BP&R Mar 23

British Plastics and Rubber

PLASTICS PORTAL

MIKE BOSWELL ON PLASTRIBUTION'S SELF-SERVICE PLATFORM

- SEE PAGE 14

ROUNDTABLE Energy efficiency for Britain’s moulders

RECYCLATE Keeping pace with high-quality recycled resin

INTERPLAS AT 75: Registration opens, plus, ask the experts

MEET THE MOULDER

Sitting down with Pentagon Plastics

www.interplasinsights.com

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ISSN 0307-6164

Incorporating Polymer Age and Rubber and Plastics Age.

Circularity reality

There’s a really interesting study just published in Nature Sustainability by Bachmann et al, called Towards Circular Plastics Within Planetary Boundaries. The authors applied a model to the industry, covering both the production and end of life, and looking at the 14 most commonly-used types of plastic.

Using the planetary boundaries framework as the measure for what the researchers deem to be acceptable production and disposal of plastic – a widely accepted guide to the limits of human behaviour on the planet – the researchers looked at current recycling technologies and biomass usage by the industry. They report that even if we were in a closed-loop, optimised state using currently available resources, the industry as it stands today would still exceed its sustainable boundaries by up to four times.

However, they also said that if, as of now, recycling technologies and recycling rates could be improved by at least up to 75%, in combination with greater biomass and CO2 collection and use within the field of plastics production, the industry would come within its ‘environmental safe zone’ as soon as 2030.

Now of course, that’s one hell of a hypothetical scenario. But with a range of advanced recycling technologies coming on-line (subject to reams and reams of red tape and approvals), not to mention the future potential of carbon capture and re-use, which some of the plastics/ chemicals giants have been pioneering the research and scale-up of, it feels to me highly likely that the industry will move back in the direction of operating within the planet’s means, in spite of huge projected demand for plastic. And that demand is the precise reason that the change will have to happen – the researchers themselves point out that plastic is one of the most important materials available to society – there’s no turning back the clock on plastic, but it is certainly possible – and essential – that the industry operates within a sustainable bracket.

Speaking of all things green, earlier in March, I headed out to Lossburg to visit Arburg’s factory in the heart of the Black Forest, Germany.

Celebrating a hundred years of the Hehl family business, at this year’s annual technology days, the industry turned out en masse to see how far this company –and indeed, IMM technology as a whole, has come. It’s been a few years since my last visit, and I was genuinely impressed by the amount of sustainable solutions now on offer. Our own Danny Ball brings his full report from the visit, starting on page 35.

Finally, March also saw the second meeting of the Interplas exhibitor advisory board. It’s proving to be really useful hearing from the great and the good of the sector on what they want from Interplas on its 75th Anniversary. There has been a number of actionable insights, the fruits of which you’ll be able to witness at the NEC in September –and I hope to see you there.

Head of Content

DAVE GRAY

“If recycling technologies and could be improved by at least up to 75%, with greater biomass and CO2 collection and use, the industry would come within its ʻenvironmental safe zone’ as soon as 2030”

British Plastics and Rubber

INTERPLAS 2023

Registration opens for Interplas 2023

Following a successful in-person event in 2021, Interplas is set to continue its development in 2023. Almost 400 exhibitors are already confirmed on the show floor, with over 12,000 attendees expected from across industry visiting to discover the latest innovations in plastics manufacturing processes, technologies, materials and services.

For 75 years, the event has seen plastic transform our way of life. Today, at a time of great change in the plastics industry, Interplas is more important than ever to ensure vital intelligence, innovation and technology reaches the UK market. Registration is now open at www.interplasuk.com.

A host of features and supporting events Interplas is set to take place across two halls at The NEC in Birmingham, featuring the biggest names in global plastics processing, as well as exciting features such as the Knowledge Pavilion, where visitors can source information and advice; and the Interplas Insights Conference, a dedicated area of the show floor where visitors can hear from industry experts on a variety of insightful topics from the latest in recycling to digitalisation.

The Interplas Introducing Stage will also be a key feature at the event, recognising forward-looking technologies, whilst providing technical advice. In addition to this will also be the popular Diversity in Plastics networking session which continues to champion inclusion and equality in the plastics industry.

The must-attend UK event in the plastics industry diary will be co-located with the largest processing and packaging machinery exhibition in the UK, PPMA, which Interplas visitors will be able to explore using their Interplas 2023 badge.

CEO, Duncan Wood, said: “After a fantastic response to the 2021 edition of the event, we are incredibly excited to bring the whole community back together again this September. This year is a particularly special year for us, as it is our

75th birthday, and there is already a real sense of momentum building amongst the industry. We have a host of exciting enhancements for 2023 including ever more ways to maximise networking and matchmaking to ensure exhibitors get return on their investment and visitors get fantastic takeaways from their visit.”

As Interplas fever starts to set in, over the next few pages you’ll get to meet some of the experts already making plans for their exhibition. Hear from Engel, Billion, Distrupol and Borche, with many more previews still to come.

Interplas takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, UK, on 26th-28th September 2023. Visitors can register for free at www.interplasuk.com.

“2023 is a particularly special year for us, as it is our 75th birthday, and there is already a real sense of momentum building amongst the industry.”

Ask the experts: ENGEL

Who are you and what do you do?

Our world is about plastics, the material of the future. ENGEL are one of the global leaders, established in 1945, in the production and development of injection moulding machines and associated equipment. ENGEL is committed to sustainability and the requirements for energy saving as well as sustainable injection moulding products. All these values form an integral part of all ENGEL solutions.

ENGEL are proud to be the first injection moulding machine supplier to have achieved the gold standard in the EcoVardis sustainability ranking. We work towards a common goal: “Be The First” to further increase customer benefits and as a technology leader, accompany our customers on their way to a sustainably successful and profitable future.

Why is the UK processing market important to you?

We, the UK plastics industry are responsible for approximately 162k jobs and want to see this figure increase! Digitalisation is fundamental for the future development of our industry and as we leap into an era of industry 4.0, it becomes more apparent that leading the way with digital solutions and with an absolute focus on circular economy we will continue to see the UK processing market grow and prosper. As a company we are constantly working to educate future generations as to the benefits of plastics, future technologies and our responsibility to ensure the manufacturing and post use handling of plastic components is carried out in an ethical and sustainable manner.

Why is Interplas important to you?

As Interplas is the largest trade show for the plastics industry in the UK, we always look forward to greeting prospective and existing customers face to face from all market sectors. It is one of the few occasions throughout the year where the plastics community comes together to share innovation, demonstrate the latest technologies and open dialogue with customers on how we can join them on their journey to success. We are proud to be a major part of this year’s event and look forward to what promises to be an informative and well attended exhibition.

What innovations will you bring to Interplas?

At Interplas 2023 ENGEL are excited to demonstrate our efficient 280t e-speed machine, processing rPET for thin-walled parts. Producing a 4 cavity 125ml thin wall container in 2.8 seconds we are able to demonstrate the combination of speed, efficiency and part quality, even when processing reconstituted material. We will also focus on our inject 4.0 capabilities, demonstrating our range of

digital solutions, IQ Products and giving an insight into our after-sales support capabilities.

What are the key features of these innovations?

ENGEL will show the processing of rPET in a thin wall application in combination with IML and high-speed automation. We will demonstrate IQ weight control and IQ melt control for improved real time shot to shot consistency and how our hybrid machine concept allows parallel movements with our energy optimisation package, including barrel insulation and accumulator optimization for reduced energy consumption. The machine on display will have built in Ecobalance which cuts current peaks and ecograph plus breaking down the energy consumption throughout each stage of the moulding cycle. This enables the most efficient and optimised operating point to be visible to the operator at all times.

We will also look to demonstrate our inject 4.0 capabilities by discussing remote support and process optimisation through our e.connect24 facility and performance boost concept. These features allow us to remotely evaluate current production settings and offer an expert opinion on areas of process improvement as well as investigate machine stoppages should the need arise.

Experts from the Automotive, Medical, Technical, Packaging and Teletronic business units will be on hand to discuss the latest technologies, innovation and features from ENGEL and how we can support customers across all our machine

Chris Stafford, Sales Operations Manager, ENGEL UK

ranges and applications within the industry to maximise output, improve part quality and reduce energy consumption.

What makes the innovations unique?

With ENGEL’s more than 800 granted and active patents, some of which are mentioned in the features above, we offer many energy saving / C02 reducing efficiency packages and technologies. These are available for all applications across our product portfolio and through these features, we provide the highest degree of machine and process optimisation / visualisation specific to the application. Please join us on the stand at the exhibition to discuss our innovative technology in more detail and to see how they can be applied to your business and application.

What challenges are your customers facing?

The major issues that everyone is currently facing are the rising material and energy costs along with the general false perception that plastics are non-ecofriendly. There also appears to be a skills

gap in the industry with fewer young people wanting to engage in the plastics industry. At ENGEL we are working tirelessly to relieve the pressure driven by these negative influences effecting our industry. Additionally, ongoing global supply chain issues are adversely affecting the operation of our customers businesses. As a result, we are actively seeing an increase in “onshoring” projects within the UK and Ireland.

How can your technology help solve them?

IQ weight control actively reduces shot to shot variation within the cycle, offering the possibility to introduce regrind material without the need to change production settings. This feature in many circumstances allows production to run near the lower limit of the operating window, in turn reducing the overall material consumption. The process is adjusted automatically to accommodate changing external influences and fluctuating material viscosity throughout the moulding cycle, to the point where ENGEL have now introduced a two-stage

INTERPLAS 2023

technology for the processing of flake repurposed material.

Through our energy optimisation packages, coupled with all electric or servo hydraulic drives, ENGEL machines are perfectly matched to the application, ensuring the most cost-effective manufacturing solution for our customers.

Remote support via our e-connect24 facility allows 24-hour online support for customers. ENGEL are on hand to offer around the clock service support and the opportunity to share processing advice without the need for a site visit.

Your situation:

Energy prices are exploding and electricity suppliers are adjusting their tariffs upwards. But you as a company cannot raise your prices from one day to the next. Under these circumstances, your calculations could be ruined.

The solution from ENGEL:

We don‘t just look at the injection moulding machine, but the entire system. The combination of temperature control, intelligent device communication and smart process control leads to maximum efficiency. Up to 67% energy can be saved compared to a hydraulic injection moulding machine with a constant pump and conventional temperature control.

all-electric machine + temperature control + intelligent assistance = 67% energy savings

Be the first. Be efficient.

INTERPLAS 2023

Who are you and what do you do?

Billion was Created by Mr. Léon Billion in 1949, the company has a vast experience in plastics injection moulding machine design and manufacture. In addition to standard thermoplastics IMMs, Billion specialises in multi-injection equipment, and has developed numerous specific plastics processing solutions. Billion is a solution provider and a service partner for plastics processors worldwide. Our headquarters are located in French Plastics Vallée in the heart of Europe, whereas a large network of subsidiaries and agents represent our know-how and expertise on an international basis. Our flexibility, fast response time and extraordinary service create extra value to our customers.

Why is the UK processing market important to you?

The UK market is important to Billion as it has always had a solid manufacturing industry. UK based customers appreciate high quality machinery built in Europe, that not only provides them with a reliable machine that can last for decades, but also a great return on investment.

Ask the experts: BILLION

Hall 4, Stand C4

With customers that require more from machines the UK not only provides us with a significant number of machine sales their quest for innovative features on an injection moulding machine assists us with pushing forward with developments.

Why is Interplas important to you?

Interplas is important to Billion because the number and quality of visitors that attend is vital to ensuring the Billion brand is kept at the fore of the market. Interplas always proves to be a great place to catch up with existing customers and to meet new prospects as well as display new machinery and process developments.

What are the key features of these machines?

One of our many innovations enables the producer to utilise a significant percentage of recycled content in a product but retaining the aesthetics of the component.

Simon Johnson, managing director, Billion UK

What challenges are your customers facing?

Not just our customers, but the industry as a whole is experiencing higher energy costs, higher labour costs along with other increased expenses, on the back of a tough few years. As ever, UK customers are resilient and find ways to carry on and make the best of the situations we all face by adapting and improving their manufacturing processes.

How can your technology help solve them?

Our machines are designed to be repeatable, reliable and energy efficient, especially our all electric Select2 range. Coupled with a Billion robot the package will provide an efficient production cell for our customers that can cost them up to 70% less in energy costs. Along with some of our innovative processes Billion are well placed to assist our customers finding the right solution to their needs.

Ask the experts: DISTRUPOL

Who are you and what do you do?

Distrupol is a European leader with 60 years of excellence, innovation and expertise in the sales and application development of thermoplastic polymers and elastomers.

We deliver superior polymer solutions to customers across Europe from world-leading supply partners, supported by the unrivalled technical expertise of our application development team.

The Distrupol portfolio contains products and solutions that fulfil the requirements of leading and emerging industries. The range is accompanied by certifications and approvals for the automotive, medical, food and electrical industry.

Why is the UK processing market important to you?

