (US$ 267.02m)Polyethylene SP Gravity > 0.94 (US$ 226.98m)Other Polyether (US$ 95.23m)

Packaging MachineryUS$ 90.52 millionOther Packaging / Wrapping Machine (US$ 24.68m)Machine for Filling / Closing Bottles (US$ 48.95m)Other Part Filling / Pack / Wrapping Machines (US$ 16.88m)

Printing MachineryUS$ 11.8 millionGravure Printing Machinery (US$ 4.04m)Flexographic Printing Machine (US$ 1.69m)Other Offset Printing Machinery (US$ 4.92m)Offset Printing Machine Reel Fed (US$ 1.15m)

Plastic & Rubber MachineryUS$ 520. 37 million

Injection or Compression Types (US$ 4.57m)Extruders (US$ 5.43m)

Other Blow Moulding Machines (US$ 10.57m)Polypropylene (US$ 359.21m)

Propylene Copolymers (US$ 107.6m)Injection Moulding Machines (US$ 21.43m)

Other Moulds for Rubber / Plastics (US$ 11.56m)

Paper & Paper Board MachineryUS$ 13.69 million

Other Parts Machine Paper & Paper Board (US$ 2.62m)Other Parts Pulp / Paper Making Machinery (US$ 0.82m)

Cutting Machines (US$ 7.63m)Machinery Make Paper & Paper Board (US$ 2.61m)


Sri Lanka for joint efforts to boost mutual tradeA high powered 17-member Sri Lankan delegation had B2B meetings with their Pakistani counterparts here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The delegation was headed by Prasanna Jayasinghe while LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Vice President Nasir Saeed and Executive Committee Members also spoke on the occasion. LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad and Sri Lankan delegation agreed to make joint efforts to enhance exiting trade volume.

Leader of the Sri Lankan delegation Prasanna Jayasinghe said that there is a vast scope for the expansion of two-way trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the presence of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries to further strengthen their multifaceted and multi-sectoral cooperation in the fields of herbal medicine, gem & jewelry, culture, commerce & trade, science and technology and tourism. He was full of praise for Pakistan government and people for their moral support to Sri Lanka on every issue. He said that Sri Lanka offer huge opportunities in gem and jewelry, rubber, garments, hospitality, services and there is a need to take advantage by liberal trade policies of the Sri Lankan government.

The LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said that the ideal and friendly relationship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is based on historical and cultural links as well as common understanding on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues.He said that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are members of SAARC and are enjoying good cordial relations. He said that both countries are old trade partners and Sri Lanka ranked 19th in the export destinations of Pakistan.

NEWSPepsiCo franchise joins hands with SidelPakistan Beverage Limited has purchased Standalone SBO8 Universal2Eco Blower for Carbonated Soft Drinks from Sidel, a leading global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging, to increase its production and meet the market demand said a press release. This is the second blower that PBL has purchased from Sidel in less than a year.

Pakistan packaging giant invests in high-tech sheetfed offset technology from KBA First highly automated Rapida 106 with double coating and cold foil for Saima Packaging Pvt Ltd

In January 2016 KBA-Sheetfed will be delivering a seven-colour Rapida 106 raised press with double coating for both UV & Conventional Printing on board and plastics, and a cold-foil transfer system to Saima Packaging Pvt Ltd in Karachi/Pakistan. The company, founded by Muhammad Yousuf Tinwala, today is one of the country’s largest producers of high-quality packaging.

Economic Partnership between China & Pakistan accelerated trade activitiesHead of the 5-member Chinese delegation Chao Ni has said that Chinese investors are keen to invest in Pakistan. Economic Partnership between the businessmen of the two countries would not only help tap huge potential exists in China and Pakistan but would expedite growth.

He was talking to the LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad and Senior Vice President Almas Hyder at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Members of the Chinese delegation Li Zheng, Zhou Guangyan, Wenhong Zhan, Fan Shengci and LCCI Executive Committee Members also spoke on the occasion.

Chao Ni said that China-Pak Economic corridor is an ample proof of China’s seriousness in economic uplift of Pakistan. He said that both the Pakistan and China had huge potential to increase the bilateral trade as the existing volume of two-way trade between the two countries is very small when it is compared with the total Chinese business with the world.

The LCCI President Sheikh Mohammad Arshad said that China is a sincere friend of Pakistan and always extended best cooperation. He said that China is also a very important partner in Pakistan Economic Development and bilateral trade. The involvement of Chinese enterprises, both in terms of Technical and Financial assistance in several development projects is reflective of our cordial relations based on mutual trust and sincerity. He further said that China is one of the largest trading partners of Pakistan and it is expected that bilateral trade between Pakistan and China will touch the figure of $ 15 billion within the next few years. Although Pakistan’s exports to China have been gradually increasing, the trade has always been in favor of China.

The balance of trade between the two countries is heavily in favour of China, which requires to be turned into a win – win situation for both the countries. Major imports of Pakistan from China include iron, steel products, tyres, tubes, chemical, medical, pharma products, fertilizers, yarn and thread of synthetic fiber, railway vehicles, spare parts hand tools and hardware products etc.

Clariant healthcare packaging to build new plant to support pharmaceutical industry in IndiaHealthcare Masterbatches Healthcare Packaging Global

• CHF 10 million investment in Tamil Nadu State

• Healthcare Packaging plant will produce moisture-control products

• India’s pharmaceutical packaging market is large and growing

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, today announced plans to invest CHF 10 million in a new Healthcare Packaging manufacturing plant in Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu State, located about 25 km from the city of Puducherry. The plant will manufacture Clariant’s market-leading moisture control products to support the growing pharmaceutical packaging market in India.

“India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally,” says Ketan Premani, Head of Clariant Healthcare Packaging Sales in India, “making it a key market for Clariant’s desiccant products. We want to ensure that we serve our customers here as directly and


efficiently as possible. When the plant is complete, they will now have the ability to procure Clariant’s global-standard products directly produced in India.”

Clariant Healthcare Packaging, a member of Business Unit Masterbatches, manufactures a full range of controlled atmosphere packaging solutions including pharmaceutical desiccants, equilibrium sorbents, adsorbent polymers, oxygen scavengers and pharmaceutical closures and containers. The new plant in Cuddalore will initially produce desiccant canisters and packets, which are inserted into pharmaceutical packaging to control moisture and protect the stability of the medicine during shelf life. The desiccant production area will be Clean Room Class 100,000 and certified ISO 8. It will be compliant with all relevant cGMP and US FDA standards.

Dr. Deepak Parikh, Region President – India, Clariant, said, “We are happy to announce our plans to invest in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in India. This new manufacturing facility is in alignment with our overall growth strategy in the country. The new facility will enable us to enhance our medical specialties business and offer end-to-end solutions to our existing as well as potential customers. Clariant in India is accelerating change and continues to fulfil our commitments to all our stakeholders, as the Indian market stays at the core of Clariant’s global focus.” The new plant will primarily serve globally active generic and branded pharmaceutical companies operating in India, as well as the domestic Indian pharmaceutical market. According to Markets and Markets, a major global market-research firm, India’s pharmaceutical packaging market is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2 percent from 2015 to 2020.

ELIX Polymers celebrates 40 years of experience in ABS manufacturingThe chemical company ELIX Polymers celebrates 40 years on the market. Thanks to numerous investments and innovations, it has become one of the main ABS manufacturers in Europe.

With its plant in Tarragona, Spain, and with a production capacity of 180 kilo-tonnes per year, ELIX has strived, especially in recent years, to be the one of the leading companies in Europe for ABS specialities. It is a customer-oriented company which offers personalised service and a wide selection of products whilst being committed to environmental sustainability and promoting the professional development of its more than 250 employees.

Based upon its continuous improvement policy, ELIX has developed a strategic plan to offer added value to its customers in terms of the SERVICES offered. This policy is based on key factors like flexibility, closeness with clients, proactivity, global scope and custom-tailored services.

In addition, the company has ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications – something which allows them to ensure the quality of not only their products but also their management whilst upholding the responsibilities of the chemical sector by responsibly making use of natural resources, energy resources and waste management.

The Sun European Partners, LLP investment group has been a shareholder since 2012. As a result, ELIX has achieved great global presence –currently maintaining sales relationships with more than 40 countries– through an extensive network of sales managers, agents and distributors in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

“We are proud of the things we’ve achieved and thankful to everyone who has trusted our company throughout these 40 years. The best way to celebrate is by taking on new challenges. That’s why one of the strategic steps has been to renew our Corporate Identity and strengthen our communications policy to emphasise what sets us apart: the tailored services that ELIX offers,” states Wolfgang Doering, CEO.

Sandretto does not produce only injection presses, but it also provides its clients with total technology solutions: from the choice of the polymer to the machine model and the type of mold, from the processing parameters to the electronic control of the process.

AFS – Breathable PerforationMachines for the cost-efficient production of breathable packaging, filters and gas membranes

HOT NEEDLE PERFORATION (PM 5)

To maintain the tear strength of thermoplastic foils after perforation.

Many thermoplastic foils (e.g. PP) must be hot-perforated to ensure a high tear-strength. An electrically-heated needle roller, driven at web speed in combination with a heat resistant counter roller guarantee completely round holes with a clean well-formed rim.

This process fulfils the highest aesthetic demands, combined with optimum functionality.

COLD NEEDLE PERFORATION (Spiked Roller & PM 10)

Conical needles produce holes with a conical profile increasing air and water permeability of PE foils

Conical needles pierce the web material (e.g. paper, thin metal foils, PE foils). The grooves in the counter-roller line up perfectly with the needles.

Sandretto goes forward with 3D printingAfter the launch during the last Plast Fair in Milan, Sandretto started in Pont Canavese the production of 3d printers, considering to make 25 printers a day, 6000 in a year. For this purpose, an assembling line has been set up, where ten workers are already at work.

The printers, according to the diameter of the heating platen, are available in 3 sizes (250,

400, 700), designed as Delta robot, able to operate using every kind of plastic filament (FDM technique). Sandretto plans to extend the selection with new Cartesian models dedicated to the serial production.

The company states that despite the price – oriented to a “consumer” approach – the printers are designed for a “professional” target, guaranteeing performances, reliability, toughness and a top-quality firmware.

