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Brenntag South Africa

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Midrand, 1685

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Phone: +27 (0)10 020 91 00

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Email: info@brenntag.co.za

Email: info@brenntag.co.za

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Rudi Verwey

Rudi Verwey

Rudi Verwey

Head of Product Management

Head of Product Management

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Mobile: +27 (0) 82 552 1888

Mobile: +27 (0) 82 552 1888

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E-Mail: Rudi.Verwey@brenntag.co.za

E-Mail: Rudi.Verwey@brenntag.co.za

/ Electronics

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THERE

A PLAN

& Managing Editor: Martin Wells (martin@summitpub.co.za)

Editor: Tessa O’Hara (tessa@summitpub.co.za)

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BY THE WAY

Safripol celebrates 50yrs Safripol CEO Nico van Niekerk hosted a number of the board members of KAP group, including executive director Penwell Lunga, chief financial officer Frans Olivier and group CEO Gary Chaplin at an event to celebrate its 50th birthday recently. KAP is the owner of Safripol. Safripol was actually established in 1969 but production of material only started in ’72 (see pages 32-34)

Avoiding bag levy was not just a ploy

WE GOT the story about the bag manufacturer who had avoided paying the bag levy wrong. What appears to have happened is that the said manufacturer set up a number of separate supply companies which were supplying bags to retailers but not paying the levy (as they were not manufacturing). By avoiding the levy, these suppliers were able to substantially undercut competitors. As things stand, the levy at 28c per bag may exceed the selling price that manufacturers achieve per bag, so avoiding the levy was obviously greatly to the advantage of the said manufacturer. The result was that the manufacturer picked up several contracts, through his supply network, at the expense of other levy-paying manufacturers. And the figures were apparently big; news on the bush telegraph suggests the manufacturer paid a fine of an estimated R80-million but had raked in nearly double that before the game was up.

MCG has possibly found a buyer

OPERATING under business rescue conditions is no easy matter but there are people who specialise in this area who can develop value where there is, which appears to be the case at MCG, at one point one of South Africa’s top plastic crate manufacturing businesses. We hear an asset management company is showing specific interest in taking over the MCG plants in Malvern (Jo’burg) and Montague Gardens (Cape Town) and other assets, but there is no interest in reviving what was MCG Flexibles in Isando, Johannesburg, which ironically has fabulous premises with considerable installed electrical capacity.

‘Nurdles’ too close to nerds

IT’S UNLIKELY that any of you refer to pellets as nurdles and, to put it mildly, the term is a bit irksome. Nurdles, I mean! Who came up with the name? But use of the term does appear to get members of the public into quite a froth and any mention of the term on social media has people tearing off to the beach to pick it all up. But seriously guys, material is expensive and there’s no reason for any polymer to be left lying around.

… if you have something to say

Look at the bright side: if you have some gem of wisdom to impart, please write to us at tessa@summitpub.co.za

2022

Find out more at www.sapt.co.za

INDUSTRY NEWS

OKE group settles sA acquisitions, expands local supply

New lease of life for Flowline at UMP

RPM expands into PU business

Cast It Mould & tool gets started

Successful Clean-Up and Recycle sA Week 2022!

Ferro south Africa subsidiaries restructure to pursue unified growth

SAPPMA: Big turnout at Pipes event, but no-show by govt

TUT solar team 3rd in 2022 sasol solar Challenge

Packaging World increases print capacity

Succession plan for W.Lee-Ultraplast Safripol celebrates 50th anniversary

SUSTAINABILITY

New recyclable bag for Woolies chicken

Educational blocks made by Afrieco from collected waste

PREVIEW

Preview of what to expect at this year’s K show

ON THE COVER: AtK2022,Arburgwillbedemonstratinghowrecyclates canbeprocessedreliablywithnumerouspractical examples.Onshow,forexample,areAllrounderswith therecyclatepackageandtheGesticacontrolsystem withthenew‘aXwControlRecyclatePilot’assistance function. Readmoreonpage58.

Safripol has capacity for 520,000 tons per annum of HD, PET and PP and is even expanding output of some materials, besides increasing solar power generation. Here we see part of the plant in Sasolburg. See 32-34

Economy proving stubborn, so convertors

keep show on the road

Convertors investing

IT IS THE OPINION of this publication that the economy of South Africa should be flying and that our industry – including the plastics, composites and rubber goods manufacturing sectors – should be leaders in this growth.

And you may have realised this is not the case and the problem is probably not unique to this part of the world as politicians just about everywhere appear to be spending more time arguing with each other and, when not doing that, meddling in industry when most of them have had no success in business themselves.

But, surprisingly and thankfully, convertors and fabricators are investing and even starting new ventures, with the main aim of localising supply, and we are fortunate to have articles about these here.

One of the ventures where there has been most investment is that of Safripol, where the team have invested in expanding polymer production capacity and maintaining or upgrading every aspect of their system, aimed at reducing the potential of plant interruptions.

It’s impressive that Safripol does NOT cite the fact that its plants are quite old as a factor in its supply outlook. According to Safripol CEO Nico van Niekerk, yes, the plants are in the region of 50 years old, but all the main components have either been replaced or maintained in a fully functional state.

Other ventures that have caught the eye include Packaging World’s new print and lamination capacity,

THIS ISSUE

IRP Engineering Plastics’ further investment in injection machinery, the restart of Wayne Rubber, German group OKE’s expansion at its SA hub in Paarl, an MBO at Fullimput in Durban, and other developments.

You need to have strong vision and rock-solid management to embark on ventures like this, so it’s hats off to the persons involved in these ventures. It is our observation that fewer than 2000 people actually make this industry turn over, that is, people who have the ability and conviction to implement plans to manufacture goods, and that has got to be the way to go – and avoid focus on the goings-on in the political sphere.

You need to have strong vision and rock-solid management to embark on ventures

Besides that, the K2022 show is upon us again and we include a few articles from manufacturers known in this part of the world in which they, like almost every one of the exhibitors, are focusing on sustainability and reduced carbon footprint. That is simply the way it’s going. Increased recycling is not really good news for the raw material manufacturers, but even the leading suppliers now also supply ‘r’ grades of their standard materials.

Martin Wells, Publisher

Bowler revenue up but profit down

BOWLER Metcalf saw revenue increase by 6% to R673-million in the six months to end June, a result, however, that reflected a drop in profit – which it said was due to rocketing oil prices and an unprecedented increase in raw material prices amid a worldwide shortage.

The Cape Town-based group reported trading volumes remained flat as raw material prices rose, and components became difficult to acquire. High and persistent load-shedding stages led to a ‘stop-start’ operating conditions.

Bowler completed the acquisition of Skye Plastics for R35-million during the period, which gave it the opportunity to expand its customer base while adding new products. Skye contributed about R24.3-m of turnover and a net profit after tax of R75,000 for the six-month period.

Metair group excels in assessment of JSE firms

THE 2022 assessment of the performance of JSE-listed companies by market analyst Michael Rae of IRAS, has Metair group as the top-rated South African company, which is quite a feat since the report looked at the performance of over 270 companies.

Metair may not be known to many of you, but you probably do know the converting businesses it owns, including First National Battery in East London, Lumotech in Gqeberha and Smiths Plastics in Durban, all injection moulding operations with extensive assembly activities positioned mainly in the automotive component supply sector.

Rae’s assessments have no official rating, but its unbarred commentary is freed of considerations which other consultants have to bear in mind. His report looks at factors such as economic disclosure, governance, environmental impact, safety performance and labour. Overall scores improved from 46 to 49% this year. Metair was close to a runaway leader at the top with a score of 98.9%, being followed by Nedbank (94.4%), Sibanye-Stillwater (93.9%), Kumba and Absa (93.4%), Gold Fields and Premier Fishing (92.4%), Amplats (91.9%), Tongaat Hulett (91.4%) and Sasol (88.3%). Bear in mind that the assessment covers only listed companies, but it’s definitely hats off to the plastics businesses First National Battery, Lumotech and Smiths.

OKE group settles SA

Model pursued by German parent reaps rewards

OKE South Africa, the local business of the German multi-national group, has successfully completed the integration of the Cape companies it purchased over the past few years and is expanding supply into a number of sectors in SA from its new resettled platform.

OKE purchased Viking Plastics, a Cape Town injection moulding business in 2014, and Boland Plastics, a Paarl-based irrigation pipe extrusion business in 2015. The enterprise was first housed at the large OKE premises in Montague Gardens, but the entire operation was subsequently relocated to Paarl after the premises there were expanded. The irrigation extrusion operation that is part of OKE Water Solutions operates from the one plant, along with a number of other production units, and the injection moulding work is conducted at the adjacent plant, where components

for the automotive, industrial appliance, electronics, retail and irrigation sectors are produced.