We’ve been supplying the UK manufacturing industry since 1963, where we started as a UK-focused distribution business. Our acquisitions and expansions have taken us across Europe, but our UK sales and technical team are at the heart of our business. The UK manufacturing landscape has changed vastly in the last six decades, but its tenacity, quality and authenticity has remained unchanged – just like us here at Distrupol

Why is Interplas important to you?

As Interplas celebrates its 75th year, we celebrate our 60th, and recognise that exhibitions such as Interplas and the communities that are created because of it are integral to companies such as Distrupol’s reach and growth. Opportunities to engage with the UK market are priceless, and Interplas is the perfect platform to enable us to connect with customers and suppliers.

What challenges are your customers facing and how can your services help solve them?

In a world where plastic faces criticism, we are here to change up the narrative and reinforce the positive impact plastics can have. Our wide range of sustainable polymer solutions and our extensive knowledge of polymer technology and processing means that we can support customers to design, develop and deliver products that are planet friendly, whilst saving customer costs and resources in the process.

Hall 4, Stand C8

James Stanton, commercial and operations director, Distrupol

Who are you and what do you do?

Borche are one of the largest manufacturers of injection moulding machines in the world by sales volume. The company has three manufacturing sites with a combined production area of more than 220,000 square metres. The Borche range extends from 90 ton through to 6800 ton, and the machines are marketed on a worldwide basis with almost 50% of production volume exported across the world.

Why is Interplas important to you?

Interplas is a very important marketing platform for us, Interplas is of course the primary plastics exhibition for the UK and Ireland plastics processing market and it is very positive that the customers take the time to visit Interplas and the Borche stand to discuss both their immediate and future projects and investment plans, Borche UK has enjoyed considerable success at Interplas over the years in terms of both direct sales and lead creation - the most recent Interplas proved to be the most successful yet.

Ask the experts: BORCHE

Hall 4, Stand D12

INSET: Raymond Fok, General Manager, Borche Machinery (UK)

What innovations will you bring to Interplas?

Borche UK will be exhibiting two machines on the stand at Interplas 2023, one machine from the companies highly popular Bi range and also a BU500 ton machine from the larger two platen series of machines. Both machines employ the Borche engineered Servo Motor Drive system which fully integrates the advantages of hydraulics with the control intelligence of Servo Drives.

The system comprises of a high resolution servo motor and controller in which drives a pump of exceptional volumetric efficiency which in turn operates in flow mode until the set limits are reached at which point the pressure mode then takes over, under flow mode the drive speed precisely follows the

set levels for each phase on every cycle under closed loop conditions, with the pressure mode the drive speed is only sufficient to maintain the pressure levels set for each phase under closed loop conditions with the pressure transducer communicating with the KEBA controller.

Whilst two platen design machines are of course not new the Borche BU two platen machines has particular design features on the locking system to improve functionality and reliability.

What are the key features of these machines?

The Borche servo drive system will ensure that the servo motor will only operate at a sufficient level to meet the set values of both speed and pressure and thus as power is a function of speed over pressure then no power is wasted during every cycle.

Without power wastage the cooling requirement for the hydraulic system is reduced to a very nominal level and also with servo closed loop control of both flow and pressure the machine cycle to cycle repeatability and accuracy is ensured.

Expert of Intelligent Two-Platen IMM

Seemingly, an abundance of online b2b customer service initiatives evolved from the Covid- 19 pandemic, many out of necessity as businesses found themselves unable to engage in simple face-to-face meetings, and the traditional account management landscape suddenly changed due to restrictions on movement.

Aside from the surge in Microsoft Teams or Zoom activity to replace the communications void that followed, it’s clear that in many cases the increased digitalisation of account management has helped add value to the customer experience through knowledge and enhanced engagement.

ON THE COVER

PLASTRIBUTION INCREASES ENGAGEMENT WITH NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE PORTAL

Case in point is Plastribution’s recently launched Plastribution Plus platform, an online selfservice portal for customers that provides account information, orders, invoices and a live chat link with a dedicated customer service team.

Although the development of Plastribution Plus certainly increased in momentum as a result of the pandemic, the creation of an online customer service portal had been on the company’s radar for some time. Dave Gray caught up with MD Mike Boswell to find out more.

transactional data, like order history, invoices, credit terms and demographic information, like address changes and personal profile records. The live chat function connects customers with their dedicated Plastribution account team, i.e. the people they speak to regularly who understand their business. Clearly, we will be looking to add to the user experience over time by providing exclusive information and updates to increase the value of the portal by keeping customers in the know.

DG: So do you think this will replace faceto-face contact for your customers?

MB: Plastribution Plus is all about providing choice. We are not looking to replace human interaction, more give the option for customers to be able to track important information in one place online as and when they choose. Clearly, having an effective online customer platform will decrease administration support over time, but it’s not just about cutting costs - we are focused on providing real value for our customers.

agency. It was important that they not only were familiar with our various management platforms such as NetSuite, ERP and CRM, but could also translate our user interface vision into a unique customer experience. Happily, they didn’t disappoint!

The project was largely defined by customer requirements - we spent a great deal of time talking to customers and understanding their needs during a ‘discovery’ phase, which enabled us to map out a suitable framework. The Plastribution team managing the project also had a good idea of what they wanted from the platform and the development were very good at translating and implementing that rationale.

DG: So is it live as of now?

MB: Yes, following successful beta testing, I’m delighted to say that the portal is now live at plb.ltd/plus/ and operating as expected. We are currently marketing it to our customers and providing access and we intend to conduct a short survey to assess feedback on initial responses, but all positive right now.

DG: Ok, so tell me, what was the impetus behind the initiative?

MB: The business holds a number of continuous improvement projects throughout the year. This is effectively a team collaboration exercise to discuss new ideas or projects that can be developed to improve a current process or activity, with the aim of increasing efficiencies and benefiting the customer. Some provide successful outcomes, while others unfortunately don’t. What was rewarding about Plastribution Plus was that we knew very quickly that we had the makings of a great initiative, enabling us to manage customer relationships in a more scalable and enterprising way.

DG: And what does the platform actually provide?

MB: In providing a personalised experience for customers, the platform provides a dashboard via which users can manage

DG: Security is an important concern though, with a platform like this, surely?

MB: The portal has been developed very much with security in mind. Protecting our customers’ sensitive data is our highest priority, so for this reason, we’ve worked with ISO27001-certified development partners to ensure the best practices have been followed. Encrypted passwords, 2-factor authentication and manually verified user accounts will all help keep vital account information in the right hands.

DG: What was involved in the development process and how long did it take?

MB: The development has taken two years to come to fruition due to the levels of interaction required with our existing CRM platforms. To help us develop the portal, we initially shortlisted 3 development partners, before finally selecting a leading digital design, web and mobile development

DG: As this is your first version, what plans do you have for future development of the portal?

MB: We are currently in discussions with the developers regarding version 2.0 and have a number of ideas. We’d like to potentially provide an online whiteboard for customers to share their views on what they would like to see. After all, we need to find ways to motivate our customers to utilise the portal by making it a worthwhile platform for both them and ourselves.

“Plastribution Plus is all about providing choice. We are not looking to replace human interaction, more give the option for customers to be able to track important information in one place online as and when they choose.”

Va-va-voom your vacuum handling system!

How can you be sure your vacuum handling system is performing to its optimum potential? Are you in fact risking breakage or damaging leaks – or even total line shutdown, through a few misguided choices?

SMC, the UK market leader in pneumatic and automation technology, gets back to basics on selecting the right components in the first place, and how to optimise your vacuum handling system now and in the future.

In any vacuum system the application and layout are at its heart. This typically includes the method of vacuum generation and whether you use ejectors or pumps to generate the negative pressure and transfer the workpieces. However, there are many more important system components which, if overlooked, could mean that your vacuum handling system fails to perform at its optimum level.

The central issue

No matter the industry, from food, packaging, automotive or lifestyle, there’s always a raging debate about which vacuum solution is best - a centralised or decentralised system?

by routing compressed air through a venturi nozzle. An attractive option here is an integrated vacuum pad/ejector solution. A two-stage SMC ejector, for example, increases suction flow by up to 50% and reduces air consumption by up to 30%. Notably, the design features of these single compact units allow for daisy-chain piping, whilst mounting lock rings make for easier maintenance as it reduces the steps required for pad replacement.

Also, easy to integrate and install, decentralised systems are often preferable in vacuum handling applications where you do not need to operate too many vacuum pads, as they can boost productivity through quicker response times. Simultaneously, decentralised systems increase safety by using several vacuum circuits for the transfer of one workpiece, since one specific ejector operates every single pad. In case of operational failure of one vacuum circuit, the other vacuum systems that remain operational secure the workpiece.

Smart makes sense

A centralised vacuum system consists of one ejector or vacuum pump for several pads, usually mounted on the robot arm or base of robot and connected to the pads via tubing. This type of system is a common solution that is easy to integrate and install.

Decentralised systems involve one ejector operating one vacuum pad, usually placed directly at the pad. The typical vacuum source is an ejector, which produces vacuum

A top choice for many operators, Smart vacuum solutions bring some of the best functionality and benefits. For instance, Smart manifolds can leverage real-time distributed control via a fieldbus system, making it possible to control your components through integration with a PLC and facilitate the introduction of condition based monitoring and predictive maintenance strategies.

Further advantages include remote control of the vacuum ejector, vacuum generation on demand (depending on the pre-set vacuum level to be maintained) and vacuum break flow, which will increase the speed of your vacuum application.

Fit for purpose

Needless to say, a vacuum handling system will respond with improved efficiency if its fittings are correctly specified at the outset. In the first instance you should always check that any pneumatic fittings can work with negative pressure to avoid breakage and leaks.

The selected fittings should also facilitate the necessary flow without significant pressure drops. With that in mind, you should choose fittings with a sealing contour that lies against the tube surface in such a way that it makes a reliable seal, regardless of whether you are using negative or positive pressure. So ultimately the fitting’s sealing design is the influencing factor.

As a general rule, keeping the pipework as simple as possible will reduce energy loss throughout your system, while another good tip is maintaining short tube runs to reduce the cost and cycle time as well as the risk of leakage.

Focus on filtration

Another important element of any vacuum system is filtration. This helps to preserve the system thus reducing maintenance time and associated costs. It is advisable to install filter units between your vacuum pad and ejector to prevent particles of dust or powder from entering the system during the adsorption process. Any penetration of contaminants can easily clog or damage your ejectors, compromising overall system life.

Vacuum-saving valves

Often overlooked but you can bring great optimisation to your vacuum systems with effectively deployed valves. In applications where vacuum ejectors are operating multiple pads, some of which are not holding the workpiece, valves serve to control the reduction in vacuum pressure to ensure the workpiece remains held by the rest of the pads.

Another benefit of using a vacuum-saving valve is eliminating the need for a tool-switching operation when changing workpieces, saving time, and simplifying the control circuit.

Size matters

When we’re talking about optimisation, we need to talk about size. Small and light components will not only result in direct cycle time benefits, but also enable the option of building more compact machines with lower

weight, which in turn reduces cost. Smaller components can fit into narrower spaces, which meets demand from a growing number of machine and robot manufacturers responding to customer requests for more compact solutions. After all, a small footprint design saves valuable factory floor space.

Don’t entrust the efficiency of your vacuum handling system to luck: find a partner like SMC, a total solutions provider that can advise on and address all aspects of your vacuum system to optimise performance, cost, energy efficiency and reliability.

EXPERT DISCUSSION:

Energy savings in injection moulding

With energy prices still causing massive headaches for processors around the UK, BP&R’s Dave Gray hosted a roundtable discussion between three key stakeholders in the UK plastics industry to explore some of the options for easing the pressure.

Dave Gray: I want to start by asking you all, with energy prices continuing to be such a huge challenge for the industry, is the plastics industry taking things seriously enough? Have processors been quick enough to take action?

Robin Kent: The reality is no. This has been gestating for probably 10, 15 years. I’ve been doing energy management as a full-time job since about 1998, and I still struggle to get people to engage. I can remember back in 2001, when they put the climate change levy on, and that was going to be 0.43 pence per kilowatt hour, and everybody was going, oh, it’s going to be the death of the plastics industry. Would that we were back there where energy was costing about 0.43 pence per kilowatt hour. I really think the industry hasn’t taken notice early enough or taken it seriously enough. This is selfinflicted.

Dave Gray: Carl, what do you think?

Carl Reeve: I have to agree with Robin. We’ve been banging on about energy efficiency for five or six years. We can demonstrate a model whereby you can buy a new all electric machine and pay for it on electricity savings alone inside five years. I do think that the current crisis has brought it to the fore. And I think people are reacting now. But I don’t feel they’re acting quickly enough, and not across the board. Even now, I think people are still holding out hope that prices will drop and everything will go back to how it used to be.

Dave Gray: And Jo, you’re here as an example of someone who has been proactive both before and throughout the current crisis. Why do you think that Robin and Carl might have come up against this reluctance or hesitation within the industry?