Keeping a forward-looking attitude, Sandretto settled an agreement with the University of Pavia (Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture) to enhance the research in medical applications.

The printers presented at Plast2015 are some of the largest and fastest FDM Delta machines on the market and show many remarkable evolutions in terms of firmware, function control and error management. Following the same kind of technology, Sandretto will develop a full series of Cartesian printers dedicated to mass-production, and after that, a full series of products dedicated to polymerization and laser sintering of powders.

Exxonmobil Chemical Extends Vistamaxx Polymers Portfolio With A New High Melt Flow Grade For Enhanced Processing• Potential increases in productivity and

lower processing costs

• Designed for polypropylene modification and filler masterbatch applications

• Suitable for food packaging applications that use thin wall injection molding

ExxonMobil has extended the portfolio of its Vistamaxx™ performance polymers with the introduction of Vistamaxx 6502. With a high melt flow rate of 48, Vistamaxx 6502


can enhance the processing efficiencies of polypropylene compounds and filler masterbatch applications to deliver potential increases in productivity and processing cost reductions. The new grade is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union compliant for food contact applications, and is on the Chinese Positive List for resins permitted in food packaging products.

In polypropylene compounding applications, the use of Vistamaxx 6502 can enhance the flow properties while improving the physical property balance of the compound. Flexibility can be increased, impact strength improved, stress whitening reduced and clarity maintained. Used with existing compounding equipment, it can deliver cost-effective solutions as it enables lower melt pressures and reduced power consumption for energy savings. In addition, the need for processing aids may be eliminated.

“Vistamaxx 6502 is well-suited for polypropylene rigid food packaging applications, especially those that use thin wall injection molding. Beverage cups and food containers are two examples,” said Andre Dallaire, Vistamaxx molding and extrusion segment manager, ExxonMobil Chemical. “The new grade could provide growth potential for our customers.”

As a polymer carrier in masterbatch applications, Vistamaxx 6502 enhances flow while allowing high filler loading of materials, such as calcium carbonate. This enables compounders to differentiate their products and develop cost-effective solutions for customers.

Solvay’s Torlon® PAI Delivers High Strength, Wear Resistance in High-Performing Clutch System from FTE AutomotiveTorlon® PAI used to fabricate sealing rings and locking mechanism

in FTE Automotive’s innovative new dual concentric slave cylinder

Solvay Specialty Polymers, a leading global supplier of high-performance thermoplastics, announced today at the 14th annual CTI Symposium (Booth H06) that Solvay’s Torlon® polyamide-imide (PAI) technology forms several key components in a high-performing dual concentric slave cylinder (dCSC) developed by FTE Automotive, a premier producer of automotive drivetrain and brake systems. Signaling the first time Solvay’s Torlon® materials have been specified for this type of application, FTE Automotive’s dCSC forms the heart of the new SGM X44F Dual Clutch Transmission from a leading automaker, SAIC General Motors Co., Ltd. The transmission was successfully launched on the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze platform for vehicles produced and sold in China.

The critical core of an automotive clutch system, concentric slave cylinders are positioned directly around the drive shaft and on the clutch. They are consequently subject to extreme loads each time a car shifts gear. FTE Automotive offers various CSC designs for light and heavy commercial

vehicles that, depending on the application, are more typically fabricated from aluminum or engineering polymers.

“The intrinsically high wear-resistance of Torlon® PAI makes it a natural candidate for seal rings and other high-wear applications in both dual clutch and automatic transmissions,” said Brian Baleno, global automotive business development manager for Solvay Specialty Polymers. “A parallel trend is the increasingly frequent replacement of needle bearings with bearings made of Torlon® polymers. This conversion allows space savings of about 2.5 mm, which allows engineers to downsize metal castings and thereby achieve significant weight reduction without compromising on performance or reliability.”

Both hydraulic chambers within FTE Automotive’s dCSC each incorporate two seal rings made of Torlon® 4275 to ensure reliable and durable performance over the transmission’s lifetime. The seal rings have small cross-sections with relatively large diameters. Yet, due to Torlon PAI’s elongation properties, they maintain flexibility for easy assembly.

Dow Expands PacXpert™ Flexible Packaging Technology Reach in Asia with Second License Agreement in Japan with Takigawa Corporation

Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) announces the second PacXpert™ packaging technology collaboration in Japan with Takigawa Corporation. This license agreement comes a year after the first partnership with Kyodo Printing in November 2014, and will allow Takigawa Corporation to

produce the packaging for a wide range of applications to their customer base across Asia Pacific through its manufacturing sites in Japan and Vietnam. This marks the 11th licensee agreement for PacXpert™ packaging technology globally, and the third in Asia Pacific.

Takigawa Corporation is a leading flexible packaging converter in Japan, and provides high-end packaging for a wide range of applications for both liquid and granule content for food and non-food related products. With the agreement, Takigawa Corporation will advance the reach of the award-winning PacXpert™ packaging technology across Asia Pacific to their distribution markets in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.

“We are enthusiastic about bringing our innovative PacXpert™ packaging technology to various parts of Asia Pacific. Japan is a sophisticated market, with high standards in flexible packaging. A second licensee within a year is evident of the ability of PacXpert™ to provide a valued and innovative solution to the country. The consistent growth of the flexible packaging industry in the region has seen the standards and demands of packaging significantly raised,” said Mark Saurin, commercial vice president for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Asia Pacific. “By partnering with Takigawa Corporation, it allows Dow to meet the rising expectations of the consumers, access new markets with the technology, and offer customers more choices in sustainable packaging with greater convenience and functionalities.”

Nordson pelletizing and crystallizing system plays central role at Lotte Chemical’s world-scale pet resin plant in EnglandNew On-Site Video Shows Nordson’s Energy-Saving BKG® CrystallCut System in Operation, along with Kreyenborg™ POLY Screen Changer for Continuous Melt Throughput

A new video shows how melt filtration and pelletizing technologies from Nordson Corporation conserve energy and enhance productivity at the 600 ton per day PET resin plant of Lotte Chemical UK Ltd., Nordson announced today. Commissioned late in 2014, the world-scale plant at Lotte Chemical’s Redcar, England facility includes three pelletizing / crystallizing units based on Nordson’s patented BKG® CrystallCut™ process, which saves energy by retaining heat from the molten polymer and using it for crystallization. The installation also includes a Nordson Kreyenborg™ POLY screen changer, whose quick-change operation makes possible filter screen replacement while maintaining continuous production. Conventionally, PET pellets are cooled after pelletizing, then reheated for crystallization. The video shows how the CrystallCut process eliminates cooling by rapidly transporting pellets from the cutter face of the die through hot water


and directly into a centrifugal dryer. The pellets exit the dryer at a temperature of 140 to 150 °C and are uniformly crystallized.“For a modern, world-scale PET plant operating ‘24/7,’ we estimate that the CrystallCut system can save millions of Euros per year in energy costs by combining pelletizing and crystallizing into a single integrated process without a cooling step,” said Ralf Simon, Nordson BKG managing director. “And because the retained heat causes pellets to crystallize from the inside out, the result is an improved crystalline structure that requires less energy for re-melting.”

New rigid PVC for outdoor profiles is optimized for impact strength, surface finish, and flow propertiesFor Apex® RE-9218 Outdoor Extrusion-Grade PVC, Teknor Apex Provides Custom Colors, Process Development Support, and Outdoor Testing

A new rigid PVC compound for outdoor applications provides the excellent weather- and UV-resistance of industry-established grades along with superior performance in processing and fabrication and improved surface appearance, it was announced today by Teknor Apex Company. Apex® RE-9218 compound is an optimized and competitively priced alternative to existing rigid PVC products that are designed to resist the UV light, heat, and moisture encountered in outdoor applications, according to Michael J. Renzi, Vinyl Division business development manager. “The enhancements provided by Apex RE-9218 include improved flow properties for intricate profile structures, greater Izod impact resistance for post-extrusion cutting and fabrication, and a smoother, more appealing surface finish,” said Mr. Renzi. “In addition, Teknor Apex supports this new product with a wide range of customized services, including advanced real-time weatherability testing at several Teknor Apex on-site laboratories.” As a custom compounder, Teknor Apex can supply Apex RE-9218 compound in specialty colors. In a fully equipped laboratory, the company can assist with development validation by replicating the customer’s process and die design.

Market forces driving Pharma Packaging changesStrategic moves by a pair of German pharmaceutical packaging giants are shedding light on drug packaging trends related to bottles vs. blisters and glass vs. plastic syringes. And such trends are worth watching for a global pharma packaging sector that

Freedonia Group projects will grow by 6.5 percent annually to more than $101 billion in 2019.

Uhlmann Group, long established as a king of blister packaging machinery, at the recent Pack Expo Las Vegas trade show was promoting, of all things, a compact bottle-filling machine – or “modular Integrated Bottle Packaging Center,” dubbed the IBC 120 – for solid-dose products.

And separately, Gerresheimer Group – traditionally best known as a maker of glass containers for the pharma and cosmetics sectors – continues to push strongly into plastics, particularly cyclic olefin polymers (COP) for prefillable syringes.

Neither Uhlmann’s interest in bottles nor Gerresheimer’s in plastics packaging is new, of course, but their increased emphasis on what, for them, is not traditional technology, is noteworthy and reflects some interesting trends in their respective sectors.

Nano technology in Doctor Blades

PrimeBlade 900 Nano has been developed by PrimeBlade® Sweden together with partners in Nano technology, to treat and produce different steel qualities to optimizing the properties and performance.

The microstructure of the PrimeBlade 900 steel consists of finely distributed, small carbides, giving it an exceptional wear resistance, reduced friction and higher printing performance.

PrimeBlade 900 Nano is produced by using the latest Nano technology, with the idea of not using the ceramic & nickel coatings that are used today; resulting in none of the side effects this can have on environment, brittleness and other issues.

It´s a revolutionary patented metallurgic-treated steel blade which will extend blade life to hitherto unseen levels in non-ceramic

coated blades in both flexo and gravure applications. The blade will outlast any non-ceramic blade on the market, without any of the brittleness associated with long life blades, with no extra consequent anilox roll/gravure cylinder wear and at a competitive price.