OKE South Africa has its own in-house toolroom and quality lab to look after in-house products, machines, moulds and tooling, and can also design and develop products and tools and moulds for customers interested in contract manufacturing and is looking to sell excess toolroom capacity.

OKE South Africa is fully committed to investing in the localisation of automotive plastic parts and expansion is motivated per business case. The company believes that investing in localisation projects will benefit and grow South Africa’s economy. It has already started working closely with automotive, industrial and agricultural manufacturers and suppliers to explore opportunities to manufacture products in SA rather than import them.

Impressions of India’s

Plastic litter abounds

BY TESSA O’HARA, EDITOR

I HAD the opportunity to spend two weeks in India in August, and apart from thoroughly enjoying the people, the culture, the food, the artistry and architecture, I was appalled at the plastics litter in every street, alleyway and market I visited.

Recently India banned 19 different singe-use plastic items, ranging from straws to cigarette packets, to combat worsening pollution in the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people. The ban on singleuse plastic items includes straws, cutlery, earbuds, packaging films, plastic sticks for balloons, candy and ice

Only fibre-based reusable carrier bags are now used in India

acquisitions, expands local supply

OKE was established in 1961 in Germany by Rainer von der Heyde as Osnabrücker KunststoffErzeugnisse, which sold plastic products into the furniture industry and later began to manufacture itself. It has been operating in South Africa since 1996 when, at the outset, its main activity was profile extrusion for the automotive sector. It has since steadily increased its global footprint mainly through acquisitions to the point where it now operates 16 manufacturing plants, with five being in Germany, followed by Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Japan, China, Brazil and, most recently, Vietnam – with OKE Vietnam being the most recent to open, earlier this year.

The group employs over 1 800 people around the world and a big part of its momentum appears to lie in the holistic way in which it involves and develops staff in terms of work, play, lifestyle and health. OKE conducts

The OKE South Africa Team at the plant in Paarl with one of the 2K injection moulding machines recently commissioned for the automotive industry. OKE SA is expanding production of components for a range of sectors based on the supply model refined by the parent company in Germany. From left: Eugene Marinus (quality coordinator), Berthold Willemse (technical manager), Daniel Grundlingh (production manager), Rowene Jacobs (supply chain manager), David Rossouw (managing director), and Ruan Rossouw (sales manager)

staff surveys every second year in which OKE employees are invited, anonymously, to make suggestions aimed at work and production

plastic litter problem

improvement, which seems to have aided workplace relations for the business.

cream, and cigarette packets, among other products. The new ban makes it illegal to produce, import, stock, distribute or sell them. Some disposable plastic bags will also be phased out and replaced with thicker ones to encourage re-use.

But this was not what I witnessed. Plastic litter abounded with gutters, waterways and streets strewn with straws, earbuds, plastic bottles, and other general waste - but no plastic carrier bags! I didn’t see a dustbin anywhere, or any recyclable collection bins.

Interestingly, one area the country does seem to be making good on its ban is with single-use plastic carrier bags. Wherever I shopped, I was never given a plastic carrier bag, only fibre-based reusable carrier bags in every shape and colour (see photo).

Thousands of other plastic products – such as plastic bottles – are not covered by the Indian ban. But the federal government has set targets for manufacturers to be responsible for recycling or disposing of them after their use.

The government has decided to set up control rooms to check any illegal use, sale and distribution of single-use

plastic products. But the actual enforcement of the law will be in the hands of individual states and city municipal bodies – and there doesn’t seem to be any control just yet!

Encouragingly, while I was in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to reduce plastic pollution and promoted the use of non-plastic ahead of the upcoming Indian festive season. He urged citizens to use alternatives such as jute, cloth and bamboo materials for the packing and packaging of gifts during the festive season.

Sacred cows amid the litter on Jaipur’s streets

of life for Flowline at UMP

FLOWLINE, a manufacturer of acid resistant lining systems for the mining and industrial sectors, has been purchased by Urethane Moulded Products in what is effectively a new venture as UMP has invited on board a BEE partner, Harry Mashaba, who now has a majority stake in the company.

Flowline has been in operation for over 30 years and, with UMP being one of its main suppliers of polyurethane and other lining materials, UMP made an offer to purchase the business after Flowline founder Tony Stockden opted to retire and sell some two years ago.

Mashaba, who had been general manager at Flowline, was promoted to managing director and has since become the main shareholder in the company. Partners in the venture include Trevor Carolyn, CEO of UMP, and fellow UMP director Trevor William, who is now based in Texas,

USA. UMP operates a warehouse in Austin, Texas.

All Flowline’s lining equipment has since been moved from its original premises in Kya Sand to the UMP site in Edenvale. It’s a suitable arrangement for both companies in which the Flowline team is responsible for the lining of the various metal pipe or chute and related products and systems UMP manufactures.

UMP has in fact expanded beyond what it was originally known for when established in 1974 and has for more than a decade been handling its own steel fabrication and machined products, so having the Flowline team on site to manage the lining requirements is an advantage. UMP now manufactures large plant for high abrasion, high corrosion applications, mainly for the mining and mineral processing sectors, and exports much of its output.

Advanced FibreForm

GROWING demand in Norway and the United States for efficient lightweight battery-operated rigid inflatable boats (Ribs) has seen another interesting project take form at Advanced FibreForm, which is currently busy

with the manufacture of Ribs for a Norwegian client.

The fully carbon deck with hydrofoil assisted carbon hulls are manufactured from high quality, high strength carbon fibre with epoxy

resins. Resin infusion is used to produce the hulls. The Rib design is a collaboration between Advanced FibreForm and the client.

Trade. Create. Elevate.

Advanced FibreForm owner, John Oehley says that various sizes have been supplied for the tourism industry in Norway and recreational use in the USA.

“This is an absolute first for Advanced FibreForm,” says Oehley. “The largest challenge was to satisfy two different markets with only one interchangeable design.”

The boats will be powered by battery powered electric motors, for which Oehley and his team had to accommodate 300kg battery packs in the design.

Deep insights deep impact

So far Advanced FibreForm have manufactured six boats in total.

Deep insights deep impact

Johannesburg +27 11 455 Cape Town +27 21

Trade. Create. Elevate. Meraxis South Africa (Pty) Johannesburg +27 11 455 Cape Town +27 21 556 Durban +27 31

Durban +27 31

It is Mashaba and the Flowline team who handle the lining aspect of the cooperative venture, with the BEE accreditation being an almost accidental by-product of the process.

Flowline is also a leading manufacturer of wedge wire screens, as used in the mining sector. Since its relocation to Edenvale, the partner companies have also developed other new products.

www.flow-line.co.za www.ump.co.za

Create.

Create.

Create. Elevate.

www.meraxis-group.com

www.meraxis-group.com

www.meraxis-group.com

www.meraxis-group.com

www.meraxis-group.com

www.meraxis-group.com

RPM expands into PU business

RUBBER Products & Mouldings of Cape Town has started a polyurethane casting plant, a move which has required intensive training as well as extending its plant by taking on additional factory space.

Sue Supasar and Wayne Tozer, partners at RPM, believe it’s worth “doing it right the first time” and so invested in high-tech casting machinery, equipment and materials, together with expertly trained operators. A group of RPM’s staff underwent intensive and specialist training for PU processing over three months before the plant was moved into the new premises in July – and so far, everything is running like clockwork.

“The acquisition of a Baule casting machine was RPM’s ultimate goal and when the opportunity presented itself, we jumped in with both feet,” says Tozer.

Since Tozer and Supasar bought RPM in 2019, their decision-making appears to have been sound.

“The recently acquired polyurethane business will give RPM a whole new range of products to offer to the market”, says Supasar.

“The plant is now fully operational and our basket of PU products includes a large range of mouldings, custom moulded products, roll covers and custom moulded sheeting and coatings,” she says.

RPM used to produce PU parts in-house many years ago, before Supasar and Tozer bought the business.

“We can now offer our customers the best solutions for their specific application, be it rubber or PU. We partner with our customers to develop customized products for their needs or for their project needs,” says Tozer.

rubber...

PU is manufactured in both solid and liquid forms, with liquid grades offering the most advantages over their synthetic and natural rubber cousins. With the liquid grades, polymerisation into solid form takes place during the final step in the manufacturing process.

For PU, vacuum and moderate heat

What makes it all work so well is the combined energy and enthusiasm that Supasar and Tozer bring to the business.