Jo Davis: I think it’s to do with cost. Previously, the cost of power was a relatively small percentage of our overheads. And it’s only now that it’s a large percentage of our overheads that people are more interested, and there’s now so much more justification for moving to, for example, an electric machine, than there was. And people are nervous of change. You know, you’ve got your processors who know how to use the machines they’ve got, they know how to use that type of machine, or that particular brand. I think a lot of people can be nervous about that.

Dave Gray: Well on that point, how easy was it for you the first time you replaced a hydraulic machine with an electric?

Jo Davis: I just don’t think there were any real challenges. Apart from the fact that it was a more expensive machine to buy than a hydraulic, but we realised we just needed to do it. And it’s proved a success and it’s what we will do now with our other machines going forwards, as soon as we can.

Robin Kent: In a way, and I hate to say this, but I think our model of manufacturing is broken. And, the reason I say it’s broken is because most of us were brought up to think about direct labour only. We always thought, “if we can only get our cost of direct labour down, then everything will be all right”. And we’ve forgotten that the direct labour is actually almost insignificant now in comparison to energy costs. The savings you can make by reducing direct labour, they’re not there anymore. You’ve got to go for the other stuff. The next online is energy, and then after that you have to go for materials.

Dave Gray: How long has this been the case, Robin?

Robin Kent: Oh, many years. In my experience, if you go to

the Far East – China, Thailand, Indonesia, anywhere like that – where direct labour costs are really low, their energy costs as a percentage, are second only to their raw materials cost. And these are the most energy efficient factories in the world, because it’s their second most important cost.

Dave Gray: For those people who still insist that there hasn’t been much advancement in technology for years, what do you say to that?

Carl Reeve: There’s been massive development there, there’s been a step change in technology from hydraulic to servo-hydraulic machines as a first stage, and then of course electric machines. We [Haitian] are on our third generation of electric

machines. If you look at our second generation and our third generation, there is a marked improvement on energy consumption. We are doing energy trials now where customers are switching from a hydraulic machine, and again, like the average in market, 20 odd year old European manufactured, to a third generation electric machine. They’re saving 75-80% on average across the jobs that they’re running. It’s massive. In terms of their current energy rates, they signed up this year for 70 pence, and they were pleased with that at the time. That machine pays for itself in 13 months on electricity alone. That’s a massive change in

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the market, and, when we tell people these figures, they literally don’t believe them. Which is why I carry Robin’s book around, and I recommend it all the time, because it’s not just our machines. Obviously I’d love people to buy Haitian machines. But this technology exists out there and it’s available across the board.

Robin Kent: I think you’re absolutely right Carl. And I see it because I’ve been benchmarking machines, hydraulic, all-electric for probably, 20 years now, and I’m actually seeing that my benchmark curve, which I first put together in about 2003, is showing the new generation

Chair: Dave Gray, Head of Content, British Plastics & Rubber/ InterplasInsights.com

Panellists: Jo Davis, managing director at contract moulder Broanmain Plastics

Robin Kent, managing director at plastics consultancy Tangram Technology

Carl Reeve, managing director at Premier Moulding Machinery, the UK sales arm for Haitian machines

machines coming in well under that benchmark. We are actually seeing huge improvements in the generations of electric or servo hydraulic machines. The machines that were around in 2002/2003, which were the early machines, their savings are now being dwarfed by the 2022/2023 models.

But it’s not just about the injection moulding machines. It’s about compressors, it’s about chillers, it’s about all of the technology. Years ago when I advising people to fit variable speed drives to pumps, they were incredibly expensive, and the payback time was two or three years. The payback time for variable speed drives now is

months, six months, it becomes not a CapEx proposal, it’s an OpEx. Just go and buy it, do it, fit it, it’s done and it pays back in six months.

Dave Gray: So Jo, just reflecting on some of the numbers that Carl quoted, does that come as a surprise to you, given your real world experience of upgrading your machines?

Jo Davis: Absolutely. And we’ve got meters measuring our usage on about 50% of our machines. And we’ve got it on our compressor and various other things, and we’re moving them around all of the time. We can measure the difference between our 180 tonne, which is electric, and our 25 tonne, which is using six times more than our 180 –it’s significant. But it is hard as a small business to make so many investments, you’re taking on a lot of borrowing to do that unless you’ve got cash in the bank, so that’s difficult.

Dave Gray: Well that leads me nicely onto my next question, which is to ask the panel, what support is there out there at the moment for CapEx?

Carl Reeve: We do a lot of energy surveys and so we see a lot of moulders, and they approach it in many different ways. One of the comments people make is that they’re nervous about taking cash out of the bank.

We’ve got lenders that we work with, and they’re very keen on anything that shows energy savings. So HSBC is ours, and when you talk to them about loans, everything’s up in the air. And then you tell them what the payback periods are on this type of machinery, and their ears prick up because they’re keen on things that show energy savings and sustainability.

Dave Gray: And in terms of government support, what’s available there and does it work? Is it complicated?

Carl Reeve: Well, the super deduction tax comes to an end in March this year. I’m surprised that it hasn’t been used as much as it could’ve been, but where people have used it, it’s brilliant. >

JO

If you make profits, you get 130% back on your capital allowances, which if you’re buying new equipment, is effectively a 25% discount on whatever you buy.

Thanks to that, we’ve got clients who have upgraded almost their entire fleet in the last two years. Then there’s the Energy Transformation Fund, which is run as a competition. You get a percentage change between the price of an energy efficient piece of equipment and a standard piece of equipment – it’s next-to-useless. For SMEs to have jump through so many hoops to get a relatively small amount of money, just didn’t seem to make any sense. And I think it’s fair to say we don’t offer anywhere near as much support for business as our European competitors.

We need to compete globally, so we need to be efficient. We’re running a very old fleet of equipment in this country – I think the oldest fleet outside of Romania in the developed world. And so modern equipment means lower prices for production.

I mean, if we upgraded the fleet of moulding machines in the UK to even to servo-hydraulic, we’d save about 400,000 households of electricity every year. And when we’re looking at global security and worried about where we’re going to get our energy from, we should be looking at that. And I think the government should be driving that.

Dave Gray: Jo, from your side, do you feel that the government funding that’s been available was well understood? And do you think your fellow SMEs are aware of the private funding that may be available?

Jo Davis: We keep our eye out on any government funding and any bank private funding. I would say that government funding can be quite difficult to understand, and so we tend to fund things privately.

Robin Kent: The important bit is that you can’t really help people who won’t help themselves. Companies aren’t doing even simple things, which they can do at no cost or at extraordinarily low cost, to actually help themselves.

Dave Gray: Well in your book you talk about a potential 30% in energy savings, and as you say, there is no magic bullet. So what’s the bigger picture?

Robin Kent: Well, I mean, I always try and divide it up to make it easy for people. Ten percent is pure and simple management. It’s the sort of stuff that Jo is doing. It’s monitoring your machines, understanding where your energy is going. Monitor what we call ‘M and T’, monitoring and targeting. And most of that management stuff can be done in six months, three to six months, bringing 10% savings.

The next bit is what I call the maintenance stuff, which is generally the CapEx. That’s things like compressed air leaks, compressed air use chiller, chilled water insulation, chilled water controls, variable speed drives, all of those sort of low cost things. They’re the sort of things that maintenance guys can do fairly easily.

Payback times for that, for the maintenance stuff, nine-to-12 months. And then there’s the other 10%, which comes from the technology, the CapEx stuff, which is really the machines. So 20% savings are accessible virtually with low payback times, and low CapExes, or in fact, no CapExes.

But you go into companies and a colleague of mine, he’s going into a company next week and he said, basically, they don’t know how much they spend on energy. Well, frankly, that’s stupid. I won’t tell you what the company’s name is, but frankly, if you don’t know what you’re spending on energy, that’s not a failure of technology or a failure of investment, that’s a failure of management. You can’t help those who won’t help themselves. Jo and her team are helping themselves.

Dave Gray: And Robin, you’ve been doing this work for a number of years, do the companies you visit tend to keep up the best practice over time?

Robin Kent: Well this is a huge cultural change. People move on, companies move on, and it needs constant reinforcement.

Dave Gray: So Jo, going back to this idea of culture change, what was the situation like before you started making changes, and then what changes did you implement?

Jo Davis: We weren’t doing anything before I went on the course with Robin. We thought we were, with things like turning off the lights, etcetera. We thought we were doing our bit, but we didn’t even publish our power consumption to our team. I monitored it, but I didn’t really do anything with it. So we started by sharing that information for three months. Then we made some changes. The first thing we did was look at our compressor and our chiller, and when they were being used, when they shouldn’t be used. And that’s made a massive change, straight away.

We’ve also had widgets fitted to our machines that that measure what they’re using, which is brilliant because everyone can log in and view that. Our team are quite enthusiastic about tech, so they like doing that. I think I’m really lucky because everybody in our management team is enthusiastic about sustainability.

Dave Gray: And how do you plan to maintain better habits?

Jo Davis: We have nine company objectives each year, and power and sustainability now forms one of those, which it didn’t before. We’re now measuring the cost of power as a percentage of turnover, which we didn’t before, and we have that as a target. So if that slips, it flags up that there’s something wrong there, and we’re publishing the data.

Also, everybody has very regular one-to-ones and annual objectives, and within those, we focus on waste, because actually most waste costs us power.

Robin Kent: Many years ago I worked with probably one of the finest energy managers in the plastics industry, and he took over a company trained everybody from the management to the shop floor in the basics of energy management. A 40-minute training program delivered consistently over five shifts to everybody, and the next month their energy use dropped by 20%. And the next month, that 20% was maintained just simply by getting the workforce engaged.

Now, I hate to make a plug here, but that training course is available for free. So you can download it. It’s a PowerPoint training program with trainers notes, and we’ve seen companies that train from top to bottom the consistent message about what we want to do actually achieve remarkable things.

One of the approaches I use when I’m doing an energy survey is to walk onto a factory floor and I say, “take me to a machine that’s not producing anything, that’s stopped”. So we’ll go to machines that are stopped and they’ve been stopped for two weeks or something like that, and there’s air leaking out of them. The chilled water is still running through the tool, the, the conveyors are still running.

Even the main hydraulic motor, which as Carl says, uses up to 75%. The base load for a hydraulic machine is about 75% average, and you can find all of these things on a stopped machine. Just stop doing stupid stuff.

“Frankly, if you don’t know what you’re spending on energy, that’s not a failure of technology or a failure of investment, that’s a failure of management”

SCAN ME

TESTING & INSPECTION

Raman spectroscopy: the new standard compositional analysis of polymers

Many large chemical facilities have an internal testing laboratory to manage the analysis of polymers for use in a wide variety of materials and products. If this option is not available, operators can send samples to external, third-party labs for ondemand analysis. The analytical data is critical for operators to make informed decisions regarding product quality, infrastructure protection, regulatory compliance, and other key factors that ultimately impact profitability.

Chemours is a chemistry company which produces materials that help firms solve challenging problems related to polymers, pigments, and cooling fluids. The company continually develops new polymer materials and new applications for existing materials. This requires measuring properties of the materials to ensure proper function. Consequently, during production the company measures its process to maintain tight control, according to Troy Francisco, Technology Manager, Chemours Discovery Hub, and team leader for the leveraged analytical group and the process analysis group.

“We provide measurements and analysis for R&D, to evaluate our processing, and to ensure we are being good stewards of our environment – and effectively using Raman spectroscopy is essential in these efforts,” said Francisco.

Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy is a laser-based optical analysis technique used to measure composition through the vibrational properties of molecules. Samples are collected using a 785nm excitation laser and a contact probe that produces a unique spectral fingerprint that identifies the chemical composition and molecular structure. The distribution of the spectral peaks describes the molecule’s composition, while the signal intensity correlates linearly with concentration.

Since its discovery in the 1920s, Raman spectroscopy has revolutionized process analysis with its nondestructive mode of operation and capability to measure sample composition. However, the broader adoption of this technique is the result of advancements in the stability and portability of solid-state Raman systems and technological improvements in lasers, optics, and detectors that have made the technique faster and more accessible.

“Raman spectroscopy is a well-established technique that complements everything else in the testing lab,” says Francisco. “It is vital for any application related to the compositional analysis of polymers, which is important at Chemours. We also find that it

useful for the compositional analysis of reactants going into a chemical reaction.”

“The technology is also very good at telling us what the different forms or purity levels are in inorganic, solid state, or mineral type materials, and can help to identify impurities in those materials,” he adds.

For many years, however, Raman equipment has had a reputation for being expensive, cumbersome, and difficult to use. Now, advancements in the stability and portability of certain Raman systems and technological improvements in lasers, optics, and detectors have made the technique faster and more accessible for real-

standard in polymers

but it required considerable attention and frequent calibration. Francisco found it difficult to keep up with the maintenance required for the Chemours applications.

In addition, the system was quite costly “so we not only had to work more, but also had to pay more,” says Francisco.