Ampacet’s Telford plant brings colour and capacity to UKGlobal Leading Producer of Masterbatch, Ampacet, has recently increased its capacity in the UK at its production site in Telford.

The site, which is accredited with ISO 9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 and has a capacity of approximately 2000 tonnes in colour, is designed to give extended flexibility on production lines, as well as shifts, to suit customer demands.

“With the new sales team setup that has encountered great success during 2015, the UK plant brings the domestic presence to the region focusing on providing a quality product and service with fast colour matching services, on time deliveries and guaranteed made to stock products in place,” explained Caroline Scheydecker, Ampacet’s Senior Marketing and Communications Coordinator.

The company has grown considerably since its formation in 1937, now operating 24 sites globally, producing in excess of 400,000 tonnes annually and selling its range of products in more than 90 countries.

“Ten years ago we were perceived as a commodity player. We were seen as a company that could only offer black, white and additive Masterbatch. Now, however, we are not only seen as a company offering a full product range; black, white, additives and colour Masterbatch, but also one that adds value and creates specialty products for our customers,” Scheydecker added.

The company says its success is due to its ability to partner suppliers and customers, as well as to create Masterbatch formulations that help bring products quickly to market and satisfy the needs of its customers to the best of their ability.


AV Flexologic - Automatic plate mounting machinesFor the past 30 years AV Flexologic has been the driving factor behind the biggest innovations in the flexographic prepress and especially mounting industry.

After inventing the mounting cameras, AV Flexologic now has a patent on automatic mounting using image recognition. The (semi-) automatic mounting machines are more accurate and precise than any operator could be. AV Flexologic continues to innovate for the benefit of its customers.

One of the new inventions of AV Flexologic are their Automatic plate mounting machines. These machines mount the photopolymer plates making use of AV Flexologic’s patented image recognition software. The accuracy is impeccable (down to 5 microns (0.005mm) and the machine is very fast. Consequently these machines diminish the printing press downtime due to mounting and improve the quality of the prints tremendously. Due to this value creation these machines are the most popular machines in AV Flexologic’s product portfolio. AV Flexologic’s Semi-Automatic Mounting Machine is the SAMM and the FAMM is the completely automatic mounting machine.

The company was able to recoup their investment in a few months. This customer mounts 22000 - 24000 sleeves per year; Downtime savings and operator savings in the press drive the return on investment.

Good news for Pakistan Market is that recently AV Flexologic have started collaboration with K-Group of Companies as their main representative and customers can have the support available for AV Flexologic products locally as well.

DuPont and Dow announce merger to become DowDuPontThe Dow Chemical Company and DuPont have made official the announcement that they are to combine in a merger of the two companies. The new company, which will be called DowDuPont, will split into three independent, publicly traded companies in the areas of agriculture, materials science and speciality products. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company would have a combined market capitalisation of approximately $130 billion at announcement. The merger transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and approval by both Dow and DuPont shareholders. The subsequent separation of DowDuPont, which the companies intend to pursue, would be expected to occur 18-24 months following the closing of the merger.

Jangsu Cenmen Company was founded in 1999, a private enterprise and professional manufacturers of complete extrusion equipment, in 2014 annual sales is more than two hundred million RMB.

Main products co-rotating twin screw extruder, reciprocating kneader, double rotors continuous mixer.

There are three major aspects of the Company, the first one is the traditional compounding equipment, which we currently have three major categories: single and twin screw extruder, reciprocating kneader, continuous mixer; second is our ONE FORMING technologies.

I. Traditional Compounding FieldIn the traditional polymerization and compounding industries, such as color master batch, reinforcement, high ratio organic additive filling, engineering plastics, polymer alloying and blending, TPE compounding, TPU polymerization, etc. We have the three major machines to fulfill different kinds of needs in different markets, and the brief layout is as follow, and we also can offer TURNKEY project including feeding system, metering system, and also many kinds of pelletizing system to packing system.

II. One Step Forming TechnologyBy using this technology, we can get lots merits as:

* Combines the polymer compounding pelletizing and product forming industry, adopts new equipment and technology to realize the integration of the two major process of compounding modification and extrusion forming process with continuity and automation control. Shorten and simplify the process dramatically, reduce plant occupancy and labor cost, cut down the energy consumption and production cost tremendously, at the same time, reduce the heating experience of polymer and improve and enhance the comprehensive quality of final products.

* Extend to the up steam raw material conveying and metering system, adopt the advanced continuous multi and gravimetric feeding to realize the seamless integration of metering system and the compounding unit.

* Integration and interaction with other forming technology continuously. Including but not limited to all kinds of functional sheet, panel, pipe and film products and multi-layer co-extrusion, new type hollow composite sheet & panel, glass fiber sheet & panel, on line spinning forming, etc.

III. Two Examples of Our One Step FormingA. LFT-D New Technology for Reinforcement of Glass Fiber/Carbon Fiber

In the traditional process of reinforcement, people will make the compounding of polymers with fibers (glass or carbon) first, and the go to the injection step to make the final product, but now, we use one step forming to form the product with many advantages. The basic idea is to using two extruders to conduct this task, the first extruder will melt and homogenizing the polymer, and the second will accommodate the fibers .

B. New Process TPU Toe Puff Production Line

In the traditional process of Toe puff production, the sheet is a composite one with ABA structure, and more than 3 minutes heating will be need when making the shoe parts on the production line, this can not meet the high speed production requirements, so, right now, a new process was invented,In this process, we will use two kinds of material and we can call A and B material, A material is most of TPU materials, and B is majorly of hot melt materials, they will make the pellets with extruder first, and then make the co-extrusion to form the sheets for next step, this process can say the manufacture time and enhance product quality.

Jiangsu Cenmen and Its New Developed TechnologiesContributed by Albert Wang


Shaping New Trends for Packaging Industry- Versatile, Smart and SustainablePlastics packaging has occupied over 30% of share in packaging market, thanks to its outstanding properties such as lightweight, versatile, anti-corrosive, anti-abrasive, and easy to process properties and more that other materials cannot match. In the next few years, safe, environmentally friendly, lightweighted, multi-functional and intelligent packaging will remain in mainstreams. Packaging products which feature multiple characteristics such as anti-microbial, high temperature resistant, UV-ray resistant, high barrier, biodegradable and recyclable will be at market’s focus.

Many of the key players involved in advancing these materials and processing technologies will be among those exhibiting in CHINAPLAS 2016 next 25-28 April in Shanghai. 3,200 exhibitors will be categorized into 16 theme zones, such as Automation Technology; Plastic Packaging & Blow Molding Machinery; Extrusion Machinery; Film Technology; Recycling Technology; Chemicals & Raw Materials; Color Pigment and Masterbatch, etc.

Leading players in plastics packaging over the world are flexing their muscles to push the technologies into limits in order to meet the consumers’ needs in this fast changing packaging world. Below are some of the examples.

It is expected that some 140,000 professional buyers from 150 countries and regions will visit the show. In the past exhibitions, it had attracted a number of leading packaging companies and endusers from food & beverage and daily chemicals to attend, such as Alcan, Amcor, Amway, Aptar, Beauty Star, Bemis, Coca Cola, Colgate, Essel, FSPG, Lee Kum Kee, Nongfu Spring, P&G, Rex, Rexam Plastics, Sealed Air, Wrigley, among other famous enterprises.

Plastics & Rubber Vietnam 2016: Arburg to exhibit high-end packaging machine• In focus: efficient packaging technology

• Specific: hybrid, high-performance machines in “Packaging” version

• Challenging: 24 screw caps in three seconds

Lossburg. At the Plastics & Rubber Vietnam,

SPOTLIGHT ON EVENTSwhich takes place in Ho Chi Minh City from 1 to 3 March 2016, Arburg will present an efficient production solution based on a hybrid Allrounder from the high-performance Hidrive series, thus placing the focus on the packaging industry. The high-speed Allrounder 570 H in the “Packaging” version will demonstrate the cost-effective production of drinks bottle closures at exhibition stand G 19 in Hall A1, A2.

“With a hybrid Allrounder 570 H in the “Packaging” version, we will be presenting an injection moulding application designed for high volume production in the packaging industry at the Plastics & Rubber Vietnam 2016. This efficient high-speed machine produces 24 water bottle closures in only three seconds,” explains David Chan, Managing Director of Arburg Singapore and responsible for the entire ASEAN region.

ARBURG 30441-02 570H Packaging

The hybrid Allrounder 570 H in the “Packaging” version, which is specially designed for the high demands of the packaging industry.

Polymer foam goes globalThere are strong globalisation trends in the polymer foam industry, particularly in the field of construction insulation foams where the leading companies such as Dow and Armacell have built production plants worldwide, and a similar pattern can be seen in the automotive suppliers industry, while across packaging there is a move towards worldwide supply too with companies buying up and incorporating suitable local businesses in order to gain market share. In each region there are different standards and regulations, for example the fire retardancy tests vary between Europe and North America for insulation. A whole range of foam manufacturers will be represented at AMI’s international Polymer Foam 2016 conference, to be held on April 5-6 at Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, USA. The Managing Director and R&D lead at Armacell will be speaking in New Jersey in April 2016 on construction foam properties and Songwon will outline the additive selection and use of the latest polymeric flame retardant for XPS.

Foam materials are seeing a renaissance as all areas of industry look to improve production economics by reducing the volume of resin required, plus the added bonus of light-weighting, which reduces transport costs

for all types of application and also reduces fuel consumption in vehicles. There will be a paper at the conference from Volvo focused on lightweight material development for heavy duty trucks. The profiles around automotive glazing are extruded elastomeric foams: ExxonMobil Chemical has developed new formulations for EPDM in this application. Automotive interiors and thermal management is another automotive application and Michael Sproule will talk on this topic from his extensive background in a division of Ford, which became Visteon and is now owned by the South Korean company Hanon Systems.