“Just talking about the business and all that we offer, excites me. The research and development I do, as well as the constant buzz in the factory, and our highly energized work teams, makes it all worthwhile. This, together with our extensive retail offering managed and operated by our experienced team makes RPM a one-stop-shop for our customers rubber and PU needs,” says Supasar.

Tozer and Supasar are constantly thinking about RPM’s future, new customers, and new products. Plans are already brewing to extend the premises even further for a new venture the pair hope to launch in the next year.

Watch this space!

is used with final manufacture taking place at atmospheric pressure. This means that a wide variety of reasonably priced mould materials can be used.

Because the final forming operation involves liquid materials, it is possible to produce PU products without bubbles or seam and flow marks that are problematic with conventional rubbers

– critical in coating wheels and rollers.

Conventional rubber materials have their

highest physical properties in the Shore A hardness range from 40 to 70. With hardness above this (and to some extent for soft grades), PU has better physical properties: tensile strength, tear resistance, abrasion resistance and resilience.

With PU, chemical bonding to metal and other materials is done during the manufacturing process, making it possible to produce a wide range of PU-coated wheels and rollers. PU can also be produced in a range of colours as well as clear and translucent.

www.rpm.co.za

Rubber Products & Mouldings’ Sue Supasar and Wayne Tozer believe it’s worth “doing it right the first time” and invested in hightech machinery for their new PU casting business at the outset

Fullimput under new ownership

IT’S ALMOST as if Irene Murgatroyd, the founder of Durban blow moulder Fullimput in 2003, planned every step of the way for the company to the point where she even concluded the sale of the company to its management just months before she passed away in early September.

Mrs Murgatroyd, who moved around in a wheelchair, was unusual not only because she operated successfully in a male-dominated business, she was also an astute company owner, financial director and manager/ motivator of people.

The new owners of Fullimput include Clinton Smith, former sales director who has been a partner since 2005 and who is now MD; Henk Visser, who has been a partner since 2015; Reginald Nyandeni, a partner since 2016; and the BBBEE black femaleowned entity Pacode. The latter has a 51% share in the business, with Smith and Visser owning the balance.

Fullimput makes containers for the FMCG, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, household and cosmetic sectors with ‘visi-stripe’ being one of its key abilities (popular in fuels applications).

“As a team, we own all shares in Fullimput as at the end of July 2022. Fullimput had a goal to achieve true empowerment, which it has done and is now a 51% BBBEE black femaleowned entity. In this industry its very rare to achieve this,” said Smith.

MOULDING & EXTRUSION

MOULDING & EXTRUSION

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MOULDING & EXTRUSION

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thicknesses and high

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Machine sizes available:

EXTRUSION, FLEXIBLE & RIGID:

Cast It Mould & Tool gets started

JENS Eichhoff has started Cast It Mould & Tool in Benoni, a business specialising in the production of cast aliminum moulds for the roto moulding sector.

The venture is basically a direct descendant of Castec, the company of the late Mike Herald who for close to 40 years set the standard in South Africa for production of cast alumium moulds for roto. Jens is himself a product of that unofficial ‘academy’, having worked at Castec for 14 years.

One of Mike Herald’s abilities had been his tendency to very actively debate the pros and cons of mould

design work where he encouraged employees to explain and justify what they were doing, the result of which was that Eichhoff was upskilled quite rapidly; he had to a large extent been managing Castec over the past few years.

Now Jens has purchased much of the Castec plant (the business shut after Mike passed away), including grinding, polishing and other metalworking equipment, and set up on his own in Benoni, not far off the R21 passing through Kempton Park.

Jens had originally sailed with Herald, then spent an extended period in

Namibia and had been working as a cabinet maker in Johannesburg prior to the commencement of his 14-year ‘apprenticeship’ at Castec.

Jens handles the design drawings and the mould blanks then go out to a nearby foundry for casting, following which the Cast It team manages the machining, polishing and assembly of the moulds. The main feature of aluminum moulds as used in the roto industry is that they achieve far finer detail, which can apply to either textured or smooth surface finishes and is also popular for logos and other signage. The alternative, production of

Advanced plastics for longer industrial equipment life

TECHNOLOGICALLY advanced materials have revolutionised many applications in the industrial environment with engineered plastics able to outperform and outlast steel in heavy-duty applications such as bearings, bushes and protective housings.

German manufacturer, Igus, introduces several hundred advanced plastic products and chainflex cables to the market every year. Igus South Africa managing director, Ian Hewat, says “Our e-chains allows direct continuous control with no slip rings or joints required for added reliability, while our specially

developed chainflex cables are tailor-made to required applications. We have the widest variety of cables specifically for use with e-chains and dynamic applications. Different outer jackets and specially developed internal material have been developed for these applications and provide users with a three-year guarantee for added peace of mind.

“Having specially developed cables for different applications significantly improves the reliability of the cable systems and provides reduced maintenance and increased lifespans, which in turn increases a system’s mean-time-to-failure. Best of all we have solutions for almost all industries wherever there is moving and dynamic cables for measuring, fibre optics, power, servo cables, control, Bus and data systems,” he adds.

Simultaneously, advanced new materials in the manufacture of polymer plain bearings and bushes allow engineers to replace a wide variety of steel and other traditional bearings. Igus polymer bearings make use of Tribology materials that include polymer, fibre and dry lubricants into the polymer.

Even in the heaviest and dirtiest of conditions these materials can perform flawlessly and can even run underwater with no contamination.

Keynote speaker reminds delegates of positive trends

roto moulds in mild steel, is less costly but achieving surface detail is limited.

With the increasing competition in the roto tank market in South Africa, several of the roto moulders are gravitating towards the non-tank product area, for the manufacture of a wide range of goods where improved surface finish is necessary for consumer acceptance, which is exactly the market that Cast It is now supplying.

Rubber Resources joins forces with Anchor Chemicals

Carst & Walker Co. buys adhesives manufacturer

IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL at Rubber Resources. Tony Hanouch, Nicole Shuttleworth, Daniel Ngoma and their team that have led the manufacture of the Ecorrlok™ range of rubber-to-metal adhesives from its site in Alrode will bring new resources, capabilities and experience to its new position as a part of the Anchor Chemicals group.

“This will enhance our collective ability to serve our customers while continuing to bring innovative solutions to the market,” said Prakash Kalipersad, international business manager for polymers at Hobart Enterprises.

Rubber Resources’ long history of serving its markets is seen as an excellent fit with Anchor Chemicals’ existing manufacturing capabilities as it gives it ready access to South African-made alternatives and forms a platform for future growth.

Aligned with the group’s strategy, Anchor Chemicals, which previously supplied a range of rubber-to-metal adhesives which were toll manufactured under licence from the USA, have appointed the Carst & Walker companies in East Africa and South Africa as its the regional distributor.

“Tony Hanouch has been a respected competitor and we are pleased to welcome him to our Hobart team and look forward to learning from his extensive technical and logistical experience. Our focus on growth in the region will benefit from this continuity and his counsel and support as we go forward,” added Kalipersad.

Anchor Chemicals and Carst & Walker are part of the Hobart Enterprises group, the holding company of a number of raw material distributing, trading and manufacturing companies worldwide.

Lower polymer sales by Sasol

THERE was some excitement on the JSE at the declaration of Sasol’s results on 24 August. EBITDA increased by more than 100% to R75.5 billion, which was ascribed to the recovery in Brent crude oil and chemical prices, which was ‘partly offset by hedging losses and lower chemical sales volumes’. Net debt stood at $3.8 billion at end-June, which the document declared was ‘well below the target of $5 billion’ (in other words, when converted to rand, the company’s debt is only slightly less than income). Why income is stated in rands and debt in dollars remains a mystery, but for most standard businesses such a situation would be unsustainable. Dividends were reinstated at R14.70 per share in line with the dividend policy.

The Chemicals business delivered a strong financial performance, benefitting from a stronger average sales basket price ($/t), which was 39% higher than the prior year. But sales volumes were 12% lower than the prior year largely due to the divestment of the US Base Chemicals assets concluded in December 2020 and lower Secunda and Sasolburg production from Chemicals Africa.

SA 99th in Economic Freedom

SOUTH Africa ranks 99th out of 165 countries and territories included in the Economic Freedom of the World: 2022 Annual Report, released in October by the Free Market Foundation in conjunction with Canada’s Fraser Institute.

Last year, South Africa ranked 93rd. The country’s best ranking of 47th was achieved in 2000. According to FMF Director Eustace Davie, the reason for the deterioration in the economic freedom ranking is clearly visible in the deterioration in economic activity in the country.