Over time, Francisco monitored the development of Raman spectroscopy, and selected easy-to-use commercial technology by MarqMetrix. Founded in 2012 by scientists from the University of Washington, the company specialises in compositional analysis utilising Raman spectroscopy and has pioneered advancements in Raman for use in process analysis.

“When we recently needed to upgrade our Raman analyser technology, I saw that MarqMetrix equipment really fit our requirements in terms of size, stability, application, and ease of use,” says Francisco.

According to Francisco, the Raman equipment provides an unusual combination of compactness with stability.

focusing of the laser onto the sample by the operator for repeatable analysis, which can slow productivity and introduce human error. To streamline the process and increase reliability, MarqMetrix probes eliminate the need for the operator to focus the laser. This enables the user to simply touch the sample and get the same reproducible measurement every time with accuracy of +/- 0.1%.

“The probes are the only component that touches or interacts with the sample itself, so we have purchased ball, proximal, and flow cell probes to ensure we have all the options in our toolbox,” says Francisco.

basis and predicts properties related to the process that we are monitoring,” explains Francisco. “So, if we are looking for the composition of a polymer, the model could depict how to turn the Raman spectrum into the weight percentage of different monomers that comprise the polymer.”

Selecting the advanced technology has also resulted in significant cost savings.

“Compared to the more expensive Raman system we used previously, our MarqMetrix All-in-One cost at least 50% less,” says Francisco.

time inline measurements as well as laboratory testing.

According to Francisco, Chemours had previous experience with two different Raman systems. He describes one as a “a low end, qualitative type system” that did not have great stability in terms of response or signal, nor great stability with respect to the wavelength access or its registration.

“[The low-end system] was useful for rough measurements, but was not a high fidelity, scientific instrument,” says Francisco.

The other system that Chemours used was a highquality R&D level instrument,

As an example, MarqMetrix engineered the All-in-One to produce identical and repeatable results from unit to unit, in a package 80% smaller than previous Raman instruments. Each device is nearly an exact copy so common mathematical models can be applied across systems to produce consistent results.

“The small package works beautifully, and the computing front end includes everything we need,” says Francisco.

The system works with a wide array of contact probes suitable for compositional analysis applications that can be changed in seconds, without the need for recalibration. MarqMetrix manufactures a wide range of standard and custom probes to measure compounds in any form, including solids, liquids, gases, slurries, pastes, and gels.

Traditionally, Raman spectroscopy requires the accurate and precise ongoing

The new Raman systems are designed to be quick and easy to use right out of the box.

“When we received our [MarqMetrix] system, we unpacked the box and were collecting Raman measurements within 10 to 15 minutes. I have never seen that before with a Raman system. The level of simplicity and accessibility is unheard of with this type of equipment,” says Francisco.

Although the MarqMetrix Raman equipment can be used to identify the components within approximately 15 minutes of unboxing, quantifying the concentrations of each component first requires creating a predictive model. For general laboratory use, MarqMetrix offers a library of pre-developed models that covers most common applications.

“In a manufacturing environment, [we use] a model that runs on a continuous

The versatile Raman technology is providing Chemours with the flexibility to measure and analyze polymers as needed, according to Francisco.

“We have found that Raman is also a very nice standalone technique that compliments everything else in the lab. It is not only a new technology for established applications, but also a flexible technology that finds its own niche in the laboratory,” concludes Francisco.

Accurate measurement is more essential than ever in the polymer industry. Understanding the chemical composition of raw materials and the consistency of processed products is the key to manage processes, reduce risks, and maximise outcomes.

With the advancements in applying Raman spectroscopy systems to sample measurement, laboratories now have a reliable, and economical tool that produces accurate, fast results and complements existing testing methodologies.

“The technology is also very good at telling us what the different forms or purity levels are in inorganic, solid state, or mineral type materials, and can help to identify impurities in those materials”

Driven by demand for data in manufacturing, the automation of post-processing/postmoulding operations is on the rise. As a result, Stäubli Fluid Connectors is now bolstering its work in the field of end-of-armtooling.

The firm has announced a new end-of-arm-tooling range. The mechatronics specialist already offers a technology portfolio in the area, coupled with advice for individual solutions in robotic material handling. But now, the group has entered into partnership with FIPA GmbH. FIPA specialises in the development and manufacture of technology for vacuum and handling components, as well as complete systems for handling processes.

A statement from the two firms states: “FIPA’s flexible product system, and their corporate philosophy, are a perfect match for Stäubli Fluid Connectors, and its own modular product concept. Armed with this joint expertise, the partners intend to develop solutions for future-oriented manufacturing concepts.”

Martin Bergmüller, Project Manager for End-of-ArmTooling at Stäubli Fluid Connectors, said: “FIPA is the ideal partner: with the

latest foray into end-of-arm-tooling makes for data-driven production

Stäubli Fluid Connectors - FIPA cooperation, we have established a strong partnership that is characterised by high standards of quality and solution orientation on both sides. The cooperation combines the skills of both companies into a strong proposal consisting of global availability, broad applications knowledge and excellent technical expertise.”

“Stäubli Fluid Connectors is known for its expertise in automatic tool changers and is now expanding its range to include material handling components and systems,” said Norbert Ermer, Head of Robotic Tool Changer Business at Stäubli in Bayreuth.

Ermer continued: “Stäubli

Fluid Connectors offers all functions and technologies for this from a single source. And we support our customers comprehensively right up to the fully assembled handling solution.”

Both system developers and system operators stand to benefit from this partnership, according to Stäubli. The components supplied are well-matched to each other, reducing any interface problems, thus eliminating time-consuming coordination with various points of contact.

The automation of material handling processes requires expertise and precise planning. Stäubli Fluid Connectors boasts years of experience in the development of individual solutions and offers comprehensive support. As an established supplier of automatic robotic tool changer systems – and now also of

Stäubli’s

“Both system developers and system operators stand to benefit from this partnership […] components supplied are wellmatched to each other, reducing any interface problems, thus eliminating time-consuming coordination with various points of contact.”

MAIN IMAGE: The new EOAT solutions from Stäubli LEFT: The products will be available globally

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PROCESS CONTROL

material handling solutions –the company has the product portfolio and the expertise to offer solutions for complex handling processes.

From the analysis of the framework conditions and application requirements, to the concept and CAD planning of the system, through to the delivery of all components, Stäubli Fluid Connectors offers a complete service package. Also, upon request, the solutions can be delivered fully assembled.

The more durable an end-of-arm-tooling solution is, the longer it can remain productive and generate revenue. In today’s environment a general scarcity of resources heightens this effect, therefore extended periods of use and operation are desirable from both an ecological and an economic point of view.

There exists an uncertainty over which robot applications will be required in the future, but Stäubli Fluid Connectors says it has built in a high degree of flexibility to help future-proof the new products. Theoretically, the systems should be adaptable to meet new requirements at any time, for example for retooling or retrofit. This, the firm believes, will guarantee a decent lifespan for those who invest

in the tech.

Stäubli’s international presence means that the new end-of-arm-tooling products will be available globally, with Stäubli Fluid Connectors represented by several subsidiaries. “This enables us to offer a worldwide network with well-established expertise,” said Ermer. “We are the ideal partner for international companies that want to implement allencompassing End-of-ArmTooling concepts or establish globally uniform standards.”

Ermer added that a local presence in international markets is an important factor in such ventures, because when dealing with data-driven processes, country-specific directives and standards must need to be taken into account.

UK’s first medical plastic colour compounder gets a boost with KM machine

Matrix Plastics, a specialist in the colouring and compounding of plastic and other materials, has made further substantial investment into its subsidiary Matrix Medical Plastics with a machinery upgrade from KraussMaffei.

Matrix Medical Plastics became the UK’s first dedicated cleanroom extrusion facility in 2020, in response to the increase in demand for plastic medical products due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has since become a leading compounding and masterbatch supplier for medical producers across Europe, working with pioneering medical equipment manufacturers in applications such as oxygen masks, tubing,

ventilation equipment, surgical equipment and drug delivery systems.

The purpose-built facility ensures that all medical products are processed and tested according to ISO Class 9 cleanroom regulations and under ISO 13485 quality management systems for medical devices. All ingredients used on site in the production of medical products meet

“There exists an uncertainty over which robot applications will be required in the future, but Stäubli Fluid Connectors has built in a high degree of flexibility to help future-proof the new products.”

ABOVE: Rainer Mehrer, owner, FIPA (left), with Norbert Ermer, head of the tobotic tool changer business at Stäubli in Bayreuth

the requirements of ISO 10993-1:2018 and USP Class VI. The strictly controlled manufacturing facility and high-quality formulations ensure that all colour compounds and masterbatches are produced in accordance with WHO and FDA Good Manufacturing Practices. Additionally, full laboratory testing is available covering a comprehensive range of microbiological and chemical testing at any point of the manufacturing process.

The new all-electric KraussMaffei injection moulding machine is being introduced to the existing offering to enable comprehensive medical device research and development, supporting innovation and cutting-edge development for engineers and designers of new medical devices.

“The choice to invest in this equipment is another step forward in taking Matrix

Medical Plastics’ commitment to cleanroom manufacturing to another level,” said Richard Hoare, Commercial Manager, Matrix Plastics.

Matrix Medical Plastics’ customers will now have the opportunity to develop materials and new medical products in a single cleanroom environment, which will even further support the extensive supply chain and traceability requirements of the medical industry.

The machine itself, not pictured here, is a fully electric KM 50 from the PX series. Medical has been a key area for KraussMaffei, in particular for cleanroom production. At K last year, a Cleanform PX 2001400 produced 96 insulin pen caps per shot from medical polypropylene virgin material. After shredding, these caps served as the base material for the up-cycling process carried out on a ZE28 BluePower twin-screw extruder. Here, various additives such as bonding agents and liquid pigments were added, mixed and homogenised. The resulting re-compound was transferred to the downstream injection moulding machine –a powerMolding 1300-11900 with a clamping force of 13,000 kN.

And more recently at the Swiss Plastics Expo in January this year, the group produced pipette tips on an all-electric PX 81-180 medical machine.  With a clamping force of 800 kN, the machine produced pipette tips with a component weight of 0.22 g. The cycle time with the 32-cavity mould was seven seconds.

That machine included encapsulated drive units, antistatic painting and raised machine legs to FDAcompliant hydraulic fluid. The PX 81-180 was also equipped with some performance options in order to meet the requirements

of the production of pipette tips. This included a sharply increased injection speed of 450mm/s, which is required for high quality and precise filling of the pipette tips. The reinforced drive for plasticising gives shorter cycle times. An all-electric ejector with higher speed also ensures a clean and consistent take-out automation of the components.

Digital solutions for process enhancement and for collecting and evaluating data were also demonstrated. The APCplus (Adaptive Process Control) machine feature, for example, offers a high shot weight consistency and thus consistent component quality, keeping scrap to a minimum and cutting down on material as well as costs. The process windows for APCplus are already defined in the validation process for the medical industry.

In addition to the servo design of the hydraulic unit and the recuperation system for recovering brake energy, it featured EcoPac insulating strips on the injection unit, which stabilise the temperature profile and increase process stability. This allowed the heating time to be reduced by up to 30 percent.

“The choice to invest in this equipment is another step forward in taking Matrix Medical Plastics’ commitment to cleanroom manufacturing to another level”

How antimicrobial additives make for more innovative designs

The technology works by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms like bacteria and mould. This not only compliments hygiene protocols, but also helps to combat common issues like unpleasant odours, discolouration, and premature aging of the product. Incorporating BioCote technology helps to deliver innovation in how medical devices are made, ensuring that they are cleaner, longerlasting, and more effective than ever before.

Antimicrobial technology works 24/7 to reduce bacteria within a product. It is changing the game when it comes to preventing microbial growth. It works by disrupting and preventing the growth of microorganisms, creating an inhospitable environment for them to thrive and reproduce.

There are three known mechanisms through which BioCote technology interacts with microorganisms to aid in the preservation of medical plastics, prevent surface-tosurface cross-contamination, and extend the lifespan of medical devices. It all starts with silver cations which

Additives specialist BioCote claims it is raising the bar for the standards of medical devices, by integrating antimicrobial agents into medical plastics. Hannah Mullane, social media and content executive at BioCote writes.

puncture bacterial cell walls and forms pores, effectively stopping cellular respiration and disrupting metabolic pathways. This process generates reactive oxygen species that further harm the bacteria, making it no match for BioCote technology. BioCote then disrupts the bacteria’s DNA and its replication cycle once the silver ions enter the cell, inhibiting further microbial growth by up to 86% in as little as fifteen minutes.

Silver has been used for centuries as a powerful antibacterial agent. However, there are concerns around its safety in relation to nano-silver applications. We don’t supply any materials on a nanoscale level and everything we offer is a registered biocide.

