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NEWS BULLETIN
INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING
loaded, thanks to the larger volume, only half as many trips are required as with conventional trucks, which is very resource-saving.” www.schuetz.net GREIF FOCUSES ON INDUSTRY
MORE FROM MAUSER
Mauser Packaging Solutions is making significant investments in state-of-the-art equipment to more than double production capacity of quart and gallon-sized F-style metal cans at its Memphis, Tennessee facility. The line was only opened last August but this new project will optimise raw material usage, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption, provide enhanced safety features, and offer significantly higher productivity levels, the company says. The F-style cans are designed for packaging solvents, such as paint thinner, charcoal lighter fluid, chemicals and other products. Cans contain a minimum of 25 per cent recycled content and are 100 per cent recyclable after use, Mauser says. Mauser has also introduced a new aluminium easy-peel valve seal for its intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). Such seals alert users to potential product tampering or contamination but often require a knife to remove and can leave behind residue that mixes with the product being dispensed. Mauser’s new aluminium IBC
valve seal can be peeled off by hand and the design eliminates the risk of glue or metal residue contaminating products. The new seal is being rolled out globally this year and is available for use with 2- and 3-inch butterfly valves. www.mauserpackaging.com BIGGER TRUCKS FOR IBCS
Schütz has begun using ‘Ecoliner’ trucks (below) to deliver IBCs from its plant in Selters to BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The trucks, supplied by its logistics partner Haaf, can carry 112 empty IBCs, halving the number of trips needed to deliver new IBCs and reducing both costs and CO2 emissions. “IBCs are a commonly used form of packaging. The square shape allows IBCs to be stacked and transported in a way that saves space,” notes Angela Giubilaro, global category manager, IBCs and HDPE drums at BASF. “Even with these advantages, logistics costs play a major role, which is why we have been working with suppliers and forwarders on the long truck project since 2017. When fully
Greif has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Consumer Packaging Group (CPG) business to Graphic Packaging Holding for $85m cash. The proceeds will be used to pay down debt. “We are pleased with the conclusion of the CPG strategic review process,” says Pete Watson, Greif ’s president and CEO. “The sale of CPG allows us to de-lever our balance sheet and optimise capital allocation plans. By divesting these assets, we can refocus our business on our core industrial franchise and our stated strategic growth priorities in IBC production and reconditioning and containerboard integration.” Greif is also installing a blowmoulding machine at its Merced facility in California, which will increase production of plastics drums for the local market; it is due online in the second quarter of this year. The machine will allow Greif to focus on servicing the growing market for both open-head and tight-head plastic drums in various sizes. “We will continue to invest and grow with our customers to support their increasing needs while shortening lead times,” says Kevin Kling, plastic & IBC development director for Greif. www.greif.com VASKERIET ACQUIRED BY MJ
MJ Plastics, which invests in companies active in plastics recycling and the circular economy, has acquired the Danish company Emballage Vaskeriet, a reconditioner of IBCs, drums and jerrycans for the chemical industry. “Our strategy is to invest and develop the company,” says Martin Schack Staffeldt, director of MJ Plastics. “We want to offer our customers new sustainable and innovative best-in-class recycling services, focusing on circular economy. We want to help our customers and meet the new EU packaging directive on extended producer responsibility which goes into force in 2025, and make a difference.” In the short term, this will involve investing in machinery and equipment to offer new services in plastics recycling, documentation on CO2 emissions control, safety and
HCB MONTHLY | APRIL 2020