Hong Kong and Singapore again top the index, continuing their streak as 1st and 2nd respectively, while Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, the United States, Estonia, Mauritius, and Ireland round out the top 10.

The 10 lowest-rated countries are Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Republic of Congo, Iran, Libya, Argentina, Syrian Arab Republic, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Venezuela.

• Jens Eichhoff 082 390 1969

Cast It wide… Jens Eichhoff with the halves of an aluminum mould at his company’s premises in Benoni. The moulds are first cast at a foundary ann then are machined, polished and assembled at the plant

A successful Clean-Up and Recycle

Thousands of kilograms of waste removed

SOUTH Africans celebrated another successful Clean-Up and Recycle Week (12-17 September) with thousands of kilograms of waste removed from rivers and beaches around the country.

According to Douw Steyn, sustainability director at Plastics|SA, hundreds of clean-up events took place around South Africa in an effort to keep the environment clean, with many more initiatives continuing to take place over the coming weeks.

“Our sincere gratitude goes out to all the coordinators who worked tirelessly to ensure that everything ran smoothly on the day; the many sponsors who contributed either financially or with products to this year’s clean-up efforts, and every South African who freely and willingly gave of their time and energy to make a difference, by removing visible litter from the environment,” he said.

Steyn also thanked Plastics|SA’s sustainability manager, John Kieser, who has been the Cape Province’s coordinator and one of the founder members of the South African International Coastal Clean-Up for the past 27 years.

Plastics|SA’s work is not finished yet, as the completed audit sheets now need to be compiled, processed and analysed to produce a final report about South Africa’s participation in this year’s events, as well as a snapshot of the waste found on our beaches and waterways.

SA’S vinyls industry steps up to support clean-up South Africa’s vinyls industry once again stepped up to help support and participate in Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week. The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) and many of its members and other industry role-players not only volunteered their time and energy to participate in clean-ups around the

Mia Vorster, a diver of ScubaXcursion, collects waste during an underwater clean-up at Scottsburgh (Fern Reef)

Waste collected and removed from the Milnerton beach on Saturday, 17 September 2022

Douw Steyn, sustainability director of Plastics SA, hands over gumboots to the Inkwazi Isu (Fish Eagle) Project to the Durban South Coast project manager, Dr Emmanuel Sakado, on National River Clean-Up Day. The team was cleaning Mbokodweni River at Umbogintwini

BBF Safety boots were delivered to members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Department

Mpact Versapak team showed their passion for the environment by helping the Mosselbank River Conservation Team clean the Fisantekraal community in the Western Cape, where they collected and removed an impressive 863kg of litter

SA Week 2022!

country, but also donated much-needed resources to help keep clean-up crews safe and dry.

Two of South Africa’s biggest manufacturers of PVC gumboots, Neptun Boot and BBF Safety, generously donated gumboots to clean-up crews who participated in river cleanups around the country.

Steyn awarded the Neptun gumboots to Dr Emmanuel Sakado, Project Manager of the Inkwazi Isu (Fish Eagle) Project on the Durban South Coast for cleaning the Mbokodweni River at Umbogintwini on national River Clean-Up Day, while Kabelo Kabelo Phakoe, Plastics|SA’s sustainability project coordinator, delivered the BBF Safety boots to Hennops Revival, Green ZA, Mpumalanga Provincial Department, the SoulBent project, Live Life Always and Envirocare Thembisa.

SAVA members enthusiastically participated in beach and community clean-ups. Marley Pipe Systems coordinated clean-ups of children’s play parks in Duduza and Nigel (Gauteng), Continental Compounders participated in a beach clean-up at Addington Beach on the KZN South Coast where they managed to fill 25 bags of litter, and the Mpact Versapak team showed their passion for the environment by helping the Mosselbank River Conservation Team clean the Fisantekraal community in the Western Cape, where they collected and removed an impressive 863kg of litter.

A beach clean-up in progress at Scottsburgh in KZN

Steven Mabugana of AquaAmazing educates the public about marine pollution with a shark dissection at Scottsburgh beach

SAVA member Continental Compounders participated in a beach clean-up at Addington Beach on the KZN South Coast where they managed to fill 25 bags of litter

Rain and cold didn’t deter the clean up operation along Kommetjie beach which resulted in over 300kg of litter being collected

Ferro South Africa subsidiaries restructure to pursue unified growth

Ferro Coating Resins (Pty) Ltd, Ferro Dispersions (Pty) Ltd and NCS Resins (Pty) Ltd, all Bud Group companies have taken the strategic decision to merge and form a unified business entity under the NCS South Africa banner. Based in KZN, NCS South Africa is now one of the largest manufacturers servicing the composites, coatings and dispersions industries in Africa.

In 2021, Ferro South Africa undertook a comprehensive review of their operations to ensure the business was futureproofing for growth in the key strategic areas of asset use, operational efficiency, employee development and the streamlining of shared services.

The renewed focus on human capital growth (training, development and succession planning) presents significant opportunity to attract quality staff and provide leading service excellence to customers.

The consolidation has allowed for investment into research & development for all product technologies that will focus in providing

more sustainable offerings on the foundation of its commitment to the environment through the company’s Earthkind platform, as well as expand the business internationally, which intended volume growth will result in greater supplier relevance and ultimately greater purchasing power.

Trevor I’Ons, who has played an integral role in the Ferro business over many years, will assume the role as managing director of the new NCS South Africa entity. Daniel Souchon, a highly respected leader in the business, will take on the role as executive deputy chairman to ensure a smooth transition, with emphasis on key areas of stakeholder relationships and internal change management.

NCS was first established by Hunt Leuchars & Hepburn (HL&H) in 1906 as the Natal Chemical Syndicate to manufacture methylated and rectified spirits for the tanning industry. In 1960, NCS started producing unsaturated polyester products under license from Scott Bader (UK) and later through the development of its own products supplemented with a technology, license

from Reichhold (US). Following a series of ownership changes, the company was acquired by Ferro South Africa in 2012.

Coating Resins’ history started with the Coates family in the UK, where a resin production facility manufactured products for the printing ink industry. The business, called Cray Valley, opened a resin facility in Durban in 1969. The Coates/Cray Valley group was later acquired by Total in the mid 1980’s, by Arkema in 2011 and finally Ferro South Africa in 2014.

Dispersions’ history dates back to Revertex Chemicals which was established in Durban in 1957 as a joint venture with Alco (later Akzo Nobel) that was finalized in 1982. Revertex Chemicals changed its name to Synthomer in 2007, before the company was acquired by Ferro South Africa, in 2016.

In 2016 Ferro South Africa went on to merge into Synthesis Chemical Holdings and later into Bud Group in 2018.

The change now marks a significant milestone for the three entities with a long rich history in their field of chemistry.

CFRTP enables better, greener smartphones

A new smartphone launched last year by startup Carbon Mobile GmbH (Berlin, Germany), features what is said to be industry’s lightest, thinnest design, thanks to a CFRTP composite shell that better protects electronics while making the device easier to repair and recycle compared to legacy designs. Other notable innovations include overcoming carbon fibre’s tendency to block radio frequency (RF) signals while also enabling isotropic grounding and electrostatic discharge (ESD) solutions, and designing the device to reduce environmental impact. It’s very light (125g versus 182g for the average smartphone), it’s very thin (6.3mm versus 8.3mm for the average smartphone) and the rear face features a visibleweave carbon fibre-reinforced composite.

Trevor I’Ons, who has played an integral role in the Ferro business over many years, will assume the managing director role of the new NCS South Africa entity, while Daniel Souchon, a highly respected leader in the business, will take on the executive deputy chairman’s role

NCS South Africa is new entity

Big turnout at Pipes event,

Keynote speaker reminds delegates of positive trends

IF YOU’RE ever looking for something to lift you in terms of economic outlook you need go no further than a presentation by Dr Roelf Botha, keynote speaker at the recent SAPPMA Pipes XIII conference.

There are a lot of serious issues stalking the South African economy, creating problems where no problems should be encountered, but at the same time there are a lot of positive developments and trends too, which Dr Botha, an economist and analyst, picks up.

His presentation at the Pipes event, at Emperors’ in September, was probably relevant to the pipe sector more than any other in the plastics industry due to the role that plastic pipes play in infrastructure rollout. According to

Dr Botha, had the finances waylaid in the ‘state capture’ saga been used for the purposes intended, an estimated 650,000 RDP type houses could have been built. That would almost certainly have had a major effect on the SA plastic pipe manufacturing sector, whereas as things stand many of the manufacturers are on shorttime. Had the lost finances been spent on the aforementioned, numerous employment and business opportunities would have been created too.