The integration of BioCote antimicrobial technology into medical plastics does not change the mechanical or physical properties of the plastic, so it can be used in a wide range of medical applications without the need for any modifications. The technology is versatile, allowing the treatment of a whole host of engineering and commodity polymers, as the antimicrobial technology can be processed at temperatures of up to 600°C. BioCote technology also carries food approval status, as well as being safe for drinking water applications.

Formulated into a concentrated powder or polymer masterbatch, BioCote’s range of antimicrobial additives can be integrated into any polymer material or polymer blend. As such they are suitable for incorporating into every production

process, whether that’s polymer compounding, injection moulding, extrusion, roto-moulding, or 3D printing, to name but a few.

Dependent upon the type of polymer in your chosen application BioCote may recommend a polymer specific masterbatch, delivering optimal compatibility. This is where our in-house regulatory and chemistry teams come inthey can help identify the most compatible additive for your specific product needs, ensuring that you get the best possible results every time, removing any need to change any of the existing processing parameters, or have any negative effect on your production cycle time.

All the while there will be no difference on the shrinkage level or any change in the colour or gloss level of your final product, as the addition rate can be as low as 1%.

Navigating the chemical industry can be challenging due to strict regulations set by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

ECHA oversees a variety of legislation, which defines active substances, biocidal products, and treated articles. Active substances must be listed on the Article 95 list to be supplied into Europe, while biocidal products and customer end use products with a primary biocidal property must be listed on the Article 89 list of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). However, treated articles are exempt from BPR registration.

In the US, the use of non-agricultural pesticides is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is the central regulation that sets the standard for most EU chemical regulations. It has a broad impact on the chemical industry as it standardises the evaluation criteria for chemicals, including the assessment of potential hazards, and places the responsibility on companies to provide, identify, and manage the risks associated with the

substances they manufacture.

By integrating antimicrobial agents into medical products, they help to reduce crosscontamination when used alongside good hygiene practices. The technology is versatile, allowing it to be used in a wide range of medical applications without the need for any modifications to existing tooling.

By inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, the technology helps to reduce the risk of crosscontamination. This is particularly important in environments where hygiene is critical, such as hospitals, laboratories, and food processing facilities.

Recycling is an important process to prevent waste of useful materials, reduce energy usage, and minimise pollution. We use additives that have no negative impact on the recyclability of products and without affecting the polymer’s structure. The silver-based additives used are non-leaching to the environment and can last for the lifetime of the products. Moreover, BioCote-treated products should have a longer lifespan compared to the same non-treated products due to the reduction in microbial degradation. The built-in lifetime protection is designed to bolster existing hygiene regimes, while also reduce the need to use stronger, more harsh cleaning detergents, which also goes to help the environment.

MAKING THE GRADE

Why is it important to have processing expertise from your material suppliers when you’re working in medical? And what is the actual definition of a medical grade plastic? Dave Gray caught up with Joanne Belshaw, business development manager healthcare at Albis to find out more.

DG: So Joanne, tell us what products in the portfolio your healthcare customers are buying at the minute?

JB: The three most important portfolios are polyolefins, polycarbonate and styrenics. Covestro’s Makrolon and Bayblend (PC/ABS) are our most popular PC brands, in styrenics we sell Ineos’ Styrolution, with our largest sales volumes coming from Novodur HD ABS, and in terms of polyolefins, LyondellBasell’S PP and PE brand Purell continues to be popular. Our polyolefins brands are popular because they’re such a versatile material with a great cost balance. It isn’t an engineering plastic, so it doesn’t hit the wallet too hard, but it has great functionality, and can be processed easily. Meanwhile our polycarbonates are popular as they do have engineering properties –customers don’t tend to use those for things like single use devices, but they want to use it for more durable devices, since it gives them a lot of clarity a lot of chemical resistance.

DG: And what kind of trends are you seeing in terms of applications?

JB: The biggest trend continues to be single use applications, because obviously there’s less risk of disease transmission. But diagnostics is growing quite a lot, particularly things like point of care. People are really looking at their own health in a

more preventative way, rather than waiting until they’ve got a problem. Wearables continue to be a growth area, which creates huge demand for plastics. But now we’re also seeing pharma companies developing connected devices to help monitor things like medication adherence. This also helps with stock management in pharmacies.

DG: It’s interesting, this apparent mixing of consumer and professional healthcare, isn’t it? I guess that has an impact on the way devices are being designed?

JB: Exactly, yes. You’ve got to make it simple for people to use. If you’re giving diagnostics devices directly to the patients to administer, then you’ve got to have a device that’s able to do that analysis with a small amount of blood, as you can’t have patients taking full blood samples when they haven’t been trained in that. And then you have to make it easy for them to dispose of it, and recycle it if possible.

DG: I think everyone supplying plastics into healthcare probably felt the uptick in demand due to Covid. Has that levelled off now?

JB: Pretty much, yes. In some cases, actually, it’s probably dropped a little bit below previous levels because in the case of delivery devices for vaccines, some people stockpiled. So in some cases there has been an oversupply

“Active substances must be listed on the Article 95 list to be supplied into Europe, while biocidal products and customer end use products with a primary biocidal property must be listed on the Article 89 list of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).”

MEDICAL

of delivery devices that still now need to be consumed.

DG: Do you just supply the materials based on the application? Or do you and your team provide any other type of support or guidance?

JB: Our philosophy is to try and help people through the whole supply chain. So we don’t just want to talk to converters, we also want to help with their customers. It could also be that we’re supporting them with getting information for regulatory bodies or preparing for an audit, or actually after an audit when there’s something’s not been ticked off.

And we try to support them with finding the best material for the job. And then we look at whether it’s the right fit in terms of the policy of the supplier, and then processability too. We can also do mouldflow analysis via our Hamburg facility, which can save on expensive toolmaking and re-making.

We can also help our customers to match the material to the mould - so do the two things work well together?

Also we are quite heavily involved in various industry groups like MedPharmPlast Europe. That meant that when MDR (European Medical Device Regulation) was coming in, we could understand what that would mean for the whole supply chain. And we’ve been involved with the VDI, who have tried to issue a definition for the term ‘medical grade plastic’.

So, if you are manufacturing a material and you want to call it medical grade, what does that actually mean? Each supplier has their own support package that makes it a medical grade

in their eyes. And that might not necessarily fit with what a converter thinks that means, or what a brand owner might think that means.

We try and keep abreast of all the problems that people have, whether it’s regulatory, quality, technical processing or aftermarket.

producers need to do? What is required and what isn’t required of the manufacturer? Obviously there’ll be some manufacturers who will need to do a huge amount of testing that is going to be repeated by the person making the medical device or the pharmaceutical packaging.

But there’s other things that they could do, like notification of change periods, consistent formulation, and how they notify people of what they’re doing. So it’s really to be seen as more of an add-on to, because it’s not about the quality of the product. People manufacture quality products already, but it’s about what do they do externally, and how much time do they give people to deal with it?

So the VDI is making it clear what is and isn’t included as a standard package for healthcare. It’s quite a long document, which originally came out in German and is now available in English. And I understand that they are in discussions with some other bodies that might want to take the guidelines up.

Some suppliers give 36 months notification of change, while others give 18. So if you are making a medical device, 18 months is still quite a short timeframe. There might be technical reasons why you can’t give a longer notification of change. It might be that one of the raw materials doesn’t have a shelf life long enough.

DG:

So what is the VDI’s definition for medical devices?

JB: It’s about what kind of support package you would need. I suppose that’s it in a nutshell. So what is it that the

So it’s just about trying to get everybody on the same page. I mean, people understand it a lot better now than they did 20 years ago when I first started working in this area. And it’s also about them understanding that just because somebody says it complies with ISO 10993 doesn’t mean that they don’t have to do their 10993 testing. It’s about making sure everybody still knows what their responsibilities are in the supply chain.

Joanne Belshaw, Business Development Manager, Healthcare, Albis

Colour, it’s in our DNA.

We develop amazing colours and special effects for some of the leading brands across the globe. With Performance built-in and cost designed out, no one gets closer.

To discuss the addition of antimicrobials, please contact any of our experts.

JOB TITLE: Business Development Manager

THE COMPANY:

Nickerson/PMS is a One-Stop Shop for plastics processors www.pmseurope.com

We are the leading supplier of MRO products serving the Plastics Manufacturing sector. We are both a manufacturer and wholesaler, offering approximately 8,000 product lines from our premises in Corby, Northamptonshire. Customers range from small, family run concerns, to large corporations.

THE ROLE:

• Largely field based

• Visit existing customers to maximize sales of existing and new products

• Identify and secure new customers

• Provide professional after sales support

• Work with the wider management team to introduce new products for sale

• Contribute to the company sales strategy

THE PERSON:

This is a fantastic opportunity for an individual with the necessary aptitude and skills, including:

• A natural mechanical, electrical and technical aptitude

• Good relationship skills and a commercial approach

• Experience in the operation and/or maintenance of machinery is preferable

• Knowledge of the plastics processing industry is not a necessity, although helpful, and possibly with mould shop experience

• Self-motivated, and with the ability to set and achieve objectives

THE PACKAGE:

We can offer an attractive package, dependent upon experience, including a car, commission and expenses to the right individual, with the opportunity for excellent career progression as the business grows.

We have recently appointed a new Marketing and Brand Manager; a new web site is under construction; and a new catalogue will be available shortly. This is therefore an excellent time to join the Sales and Marketing team at Nickerson/PMS. The successful candidate does not need to have experience of the plastics sector, although it will be helpful, but more importantly have mechanical experience and aptitude, a commercial approach, and the ambition to develop the role as the business grows.

PLEASE APPLY IN WRITING WITH YOUR CV TO: Richard Andrews Nickerson PMS, 24 Brunel Road, Corby, NN17 4JW Or via email - richard@nickersoneurope.co.uk

Two great brands under one roof

MEET THE MOULDER: PENTAGON PLASTICS

In March, Pentagon Tooling, the toolmaking arm of moulder Pentagon Plastics, took delivery of a new Mikron VCE 600 Pro purchased from long term supplier GF Machining Solutions Ltd. Dave Gray caught up with Gabby Day, communications manager at the firm, to find out more about the group’s vision for growth.

The new addition enhances existing CNC machining services offered by the tooling division and facilitate highefficiency milling within the mould tool manufacturing process.

The new machine has a 16,000-rpm spindle speed, Heidenhain TNC620 control system and a 24x tool magazine. This significant purchase forms part of the £500,000 total investment to enhance our CNC machining and EDM capabilities that we started towards the end of 2022.

The new Mikron will provide versatile machining and facilitate

unmanned production, with a cutting speed of 200 m/ min, this high-level investment will deliver efficiency improvements and enhance cutting accuracies. Remote monitoring capabilities will guarantee machine down time is circumvented.

DG: What types of customers drove the demand for the new CNC investment?

GD: The recent investment in EDM Wire & Spark Eroding was to serve increased demand for cutting Gear Forms for one customer and multi-cavity tooling for plumbing connectors.

The new CNC Machining Centres were less driven by customer type but more by the lack of availability of fully skilled mould toolmakers. We have been attempting to recruit suitable Toolmakers for several years and as

some of our team approach retirement age it became a harsh realisation that we had to adapt our business vision. Committed to keeping our Mould Tool manufacturing services in-house we have had to consider how the business can progress despite the lack of suitable skilled engineers in the local area. Mould tool manufacture is niche engineering skill and unfortunately the education and apprenticeship system as not supported UK engineering which has lead to the difficulties in recruitment that we are experiencing today. Although there are evident ripples of change and apprenticeships and T-levels are coming back to support industry in the future, it has left us with an extensive generational skills gap that we now need to adapt to.

The £500,000 CNC investment will deliver significant advances in machining automation and precision for Milling, Wire and Spark Eroding that existing plant equipment does not meet. As the machines will not require consistent manual operation, our toolmakers will be freed up to carry out the more specialised elements of the mould tool manufacturing process and the programming of the machines will be more akin with generalised engineering, making the recruitment of operators a little easier.

DG: Did you see more demand for domestic toolmaking during and postpandemic?

GD: The major increase that we saw both during and post COVID was significant increased demand for medical tooling, this varied from increased cavitations of existing tooling to facilitate increased demand to new medical products/devices coming to market. Throughout the pandemic we did have a strong through put of enquiries >

MEET THE MOULDER

from independent designers and innovators who had developed innovative products that they were wanting to bring to market, often this was an initial costing exercise with the perspective customer looking to obtain crowd funding to facilitate tooling investment. Unfortunately, at times the products that individuals were looking to produce were either not compatible with our technical moulding scope of service or the high initial investment in to manufacturing tooling made the project cost prohibitive.

DG: How is that demand now? Is it levelling out, or remaining high?

GD: Demand remains steady for our UK mould tooling services post COVID with new products from both existing customers and new prospects. With regard to production of injection moulded parts demand remains at higher levels than we have previously experienced with the medical healthcare sector at the fore, but forecasting does see requirements begin to level off and we anticipate normal levels through the summer. Demand looks like it will rise again later in the year. This is not an unusual or unexpected decline as the summer months for us are often quieter comparing forecasts against year-on-year records, however balanced over recent years we are seeing strong growth overall.

