Linking up Combining strengths

NEWS

Combining strengths

VORTICE S.p.A. acquires CASALS

VORTICE S.p.A. has announced the acquisition of the historic Spanish brand CASALS, purchasing 100% of the share capital from VENTILACIÓN INDUSTRIAL IND. S.L. (Sant Joan de les Abadesses, Girona, Catalonia, Spain), a Company that operates in the Industrial Ventilation Systems sector.

The two historic Companies, which were established and developed in different periods and geographical contexts, will continue to pursue the same values and objectives as they did before.

Thanks to this partnership, VORTICE Group will be able to reinforce its offer with catalogues that complement the products of the entire Group, which will expand the Company’s network and open up further commercial avenues on the international market. “From now on, VORTICE and CASALS will be sharing their technical knowledge and commercial assets, which will allow us to create a multiplier for the growth and development of both companies. We will also be reinforcing the logistics and production facilities as well as strengthening the development process for new products by the two Companies Research & Development teams” said Stefano Guantieri, Director-General of VORTICE S.p.A. and the new Vice President of CASALS.

Visit: www.vortice.com

Wacker joins with Nexeon

Wacker Chemie AG is intensifying its research activities on silicon-based materials for high-performance batteries by taking a holding in Nexeon Ltd. The Munich-based chemical company announced today that it is acquiring a 25 percent stake in the UK specialist for new battery materials.

Nexeon develops, produces and sells innovative, silicon-based anode materials that significantly enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries. WACKER has conducted research in this area since 2010 and has cooperated with Nexeon already.

“Today’s agreement is a key step in strengthening our activities in silicon-based anode materials for next-generation batteries by putting them on an even broader base,” said Christian Hartel, responsible for R&D on WACKER’s Executive Board. “On the one hand, it means we can intensify and further develop WACKER’s own successful research in this field. On the other hand, this stake reinforces our cooperation with Nexeon as we jointly develop supplementary material strategies. WACKER is ideally positioned to develop and produce these innovative materials, given our decades of in-depth expertise in silicon chemistry.”

Visit: www.wacker.com

Orange signs a contract with Rakuten, Inc.

Rakuten Mobile launched as Japan’s newest mobile network operator in October 2019 with the world’s first end-to-end, fully virtualised cloud-native mobile network.

This partnership with Orange allows Rakuten Mobile to provide its subscribers with international data roaming services around the world. The agreement also extends beyond international connectivity to include support from Orange professional services, enabling Rakuten Mobile to meet the needs of tomorrow’s customers.

Orange provided Rakuten with a complete roaming solution that enables Rakuten to directly connect with carriers in others countries via IPX network connection, supporting with industry-leading technical expertise on-site that allowed the network to be built in record time. Visit: www.orange.com

Alpla aquires two spanish companies

ALPLA, the global manufacturer of plastic packaging solutions, is further expanding its recycling activities – it is moving into polyolefin recycling with its acquisition of two companies based in Spain.

With two of its own PET recycling plants in Austria and Poland (PET Recycling Team) and joint ventures in Mexico and Germany, ALPLA has long been an established partner in the field of PET recycling. These operations currently have an annual capacity of 70,000 tonnes. ALPLA is now taking the next step by buying two HDPE recycling plants.

ALPLA signed the purchase agreements for the acquisition of Suminco S.A. in Montcada (near Barcelona) and Replacal S.L. in Palencia (north of Madrid) in October. Both businesses belong to a Spanish family-owned enterprise with more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing HDPE recyclates. The annual capacity of the plants, which have a workforce totalling 50, will be expanded to 35,000 tonnes.

LINKINGUP

Cerulean collaborates with Festo to improve tube packing efficiency

Cerulean, a manufacturer of tube packing solutions, has collaborated with industrial automation specialist Festo to simplify the design of its popular FPS-1 tube packer to deliver an improved, more energy efficient, and future-proof packing solution.

