News from 

"In every bottle there is all our know how"

 

(beveragemanager.net) - PET Engineering is a global player in the design and industrialization of PET containers with a portfolio of exclusive beverage brands such as Rocchetta, Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Rauch, Inbev, Baltika, Efes and many others.

A precursor of the market requirements, focusing on the present with a view to the future, PET Engineering is synonymous with design, innovation and Italian-made products. Beverage Manager Global, spoke to PET Engineerings`s Moreno Barel, President, about the PET innovation.

P.E.T. Engineering`s success story began with…?

Moreno Barel (M.B.): Founded in 1999 P.E.T. Engineering has achieved, in a bit more than 10 years, a leading position in the design and industrialization of PET containers with a client portfolio of exclusive Beverage brands including Nestlè Waters, PepsiCo, InBev, Ferrero, Efes and many others. The initial goal of giving a technical structure to my increasingly complex advisory task, together with the growth and constant improvement of services, has led to the creation of an advanced technology center. This has enabled customers to identify P.E.T. Engineering as their single source for all their needs connected to beverage packaging solutions.

The success of P.E.T. Engineering is the ability to offer a service where the design of the product is perfectly matched to its industrialization, thus allowing the company to find a distinctive and autonomous position in the market.

In terms of packaging (PET) equipment – Where do you see growth opportunities in your own backyard and worldwide?

(M.B.): A great opportunity has been definitely established by the emerging green consciousness that drives consumers to choose products that preserve the environment in which they live and that are sustainable throughout their life cycle, from the moment they are produced till the moment they are thrown away. An example is the 54th Oscar for packaging we won last year with the bottle LaLitro Levissima that weighs only 21g and it is produced with the 25% of recycled PET (RPET). Thus we see significant opportunities for growing in the study and in the design of ultra-light containers, also blown with alternative materials, and in the reduction of energy costs associated to the production of containers. Light-weighting is a strong point of P.E.T. Engineering that daily develops and studies sustainable strategies that limit the impact of each container on the ecosystem, from its production till its disposal. P.E.T. Engineering, thanks to important partnerships, is at the center of an important network of companies involved in the production of caps, preforms, resins, additives and labels, and works closely with them in the development of new experimental solutions.

Is the market saturated in terms of packaging technology? Are there still opportunities in terms of advanced technology and "packaging design"?

(M.B.): The market is not saturated at all and there is always room for innovation until the consumers continue to evolve and, with them, their tastes and consumption patterns. Packaging follows all these threds and it is the task of beverage companies and suppliers, in charge of packaging technology or packaging design, to create performing and really shelf- appealing containers. To meet these needs, P.E.T. Engineering has identified two main trends: the first is a distinguishing design for premium products, characterized by refined shapes and the use of expensive materials and processes, the second is a green design, aimed at limiting the carbon footprint of the container at every stage of its life. Both are experienced every day by P.E.T. Engineering in order to offer our customers a feasible and environmentally friendly packaging design.

Energy costs for the beverage industry have risen considerably. How is the PET Engineering dealing with this, especially with regards to PET packaging?

(M.B.): P.E.T. Engineering has developed Polaris, a project which represents a major innovation for the market as it proposes, for the first time, a solution that allows, through its modules, to update outdated blow moulding machines making them as performing as the new generation ones. Old machines, characterized by a low energy performance, thanks to Polaris and its tips, such as lamps pitch reduction, implementation of SSR and the recovery of the compressed air, after the upgrading allow an important energy saving at each stage of the bottle production. Polaris warrants, if combined with a light-weight project, a quick return on investment (ROI).

Are the Asian and European markets more attractive in terms of packaging technology for the beverage industry?

(M.B.): Asia is a continent that, for the enormous number of consumers, attracts not only the companies that belong to the beverage industry, but also all those that are involved, at any extend, in the production of mass products.

P.E.T. Engineering, at the end of 2011, established an important partnership with Husky, the largest global supplier of injection molding equipment and services for the plastic industry, for the development of new projects in the Middle East and Asian markets. The Chinese market appreciates what is “Western” and allows P.E.T. Engineering to offer their products as a synonym of design, innovation and Made in Italy.

In fact, China has recently experienced a transformation that is leading to become, from a manufacturing powerhouse, the largest and most attractive consumer market worldwide. This evolution brings a Westernization of tastes and needs which is allowing European companies to enter a market until now prohibitive, due to the high barriers to enter, constituted by the costs and unbeatable prices.

The European market, by contrast, has already evolved and consumers know what to look for when buying. One of the needs we have identified in the beverage sector is the need to obtain, from what you drink, a recognition of what you are, your values, ideals, and a sense of social group belonging. The packaging, and consequently the product, is understood as a status symbol.

The other trend is a meaningful response to the substantiated need for, as we said before, choosing sustainable products that allow consumers to make a conscious act to safeguard and protect the environment in which they live, both for themselves and for their children. The European market, thanks to the continuous evolution of its sophisticated consumers, is a comprehensive resource for us and for all companies.

What economic and innovative potential can be seen in the area of packaging technology today?

(M.B.): In our opinion, the key drivers for innovation are identifiable with all the activities designed to reduce costs, energy and raw materials associated to the production of even more environmentally-friendly containers.

What alternative range of products could the packaging industry offer the beverage industry in the coming years? (organic PET!)

(M.B.): The increasing need for “green” containers pushes us to create, to put on trial and to test, technologies that allow to make the containers more sustainable, both for their low weight and for the material with which they are blown. New opportunities are offered by organic and recycled materials, with which we are currently dealing.

Our company is very sensitive to the changes that occur in the beverage industry and our Research and Development dept., where the 15% of the resources is constantly focused on identifying the most advanced and advantageous solutions, tests new materials and assesses the interrelationships that arise between materials and design, in order to offer our customers innovative, sustainable and optimized solutions.

Speaking of beverages: If you think ahead to the next five or ten years, what role will sustainability play for this industry?

(M.B.): MarketResearch.com says that the demand for eco-friendly packaging will grow at a rate of 6% per year until 2015 and we strongly believe that this trend will remain unaltered for years to come. Sustainability will play a key role and P.E.T. Engineering is ready to support customers in this important mission. The study of eco-friendly packaging is, in fact, a key element for P.E.T. Engineering.

We pay particular attention to the responsible use of resources, minimizing waste at every stage of production, and we make of the environmentally-oriented culture the driver of our mission. (bmg)