DG: What about for contract moulding? Has demand increased in that area of the business?

GD: The diversity in both the mould tooling that we produce, and the subsequent mouldings they produce delivers an interesting mix to both divisions of the group. Having vast experience in onsite mould tool manufacture and production processing provides a level of shared manufacturing expertise that

can deliver true added value to our customers.

DG: Are there trends in the applications that are being re-shored OR just trends in new applications from new customers generally?

GD: Notably filtration components and aerospace products are among the nature of re-shored projects that we see here at Pentagon. The volume of enquiries looking to re-shore is evidently growing and often it is suites of tools rather than standalone tooling meaning volumes are good. Another notable wave that we have recently noticed here is a number of UK moulding companies looking to sell. Although we cannot say whether this is due to increasing overheads or lack of succession this is an interesting time for our sector.

DG: What are some of the more challenging jobs you’ve seen recently?

GD: Recent military application components for breathing equipment and valve systems are proving a really interesting

challenge for several reasons; controlling fits, ensuring product is leak proof and the complexity and intricacy of the post moulding assembly requirements is proving an interesting challenge for our team.

We have also seen a high demand for servicing, refurbishing, and up issuing components in multi-cavity Caps & Closure tooling. Some of this is borne by changes in legislation regarding the tethering of Caps to bottles to reduce waste and to help improve the environment. Customers are looking to extend the life of tooling by completing extensive remedial work or are looking to convert existing tooling which are often highly complex moulds presenting their own challenges.

DG: What are your plans for future investments?

GD: We have grand plans for future improvements, and we are already in the process of starting the next big project which will be a revised layout of the Moulding Division.

Departments including packing and post moulding will be expanded and re located, moulding presses and ancillary equipment will be moved, and space created for new injection moulding presses to complement the range. The move will facilitate improved material stores and enhanced staff facilities, this will be a huge undertaking but vital step as we continue to build for future business growth. The renovation works will deliver major allround improvement to not only manufacturing capacity but also expand capacity for increased staffing levels going forward.

DG: Will you be coming to Interplas? What do you look forward to?

GD: We are really looking forward to this year’s Interplas event, the biggest show in the company calendar of 2023! This year we will be taking our biggest stand space to date (20m sq) so visitors will be able to see a vast range of both moulding and tooling capabilities that we offer here at Pentagon, proud to show case our UK manufacturing and engineering services. Interplas never fails to deliver a prime opportunity for industry networking, informative seminars, and new business contacts.

2023 will be our 4th time at the trade event and will see a larger portion of the Pentagon team on the stand. Various team members from Pentagon will also be visiting the show over the course of the three days to meet with both existing and new suppliers, review potential new machinery for investment and explore new technologies that may enhance our manufacturing processes. Anyone visiting the show wanting to speak with our team should come a long to D50 for full insight into our technical moulding and mould tool capabilities.

“Notably filtration components and aerospace products are among the nature of re-shored projects that we see here at Pentagon. The volume of enquiries looking to re-shore is evidently growing and often it is suites of tools rather than standalone tooling meaning volumes are good.”

2023 marked a particularly pertinent set of anniversary days at Arburg, as the Hehl family displayed some of its newest technology along with its commitments to environmental targets and customer service also being at the forefront of what was on display to mark the company’s 100th birthday. Having visited the group’s annual tech days, BP&R’s Danny Ball writes.

Heritage and tradition are clearly important elements to the identity of the company, family-run by the Hehl family since its inception, Arburg takes pride on the community it has built in Lossburg and beyond. This was emphasised by Michael Hehl, managing partner and spokesperson for the management team, who said: “The fact that our employees affectionately refer to themselves as ARBURGers to this day makes it clear that we are not just a family company, but a “real” family with corresponding values. We would like to continue to cultivate these values in the future.”

The press conference for Arburg’s anniversary days started off with a keynote speech from the president of Europe’s Association for plastics and rubber machinery (EUROMAP), Luciano Anceschi. This speech emphasised Hehl’s comments, but in addition to this it indicated the importance of the company to the local area and to the industry as a whole: “Arburg has developed a sophisticated corporate culture which combines high-performance standards

with a great commitment to the region, the young people, sustainability, governance, management, and the development of the employees. This far-sighted and valuebased attitude has been delivered to market by a first-class communication for which everyone immediately understands what is important to you: Highest quality of your products and to act with the integrity of a reliable business partner.

“Behind this Vision there are people and faces, with their histories, expectations, and decisions: you, the Hehl family, are the people and faces of this great company. You and your ancestors stand for this amazing success story!

“You remind us that we, all the entrepreneurs of the industry, are called to commit ourselves to the great task, even if we sometimes seem to lose sight of this in our daily business.”

First up on Arburg’s conveyer belt of new technology for its anniversary days was an all new injection moulding machine; the Allrounder 470 H comes in “Comfort”, “Premium” and “Ultimate” performance variants, and the company described the machine as a “very special anniversary

MAIN IMAGE: A glimpse into the history of Arburg’s machines and the evolution of the injection moulding process

ARBURG’S ANNIVERSARY DAYS celebrate the past and look forward to the future

INJECTION MOULDING

gift.” Boasting that the machine is efficient, consuming 50% less energy than previous machines, with claims that the new Hybrid Allrounder cuts CO2 emissions by 12,000 kg. This efficiency is something that the company claims carries over into the running costs of the machine, with the Arburg stating in its press release: ‘production-efficient, user-friendly and reliable all at the same time! The perfect combination of electric clamping unit and hydraulic injection unit significantly reduces acquisition and operating costs.’ This greater energy efficiency is partly put down to the machine using much less oil in comparison to others on the market; Arburg claims 35 per cent less oil is needed, and for another, waste machine heat is used to pre-heat the oil. In addition, the required cooling water capacity is also between 50 and 70 percent lower, leading to lower dry cycle times and greater efficiency.’

Combining new technology and strengthening what the company sees as proven, tried and tested was a priority in the development of this machine. This was emphasised by Guido Frohnhaus, managing director technology & engineering, who said: “When designing the new Allrounder 470 H, we significantly enhanced our proven technology to optimise the energy footprint and reduce cycle times. Contributing factors include the new oil management concept, flow rate splitting for simultaneous movements of hydraulic secondary axes and the extended use of the Arburg servo hydraulic system.”

The company claims that the splitting of the flow rate in the process allows a second axis to be successfully implemented meaning cycle times are reduced, creating greater efficiency.

The company is also bullish about the user-friendly nature of the machine: a realtime Ethernet bus replaces the individual ribbon cables of the control modules, which the company claims increases the service and service life of the machines. The distribution of the hardware on and in the machine base has been completely restructured. The control manifold and hydraulic accumulator technology have been moved inside so that there is more space for peripheral equipment at the rear side of the machine and maybe most notably, the pneumatic and central lubrication systems are on the operating side, which according to the company allows for easier maintenance access and less downtime when small tweaks need to be made to the machine.

The circular economy is a concept that Arburg is clearly keen on promoting and this was especially prominent at both

the press conference I attended and the Anniversary Day. ‘ArburgGREENworld’ is a programme that aims to provide guidance for circular approaches across Arburg’s network. The company committed to delivering significant demonstrations for its ‘GREENworld’ digitalisation products, the ‘efficiency arena’ showcased nine stations relating to Greenworld and ‘ArburgXWorld’ demonstrating how digitalisation was used to enable to circular economy along the value chain.

The ‘ArburgxWorld’ product has a number of functions ranging from allowing Arburg customers to trace materials to effectively acting as a customer portal allowing a customer to log jobs for machine repairs.

The efficiency arena was also home to the hybrid allrounder which produced products from the ‘Greenline Series’ which was producing a product made from 50% castor oil.

The past year has been a success for Arburg, despite cautious financial

predictions for 2022, the company exceeded its own forecasts. Jurgen Boll, managing director for Finance, Controlling IT at Arburg explained: “We gave a forecast of our turnover expectation for 2022, and were typically cautious in mentioning a figure of 750 million plus euros.

We were almost certain that we would reach 800 million, but with the global situation, we thought many things were possible – in a negative sense. Much more so than in the past.

“The surprise is, that there is indeed an “8” at the front, but this is followed by a “75”! We achieved a whopping turnover of 875 million euros in 2022! Compared to the 2021 turnover of 735 million euros, this constitutes an increase of 19 percentage points!”

2023 has started at a more sluggish pace for the company, with the management team admitting that January and February have been slow, however

ABOVE: Digitalisation is becoming increasingly important in machines such as this; 5G networks and user-friendly interfaces are at the forefront of Arburg technology.

INSET: the Allrounder 470 H, the company’s ‘anniversary’ gift and the jewel in the crown of recent celebrations.

they put this down to a ‘struggling automotive industry’. It is clear that Arburg doesn’t see this as a trend for the long term. Boll added: “The company is coping well and all economic indicators are pointing upwards […] We too have been faced with major challenges due to material shortages and supply bottlenecks, and still are. However, the situation has eased slightly.” Boll explained.

Another piece of technology that the company was keen to shine a spotlight on was a range of turnkey solutions. The automation arena was home to possibly

the most desirable giveaway of the week; a toolbox produced by the hybrid Allrounder 1120, a sleek design that I unfortunately could not take home due to restrictions on my hand luggage!

Other features on display in the Automation arena included medical vaccine containers, a product that has proved to be more vital than ever in a world post pandemic. In terms of automation and robotics, the star of the show was arguably vertical rotary table machine Allrounder 1600 T and a total of five integrated robotic systems. This was complimented by another turnkey system with what the company describes as a ‘high level of autonomy of around twelve hours for pallets, intermediate layers and finished products. ‘

The company also unveiled new applications for its injection moulding range for the packaging industry. The new applications can produce thin-walled products, according to the company: “The 720 A “Ultimate” Allrounder featuring a clamping force of 2,900 kN and a new electric injection unit in size 1300, it is able to produce four thin-walled IML round cups with a wall thickness of just 0.37 millimetres in a cycle time of 3.95 seconds.” As well as high output, the machine also offers a high level of efficiency with the machine consuming 20% less energy.

Retrofitability is also a major factor in Arburg’s strategy as a company with the company offering options to refit machines that aim to make older machines more effect. According to the company modernisation of machines helps save 50,000 tonnes of C02 per year.

3D printing has been a fixture at Arburg for nearly a decade, the company were keen to illustrate this to the press at its anniversary days. Although it is not clear whether the company has had the success expected from its ‘Arburgadditive’ range its commitment to upping its game in this area is unwavering, the company’s 3D printing products were on display in the prototyping centre with the new Freeformer 750-3X being on display.

INJECTION MOULDING

This machine is around 2.5 times larger than that of the Freeformer 300-3X –with the same external dimensions. The company also points out that this means that ‘The process is also faster and more economical. In addition, the Gestica control system has been optimised for additive manufacturing in terms of process stability, part quality and build time.’

The Freeformer 300-3X in a hightemperature version was also on display along with the Freeformer 200-3X ‘soft’ which allows for 3D printing with softer materials. Arburg also displayed its TIQ and LIQ machines which allow for the processing and 3D printing of processing filaments and silicone.

Arburg also spent a considerable amount of time delving into some of the digital solutions that are underpinning the company’s strategy moving forward. This includes the manufacturing execution system (MES). This system along with the company’s centralised computer system, the ALS, allows for an interlinking network. According to the company: “The Arburg host computer system ALS is a central element with which the entire plastic parts production can be digitally planned, controlled and all relevant information can be tracked. A typical injection moulding plant running 20 machines can save approximately 1,500 hours of working time and 500 machine hours per year using the ALS.”

To compliment this feature Arburg has introduced the ‘Gestica control system’s intelligent assistance’ to its machines a piece of technology which the company believes will allow for those with less training to operate machinery. According to Arburg: “In times of junior staff shortage, this is particularty interesting. The starting point for the use of the recyclate package is the “aXw Control ScrewPilot”, which compensates for malfunctions in the filling process and keeps the mould filling stable. The new “aXw Control RecyclatePilot” ensures a stable shot weight by means of adaptive process control, while the “aXw Control PressurePilot” ensures bionically optimised pressure control.”

“When designing the new Allrounder 470 H, we significantly enhanced our proven technology to optimise the energy footprint and reduce cycle times. Contributing factors include the new oil management concept, flow rate splitting for simultaneous movements of hydraulic secondary axes and the extended use of the Arburg servo hydraulic system.”

Streamrunner ® Multicolour

Multi-component injection moulding reaches a new level

The Streamrunner is an additively manufactured hot runner with maximum design freedom. Through the free three-dimensional design of the runners, completely new possibilities are created in multi-component injection moulding.

New possibilities for product designers Distribution of different plastic components or colours over a very small area Channels can be intertwined with each other

2024 EPR costs could have a severe impact on businesses’ viability

Joseph Doherty, managing director of Re-Gen Waste, and member of Defra’s Advisory Committee on Packaging, reflects on whether businesses should be accounting now for extended producer responsibility (EPR).