The challenge is to get the foam processing right and controlled for each material type and for each component shape. ZOTEFOAMS is the world leading manufacturer of crosslinked block foams and is currently building new plant in Kentucky, the Director of Technology and Development will be speaking on foam technology at the AMI Polymer Foam 2016 event in NJ in April. Cabot Microelectronics uses foams and in one recent project worked on the microcellular foaming of thermoplastic urethane (TPU) and styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) blends. The University of Toronto leads the field in physical foaming technology and Professor Chul Park has looked at many aspects of foam including a study of bubble nucleation in high pressure molding. Injection molded parts may need to be adapted for the material flow in structural molding. Milacron-Uniloy produces specialty low pressure injection molding (LPIM) machinery for manufacturing large structural foam parts. Trexel has a chemical foaming agent that enables light weight injection molded parts with an aesthetically acceptable surface.

There are opportunities available to join leading experts to debate foam manufacturing, markets and performance at AMI’s Polymer Foam 2016, April 5-6 in New Jersey, a key center of plastics manufacturing in the US.

Flexible packaging experts to gather in singapore The Asia Pacific region is one of the most exciting and dynamic markets for flexible packaging in the world and the signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement is expected to create further opportunities for packaging manufacturers and suppliers particularly in South East Asia.

Singapore, one of the signatory countries of the free trade deal, is playing host to AMI’s third Specialty Packaging Films Asia conference, being held from 15 -17 March 2016 at the Swisstel The Stamford. The extensive programme will cover the very latest innovations in raw materials and film technology to meet the demands of customers in Asia and beyond, as well giving delegates


an understanding of how the industry is evolving and the possibilities that are emerging from these developments. Setting the scene for the conference, AMI Consulting will open with a review of the latest trends shaping new market opportunities.

Sustainable consumption is a high priority across the supply chain. At the conference, Nestlé will discuss the brand owner’s perspective on the use of flexible packaging for maintaining product integrity and safety whilst enabling the reduction of food and packaging waste. Playing a part in this are innovations in speciality films, coatings and barrier properties to improve shelf life and Cosmo Films, Sealed Air, Milliken and Michelman amongst others will explore these areas in more detail. End of life options for packaging will also be examined with presentations from Starlinger and Dow Chemical.

Reifenhäuser Blown Film and Mamata Extrusion Systems will show how their blown film line technologies combine the properties of different polymer materials for the production of customized, economical and source optimized films. Cast film developments for specialty applications will be shown by Futamura Chemical and Scientex Great Wall while Singapore’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering will look at advanced polymer composite packaging.

AMI’s Specialty Packaging Films Asia is relevant for all members of the supply chain including brand owners, retailers, packaging companies, researchers, materials and manufacturing experts. In addition to delivering quality papers, the conference also offers superb and cost-effective networking opportunities with its extensive table top exhibition area.

Borouge illustrates its latest plastics solutions supporting infrastructure applicationsBorouge, a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative, value creating plastics solutions, showcased its portfolio of sustainable and value-added plastics solutions for the civil infrastructure applications and construction industry at the Big 5, an international building and construction tradeshow, held in Dubai from 23-26 November 2015.

The Big 5 fair provided Borouge with an opportunity to demonstrate its wide range of polyolefin products for water, gas and heating piping systems for domestic and industrial buildings and constructions, in addition to wire and cable solutions.

“Big 5 is a key event for Borouge to meet with our partners in the water and energy industry value chain. An ideal platform to share thoughts and ideas on the latest trends moving the industry forward as well as to learn about successes achieved and best

practises from the leaders in the industry,” said Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President Middle East Africa (MEAE), Borouge.

At Big 5, Borouge offered a range of high quality PP-R, PP-RCT and PEX polypropylene and polyethylene materials for the manufacture of hot and cold water and gas pipe systems. These corrosion resistant materials, which are rapidly replacing metal pipes in buildings throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, provide long maintenance free operation at high temperatures.

Muntajat and Qatar’s producing entities reinforce Qatar’s leading position at the region’s largest downstream eventMuntajat (Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution Company Q.J.S.C.) and Qatar’s producing companies returned to the Middle East’s largest chemical and petrochemical forum to represent and promote the State of Qatar’s downstream industry. Muntajat was joined this year by Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO), Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) and Qatar Chemical Company (Q-Chem).

The GPCA Annual Forum ran from the 17 to the 19 of November in Dubai, UAE. The event marked an important milestone for the Association as it celebrated its 10th edition. The Muntajat delegation, led by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Abdulrahman Ali Al-Abdulla, joined industry leaders and specialists from more than 42 countries to discuss the latest development in the industry under the forum’s theme of ’Building on Achievements- Enabling Continued Success in the Changing Chemical Landscape’.

Qatar’s representatives welcomed customers and industry peers as they visited the Qatar pavilion to learn more about Qatar’s chemical and petrochemical sector.

More than 350 participants at the ENGEL trend.scaut in ShanghaiWith more than 350 participants from China and all of Asia, the ENGEL trend.scaut in late October in Shanghai was a great success. For the first time, the international automotive conference hosted by ENGEL took place in Asia. The current and future challenges for plastics processors in China and Asia were discussed and innovative solutions were presented in the context of a local perspective and with international expertise. The main focus was on the topics of lightweight design and energy. The field of lightweight design can be surprisingly diverse – something that once again became clear at the ENGEL trend.scaut. “In Asia and particularly in China, there is already a broad spectrum of lightweight design technology in use”, as pointed out by Michael Fischer, Sales Manager Technologies at ENGEL. For instance, in addition to composite technologies, the presentations held in the Shanghai City Theatre also discussed chemical and physical foaming, injection-compression moulding, thin-walled injection moulding, glazing solutions on the basis of polycarbonate and the use of natural fibres for reinforcement. Sample parts were presented illustrating each kind of technology. Among others, Shuwen Liu of the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Centre (PATAC) demonstrated in his address just how innovative lightweight design can be combined with high cost-efficiency thanks to the diversity of processing methods and materials that are available.

Plastivision Arabia 2016 to court food industryPlastivision Arabia 2016 and Print Pack Arabia 2016 will be courting the food industry with the superior packaging technologies the market has to offer at their joint show in Sharjah in February.

February 22nd-25th 2016 will mark the third Plastivision and the second Print Pack Arabia and exhibitors at both shows are aiming to take advantage of rising food import and re-export sectors, and the emergence of the UAE as a regional hub of food trade, while at the Expo Centre Sharjah-hosted outing.

Both Plastivision Arabia and Print Pack Arabia are held in association with Indian partners - All India Plastics Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) and Indian Printing, Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (IPAMA), respectively - which will help facilitate the participation of leading Indian industry players who are formidable in the packaging sector.

The shows, which are held once in two years, are expected to better the previous edition’s visitor turnout of more than 7,250, given the steady rise in pre-registrations, visitor enquiries and confirmed visits by business delegations. The Hosted Buyers Lounge from Africa has already received assurance of visit by around 200 buyers from Africa.


Plastics have molded the modern world and transformed the quality of our life. A growing world population and growing material consumption has put severe pressure on our natural resources and fragile eco-systems. The material needs of our population are growing and plastics offer a cost effective and sustainable alternative.

In the GCC region, the plastics industry is a key segment of the petrochemical industry, which was launched to reduce the heavy reliance of the regional governments on volatile oil revenues and has the potential to further add value and creating job opportunities. In 2015, the GCC plastic resin industry continued its growth trajectory from the past decade, despite volatile commodity markets. The industry’s production capacity grew by 6% year-on-year to a new high of 26.1 million tons.

By 2020, the region’s plastics industry is expected to grow by 2.9% per annum from its current level, reaching 30.1 million tons, driven by greater self-sufficiency in downstream products and increases export opportunities. Major regional developments in the areas of automotive, aviation, renewable energy and other industries provide further opportunities and demand for local plastics conversion industries.

The plastics industry also benefits the Arabian Gulf region by generating employment and career opportunities for GCC nationals. Currently, the industry employs 32,000 people, while 125,000 people are employed in the GCC plastic processing industry.

Plastics producers from the Arabian Gulf have partnered up with local universities and vocational institutes, such as the Higher Institute for Plastics Fabrication and the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia and the Petroleum Institute in the UAE to support the development of future talent and the innovation capabilities needed to establish the Arabian Gulf as a leading center for production, plastic conversion and plastics innovation.

The industry has also shown its commitment to innovation by heavily investing in R&D. Successful examples of new plastics application developments centers are SABIC’s Plastic Application Development Center in Riyadh; Tasnee’s innovation center in Jubail; Sipchem’s innovation center in Dhahran Techno Valley; and of course Borouge’s innovation center which opened last month.

Based on the above, we can say that the plastics processing industry in the region is built on solid foundations. The next three to five years will be a game changing moment for the industry, with the availability of performance polymers dramatically increasing (e.g. PC, TPE, PMMA, PA, POM) through projects such as Sadara and PetroRabigh-2 coming on stream and major growth rates in the building and construction industries (e.g. pipe, cable, insulation, etc.). This will provide further opportunities for the new set of plastics conversion industries in the region. New industries where GCC potential is to be realized are formulated specialties, including example water treatment chemicals, surfactants, lubricants adhesives and oil; and performance polymers, including acrylics, engineering plastics, elastomers and polyurethane.

Investment by ‘clustering’ to advance coherent integration between producers and the plastics processing industry will become even more important. Some good examples from which we can learn are already being developed: PlasChem Park in Jubail, the KIZAD industrial park in Abu Dhabi and Rabigh CIP in Rabigh. But, as we will discuss during the upcoming GPCA PlastiCon conference on 10-12 January, more needs to be done to boost the growth of small and medium-sized industries operating in the field of plastics processing to generate high-skilled employment and localized new technologies. Cross-sectoral cooperation between producers and the plastics processing industry in these industrial clusters will provide an impetus for further innovation in the value-added chain and strengthen the Arabian Gulf’s position as a hub or plastics manufacturers and processors.

Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun

The future of the GCC plastics processing industry


We remember how fragile glass blood bottles didn’t always make it to their planned destination. We can also remember them hanging dangerously next to the surgeons. Too often even a simple misstep would send that life-saving bottle crashing to the floor.

The above example would explain how far medical care has advanced due to the extensive introduction of plastics into operating, emergency, and examination rooms.

If we glance through the modern day operating room we can locate:• Flexible plastic blood bags that are never

opened to contaminants• Sanitary plastic intravenous tubes that

deliver blood, electrolytes, and medicine• Germ-free plastic syringes that are used

only once, to help prevent infection• Plastic gloves that protect surgeons and

their patients• Medical equipment contained in tough,

hygienic plastics• Life-extending, implantable medical

devices such as artificial hearts

Operating lights, blood pressure gauges, bandages, respirators, surgical masks, monitors, gauze, tape … the list goes on, right down to the clogs many surgeons wear.