Economic policy can make or break a country, Dr Botha reminded delegates, citing the example just across the border of Zimbabwe, where GDP per capita nosedived after ‘nationalisation’ of much of the country’s land (read hand out to friends of the politically elite).

Dr Botha has been conducting his economic research for over 40 years, has published over 2000 articles, was a policy advisor at National Treasury and writes weekly columns for several newspapers (mainly in Afrikaans, where many English speakers may struggle with the complicated terms and analyses) and forecast the recovery of the rand exchange rate in 2002, 2016 and 2021, but probably his standout feature is his unfettered criticism of the dubious activities of many government officials, which few others would risk. But he does all this with panache.

Encouraging among the stats trends Dr Botha provided were those of exports, particularly of agricultural products, with total exports increasing from R1,3 to R1,7-trillion in 2021, which

Delyce Ririe of Borealis Chemicals SA with Norbert Jansen of Borealis Polymere GmbH of Germany. Norbert has been with Borealis throughout (he was originally with Neste Chemicals which was one of the founding participants of Borealis in 1994). He is currently marketing manager for PE pipe infrastructure and also a member of the PE100+ association, he gave a presentation too

SAPPMA CEO Jan Venter welcomed Dr Roelof Botha, economist and forecaster, at Pipes XIII. Dr Botha has previously been the keynote speaker at the Pipes conferences, providing his insights with considerable humour

The SAPPMA team of Ian Venter, Enrike Albasini and Jan Venter were the organisers of Pipes XIII at Emperors’ Palace at OR Tambo on 6/7 September

Renier van Wyk, formerly of Sizabantu at Richards Bay who recently moved back to the Reef to join Sun Ace, with new colleagues Okkie Nel, Renier Snyman of Sun Ace, with Shaun Saraiva of Sizabantu. Van Wyk has been appointed production manager at Sun Ace in Jet Park

but no-show by govt

is a substantial increase and it’s likely to conclude that the agricultural sector is currently one of the chief markets for SA’s plastic pipe producers.

The technology is there

The SAPPMA Pipes conference events form part of the events programme of the international Plastic Pipes Conference Association, a body which coordinates world events in this area and shares knowhow in such a way that individual associations gain access to current technology. On this occasion, several of the speakers invited to present at Emperors had presented at the PPCA’s main event in Amsterdam last year.

SAPPMA chief executive Jan Venter said this gave the Pipes XIII event a valuable international connection.

“Main users of our technology such as the water, gas, mains sewer and telecom companies expect the most modern and reliable plastic pipe materials to deliver their services. Such a transfer in knowledge ensures that we stay ahead in providing that expertise and experience.”

“Our conference was themed ‘The Versatility of Plastic Pipe’ and the event certainly lived up to expectations. The level of participation and interest signals an industry that is poised to play an even greater economic role throughout the entire plastic pipe supply chain in South Africa and beyond,” said Venter.

Finale presentation didn’t happen One of the other presentations which would have attracted most attention

Alan Palmer, a surprise guest at Pipes XIII, with Kerry Kirkman of Carst & Walker and Warren Benn, a former colleague of Alan’s. And the news is quite surprising too: Alan, formerly of Palmer Rubber and before that Wayne Rubber, is busy restarting Wayne Rubber, with one of the partners in the new venture being Benn himself

These guys were in a good mood – or was it good spirits?

– throughout Pipes XIII: Rodger Petre of Continental Compounders, Roché le Roux, Pieter Snyman and Charl Fourie (all AECI Specialty Chem) and Okkie Nel of Sun Ace … anybody know anything?

from the estimated 200 delegates was that by the director-general of the Department of Water & Sanitation, an area where plastic pipe is fundamental and also the sector’s biggest user market, which was set to be the final event at the two-day conference, but the person didn’t pitch. That’s all that can be said about it. I have attended conference events in other countries where government officials participate and meet manufacturers and familiarize themselves with the challenges that need to be met, which exist everywhere, so this was a huge disappointment for all present.

www.sappma.co.za

The Safrique team at the Pipes event included Patrick Rutaha, Grace Wilu-Wilu, Pauline Muvirimi, Amanda Makanya and Mervyn Moodley. Safrique is involved in exports of goods, including pipe and material, into Africa and even globally

Jason Agnew and Keegan Govender of Continental Compounders had time to glance at a leading trade publication at the conference

Presenters at Pipes XIII

George Dilyannis, senior application specialist for PE100+ at Safripol, gave a presentation about the evolution of PE100 materials, which are used in pressure pipe applications, starting in 1955. Claire Hennion, also of Safripol, was the session moderator. According to George, stats show that very low leakage rates have been recorded from PE100 materials in general and specifically for Safripol’s iMPACT 100® range

• Gas

• Potable water

Ian Venter of SAPPMA gave a presentation titled ‘Differentiation of Product Quality’ and Beverley Manikum of Sasol Polymers looked at the PVC market and pricing developments in South Africa, where she acknowledged that the Sasol PVC plant has not been running at capacity

Sewer

Storm water

Chemical plants

Industrial processing

Food processing

Tony Dean (ex-Rare, Flo-Tek) at right was one of session moderators, during which he welcomed Victor Pinedo of Georg Fischer Piping Systems of Switzerland

Potentially Higher Risk Projects

Jacques van Eck of Avesco gave a presentation about the #PEWeldBank weld data recording system. Developed by Darren Poynton in Australia, the system monitors both butt welding or electro fusion processes of HDPE pipe and tracks exactly how the operator manages and completes the process and records all data. This can be useful if a pipe weld fails, as regards claims, but close inspection also encourages operators to work more carefully (Avesco is the SA agent); the adjacent photo shows a potentially high-risk situation where reliance on weld integrity is vital

XIII International Conference

And the projects get HUGE – Gregorius Vigellis of Union Pipe Industries spoke about some of its big projects, including this one, a waste water conveyor project at Al Hair near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia where a 3m diameter HD double wall profile pipe (made from Borouge material) is being used to transfer an estimated 640,000m³ of water a day to a sewage plant. That’s a lot of water. Here 21 cranes were lined up to lay a 524m section of the pipe, weighing 256 tons, which may be a record. Fortunately for the contractor (and maybe everyone), the total length of the line was only about 13kms

Ilija Radeljic of Pipelife of Norway gave a presentation about his company’s abilities to transport large pipes by floatation, which in Scandinavia is likely to be a natural choice. But it’s become an option and even for international use, in this case a consignment of pipe rounds the Cape of Good Hope. Ilija actually focussed on the problem of scratching

Exhibitors at Pipes XIII

ALTHOUGH the floor layout at Pipes XIII at Emperors Palace meant the exhibition area was somewhat isolated from the main conference rooms, the exhibition was nevertheless the most interesting part of the September event. The exhibitors – including several leading pipe and pipe components makers – put on a comprehensive

display and were relaxed and happy to entertain questions from pipe clients and other delegates. It’s unfortunate therefore that more customers from the civils and municipal sectors were not present, here you could get any pipe or component you required and find out what’s going on in the plastic pipe manufacturing market.

Lechál Louw of Sizabantu Piping Systems with one of the PVC pipe maker’s most recent offerings, 630mm diameter Class 500 PVC-O pipe which, if you need any convincing, is a beast of pipe

Renier Viljoen and Ashin Tasdhary of Pipestar Africa showed off samples of their seamless HDPE ARC Bends™, which are produced through a unique patented process. The sweep bends are hot forged from PE 100+ pressure pipes for cornering applications

Clinton van Zyl of Plasti-Weld confirmed that his company has been representing the leading European welding equipment manufacturers Leister and Rinco for an extended period, the fact that the systems perform beyond expectation obviously being a factor

Among the interesting items on the Plasco stand was this boundary box for optic fibre cables which was developed by Anton Silvis. Various diameter cables can be fed into the container through different size apertures from where they can be split and shared to surrounding dwellings, businesses or for any sharing requirement. The box consists of various parts that can be assembled into a sturdy unit on site, making it cost effective to transport… and no bolts and nuts are used, only plastic – and mainly recycled plastic at that

Vanessa Bamford and Lorilee Marnewick on the Marley stand showed some of the pipe fittings which it injection moulds at its plant in Nigel

Jeff Cawcutt, Chantal Shaw and Bart Schurink on the Zerma Africa stand showed videos of pipe shredding applications, among other size reduction cases