Arecent Defra Business Ready Forum webinar attended by over 700 stakeholders on EPR data collection and costs, left many deeply frustrated by the lack

of information available to predict their likely costs.

Aside from the complications of the new system and the uncertainty over reporting requirements, much of the concern was focused on the lack of information on likely costs, especially after the huge increases in PRN prices that obligated producers faced in 2022.

The graph below illustrates the change in paper PRN prices over the last 6 years which shows that the weighted average price of paper PRNs in 2022 was over five times higher than in 2021

and double the average in 2019.The previous most expensive year since the regulations began. The graph also highlights the volatility and unpredictability of PRN prices, making budgeting almost impossible.

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PLASTICS RECYCLING SHOW EUROPE (PRSE)

BOOTH D15 10-11 MAY 2023

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

FROM END-OF-LIFE TO NEW LIFE MATERIALS

ONLY LINDNER CLIENTS CAN TRULY SAY: WITH LINDNER’S INNOVATIVE PLASTICS RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY.

For some businesses, the cost of the current PRN system is already having a major impact on viability. But from 1 January 2024, many businesses caught by the new EPR system will see the cost of compliance rising sharply.

The new system moves away from shared to single point responsibility. Under the current system, costs are shared between the raw material manufacturers, the convertors, the pack fillers and those that sell packaged product to consumers. The pack fillers, for instance, take 37% responsibility for the weight of the packaging they fill. Under EPR, pack fillers will take 100% responsibility unless the product is sold under the brand of another business – a supermarket, for instance –that will then take on the 100% responsibility.

The Defra Impact Assessment assumes that a similar number of producers will be obligated to pay the costs under EPR. However, the distribution of those costs will vary hugely related to the amount of packaging a producer is responsible for, that is classed as household packaging. It is only those producers making goods that end up in households, who will be paying towards the costs that local authorities incur from the management of packaging waste.

These costs are estimated at around £1.2 billion per year and include the collection, treatment and recycling of packaging waste as well as the cost of disposal of packaging left in the residual waste bin AND contributions to the cost of communications to householders and litter management.

Producers, regardless of whether their packaging goes to households or nonhouseholds will also have to meet recycling targets on all the packaging they handle and like the current system, will need to pay for PRNs to do this, estimated by Defra as

Joseph Doherty, managing director of Re-Gen Waste

being in the region of £335 million in 2024.

Defra has given a provisional indication of the scale of FNCR charges they expect to apply in 2024, shown in the table below, to those that have responsibility for packaging that ends up in households.

Consider a simple case of a sweet manufacturer that might, in a year, use 200 tonnes of plastic to package the sweets under their own brand which they place in 100 tonnes of cardboard transport packaging. Under the current system, they will have 37% responsibility for the plastic as a pack filler and 85% responsibility for the cardboard as a pack filler and seller. Applying the recycling targets and assuming a £40/ tonne PRN cost for cardboard and £350/tonne for plastic, the cost to the business for PRNs in the current system would be

around £19k.

Under EPR, if we assume the same targets and PRN costs but that the business will have 100% responsibility for the packaging as a pack filler, the PRN bill rises to around £46k. However, on top of that, for the plastic primary packaging of the sweets and using the mid-range FNCR fee of £309/ tonne in the table above, the business will have to pay an additional £62k to the Scheme Administrator to pass on to local authorities plus an extra £13/tonne - £2.6k – as a contribution to administration and communication charges.

These will be in addition to a doubling of the Environment Agency registration fee and increased compliance scheme membership fees to take account of a new annual subsistence fee that schemes will have to pay. Overall, the sweet business would face a 6-fold increase in cost from 2023 to 2024.

Companies are ill prepared for these additional costs, partly because there is so little information available at present on which to base calculations, but mainly, I suspect, because there is so much confusion as to how the new system will work.

Central to the management of the new system and the distribution of funds to local authorities will be the Scheme Administrator, but Defra has

indicated that this will not be appointed until the end of 2023.

The provisional fees proposed by Defra in the table above will only be for 2024. From 2025 onwards, the fees will be calculated by the Scheme Administrator on a modulated basis that will vary according to the recyclability of the packaging, so it is unlikely these will be known until late 2024.

The fees will also have to take into account the impact of the Deposit Return Scheme that will be introduced into Scotland in August this year and across the rest of the UK in October 2025. The materials covered by DRS will be excluded from EPR from the date that DRS commences.

Information continues to trickle out of Defra to help businesses understand how the new system will affect them, but it seems unlikely we will see the full picture for several months yet.

However, for those companies providing products that end up in households, there will be a huge increase in their producer responsibility costs from 2024 onwards.

Whilst it is impossible for these companies to make any accurate predictions at this stage, consideration should be given to the potential impact on their business using the prices in the table above, current PRN prices and whether they will end up with 100% responsibility for their packaging as a manufacturer or importer of branded products or a seller of own brand.

For some, it seems likely that unless they start to account for some of those costs this year, 2024 EPR could have a severe impact on their viability.

“Information continues to trickle out of Defra to help businesses understand how the new system will affect them, but it seems unlikely we will see the full picture for several months yet”

Keeping pace with high-quality

The plastic industry is in transition and facing a set of challenges, the most prominent of which is delivering high-quality secondary feedstock in large enough volumes to meet the ever-growing demand Over the last decades, plastic production rates shot up unprecedentedly. According to Plastics Europe, global plastic production reached 390.7 million metric tons in 2021, of which 352.3 MT is virgin-based (90.2%) and only 32.5 MT (8.3%) from post-consumer recycled plastics. A closer look at the distribution of the total plastic production by type reveals that polyolefins make up the majority of it with manufacturing rates amounting to approximately 180.5 million MT. Although there is an affluence of plastic on the market and further increase expected, recycling rates remain low and access to high-quality recyclates is limited. In times when legislation and recycled content targets become increasingly stringent and time-sensitive, it is crucial to unlock the potential of existing solutions.

A glance at the current state of recycling shows that waste management infrastructures, from collection to sorting and recycling, have become more mature in numerous countries around the world, but the capacities available are still not keeping pace with the ever-increasing demand for recycled resin. More investment is needed to establish solutions at scale, producing the volumes and qualities required. Fortunately, some bottlenecks can be overcome with sensor-based flake sorting solutions. As part of the recycling process, flake sorting narrows both the

MAIN IMAGE: Easy to change configurations for maximum flexibility.

LEFT: Flake sorters in recycling facility

RIGHT: Alberto Piovesan, Segment Manager, Plastics, TOMRA

Production of recycled plastic content is far from meeting demand, posing major industry challenges. Embracing the latest technological advancement in flake sorting helps bridge the gap between supply and demand and gives recyclers a competitive edge in efficiency and profitability. Alberto Piovesan, Global Segment Manager Plastics at TOMRA Recycling Sorting writes.

recycled resin

quality and quantity gap for polyolefins (PO), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a growing number of other applications. Recyclers using the latest flake sorting technology can capture more types of material, maximise yield and maintain profitable operations.

Quantum leap in recyclates quality

Flake sorting is no stranger to plastic recycling. It allows for the creation of highpurity mono fractions of one material type and/or colour and is the last purification step before the target fractions go into extrusion. Thus, it is an indispensable component of the recycling process and directly impacts the final quality and yield of the recyclates.

To date, flake sorters are already integrated into numerous bottle recycling plants around the world but hold much more potential. They can also be used for treating mixed plastic waste, unleashing new streams of available feedstock and improving recyclates quality. Often, where no advanced flake sorting solutions are in place, the end product is a mix of different polymer types and, in some cases, numerous colours. Since this fraction contains several distinct product types, its quality levels are low and it can only be used for lowergrade applications, for which demand and value are marginal. The demand for superior secondary feedstock on the other hand is skyrocketing, spurred by stringent recycled content targets as well as the improvement of individual sustainability credentials. With

ABOVE: Flake sorter purifying post-consumer plastics

INSET: Mixed plastic waste

advanced flake sorting, recyclers can easily upgrade their products and create new revenue streams.

High volumes of superior feedstock at hand

A plastic recycler can process more than 100,000 tonnes of polymer flakes per year, depending on market demand and material availability. With recent shortages of available materials, adaptability is key to maintaining profitable business. Waste streams and market demands are, in fact, highly dynamic. If the supply of recyclable polymers on the market is limited, but demand is high, plant operators often have little choice but to turn to more contaminated postconsumer waste to meet market demands. Exceptional purity requirements persist regardless of the volume to be processed and the type of recoverable feedstock, challenging recyclers to reach even higher qualities from increasingly more contaminated sources.

Compared to other processing machinery, flake sorters are a gateway to overcoming feedstock volatility. Compact in size, easy to install and flexible in operation, they prove to be a sound investment for small and large operations alike. Advanced flake sorting can

process fluctuating levels of contamination without compromising recovery and purity levels. Equipped with a set of sophisticated technologies that are a fundamental part of the recycling process, they help turn low-quality input material into pure flakes that meet even the strictest quality requirements. This gives recyclers access to material that previously couldn’t be recovered, squeezing out the maximum value from available fractions.

A good example of creating new revenue streams is the sorting of polyolefins. Holding the lion’s share in global plastic production, the availability of PO on the market is abundant and offers a lot of potentials as the industry strives to use more recycled PO in the manufacture of high-quality products. Nevertheless, upgrading polyolefins presents its own set of challenges. Whereas PET bales processed in a recycling facility mostly consist of only one target material (PET), PO bales are a mix of two valuable materials: polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The share of each material type in the PO infeed is hard to predict and can change with each bale. One bale could be a 50/50 mix of PE and PP, and the next could be a 70/30 mix.

Colour

Irrespective of the input composition, both PE and PP flakes must be accurately identified and separated to create highpurity fractions for recycling.

Until advanced flake sorting and purification methods were introduced, the infrastructure lacked the technology to separate PP from PE cost-effectively. Less sophisticated flake sorters can solely purify one material type and remove only small amounts of contaminants, thereby often limiting their use to PET recycling plants. Furthermore, higher throughputs were hard or impossible to realise. For example, if a recycling plant uses less advanced flake sorters to process a PO bale composed of 60% HDPE and 40% PP (not considering other contaminants), the infeed would have to be sorted by beltsorters before shredding, when the material size is big enough to allow for accurate separation of PE and PP. Consequently, shredding, washing and flake sorting would have to happen in parallel on two different lines, driving up costs significantly. With the aim to operate more profitably, recycling plants would prefer to process the material in batches on a single line. The downside of this approach is a reduction in total throughput. Moreover, it remains costly due to extensive material handling, such as re-baling, storage and manpower. These are some of the main challenges impeding the upgrading of PO to higher quality recyclates.

Modern sensor-based flake sorters are a game-changing technology for the industry in the above-mentioned scenario. They are capable of detecting and accurately sorting polyolefins by polymer type, as well as separating different colours, generating multiple fractions at the same time. With the integration of the most advanced flake sorting technologies in a recycling plant, materials can be shredded and washed in a single line before entering the flake sorting process. This, in turn, eliminates the need for multiple lines or batch processing. Embracing these solutions gives recyclers access to huge quantities of post-consumer materials to create high-purity fractions of rPE and rPP.

Flexibility for predictably higher yield

Infeed materials continue to become more complex. Depending on the respective contamination level and purity requirements, supplementary sorting steps are often required to purify the target fraction. Smaller operators with flake sorting installations can reap a lot of benefits from the system’s capabilities and efficiencies. First, flake sorters can be easily integrated into

existing plants because they require little space compared to other processing machinery, which makes them ideal for upgrading the sorting and purification capabilities of an existing recycling line. Second, it is possible to run multiple sorting steps within a single unit. This means operators can choose to balance throughput in favor of higher recovery rates and purity levels as needed. At the same time, smaller recycling companies can profit from the flexibility of processing a wider range of materials, thanks to the possibility of working in batches on a single unit. The scenario is different in high-volume plants, where operators can install multiple sorting machines in parallel or cascade setups to maximise throughput and qualities without increasing operation times. Regardless of the installation setup, flake sorters

offer unrivaled flexibility, performance and generate reliable flake qualities. Thus, the sorting results are predictable and so is the recycler’s yield.

Blue skies ahead

Today, an extensive product portfolio of flake sorting solutions exists to meet both current and future demands. Plastic recyclers on the quest to source more materials or scale up their operations rely on best-in-class flake sorters. Whether PET, PP or PE, clear, blue, green or any opaque coloured materials, today’s advanced systems produce high–purity, mono-material and colour-segregated fractions. Moreover, they withstand tough conditions, process large volumes and produce high-quality secondary feedstock. Flake sorting machines save space and reliably generate predictable results that lead to maximum yield. Their efficiency paired with the system’s flexibility enable a rapid return on investment and give operators a competitive edge, now and in the long term.

The potential flake sorting holds is very promising and future-forward. When these technologies are integrated at scale and combined with modern extrusion and deodourisation processes, the future of plastics recycling will make an evolutionary change.