These innovations are surprisingly new – for example, plastics became common in the operating room only in the last quarter century.

Pharmaceutical packaging is also one of the most essential components in medicine industry with its sole purpose being the safety of pharmaceutical preparations in order to keep them free from contamination, hinder microbial growth, and ensure product safety through the intended shelf life for the products. . Due their inherent physical properties – plastics make possible many of the life-saving innovations in the operating room and beyond. Two basic advances alone – sterile plastic packaging and disposable medical items – have helped prevent countless infections, one of the world’s leading causes of death.

Protecting health and safety is always the first priority. And, while medical packaging design includes lids, pouches, bags and trays, the drugs and devices within are what truly drive design. That means almost every package involves customization, whether to support sterilization or ease of administration.

Why Astra Polymers?Astra Polymers has more than 22 years’ of experience in producing high-quality masterbatch for all sorts of plastic manufacturers and converters strictly complying with quality standards and requirements especially for regulatory firm industry such as pharmaceutical production and packaging. Packaging is a critical tool in this industry for product delivery and regulatory compliance, pharmaceutical companies will do all their packaging within a contamination free environment requiring highly sophisticated machinery and raw material, and we at Astra Polymers make sure all such requirements are met with strict compliance. Our products address a long checklist of essentials. They include compliance with regulations, ease of use for patients and caregivers, compatibility

with sterilization methods, and efficient manufacturing.

What makes Astra Polymers stand out in regional masterbatch market is the fact that:• Astra medical and pharmaceutical

packaging raw materials are compatible with many sterilization methods are tamper resistant, and have excellent film clarity.

• All products are manufactured according to rigorous regulatory standards.

• High emphasis on continuous innovation and research.

• Continuous acquisition of latest Industrial Safety & Quality accreditations.

• Proximity of material Supply through one of the most efficient supply chain systems in the modern business.

• Fully automated modern plants across continents with a highly skilled workforce.

• Volume capacity and technical ability with commitment to quality

• Solid financial base to back up all the research, development and trials.

• Technical support, R & D facilities available at all manufacturing plant.

• Well trained marketing and technical support staff.

• Existing Sales Offices across all Astra Polymers branches.

• Relationships with agents across Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

• Excellent association with leading government and private institutions across the Kingdom.

Astra Polymers is a preferred partner for technological innovations by leading pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging companies. Our fully equipped laboratory enables our technical staff to rapidly prototype new formulations conduct extensive in house testing and offer our customers a first rate sampling service for their required packaging and containing solutions making Astra an instinctive choice for high quality precision plastic raw materials.

Astra Polymers – Revolutionizing Medical Care with Innovation Plastics


Leading with a mission to supply quality packaging machines and processing systems to its customers, SAMA stands out prominent on 56th rank out of 100 fastest growing companies in Pakistan. For more than 35 years, SAMA is fulfilling the needs and requirements of the different local and multinational Companies in the sectors of food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health and personal care. In recognition of its best practices, the Company’s achievement has been applauded by the industry via two Brand of the year Awards in 2010-2011 and 2013-2014 and also Best Exporter Award from KCCI (Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry) in 2012-2013.Polymer & Packaging International recently had the privilege of meeting up with Managing Partner of SAMA Engineering; Mr. Shahzad Sama who has been serving the Company for the last nine years. Here is what he had to say:

Which significant products/services does your company contribute to the pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan? Essentially we are the manufacturers of packaging machines and processing systems for all the FMCG companies. We are providing turnkey solutions to a large number of Companies in Pakistan as well as in other parts of the world. In pharma industry we are providing so many packing solutions, like blister packaging machines, mixers and blenders, powder filling, labeling, date coding and many other similar one window solutions

on customize level using our experience and best grip over technologies and innovation. Even though there are a few things which are in the process to be unveiled. We have also introduced bottle filling lines and carton packaging as well during last two years. In short we are working to customize our machinery as per need of the clients.

What are the latest trends in the pharma packaging industry which are known to be your challenges?There are number of products that are being packed in different styles; likely to say luxuries in small package. A recent example we can take of GSK Pharma which is now using pet bottles for medicines instead of glass bottles. This ultimately indicates that the scope of plastics in the pharma industry is quite huge. Packing speed and safety features has also been increased to cater exceeding customer demand and an increasing rate of population.

Can you tell us a bit about the cutting edge technology and research & development?We turn challenges into opportunities by the skills and expertise we have to provide complete turnkey solutions to all our clients. We have an efficient packaging machines line which works at the highest production rate under all safety standards. We also provide the best technology to fulfill all the requirements with a single machine by easy variables. The machines have touch-based control panels which basically minimizes the numbers of workers and machine operators. We also believe in sharing technology based relations around the globe. We have a proper R&D department which monitors the latest trends of packaging and processing systems internationally. This department has many technically high qualified professionals who constantly focus on research and updates. They share their information to other in house departments for implementation. This definitely improves the performance, work processes and productivity.

Being a recognized company dealing in pharma plastics in Pakistan, what differentiates you from other players in the industry? Are you following any international standards of packaging?We are an ISO Certified and CE marked in terms of quality standards and this is our competitive edge that we have among different players of the industry. We are only manufacturers of processing and packaging machines having said standards in Pakistan. If you see any of sachet packing machine in pharma or in a FMCG company, it is basically packed on our machinery. This is a simply a benchmark of the Company and denotes our impression in market.

How do you see Pakistan Market for plastic and packaging business in near future?I can see that the Foods and Drugs Authorities are now very much active in Pakistan. The concept of hygiene is spreading among the masses. The production of flexible packaging in food is increasing among the industries. I believe that there is a huge scope in polymer and packaging industry. Since Pakistan is turning all the products into value addition and perfection, there is a large market of plastics in Pakistan.

Does your company have any CSR activities that contribute towards well-being of the society?Being a largest manufacturer of packaging machinery, CSR is the integral part of our Company. Our main focus is on education and to support the effected ones from natural disasters. Therefore, different campaigns and fund rising are being conducted as per the requirements.

Excellence through innovation- An interview with Sama Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd


New High Heat ABS from ELIX Polymers delivers weight reduction for roof hatch applicationLower density, processing benefits, very low emissions and odour vs PC/ABSBOS Group, a leading supplier of innovative systems and components for the automotive industry, selected new High Heat ABS HH3114 from ELIX Polymers for the production of roof hatches for heavy duty trucks of a German premium automobile manufacturer.The roof hatch is produced using state-of-the-art injection mould technology with sequential controlled hot runner valve gates. The material ELIX ABS HH3114 was chosen to meet the high requirements of the application and, following mold-flow-analysis, the technical departments of BOS, Schulman and ELIX Polymers worked together intensively to design both the part and the tool.The part, which requires complex assembly and features several innovative functions, was produced in special colours to match the truck’s interior.In production, HH3114 offers a number of processing advantages. These include excellent processability and high flow, resulting in competitive cycle times. Less mould deposits means less mould cleaning and bring significant cost savings and higher productivity. The final part offers a weight reduction of 8% when compared to PC/ABS thanks to the lower density of High Heat ABS (1.04) vs PC/ABS (1.13). Moreover, high heat ABS is more economical than PC/ABS.ELIX ABS HH3114 is part of a new range of high heat materials developed by ELIX Polymers. In addition to processing and performance benefits, the range is characterised by its very low emissions and odour – for example, HH3114: VDA277=9,9 μg C/g, VDA278 VOC=16/FOG=3 μg/g (ppm), VDA270=3,0.Fabian Herter said: “The successful development of this part was made possible thanks to the close cooperation between all four partners. The end result clearly shows that the use of High Heat ABS can lead to major innovations and significant cost savings. Overall, our new High Heat ABS Portfolio is able to meet the stringent requirements of the Automotive Industry in both interior and exterior applications.”

Living To Expectations And Beyond – Rajoo Receives Order For A Third Blown Film Line From Devendran Plastic, Tamil NaduTechnological supremacy of Rajoo in Blown Film Extrusion, coupled with a strong intent and astute comprehension of Devendran Plastic in understanding the market needs has helped create this winning combination. Devendran Plastic Private Limited, one of the youngest but fastest growing companies in the business of flexible packaging in South India, now orders its third blown film line

from Rajoo. Satisfied with the Rajoo fully loaded 7-layer Blown Film Line for barrier packaging and the Rajoo OBC 3-layer Line, Devendran Plastic has now ordered the Rajoo fully loaded 3-layer line to specifically meet the needs and address the challengesof films for milk packaging as well as lamination grade films. ‘This far, we have produced high quality barrier ( 7 layer) and non-barrier films using the Rajoo machines and I remain confident that the new Rajoo fully loaded 3-layer line will exceed our expectations, help us add capacity and address the stringent requirements of speciality films’, accentuates D. Ashok Kumar, Director, Devendran Plastic Pvt. Ltd. ‘Diversifying from our traditional business of coal trading, we were keen to work with a company that could help us make a mark in this field of speciality packaging; we now order our third machine from Rajoo’, adds D. Ashok Kumar. The new machine is customised to produce films for milk packaging as well as lamination grade films. The line is equipped with 75mm x 2, 90mm x 1 - 3 extruders along with 12 component material conveying, gravimetric batch blending & GSM control systems to produce a film width of 2400mm with output of 650 kg/hr. Other technological advancements include circumferential profile control system with controllable external automatic air ring with triple lip, width measurement and control and integrated computerised touch screen based supervisory process control panel.

‘A repeat order is most gratifying; especially when it is the third machine, from a relatively new entrant, who is producing one of the best barrier and non-barrier films on our machines and effectively competing with machines imported from other parts of the world’, states Khushboo Chandrakant Doshi, Executive Director, Rajoo Engineers Ltd.

OFRU’s Innovative recycling systemFor more than 30 years, German company, OFRU Recycling, has been known as a technology leader in the design of recycling

plant for hazardous and flammable solvents. Recently OFRU has started its collaboration with K-Group of companies, as their main partner in Pakistan to provide support to the growing Packaging & Printing Industry locally. The company offers reliable and safe solutions for the treatment of printing industry solvents.