Traditionally tubes of product for personal care, such as cosmetics, suncream and toothpaste, can be difficult to stack as they are light weight and cap heavy. The transition between batches of tubes being completed and entering the packing stage requires either a large-scale, bespoke automation solution or hand packing into cartons by multiple production workers, which is both labour intensive and less hygienic. Pausing production inevitably leads to inefficiencies and disruption of the production line. Cerulean was looking to upgrade its system to simplify this transition in a continuous production and high-speed environment.

“When Cerulean enquired about Festo’s latest components and capabilities, we took the opportunity to ask what they wanted their packing machines to be capable of in the medium to long term,” said Josh Roberts, Festo Business Development Consultant. “It quickly became clear that we could work in partnership to make significant improvements to the FPS-1 system: not only in terms of pneumatic efficiency, but also to make it Industry 4.0 ready.”

The automation and pneumatic upgrades to the tube packer are designed as two kits: a valve control kit and an actuator kit. Each kit has the same footprint as the equipment it is intended to replace. Each kit has its own unique order number – eliminating the need to order multiple components – and is supplied fully assembled and ready to install.

The packing process is now fully automated, which results in less time and less cost. Festo’s pneumatics allow the FPS-300s to introduce the correctly sized standard carton and to push a layer of tubes into place without any human intervention. Then pneumatic grippers release the carton and allow it to fall to the next level so filling and packing can continue uninterrupted. When the carton is full, it is lifted onto an overhead conveyor and taken on for palletizing. Visit: www.festo.com

Cerulean’s new FPS-300s tube packer featuring Festo automation can handle a wider range of tube sizes and eliminates the need for human intervention.

Groupe GM partners with La Compagnie de Provence to bring exclusive amenities to hotels worldwide

Groupe GM, international player in the hotel amenity industry, has launched a highquality, fresh and fragranced amenity line in collaboration with La Compagnie de Provence. This line is the third to come out of Groupe GM’s partnership with the renowned French cosmetics brand.

In 1990, two friends from Marseille passionate about design and decoration decided to revive the traditional Marseille soap cube. In 1999, they reinterpreted Provence’s most ancient tradition: the art of soap making. The liquid Marseille soap was born, a modern twist on the traditional iconic soap bar. True to the Provencal tradition, the liquid Marseille soap is made in a cauldron from vegetable oils just like its solid ancestor.

La Compagnie de Provence hotel line is perfumed with the “Extra Pur” collection’s best-seller: Olivewood. One of the most emblematic scents of Provence. A sensual fragrance with notes of wood, heated by the sun, enhanced by notes of citrus and camphor that bring a touch of freshness to the scent. This new range features four 40ml tubes of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body milk. The range also includes perfumed soaps available in 30g and 50g, two 300ml Ecopump containing liquid soap and hair & body. In line with La Compagnie de Provence’s quest for providing natural yet efficient formulas, 96% of the ingredients used are of natural origin.

“Groupe GM is honored to continue its partnership with La Compagnie de Provence, a great company that truly embodies Provencal tradition and manufacturing.” says President of Groupe GM, Laurent Marchand. “This latest line’s dedication to authenticity and elegance intrinsically makes it a great fit for Groupe GM’s ever-growing portfolio.” Visit: www.groupegm.com

K+S merges two subsidiaries

K+S has taken a further step on the way to becoming “One K+S”: The subsidiaries K+S KALI GmbH and esco - european salt company GmbH & Co. KG, have now been merged into one company under the new name of K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH. K+S had already merged its disposal and logistics activities into K+S KALI GmbH. To think and act as one company follows the new corporate strategy Shaping 2030.

By bundling all potash, salt, waste disposal, and transportation activities within Germany in a single company, K+S can more easily achieve a wide range of synergies in production, engineering, and logistics to meet customer demand even better.

Alexa Hergenröther, CEO of the Europe+ operating unit, and Bastian Siebert, Head of Operations in the Europe+ operating unit, are both general managers of the company, Visit: www.kpluss.com