“ Infeed materials continue to become more complex. Depending on the respective contamination level and purity requirements, supplementary sorting steps are oft en required to purify the target fraction. ”

Leeds Manufacturing Festival aims to find next generation of industry talent

Manufacturing and engineering employers in Leeds are being urged to nominate outstanding younger talent from among their own organisations for an awards initiative that is now in its second year.

The Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards aims to identify and recognise the achievements of the industry’s next generation of rising stars and potential business leaders.

The awards, which will take place in Leeds on 20 April, were launched in 2022 to highlight the successes and achievements of younger people already working in manufacturing

Injection moulding machinery manufacturer Bole has announced two new hires for its sales team, with two familiar industry faces joining the company.

The West Midlands based company has confirmed two new notable appointments this week; experienced engineer Andy Pearce will be Area Sales Manager for North UK, while machinery sales veteran Matt Holyoake returns to BOLE as Head of Sales, covering South UK and assisting General Manager Hardeep Khera with management of the business.

Since 2018, the injection moulding machine supplier says it has enjoyed success ‘year after year.’ BOLE UK’s General Manager, Hardeep Khera, commented: “BOLE Machinery has become

MAIN: Tyra Jones from Sulzer pumps receives an award from Laura Rogers of E3 Recruitment at the Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards 2022

INSET: Apprentice of the Year Award winner 2022, Louis Audain of Brandon Medical, receives his award from Mitch Scott, head of engineering at Leeds City College

and engineering. They also aim to promote the diverse modern career opportunities on offer in a sector that is facing a severe shortage of

BOLE ANNOUNCES TWO NEW HIRES TO BOLSTER SALES TEAM

new employees with the right skills and technical qualifications.

Ben Wilson, chair of Leeds Manufacturing Alliance and director of Leeds-based glass reinforced plastic moulds manufacturer MPM, said: “Leeds Manufacturing Festival is all about highlighting manufacturing as a tremendously rewarding industry to work in and attracting the next generation of talent to the sector.

“As with the outstanding younger employees who were selected to win last year’s awards, I know that this year’s winners will also be superb role models and ambassadors for

companies. In 2006 he took up his first full-time sales position, selling colours and additives to PET packaging specialists.

Leeds’ manufacturing sector and for the festival, helping to spread the message that manufacturing is a great place to work and with a vast range of career options on offer.

Entry forms for the Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards can be found on the festival website and entries must be received by the 3rd April. The awards ceremony will take place on 20 April, hosted by MPM.

Now in its sixth year, Leeds Manufacturing Festival runs until July. This year’s events include manufacturing ‘treks’, where school and college students visit factories across the city, as well as live careers panels and a careers showcase connecting around 20 manufacturing employers with Leeds students.

utilise this expertise in a more senior role within BOLE UK.” Hardeep explained.

a well-known name in the UK now, gaining a reputation for offering technical, high-quality machines at preferential prices.

We’ve been adding automotive and specialist injection moulding companies to our growing client portfolio, and both Andy and Matt’s technical background will enable us to continue BOLE UK’s growth for years to come.”

Andy first entered the market in 1991 when he

started his apprenticeship at packaging manufacturer Rexam. Since then, he has held several engineering and maintenance positions at reputable plastics industry businesses, including ARBURG and AK Industries.

Matt Holyoake has over 30 years of experience within the plastics industry. Starting as an apprentice maintenance engineer, he progressed to managerial roles at leading moulding

Matt’s hands-on approach proved invaluable during his nine years working at Arburg, where he specialised in the technical sales of injection moulding machinery to key clients. His ability to provide in-depth training meant he was able to ensure that customers took full advantage of the equipment he helped them to specify – a huge benefit to his customers.

“Matt also has history of developing strong relationships with marketleading companies, especially when it comes to injection moulding machinery – I’ve seen this first-hand when working with him previously, so I’m really pleased to be able to

Matt also commented on his return: “I am very happy to be back with Hardeep and the team at Bole Machinery UK as Head of Sales. The continued growth and expansion within Bole Machinery UK allows us to continue the success of the popular EKS, EKW, DK and FE machine ranges and increase the market share in the UK and Ireland.”

Hardeep continued: “Andy also brings a wealth of technical experience and industry contacts with him from his decades in the sector. I’m certain with his skills and experience, moving into sales will be a natural step for him.

“This rounds out BOLE’s formidable new UK sales team, ready to take the UK by storm in 2023!”

Matt Holyoake (left) and Andy Pearce

HSC Knives, are proud to boast ‘Made in Sheffield’ UK leader in the manufacture of industrial machine knives & blades.

HSC Knives manufacture a vast range of products that include granulator blades, shredder blades and spacers, baler blades & hardened wear parts, HSC has over 25 years of experience in the recycling and waste management industry and offer a full regrind service collect and redeliver in most of the UK.

Products and services available by HSC granulators, shredders, rubber crumb, waste processing, pelletisers, die face cutters plus wear parts and full regrind services.

For more information, please see below: T

POLYMERMAN

ArepolymerpricesheadingintotheDoldrums?

Plastribution’s Mike Boswell looks at two possibilities for resin prices, and what they mean for suppliers and buyers.

‘Being in the Doldrums’ is an expression used to represent a period of listlessness or despondency and the expression has nautical routes which are explained as follows:

‘The Doldrums are a large-scale weather system located on and around the Equator. They are best known as an area of very light winds which can slow sailing boats to a virtual stop, but the Doldrums can often also produce violent thunderstorms and sudden fierce squalls.’

So why the despondency about polymer prices?

Following the roller-coaster price ride which started in Q2 2020, prices have been falling back since H2 of 2022, with a background of a global economic slowdown causing consumer spending to be constrained. Whilst in some sectors, such as automotive where a shortage of semi-conductor chips continues to restrict vehicle supply, the situation for polymers is much more difficult with polymer raw material supply comfortably exceeding demand. In fact, the situation for polymer producers could easily be described as ‘stagflation’ with input costs including raw materials (monomers), energy and labour costs increasing, but the supply demand balance of polymer supply very much in the favour of buyers resulting in poor economics for producers, who in some cases are reporting minimal profitability and in others difficulty in even covering fixed costs. Further evidence of the supply demand imbalance was provided in February where, for some, materials polymer selling prices actually decreased despite an increase in contract monomer prices and in other cases increases were well below the respective monomer cost increase(s).

Are prices likely to ‘flatline’ for a long period of time?

Those in the industry back in the 1990s may recall a period where priced ‘bumbled along’ the bottom for a protracted period, with small increases in prices quickly falling away. Three decades later much has changed, both in terms of the speed of information and the financial management of business. With regards to an exit from the current market conditions the following alternatives may occur:

A gradual recalibration of the supply/demand balance through recovery in demand, reduction in polymer production or a combination of these two factors. Of course, it should be noted that ‘balance’ can be difficult to achieve and that significant imbalances typically lead to a more dramatic impact on pricing. As at the end of February there was some evidence that demand was improving as polymer processors sought to replenish depleted stocks even

Who is ‘Polymerman’?

Feedstock

C2 (Ethylene) £74.88

C3 (Proplylene) £70.47

Styrene Monomer (SM) £8.81

Benzene £95.14

Brent Crude £11.96

February 2023 European Contract

Feedstock Price Movements

though underlying demand may still be on the weak side.

Akin to ‘the Doldrums can often produce violent thunderstorms and sudden fierce squalls’ there is always the possibility of an unexpected geopolitical or weatherrelated event taking place, that typically drives demand as plastic processors seek to secure inventory, causing a more dramatic change in pricing.

Mike Boswell is Managing Director of UK materials distributor, Plastribution, as well as the Chairman of the British Plastic Federation’s Polymer Compounders and Distributors Group and its ‘BREXIT Committee’. ‘Polymerman’ is the title used for announcements made via his Twitter account. This column is compiled using data from PIE (Plastics Information Europe) www.plastribution.co.uk | www.pieweb.com

"Of course, it should be noted that ʻbalance’ can be difficult to achieve and that significant imbalances typically lead to a more dramatic impact on pricing."

Bringing it in-house

As we move inexorably into the final month of quarter 1 of 2023, there has been time to reflect on 2022 and how things really look post-pandemic. Whilst most of us hoped ’22 would be a rebound year, in reality I’m sure our real hopes were that we wouldn’t see a combination of price rises and uncertainty hit the market so hard there would be a significant slowdown.

The recent PMMDA statistics survey showed signs, both good and bad, that there had indeed been an impact, but that if anything, it had been a share shift rather than a complete swing up or down. Whilst capital plant and ancillary pricing increases have skewed the value figures, the unit numbers appear to be stable, and changes in contributors further complicated the picture. However, on reflection, and taking into account comments from several of the contributors, the consensus is that there is a clear move towards bringing products “in-house” to control costs, quality and supply, and that whilst this is in its embryonic stage, the hope is that this will be the start of a resurgence in SME type moulders, which has to be a good thing for the industry long term. A clearer picture, however, is emerging from the market sector activity information, and what is very clear is that Ireland continues to be dominated by medical manufacturing, but interestingly, in the UK, contract moulding, consumer goods, and construction account for almost 50% of the unit sales. Sadly, one thing which has not increased is the sale of automation and robots, and we still lag behind Germany and France in terms of automation uptake.

Clearly, energy costs and supply chain issues continue to be a major source of concern for many, but offsetting this is a definite sense of optimism and enthusiasm. As mentioned in last month’s column, 2023 is an Interplas year, and the good news for the whole industry is that this year’s event has seen very strong support, with a high uptake of exhibition spaces booked by both suppliers and producers alike – a strong representation at the show from the production side of the market can only be a good sign, and I for one am encouraged by this.

As we move further into 2023, our hope I’m sure is to see a stabilising and reduction of energy costs, allowing the sector to grow and continue to contribute to the economy as a whole.

David Raine Chairman, PMMDA

“The consensus is that there is a clear move towards bringing products “in- house” to control costs, quality and supply, and that whilst this is in its embryonic stage, the hope is that this will be the start of a resurgence in SME type moulders.”

This is the AGX-V

The latest testing frames technology on the market

Philip Law

The BPF’s director-general Philip Law reflects on the first quarter of 2023.

BPF, Budgets and Brussels

Press coverage of the recent Budget was mainly confined to its provisions on pensions, but there were two specific points which directly affected the plastics industry. One was the extension of the Climate Change Agreements for a further two years meaning they will be in place until at least March 2027. A longawaited consultation was launched which will focus on the future of CCAs beyond that point. BPF’s Climate Change Agreement, BPF Energy is one of the largest CCAs and at its origin it was eagerly welcomed by the BPF members. Since its inception it has saved the industry considerable sums of money, helped to drive energy efficiency to the top of the industry’s agenda and has put us in a good starting position to move towards ‘Net Zero Carbon’ objectives.

The second point was the inflationary increase put on the rate of the Plastics Packaging Tax. This increased from £200 per tonne to £210.82. There were also some technical changes to the treatment of late payments, to ensure consistency.

It was great to attend the Scottish Plastics and Rubber Association’s Annual Dinner in Edinburgh on 17th March. Well supported by companies north and south of the border., the SPRA, plays an important role in dialogue with the Scottish government and local stakeholders. Historically it has been involved in educational initiatives such as the Polymer

Study Tours and in promoting ‘Fantastic Plastics’. Bruce McLaren of McLaren Plastics has recently been elected President and the BPF has a close relationship with the SPRA and its management team.

BPF has had a great start to the year. We began with 524 members and already we have up to 544, an outstanding achievement. It was great to be at the recent Packaging Innovation Show and witness the interest in the BPF and its activities. It was a similar picture at the Southern Manufacturing Show where we made important new contacts.

It just demonstrates the close relevance of our activity – the preparation of guidance on Productivity with a launch planned for the Autumn, the preparation of a Net Zero Carbon Strategy for the Industry, the greater formalisation of Operation Clean Sweep, our encouragement for recycling including the pressure applied to government to accept ‘mass balance’ techniques for the verification of chemical recyclate content.

Some of the issues we are hitting upon such as REACH and the EU’s proposed Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste are highlighting the continuing importance of interventions in Brussels. But from our remote position outside the EU this is difficult. We are pressing UK government to define what residual tools it has to inform legislative developments in the EU.

Meanwhile one innovative way BPF is addressing the manpower shortage in the plastics industry is to enter into dialogue with HM Prisons in a bid to recruit rehabilitated prisoners to work in the plastics industry. HMP is a member of the BPF as they operate injection moulding machines. We are staging a webinar on 30th March featuring New Futures Network an organisation dedicated to finding employment opportunities for prison leavers. To learn more about this webinar on ‘Addressing your Skills Gap: Opportunities with Prison Leavers in Injection Moulding’, go to: https://www. bpf.co.uk/events/webinars/ lunch-and-learn.aspx.

“One innovative way BPF is addressing the manpower shortage in the plastics industry is to enter into dialogue with HM Prisons in a bid to recruit rehabilitated prisoners”

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