Marc Smith, Jenny Gomes and Greg Swanson were on Swan Plastics stand at Pipes XIII. The KZN pipe and pipe fittings manufacturer has taken over a number of the PVC pipe and components brands of erstwhile DPI and is continuing with seamless supply

Sizabantu Piping Systems, the Molecor group business which manufactures a range of PVC pipe (including PVC-O, mPVC and uPVC) in Richards Bay, had a well-appointed stand and won the ‘Best Exhibitor Award’. Here we see Sean Harmse, Sagren Naidoo, Don Coleman, Pieter Van Schalkwyk, Michael Wilson, Lechál Louw and Sean Saraiva

Shaun Hart, Michelle Parkes and Fiona Adams on the Macneil Plastics stand. Shaun is national sales manager for the Cape pipe maker and has huge confidence in his lady sales executives

Neil Golombick, service engineer at Kamboo Marketing, hosted John Frignocca of Bausano Extrusion of Italy, which Kamboo represents. Quite a number of Bausano pipe extrusion lines are in operation in the country and John’s visit was hence welcome. Following the Pipes event they visited users around the countryMlando Mvubu, Bjorn Buyst and Gorden Seopa on the SABS stand

Khristof Boshoff and Ronel Liebenberg on the bsi stand. More than a century old, the British Standards Institute (bsi.) has become a global standards, certification, auditing and training. BSI South Africa operates out of Pretoria

Tamsen Annandale, a standards auditor for rubber, plastics and organic certification at SATAS (South African Technical Auditing Services). According to Tamsen, SATAS’s services are provided with “integrity reliability experience, nothing less”

Monique Holtzhausen, CEO of SAVA on their stand

The solar car teams travelled roughly 2 300km from Johannesburg to Cape Town for eight days

2022 Sasol Solar Challenge

TUT team comes third

SOLAR car teams who participated in the 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge were celebrated for their achievements at an awards ceremony which was held at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 17 September. The teams travelled roughly 2 300km from Johannesburg to Cape Town for eight days, demonstrating the power of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while also promoting the use of renewable energy.

Winners of the 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge were the Brunel Solar Team (1st) and the Agoria Solar Team (2nd). Distances covered by the top three teams were: Brunel Solar Team (4 228.2km); Agoria Solar Team (4 189.9m); and the Tshwane University of Technology Solar Team (2 682.4km) – a remarkable achievement. The TUT team was also presented with the ‘Best African Team Award’ by Solareff, one of the sponsors.

The South African Sasol Solar Challenge is a biennial competition that strives to be the ultimate test of technology and innovation. Local and international teams conceptualise,

design and build solarpowered vehicles, built almost entirely from composites, to drive across South Africa in an eight-day event while competing against each other, demonstrating and showcasing their design, manufacturing, and strategy skills.

The 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge started on 9 September and followed a route from Johannesburg to Cape Town via Jeffreys Bay, with the ultimate winner being the team that has managed to clock the most kilometres on their solar car.

Their solar panels are at the cutting edge of energy technology and stretch over the entire surface of the unique, knee-high cars. The driver sits in an aerodynamic cockpit. Every piece of electronics, carbon fibre, aluminium and steel, is as customised as the parts on a Formula 1 racer.

Events like the Sasol Solar Challenge accelerate

a test of technology & innovation

research into more efficient solar cells, solar panels, batteries, semi-autonomous

vehicle technology, and battery management and protection systems. Some universities design and build their own electric motors (reaching efficiencies of up to 98%) and drive innovations on lightweight and composite materials. For all the winners, visit

School learners welcome the winning Brunel Solar Team in Winburg, Free State

Serving cuStomerS with ‘win-win’ cooperation

moulding machines from npc precision machinery co.

china, a centre where many of the top chinese plastics machinery

production of its machines was only commenced in 2009, npc had by then

individuals and, if anything, its entrance to the market was well timed as regards

of electronic controls through its JLinK system as well as the extensive use of

High-end Controller –complete easy-to-use production management system for comprehensive process setting for injection moulding; data cloud and machine terminal connected

plastic conversion equipment offers complete machine commissioning and service back-up

Packaging World increases

print capacity, by a lot

PACKAGING World of Durban has shown impressive 0-100 acceleration in the print area since its decision to start printing in mid-2017 – and we’re talking here about speeds not often seen in the industry to date. It has since commissioned an additional laminator and two printers and has another printer on the water. Each of these projects has involved considerable capex and ramp-up processes.

It all started quite simply for Packaging World when it entered the market in 1995 as a packaging supply business first operating from makeshift premises adjacent to now-CEO Dean Gianni’s home, from where it slowly built up its customer base. Growth was consistent and the business later moved to larger premises in Pinetown. Gianni and his team were receiving requests to print on the bags they were supplying. With ‘supply’ being the operative

word, there was no turning back once it decided to offer printed film as an add-on to its bag-making business. It commissioned its first printer, a Windmöller & Hölscher Miraflex line in early 2018.

Packaging World does not extrude its own films (and doesn’t wish to) and had previously contracted out the print work for its bagmakers. This was not an efficient long-term solution, as it extended turnaround times and added to costs. If not supplied directly form the printer, film went from the film manufacturer to the printer and only then arrived at Packaging World for bagmaking, or direct to customer, which was a complicated arrangement and which the company was not able to control efficiently.

The decision to print set in motion a tiger which Gianni and his team have since been hanging on to, but the maverick CEO

The Supercombi laminator from Nordmeccanica can bond virtually any film, with most structures being 3-layer, joining any substrate (usually printed polyester, LLDPE or paper) to a nylon or other barrier mid-layer and linear inner layer. Here we see setter Joshua Perunal, CEO Dean Gianni and production director Chris Burnard with the new line, which was commissioned in July likes it this way. From his considerable experience as a print broker, dating back prior to the set-up of Packaging World, Gianni is not one for delaying decisions unnecessarily (with the advantage of not having a board of directors to report to for approval). The speed with which the team is operating appears to have proved attractive for its customers, who range from Tier 1 brand companies and retailers to

Adherence to EU’s specific migration limits is necessary,

PLASTICOLORS, the Johannesburg masterbatch and specialised additive manufacturer, is leading the way in SA as far as adherence to new European Union legislation on specific migration limits (SML) for chemicals is concerned.

An important aspect of this legislation is that packaging and component manufacturers may unwittingly be including chemicals in the material formulations for the items they manufacture which could exceed the SML standards, with the possibility that products be rejected on point of entry when being imported into EU countries.

PlastiColors was recently informed of this legislation and wishes as a result to be fully compliant and for users of its masterbatches and additives to be likewise, according to Carolyn Kellock, technical manager at PlastiColors.

The company uses various pigments and other compounds – both organic and inorganic – in the manufacture of its colour and additive masterbatches and, in order to be within the SML standards, it thus has to ensure that the suppliers of the pigments and compounds which it buys from are compliant too, the thinking being that if these materials are within

the limits, so will the masterbatches and additives it makes be too. The same applies to all goods manufacturers supplying into the EU.

Converters could be using compounds which slowly migrate or leech into packaged goods or when coming into contact with humans. A possible example of the latter would be that of the ball of a roll-on deodorant stick in which compounds exceeding SML standards were used, which then slowly leech into the skin of the user.

Highly specific laboratory tests would normally be required in order to ascertain

The decision to print set in motion a tiger which Gianni and his team have since been hanging on to, but the maverick CEO likes it this way

Several new presses and laminators as Co gains momentum in print area

smaller regional food, beverage and goods manufacturers. Demand has ramped up nicely, necessitating the additional plant.

Its next expansion after the introduction of the Miraflex press in 2018 was the purchase in 2019 of the Soma printer from Cibapac, along with a laminator and slitter, when that business still operated from the Cape. The Czech-built ‘Optima2’ Soma system was reputed to be one of the most sophisticated printers in Southern Africa, printing an 820mm web width and capable of printing both sides of the web at high speeds.

The additional plant enabled Packaging World to significantly expand

says PlastiColors

whether a compound is within the SML range, and this is further complicated by the fact that a testing lab would normally need to be informed what it is testing a sample for, as comprehensive general testing of any compound would be more lengthy and expensive.

According to Kellock, the limits of the SML legislation are extremely minimal and failure to comply could be compromising. Should a shipment of any goods be rejected, the manufacturer and/or shipping agent then has to face the additional charge of return shipment whilst yielding

its print offering, to the point where it outgrew its premises in Young Road, Pinetown, necessitating a move to larger premises on Hillclimb in nearby Westmead. The additional space has created opportunity for further plant introduction, including a second laminator from Nordmeccanica of Italy and two additional printers, a second Soma as well as a second W&H line.

