INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING 37
NEWS BULLETIN
INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING
MAUSER ENHANCES REUSABILITY
Mauser Packaging Solutions has completed the first phase of expansion at its Erkelenz site in Germany, with new productions space having been completed in the summer. This is now home to a new IBC wash line and an automated IBC rebottling line, providing sustainable IBC cleaning services in close proximity to major customers in the region. In addition, Mauser has increased post-consumer resin (PCR) production capacity, with the Recolene produced in-house now used in the manufacture of the Infinity series of IBCs, drums and other containers. Work has now started on another phase of expansion, with an additional IBC manufacturing line and IBC cage production unit due to be fully operational by the end of the third quarter 2021. Elsewhere, Mauser reports that the DrumGuard® load securing system, developed in partnership with Strauch GmbH, has received an Honorable Mention for Advancement in Industrial Distribution Systems from Dow at its recent Packaging Innovation Awards. The DrumGuard system, which consists of only two components, secures four steel drums on a pallet by connecting them at the chime. It reduces the time needed by 95 per cent compared to
traditional load securing methods, Mauser says, and avoids the need for single-use plastics such as stretch wrap and strapping. “The quality of innovations we saw in the 2020 Packaging Innovation Awards is remarkable, especially considering that the entry process had virtual components this year for the first time,” said Diego Donoso, business president for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “I’m inspired that the packaging industry continues to move sustainability and innovation forward even during complicated times. All winners should be proud of their accomplishment.” www.mauserpackaging.com GREIF LOOKS GOOD
Greif has reported net income of $44.4m for the three months to end September, down from $65m a year ago. For Greif ’s fiscal year, net income dropped from $171.0m in 2019 to $108.8m with adjusted EBITDA down $16.3m at $642.6m, despite an increase in both net cash generation and free cash flow. “Through our focus on customer service excellence and disciplined operational execution, the team delivered solid financial results, strong cash flow and significant debt reduction in
a challenging operating environment,” says Pete Watson, Greif ’s president/CEO. “I am particularly pleased with our team’s results in reducing working capital, which created a strong source of cash in the fiscal fourth quarter that helped drive our fiscal 2020 adjusted free cash flow well higher than our previously announced forecast.” Greif ’s Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services division (below) saw annual sales fall by $39.9m to $579.1m, as a result of both lower volumes and lower average sale prices, reflecting a fall in raw material costs. Gross profit was only lightly impacted and adjusted EBITDA actually rose by $4.2m to $65.3m. “Looking ahead,” Watson continues, “while downstream industries are gradually ramping back up, there remains lingering uncertainty in the global economy. We are committed to managing those areas within our control to navigate successfully through these uncertainties. Greif is well positioned to benefit as the economy further recovers.” www.greif.com THIELMANN JOINS THE ULTRAS
Thielmann has introduced an innovative double-wall drum designed for highly dangerous and corrosive goods. It consists of an outer drum constructed from 316L stainless steel and an inner drum made of a nickel-copper alloy that is extremely resistant to corrosion. Between the two layers in an inert shock absorbing material, which ensures the protection of the contents and satisfies the requirements of packing instruction P804, applicable to the transport of UN 1744 bromine and bromine solution. “Thielmann’s Ultra Secure Dangerous Goods Container comes in many industry-ready formats and can also be customised to meet our customers’ unique requirements, such as with different fittings and size options,” the company states. Thielmann also says this ‘first of its kind’ UN-approved packaging meets all the criteria for the storage and transport of highly toxic and extremely flammable substances, including highly corrosive chemicals, acids and corrosive agents, listing such chemicals as UN 1738 unstabilised benzyl chloride, UN 1752 chloroacetyl chloride, UN 1939 phosphorus oxybromide and UN 1808 phosphorus tribromide. thielmann.com
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