Among typical printing industry solvents that are easily recyclable are ethanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl (alcohol), and toluene and the daily quantities of 250 to1000 liters of solvents for modern printers are no longer unusual, says the company. OFRU’s solvent recycling plants ASC-100 or ASC-150 are suitable for printing press or platemaking solvents are said to reclaim between 160 and 800 liters/shift. With buffer tanks, they’re designed for direct connection to the press, where the solvent recycling plant supplies ‘in-line’ fresh solvent for automatic cleaning of printing decks.

Both units are equipped with innovative safety devices. Printing solvents – in particular nitrocellulose are easily flammable at certain temperature and/or dryness levels. OFRU’s solvent distillation unit ASC-150 is designed for direct connection to a printing machine and for this reason OFRU offers a special safety device for nitrocellulose solvents, which are distilled and supervised by means of strong vacuum at low temperature.

Another security feature is the design of the distillation boiler. Its specially-designed bottom, combined with a strong agitator, allows the walls to be optimally scraped off. The heating surface is used efficiently, not only saving energy but also ensuring continuous distillation. If, for any reason, the printing ink catches fire, a water shower immediately stops the exothermic reaction.

AFS – Future looking technologyAt Zecher everything always revolves around the anilox roller: what began with the production of the global first regular engraved anilox roller has developed into an international player supplying quality innovative anilox roller solutions.Today Zecher manufactures premium anilox roller and anilox sleeves for almost all well-known machinery manufacturers from the flexography printing, label, corrugated, cardboard, offset and coating industries. A large part of Zecher anilox rollers run in print applications, the quality of which has a decisive impact on the selling success of a product.

Zecher is the main contact partner as far as

UPDATES ON TECHNOLOGY


high quality print applications are concerned. Continuous investments in new manufacturing technologies, a high level of innovation and 100% customer orientation thus only serve one purpose: To always produce the best anilox roller solution for the customer.

Typical application examples:• Treatment of EDPM profiles in the

automobile industry before the flocking process.

• Treatment of the gluing channel before bonding it to a headlamp diffuser.

• Treatment of electric razor or mobile telephone surfaces before the pad-printing stage.

• De-greasing of aluminum surfaced before a gluing stag

Small packs carry a lower retail price and are therefore more affordable. For example, single-use sachets remained popular in shampoos and conditioners.

Change in Packaging TypeRising incomes and increased education and awareness is leading to a growing trend for the consumption of health wellness products in categories such as food, beverages and beauty and personal care products. In light of this, special packaging types for such products are also emerging, including the high quality plastic bottles and jars used for premium health and wellness oriented food. Furthermore, many premium beverages, especially juice drinks, are being packaged in glass due to its superior chemical compatibility with the product. The increasing consumption of yogurt, which is considered to be very healthy, has positively impacted demand for thin wall plastic containers in spoonable yogurt and rigid plastic, mainly HPDE bottles, in drinking yogurt. Many such premium healthy products require packaging with high quality graphics, designs and labelling. Often, healthy eating entails the consumption of smaller portions, particularly in indulgence categories such as confectionery and sweet and savoury snacks, and this trend is also helping drive demand for smaller packaging sizes.

Many Pakistani brand owners continued to select flexible packaging as their main type of packaging for both food and non-food products during 2010-12. This is due to its lighter weight and inherent economic benefits over other packaging types. Flexible packaging can be used for many applications including flexible plastic and stand-up pouches. Furthermore, new areas of innovation in flexible plastic such as microwaveable packaging, boil-in-bag and push-through blister packs are all helping many manufacturers to bring innovation to their products.

Bio-plastic Due to the rising concern for the use of eco friendly packaging, bio-plastic is currently being evaluated in Pakistan as a viable alternative to more conventional plastic as well as other packaging types. The interest in bio-plastic stems from its inherent advantages. However, the use of bio-plastic packaging is still at an early stage in Pakistan.

Introduction Pakistani food was traditionally packed in woven bamboo baskets, plastic boxes and wooden boxes made of para-rubber wood. Since the packages did not effectively protect the produce during transport there were tremendous losses. In addition, these packages were uncompetitive in the world market, in terms of appearance, ease of handling, use and disposal, and strength properties. Since the 1990’ies Pakistani authorities have realized the importance of improving the standards of packaging for products sold both domestically and overseas. The packaging industry in the country grew at a CAGR of 9.17% during the period 2009-12. This is primarily attributed to the growing demand in end-user markets. However, the unfavorable economic conditions in 2013 affected consumer demand and overall industrial activity in the country. The economic situation in Pakistan is expected to improve during the period 2015-16. As a result, the packaging industry is expected to register a CAGR of 6.38% during this forecast period.

Slows GrowthPackaging in Pakistan registered moderate growth in 2010-2012. This was due to several negative factors such as uncertainty over the pace of the ongoing economic recovery coupled with political instability. Consumers spent cautiously and this negatively affected consumer goods consumption. Consequently, packaging demand was also compromised.

Increase in Single-serve product sizes Due to the higher prevalence of busier urban lifestyles and eating and drinking on-the-go, more single-serve packs were launched in Pakistan during 2010 and packaging producers continued to adapt to this changing demand. Lighter, smaller sized packs and improved closures were some of the areas in which packaging development was seen in response to this evolving consumer trend. Another trend which led to rises in single-serve packs was the trend towards eating healthy and fresh food in single-serve packs which do not need to be resealed and kept for future consumption. Another factor was the lower retail price of single-serve packs, which helped sustained demand during 2010.

There are many agricultural products which can be used as the raw materials for bio-plastic production. However, as the cost of its production is still several times higher than for conventional packaging and there are fewer packaging manufacturers currently interested in offering their products with bio-plastic packaging, bio-plastic may take some time to take off fully in Pakistan.

ConclusionIndustrial packaging cannot grow by itself but it will grow in parallel with the product, how big or small will depend upon the number of products. Every product should have packaging to prevent itself and to increase its product value. If production is high, packaging will also be high, it is like a shadow. If the economy of the country is good, both internal and foreign trade will also increase. Production will rise and therefore resulting in the rise of the use of packaging. It is like a chain that is tied to each other forever. Packaging therefore becomes an economic indicator for the country.

When consumers have the purchase power to buy products, it would mean that consumers have good earnings and this is a reflection of the country’s economy. In order to be able to compete with the world’s market, Pakistan’s industrial packaging should always be modernized and updated, the products life span should be extended as long as possible, its image should be outstanding enough to attract those who saw, its product value should increase, it should be able to respond to consumer’s behaviour, it should be in line with the modern market, and it should be able to adapt to the new and changing delivery system and technology in production.

For the future, the use of various form of packaging will increase, i.e. Portable Packaging for snacks foods and others, Aseptic Packaging, Standup Pouch Packaging, E-commerce Packaging, Photodegradable Packaging and Environmental Friendly Packaging. All these forms of packaging will increasingly have more roles and will be used tremendously both internally and abroad according to the number of products made for the world’s population. Form the reasons mentioned above, industrial packaging in Pakistan for 2016 will continue to grow which should not be less than 10%.

Packaging & Printing Industry of Pakistanby Faisal Javed, Macpac Films Ltd

ZECHER – Innovative Anilox Roller TechnologyAt Zecher everything always revolves around the anilox roller: what began with the production of the global first regular engraved anilox roller has developed into an international player supplying quality innovative anilox roller solutions.Today Zecher manufactures premium anilox roller and anilox sleeves for almost all well-known machinery manufacturers from the flexography printing, label, corrugated, cardboard, offset and coating industries. A large part of Zecher anilox rollers run in print applications, the quality of which has a decisive impact on the selling success of a product.

Zecher is the main contact partner as far as high quality print applications are concerned. Continuous investments in new manufacturing technologies, a high level of innovation and 100% customer orientation thus only serve one purpose: To always produce the best anilox roller solution for the customer.

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS


Any Polymer is a collection of repeat unit, Poly means many and mer means unit. Monomer means single unit, diamer means two repeat units together, trimer means three repeat units together and so onwards oilgomer means several repeat units together. So PET - Poly Ethylene Terephthalate or generally called as Polyester is a collection of many ester repeat units.

Basic property of a polymer is the identity of its constituent monomers . A second set of properties, known as Micro-structure, describe the arrangement of these monomers within the polymer at the scale of a single chain. These basic structural properties play a major role in determining bulk physical properties of the polymer, which describe how the polymer behaves as a continuous macroscopic material. Chemical properties, at the nano-scale, describe how the chains interact through various physical forces. At the macro-scale, they describe how the bulk polymer interacts with other chemicals and solvents.

The physica l properties of a polymer are strongly dependent on the size or length of the polymer chain. As chain length is increased, melting and boiling temperatures increase quickly. lmpact resistance tends to increase with chain length, as does the viscosity, or resistance to flow, of the polymer in its melt state. Increase in polymer chain length results in a viscosity increase, increasing chain length furthermore tends to decrease chain mobility, increase strength and toughness, and increase glass transition temperature (Tg).

Properties of a good polyester:A good polyester is one having even distribution of chain length, I.V. as per requirement,

What is a good polymer?minimum ash contents, minimum yellowness as possible and better filter-ability.

Common way of expressing chain length is degree of polymerization which quantify number of monomers present in chain length.

Chain length is expressed in terms of molecular weight either as weight average mol. wt. (Mw) or Number average mol. wt. (Mn)

Polycondensation process yields a range of chain length, polyester is polydisperse substance i.e., it contains a distribution of molecular sizes and weights. The pattern of distribution is a reflection of polymerisation parameters.

Molecular weight distribution (MWD) is expressed as Poly dispersity (PD) = (Mw)/ (Mn).

A good polymer usually have PD= 50 000/25 000 = 2.0

Intrinsic Viscosity (I.V.) increases with increasing molecular weight . Generally I.V. range for textile grade polyester chips is 0.60 to 0.65. For staple fiber usually lower range 0.6 to 0.62 is preferred to achieve easy drawing while in filament higher range 0.63 to 0.65 is preferred to achieve better tensile strength (Tenacity).