Part of the logic for Packaging World’s print expansion is to print wider web widths, of over 1m wide, which the new equipment will enable it to do and which will considerably speed up turnaround times.

Duty-free African imports puts SA coating sector at risk

THE government’s new move to allow producers in the African paint, polymers and coatings sector to export products to South Africa free of customs duties on some specific tariff headings, in terms of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AFCTA) would threaten the very existence of the local coatings sector, warned Sanjeev Bhatt, chairperson of the SA Paint Manufacturing Association (SAPMA).

Bhatt says the coatings sector had been expecting protection from a deluge of cheaper, and often inferior, paint and polymer products being dumped in SA in terms of AFCTA.

“However. the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC) assured SAPMA that the SA coatings sector would be protected and ringfenced on discussed tariff headings, in terms of the African Free Trade Agreement, to prevent coatings and associated raw material imports from the likes of Egypt – a prolific producer – to be allowed duty-free into South Africa. Now it appears that, without any consultation with the SA coatings sector or SAPMA, the African Free Trade Agreement tariff listings were altered to allow African producers to be exempt from duties when offering their products on our market.

no payment. This would surely be detrimental for any manufacturing business.

For many manufacturers this legislation is further complicated due to the fact that they may not wish to disclose what compounds or chemicals they use in their formulations. In such cases, non-disclosure agreements have to be signed so that all parties involved are obligated to maintain secrecy.

www.plasticolors.co.za

“Such unfair competition, most likely to be lower priced and of doubtful quality, would not only threaten sustaining the quality of coatings sold in SA but virtually shut down the local coatings industry – with huge job losses. The employment and energy rates that some African governments, such as Egypt, grant their manufacturing sectors, make production costs there much lower than in South Africa. If these cheaper imports from Africa are allowed to flood the SA market, the local coatings manufacturing sector will suffer serious economic consequences and ultimately cease production.”

The Soma line, which is being moved to Packaging World’s new premises in Westmead, can print up to 840mm wide at very high speeds

Packaging World’s first flagship line, the Miraflex C unit from Windmöller & Hölscher, is regarded as a narrow CI press able suited to run shorter jobs which can print film up to 820mm wide. Now the company has purchased another W&H line

www.packagingworld.co.za

Succession plan for W LeeUltraplast

After 47 years…

BILL Lee – aka ‘Mr. Ultrasonics’ – has over the past 47 years solved just about every plastics joining problem presented … except one, that of finding a lasting succession plan for his company, W Lee-Ultraplast.

However, a solution recently arose when Craig Parkes, after five years at the Devland, Johannesburg, company succeeded in meeting Bill’s exacting specs and was appointed a director of Ultraplast.

Established by Lee in 1975, W Lee Ultraplast is the local agent for Branson Ultrasonics of the USA, a global pioneer of joining technologies for plastics. Ultraplast has over the past 47 years become the SA leader in ultrasonic welding for plastics products, priding itself in its ability to find solutions for virtually any application where plastic items need to be joined, cut, swaged or sealed, ranging from rigid to flexible items and

even non-woven fabrics.

Many of the jobs have been complex, with a high percentage being in the automotive sector, where the requirements are high due to on-road vibration placing additional stress on the bond.

Part of the problem for Bill was that he could not find someone who grasped, and enjoyed, the complexity of the challenge. Now 81, Bill had been searching for a successor or partner to join Ultraplast for a number of years. Craig, who has spent most of his career to date in the automotive sector, joined the company in 2017 on a trial basis. The bond has proved lasting and Parkes was recently appointed as a director.

Much of W.Lee-Ultraplast’s work involves finding custom solutions, where it uses welding equipment from Branson as well as other specialist suppliers. Ultrasonic Welding uses ultrasonic

Electric violin made from 3D printed polyamide and carbon fibre

THE Karen Ultralight Electric Violin, envisioned by Anima Design for Katahashi Instruments, is a dynamic electric violin that ditches conventional wooden acoustic chambers for something more eye-catching. The violin comes with a relatively hollow body made through generative design, which still provides strength with minimal use of material. The 3D printed generative frame sits on a carbon fibre body, with a birchwood fingerboard.

mechanical vibrations which are applied to materials that are being held together under pressure to create a solid weld.

This method is most commonly used to join thermoplastics and can even be applied to joining materials that aren’t similar. The team at W Lee-Ultraplast designs custom jigs for the welding operation where the aim is to achieve rapid and cost-effective welds. W.LeeUltraplast offers: laser, hot plate, infrared, vibration, spin and Ultrasonic welding technologies. These processes are also used for specific metal welding, cutting of foodstuffs, rubber etc. and cleaning of plastic items.

www.lee-ultraplast.co.za

New energy at Ultraplast –Craig Parkes and Bill Lee of Ultraplast show off products where their joining technologies have achieved longterm bonds

Wayne Rubber name dusted off and back in business

THE name Wayne Rubber has been dusted off and the business is back in operation after an hiatus of over a decade.

The new Wayne Rubber, operating out of Hammarsdale in KZN, does, however, have no legal relationship to the deregistered predecessor firm, Wayne Rubber (Pty) Ltd. The newly registered Wayne Rubber will produce comparable goods and serve the pipe seals, automotive, footwear, mining and general mouldings sectors. It will not produce rubber compound at this point.

The founders of the new venture include Michael Shannon, Alan Palmer, and Warren Benn; Alan & Warren both previously worked at Wayne Rubber and subsequently at Palmer Rubber,

which entity came into being after Wayne Rubber was closed. Palmer Rubber shut in 2008, so it’s been 14 years since the erstwhile Wayne Rubber products were manufactured locally.

The new company will thus be servicing the sectors into which these items are supplied both locally, across sub-Saharan Africa and abroad.

The development is partly a result of the purchase of much of the manufacturing equipment of Allan Maskew in Boksburg after the Argent group, opted to sell to Michael Shannon, the chief investor involved at Wayne Rubber. Allan Maskew had been involved in the production of rubber-to-metal bonded components since 1969.

A new company, Mas-Q-Tec, has been

established to handle the rubberto-metal business, with Shannon, Palmer and Benn running that venture. Mas-Q-Tec continues on with the model of the well-established business of Allan Maskew and boasts the largest rubber injection moulding capacity in the country, including its 14-litre press. Mas-Q-Tec services, amongst others, the mining, railway and earthmoving sectors.

Mas-Q-Tec and Wayne Rubber are operating from adjacent premises in Hammarsdale, with the former already in full production.

“We shall install a new state-of-the-art toolroom, laboratory and factory as well as new injection machines with cuttingedge technology,” unseen in South Africa, added Palmer.

Welding

full

of

touch

allows simple setup,

and

on the

real-time

What’s more the 2000X Series is even more reliable due to 5 levels monitoring and the fully digital Power Supply allows superior diagnostics, and the ability to step amplitude during the

So, if precise control is what you’re looking for, lock into the Branson 2000X Series. It’s one ultrasonic assembly system that you’ll appreciate again and again.

www.masqtec.co.za www.waynerubber.co.za

PO LYCO’S SUCC ESS

NEW PR OJECT SUCC ESS

MUNICI PALITY SUCC ESS

Safripol celebrates 50 years

in

running order, plans to increase capacity

A LOT of people, here and around the world, say a polymer plant that is 50 years or older is dated and should be replaced, but you won’t be hearing that from Safripol, one of South Africa’s leading polymer manufacturer, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of its entry to the polymer supply business this year.

“Yes, our plant is 50 years old, but I don’t think you’ll find many parts of the plant that are that old. All the main working components have been replaced, and the rest we’re keeping in good operating condition,” said Safripol CEO Nico van Niekerk recently.

The company is actually in the process of increasing output from its polymer manufacturing units, including at its PP plant in Sasolburg and PET plant in Jacobs, Durban.

Rather than relax at the helm after what has been quite a successful few years for the company, Van Niekerk and his team have been working towards further minimising the risks of plant interruptions as well as towards achieving more sustainable and inclusive outcomes in the communities where its plants are based plus in the wider public community

where products made from Safripol’s Aspire™, Safron™, Safrene™ and iMpact™ materials are used.

Safripol has had to be ahead of its game in order to keep the plants running, with the supply of power being one of the biggest challenges. Current investment projects are those into a 10MW solar power plant (with 15,220 photovoltaic panels) at Sasolburg and the upgrading of the electrical infrastructure, partly to allow the feeding in of current from its solar system.