Beside I.V. other properties of good textile grade chips ranges as follows:DEG% < 1.2CEG ueq/g < 30Melting point deg C > 255Glass transition temperature deg. C > 80Hunter scale colorL values > 90b values < 4.2Ash % for BR 0.1 +/- 0.05 for SD 0.35 +/- 0.05Oligomer contents % 1 to 2

Whiteness is indication of good polyester. Yellowness of polyester shows degradation or certain side reactions have taken place during process. The color depends on degree of decomposition in esterification as well as in in prepolycondensation stage but mainly is produced in the final polycondensation stage due to side reactions driven by the part of metal ions from catalyst. The factors responsible for color deterioration are temperature, residence time, oxygen or moisture ingress in process, quality of raw materials viz.

catalyst, dulling agent, stabilizers, etc. Another phenomenon is the natural aging of products on long storage and climatic conditions.

TiO2 quality contributes to color deterioration due to presence of rutile % and iron contents and nonuniform distribution of particle size inhibits agglomeration & clustering thus results in poor filtration and spinning.

For better spinning usually drop in I.V. is controlled with delta I.V. of < 0.02 i.e., difference in I.V. of wet chips ( or melt leaving DRR) and free fall yarn. This indicates that, degradation is under control and polymer chain and color is good. This is achieved via plant design based on residence time of about 28 to 30 minutes and transfer of melt to spinning beam with minimum heat treatment as possible. Also good filtration improves spinning.

Write up By:Zainul Abedeen (Manager Product Development)Gatron (Industries) Ltd.January 2015


The Dangers of BPASome baby bottles, water bottles, and other clear plastic containers are made of polycarbonate (PC) plastic, a polymer made with the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical that in animal studies has been associated with reproductive abnormalities such as lower

A Valued change in the market of packaging industry in upcoming days which bring diversification in the flexible & rigid packaging industry. The combination of BQP & A-PAK helps to provide unique packaging solution to the clients of various sector. To be the most admired and trusted organization through excelling in everything we do, following ethical business practices, compliance and adding value to stakeholders.

Bin Qasim Packages Private Limited are the manufacturer of PP Woven Laminated & Non-Laminated Bags, PP Gusseted Bags, HDPE

sperm counts, hormonal changes, enlarged prostate glands, abnormalities in the number of chromosomes in eggs, and pre-cancerous changes in the breast and prostate. It also has been associated with obesity and insulin resistance—a condition that commonly precedes the development of diabetes.

The Government Needs Stronger Protections for Consumer Products

Considering the potential hazards of BPA on infants and babies, EU, USA, Canada (including most of the North American countries),Australia, China, Far-eastern countries, GCC (including most of the Arab countries) and many of the African countries (less developed than Pakistan) have already banned BPA containing plastics for the manufacturing of baby bottles and sippy cups. It is very unfortunate that till to-date no NGO or government organization has bothered to say a single word on this potential hazard. Pakistan government should immediately

1) draft a law to protect the consumers from such dangerous chemicals.

Liners, PE Shopping Bags/ Wrapping Sheets etc.

While A-Pak is involved in the business different molded product range of Injection & Extrusion blow molding. Beside these all it is honor for us that we are the pioneer leading manufacture of EPS product (glass, cup, fish box and etc.).

Our passion to achieve excellence in all the spheres of the business has consistently fueled our growth in the competitive market.

• Stringent Quality Control • Advanced Manufacturing Units • Waste Management Cycle

2) strictly ask the plastic articles producers to show the plastic type on the article and packing also make it mandatory to show BPA Free sign on the packaging accordingly.

3) ban the import and local manufacturing of the baby feeders made of Polycarbonate or any other BPA containing plastic.

4) give incentives to the local manufacturers to promote production of BPA free baby feeders and other products.

What can I do to prevent exposure to BPA?

If you are concerned, you can make personal choices to reduce exposure:

• Don’t use polycarbonate (PC) plastic food containers.

• Avoid plastic containers made with Polycarbonate (PC) and/or with the #7 on the bottom

• Use infant formula bottles that are BPA free and look for toys that are labeled BPA free.

• On Timely Delivery • Competitive Pricing

We realize that every problem is slightly different from the one before it, as is every customer’s requirement. Which is why, we never offer a “one size fits all” solution to our customers. Every customer and indeed, every order, is preceded by a thorough understanding of the customer’s needs, problems and the limitations with the current approach to solving those problems.

Our future goal is to bring multi- layer extrusion lines to provide multi- layer films similarly to enhance the printing technology by including gravure phenomena in the process that enables us to improve the printing graphics.

Poison in Plastic Baby Bottles:

How to Know What’s Safe for Your Baby

One Stop Shop for All Your Plastic Packaging NeedBy Bin Qasim Packages (Pvt) Ltd


contactless filling valves ensure complete beverage safety. It can accommodate a broad range of beverages with and without pulps or particles, and it can easily manage neck changeovers.

Meeting the challenges of hot filling PET bottles

‘Hot filling’ is a method of safely bottling sensitive beverages like juices, nectars, soft drinks, isotonics and teas (JNSDIT), by heating them. This heat sterilises the beverage and, once the bottle is filled, capped and tilted, then the bottle and cap. The temperature required (between 80° and 95°C) is above the normal thermal resistance of conventional PET bottles.The production of a quality HR PET bottle to withstand these higher temperatures requires processing via a particular stretch blow moulding method. This involves blowing bottles in efficiently heated moulds at temperatures above 120°C with reliable controlled blowing. Traditionally, this temperature is attained by circuits of hot oil connected to a thermo-regulator. The mould base – and sometimes the mould neck – is usually connected to a second thermo-regulator. These conditions minimise PET stresses during the blow moulding phase, creating a heat-induced crystallinity and the hot moulds ‘lock in’ the crystalline microstructure.

The new Sidel Matrix™ blower eHR combines the innovative eHR solutions with the latest proven technologies of Sidel Matrix.

The Sidel Matrix blower eHR benefits from other proven Sidel Matrix developments such as oven ventilation with air filtration for more hygienic production. As the moulds are insulated from the mould supports, the hot temperature is focused on the moulds while the ambient temperature in the Sidel Matrix blower eHR remains lower than in a traditional HR blower. This avoids any thermal constraints on other nearby machine components. Parts that operators may come into contact with inside the machine are at a lower temperature which contributes to safer intervention conditions.

Staying ahead with innovative developments

With 35 years’ PET experience, Sidel has delivered almost 560 HR blowers around the world. This know-how is complemented by its experience in the hot filling of beverages, which it started almost four decades ago, first in glass containers and then in plastic. Damien Fournier, Blowing Product Management Director at Sidel, comments – “Sidel has been a central player in the hotfill segment of the beverages market ever since the introduction of the blow moulding HR PET process in 1986 and Sidel Matrix eHR provides unique operational benefits to beverage producers.”The Sidel Matrix blower eHR combines the innovative eHR solution with the latest proven technologies of Sidel Matrix blowers. Mechanical settings are the same and 73% of the eHR blowing station components are similar to those of standard Sidel Matrix blowers. It can be combined for example with the Sidel Matrix Intelliblower™, which brings control and self-regulation to the blow moulding process, independent of any operator intervention. As it is contactless, electrical stretching is robust and gets no wear, delivering consistently high quality PET bottles and contributing to increased output.

Benefits of eHR blowing with Sidel Matrix Combi Hot Fill

This new electrical heating resistance blowing process is integrated into the Sidel Matrix Combi Hot Fill that integrates the blowing, filling and capping functions in one machine. Sidel Combi systems offer line efficiency levels up to 4% higher than standalone machines and by reducing the number of machines involved, can cut operating costs by up to 12%. Compact and ergonomic, they optimise line layout with a smaller footprint and their controlled production environment ensures hygiene and food safety are kept under control.The Sidel Matrix Combi Hot Fill has electronic filling valves, equipped with individual flow meters for accurate volume dispensing with minimal wastage. Hygienic design and

Consistently High Quality Pet Bottles With New eHR Solution For Sidel Matrix Blower RangeSidel, the leading global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging, has introduced a revolutionary PET blowing solution - the Sidel Matrix™ blower eHR - to produce hot fillable PET bottles of consistently high quality. By heating the mould via electrical heat resistance (eHR) instead of hot oil, the Sidel Matrix blower eHR achieves various benefits in terms of bottle quality, performance, process flexibility, uptime, energy savings and operator safety.

Enhancing consistent performance, saving energy

Sidel’s eHR electrical heating replaces traditional heating of the mould for the PET bottle body by oil. Very responsive, it creates a temperature increase three times quicker than heating by oil, accurately providing the correct temperatures from the first bottles produced. Probes are directly located in each mould shell to regulate the temperature as closely as possible to the PET bottle as it is formed. Temperature discrepancies between different blowing stations are kept to an absolute minimum. As a result, all bottles undergo the same thermal conditioning and therefore offer a consistent performance when placed on the supermarket shelf and when in the hands of the consumer.The latest generation of blowing valve on the Sidel Matrix blower, combined with the mechanical blow nozzle system, electrical stretching and automation, gives high control of the blowing curve. This allows mechanical output to be increased by up to 2,000 bottles per hour per mould representing a speed improvement of more than 10% compared with the previous generation of Sidel HR blowers. At the same time, it still maintains enough cycle time to ensure a consistent blowing process.Electrical heating also offers energy savings of up to 45% compared with the previous generation of Sidel SBO Universal HR blowers. This is much more efficient than oil mould heating. The performance of the Sidel Matrix Ecoven with the infra-red lamps and ceramic technology reduces use of power by a further 25% and by implementing the AirEco2 air recovery option, air consumption can be reduced by up to 45%.

Hygiene and safety

By eliminating oil altogether, the Sidel Matrix blower eHR prevents hazards caused by leakages, such as operators’ slipping and contamination. With electrical stretching, there is no need for lubrication above the neck of the bottle, removing the risk of contamination. Some components are lubricated for life and for those parts that do need lubrication, food-grade grease is used.


Electrical heating of the Sidel Matrix™ blower eHR is located in each of the half-shells, with one probe for temperature control and self-regulation. Set temperature is directly applied to each mould shell, with power delivered by decentralised control units.

Thermal insulation avoids contact between the half-shells and the mould support to keep the hot temperature only in the mould of the Sidel Matrix™ blower eHR.

By eliminating hot oil, Sidel Matrix™ blower eHR prevents hazards caused by leakages, such as operators’ slipping and contamination.

‘Hot filling’ is a method of safely bottling sensitive beverages like juices, nectars, soft drinks, isotonics and teas, by heating them to between 80° and 95°C.

SANITIZED AG is a world leading producer of antimicrobial hygiene function and material protection for textiles and plastics. For over 80 years this pioneering Swiss company has used the latest technology to develop individual antimicrobial hygiene solutions. SANITIZED is committed to responsible ecological practices with products that use only scientifically researched and registered antimicrobial active ingredients, which have undergone strict,

internationally approved risk assessments for people and the environment. The company also offers support for marketing and technical queries, comprehensive testing services, and a universally recognized brand and licensing concept.

SpecialtiesAntimicrobials, Freshness, Comfort, Protection, Hygiene function, antibacterial effect, material protection, dust mite protection, anti-fungi protection (mold / mildew)

During a completely normal day there are countless contact points with bacteria. This begins in the home environment. Bacteria find excellent living conditions in the kitchen, bedroom and bath, for heat and humidity promote their growth. Sanitized® protects: a daily companion in the home, office, during sports and on the road. With antimicrobial treatment plastics and textiles can be reliably protected against the colonization and spread of bacteria. SANITZED is developing individual solutions for its customers worldwide in the textile and polymer industry

Underestimated risk: health hazards due to a lack of kitchen hygiene. Food can transmit germs that are a threat to health. Many people have insufficient knowledge about the importance of kitchen hygiene. The Sanitized® hygiene function has a multiple effect: against the colonization of bacteria, against the resulting

material destruction, against mildew formation and unwanted odours, all caused by bacteria in drains, on cutting boards, on hand towels or in refrigerators. Do not give bacteria, mildew or odours in your kitchen a chance.

Sports and Hygiene - Hidden Risks Lasting security with the Sanitized® hygiene function: Perspiration and sports are inseparable. Each piece of sports equipment is exposed to this human bodily secretion. Bacterial colonization, increase in disease-causing germs, odor and material deterioration are the unwanted

consequences. The Sanitized® hygiene function embedded in the plastic provides lasting and dependable relief.

Sanitized AG has appointed Cloud Packaging Private Limited (A Company of IR Group) as their Exclusive Representation in Pakistan for Polymer Applications.


colour to the recycled material. Recycled polypropylene from the used syringes is commonly used is manufacturing low quality house hold plastic products like; buckets, soap holders, dust bins, cups etc. Other than these, many other plastic goods are made by mixing recycled material with virgin plastic to reduce the cost and at the same time maintain reasonable quality of the product.

Very similar to the recycling of Plastic syringes is the process of recycling fluid bags i.e. drip bags and blood bags, which are made from Low Density poly ethylene.

Benefits of Recycling Medical WasteCollecting, recycling and reusing medical waste can avoid environmental hazards, protect natural resources and can provide economic benefits for health care facilities.

Recycling medical waste reduces consumption of raw material and reduces the volume of the waste materials that must be disposed in a landfill. Less medical waste in a landfill will mean reduced emission of green house gasses, less burning of fossil fuels as well as less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So, with using resources that are already processed hospitals can protect the environment and the already strained natural resources.

In addition to the reduction of pollutants in the environments, hospitals can save a significant sum of money with recycling and re-using. “Health care facilities could save the industry between $4 billion and $7 billion by adopting greener practices” (Howell, 2011). By recycling medical waste hospitals save $5.4 billion in five years and up to $15 billion in 10 years. That money comes from the recycling centres that treat the medical waste properly and then sell it for only 40 to 60 percent of the original price. Also, those recycling companies pay money to those hospitals that provide them with medical waste that can be sterilized and re-used.

Danial ArshadBSc. Materials Science & Engineering (G.I.K.I) Proprietor – Pakistan Plastics (Pvt) Limited.

As a matter of fact plastics are essential in modern day health care. Plastic products are used in surgery, health care products, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems and medical packaging.

Essential medical applications include:Blood bagsFluid bagsHeart and lung bypass setsBlood transfusion setsSurgical glovesDrug containers and bottlesUnlike the household plastic products the medical products are mostly disposable and hence contribute to huge amount of waste which has to be disposed. This waste can be classified in to two main categories namely;

1- Postconsumer waste2- un-used or company waste.

Postconsumer waste:Hospitals produce most of the postconsumer waste in form of used syringes, drip bags, surgical gloves, bottles etc. Nowadays, approximately 16 billion injections are administered worldwide, every single year. Hospitals all across the globe pay a significant amount of money on utensils manufactured from virgin materials and invest even more in waste disposal.

Unattended, openly dumped waste, especially under warm and moist conditions, becomes an ideal breeding place for disease-causing organisms. These badly managed heaps of waste are time bombs which can cause serious health hazards.

Unused or company waste:Plastic waste generated during the production of medical products such as syringes, drip bags etc is due to the test production and machine errors caused during moulding process. This waste is usually cleaner as compared to the post-consumer waste and hence easily recycled through shorter process mainly shredding and pelletizing only.

This type of waste is sold in the market at comparatively good rates and is usually bought

by small scale plastic goods manufacturers like toys and house hold products manufacturers.

Plastics Recycling:Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastic and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state. Since plastic is not normally biodegradable, recycling it is part of global efforts to reduce plastic in the waste stream, especially the approximately eight million metric tonnes of waste plastic that enter the earth’s ocean every year. This helps to reduce the high rates of plastic pollution.

In theory, any grade of Plastic can be recycled over and over again. In practice, due to contaminants and moisture, plastics can normally be recycled upwards of 10 times. This of course is a big environmental benefit. The few grades that cannot be recycled are generally supplied to heating plants for energy recovery.

Recycled Plastics are mainly used for:Garbage bagsDustbinsPallets Baskets and cratesCheap household products and auto parts

Recycling Post Consumer Plastic waste Used syringes are a big source of recyclable poly propylene, these syringes are collected from hospitals and are sent to recycling factories where they are first shredded by a shredding machine usually known as a crusher. Then the shredded material is put on a magnetic conveyer which separates the needles and any other metallic particles from the mixture, it is then washed manually or using automated rinsing system in soap water where the dirt and other chemicals are separated from the plastic. The shredded plastic is now dried in either open air or mechanically before going to the extruder in which it is melted and transformed into pellets, sometimes dyes are added in the pelletizing process to give the desired

Recycling and Pharmaceutical Industry


It is a unique achievement for a young and zealous local company to supply top quality masterbatches that are used in maximum industries. It is also significant for a relatively new entrant in the realm to supply material that large numbers of quality conscious companies use in their leading products. According to Farid Ahmed Vawda, the pioneer and CEO of FAV Plastico Pvt. Ltd, dreaming big does make a difference but at the end of the day, success comes after well drawn out feasibilities which are meticulously followed by hard work and high end technology, without compromising on quality.

Global demand for masterbatch is projected to reach $12.1 billion by 2019. Growth will be driven due to continuing robust progress in the Asia-Pacific and South American regions. The European region remains the largest market for masterbatch, followed by North America. The Asia-Pacific market is slated to be the key growth area due to combination of swift growth in plastics processing and the need to produce at higher standards. This has also helped with the masterbatch market demand.

Numerous raw materials which are used in Pharmaceutical packaging are usually imported from different countries round the globe. However, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly observing the local manufacturers and sourcing high-quality, cost-effective products. The packaging technology of local manufacturer needs to meet strict global standards. This will create new possibilities for our customers to improve the sustainability offering and overall performance of their finished products. Being, a trusted supplier in color and performance. FAV Plastico has over five years of experience in this segment.

FAV Plastico’s advanced colors and performance of materials for medical and pharmaceutical applications help customers respond quickly to rapidly changing preferences and demands. They meet the latest industry trends for surface functionality and aesthetics considering safety and regulatory compliance.

FAV Plastico is manufacturing range of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP)-based masterbatches. This range of white masterbatches and compounds is targeted for use in production of pharmaceutical tips, seals and containers for ocular and nasal drugs. It complements a range of colors and additives for medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. Based on pre-tested ingredients, this helps reduce development time and costs of matching special colors, and the possibility of additional regulatory evaluation. Classification of our raw materials and final masterbatches through careful selection, pre-testing and evaluation gives customers a clear picture of their material of choice.

However, because of the wide variety of medical device applications, sterilization regimes, etc, it is the responsibility of the device manufacturer to perform further appropriate tests for compliance with all requirements for the intended end-use application. To reduce development time, we have few ‘Standard Colors’ based on pre-tested ingredients, especially for Pharma Industry. This avoids development time and costs of matching special colors, and the possibility of additional regulatory evaluation.

Medical & Pharmaceutical industry is continuously challenged with tight regulatory controls governing end users product and packaging material ingredients. This has in-

turn increased responsibility of packaging convertors to adhere to maintain traceability of raw materials, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency and high level of material safety. FAV Plastico is constantly working to provide a wide range of masterbatches which can be widely used in Pharma industry in Pakistan.

Pet Amber is one of our thriving products in Pakistan Pharma Industry, which has high quality with good heat stability and migration. The leading supplier has developed amber masterbatch for the PET used pharmaceutical prescription bottles. This grade facilitates molders color PET in their premises rather rely on pre-colored resin. This grade meets strict light fastness, U.V. protection, clarity, color and other requirements set for pharmaceutical bottles.

As Pharmaceutical industry is considered very strenuous and sensitive, FAV Plastico takes extra care in producing medicated product Masterbatches with high quality Titanium di oxide, pigments and other raw materials. We have a wide range of White Masterbatches, which are especially made for ocular and nasal drugs containers manufacturers. Since the beginning of FAV Plastico’s career, we are providing these products to well known companies with a surety that our products are non-hazardous.

Our well equipped analytical and color laboratories allow us to quickly develop formulations of a project. We are then able to continually optimize products from the initial trial stages through to full commercialization. As we are constantly working on developing a range for pharma industry to support and share the responsibility of this sector which aim to provide affordable medical facilities to people of Pakistan.

FAV’s Masterbatches for Pharmaceutical Applications

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