Other current projects include its transition to supply recycled grades of the materials it supplies, including the use of renewable feedstock at per Bio-PET from 2023. Safripol also plans to reduce water emissions from plant cooling operations to have net zero emissions by 2050.

With a total nameplate capacity of 520,000 tons per annum (HD 160kt, PP 120kt, PET 240kt), Safripol does not compare with some of the giant global producers, but it certainly is a leader in Southern Africa, and it sees its plant as having a high level of ‘agility’ capable of producing a broad range of products which are world competitive.

“We are continuously benchmarking against other polymer manufacturers globally, and believe we are very

competitive,” added Van Niekerk.

Safripol has also taken the decision to focus on key markets and exit those where it felt it could not add real value, among these being the PP fibre and BOPP sectors, the HD injection moulding and dairy sectors, and that of PPE (personal protective equipment), all of which it has exited.

Established in ‘69

Originally established in 1969 as a 50:50 joint venture between Sentrachem and Hoechst of Germany, then the largest chemical company in the world, Safripol actually traces its origins to the date of commencement of material production, which was 1972, when it started supplying high-density polyethylene to the SA market.

Production of polypropylene at the Sasolburg plant, and supply to the market,

Nico van Niekerk has been CEO of the Safripol polymers business since August 2019; he was previously production director of the HD plant in Sasolburg

commenced two years later in 1974.

Those early years were challenging for the business: although it had the support and active participation of its then parent, Hoechst group, polymer production skills within South Africa were in their adolescence at the time. Hoechst was the preeminent player in the global polyolefins market then: prior to the SA venture it had set up polymer production plants in India, Australia, Brazil and the USA. The creation of Safripol hence placed South Africa in elevated company, and also identified it as one of only a few polymer producers in Africa.

Hoechst and local partner Sentrachem actively set about developing individuals with the requisite polymer production expertise and skills. The company ethos

On-going improvement – Safripol’s HDPE and PP plants at Sasolburg have been upgraded, debottlenecked, and modernized consistently over the past five decades. A wholly new PP plant was constructed in 1996/97, at which time the old PP plant was rebuilt into the third HDPE ‘train’; the HD plant was completely refurbished at the same time too. The plants produce 160,000 tons of HD and 120,000t of PP – and the figures are expected to increase with new extrusion capacity due to be installed

was always based on strong customer focus as international experience demonstrated that customer loyalty can only be achieved through superior quality and service.

The timing of the establishment of Safripol turned out to be fortuitous: the world’s first oil crisis occurred a year later in 1973, when the Arab members of OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) declared an oil embargo. The result of this was spiralling fuel costs and, as a direct consequence, rapidly increasing polymer prices.

South Africa would at the time have been a distant satellite to the global oil crisis, but the challenges for the fledgling Safripol operation were sizeable, nonetheless. Capacity in the 1970s was in the order of 40 000 tons per annum of HDPE and 30-35 000 tpa of PP using Hostalen technology.

Although Safripol had an agreement with Sasol to obtain the feedstock from the latter’s petrochemical plants at

Sasolburg and Secunda, any production interruptions at these plants could affect Safripol’s production – and directly impact its customers. Such a scenario did occur in 1984, when propylene supply was interrupted. The result of this was the construction by Safripol of a massive 4 000-ton storage tank for propylene at Richard’s Bay on the KZN coast, a further major investment. Quantities of propylene were also secured with the installation of a splitter at the Sapref refinery in Durban.

Safripol’s arrangement with Sasol to secure feedstock was to come under the scrutiny of the Competition Commission much later, when the merger of Sasol and AECI’s polymer businesses potentially limited the competitive environment in South Africa. In 1996/97 a further major investment was made by Safripol when a new PP plant was constructed at Sasolburg using Spheripol technology. The old PP plant was then rebuilt into the third HDPE ‘train’. At the same time, the HD plant was completely refurbished.

Capacity increased Capacity was increased sequentially, with the improved skills of the Safripol production team, to the point that output had reached 160 000 tpa for HDPE >>

KAP executive director Penwell Lunga, KAP chief financial officer Frans Olivier and KAP CEO Gary Chaplin celebrated the milestone with Safripol CEO Nico van Niekerk earlier this year

achieved by

production teams at Sasolburg and

also at Jacobs

‘We are continuously benchmarking against other polymer manufacturers globally’

Safripol celebrates 50 years

<< and 120 000 tpa of PP by the beginning of this millennia. Safripol had become a big player in the African context, the Hoechst group was transforming, and the new South Africa was attracting new investors, and so the operation attracted the interest of international group Dow Chemical Company, which in 1997 purchased Sentrachem group, and hence Sentrachem’s share of Safripol. Two years later, in 1999, Hoechst ‘unbundled’, resulting in it selling its share to Dow. Safripol hence rebranded and operated as Dow Plastics|SA.

That spelt, for a time, the disappearance of the Safripol name, but it wasn’t forgotten. When Dow in 2006 made it clear that its geographical focus was changing, a local team led the charge to regain SA ownership of the business. In one of the biggest ever transactions in the SA plastics industry, the Safripol name was revived and with it, the continuation of Safripol’s legendary customer service was reassured.

Although it may have retained its original character, the business was now sans its international partners, but that allowed more flexibility in choosing the most suitable technology partners. From the beginning, Safripol formalized alliances with Dow and LyondellBasell, the largest plastic companies in the world.

Incidentally, LyondellBasell is now the holding company of all the original Hoechst and Montell technologies which were used for starting Safripol. Another LyondellBasell ex-Hoechst company,

Qenos of Australia, was also added to the technology alliances as it had developed to become one of the original pioneers of high-pressure HDPE pipe materials produced in the same type of factory; Safripol’s produces the iMPACT 100 high-pressure pipe material.

KAP acquired Safripol in 2017 and the Hosaf (PET manufacturing business) and Safripol businesses were put together under the ‘new’ Safripol that was launched in 2019, marking the commencement of a new phase for the business..

Highlights

The company mission, vision and values had to be built around the customer focus and the partnership and respect for the many people involved at all levels in business. Dedication and technology had to result in excelling in Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality (SHEQ) policies, practices and ratings. In fact, Safripol is one of the few companies in South Africa which has managed full years with no reportable SHEQ events at all and usually yearly ratings are well below the industry’s average.

Safripol is very aware that people are the core for excellence in performance, quality and reliability, and it is people who make business a success. It was this basic belief that motivated Safripol to participate annually in the Best Employers Awards survey, where they have always ended as a finalist and often on the podium as one of South Africa’s top employers.

Among the more recent highlights for Safripol was the introduction in 2010 of its iMPACT 100 high-pressure pipe grade material. Working in cooperation with Qenos, this new generation PE100+ pipe material was first produced in Sasolburg in October 2009 and introduced to the market the following year. The high standards for this material grade, which is tested and viewed as second to none in global standards, are due to the need for the manufactured pipe to perform for a minimum of 50 years under pressure.

Today Safripol employs approximately 450 people at the Durban and Sasolburg plants and at its head office in Bryanston. The management team consists of CEO Nico van Niekerk, Chief Operating Officer Anton Booysen, Sales & Marketing executive Mark Berry, Chief Financial Officer Willem Els, Sasolburg Operations executive Eddie Kotzee, Technology and Innovation executive Gert Claasen, Supply Chain executive Gerhard Vermeulen, Human Capital executive Kurt Shovell, Durban Operations executive Deon Koegelenberg, and ICT executive Karina Geyser.

The strategy adopted, with Safripol developing and manufacturing for direct sales to the larger converters around the country and the Plastomark group being its national ex-stock distributor, continues in operation in what remains one of the biggest success stories of the SA polymer industry to date.

The Safripol sales team, here at the group’s 2021 Sustainability Conference, is representative of SA society, and successful too

www.safripol.co.za

Material

stored in giant silos at the Sasolburg and Jacobs plant prior to bagging and storage at warehouses as the plants

IRP further increases injection capacity

Increases local production of components that were previously imported

ON-DEMAND availability/delivery, competitive pricing, reducing budget spend, minimising production downtime and unparalleled service are the core values that drives IRP Engineering Plastics forward, and these values have propelled IRP as one of the biggest and most well-known manufacturers of engineering plastics components, including modular belting/ Mattop and conveyor component solution providers in the Southern Hemisphere.

Rapidly rising costs in shipping, extensive shipping delays, material shortages and volatile delivery is causing havoc for manufacturers reliant on overseas OEM suppliers.

IRP Engineering Plastics, based in Lanseria, has heeded the call and has invested more than R4-million in injection moulding equipment to locally produce the most popular modular/Mattop belting ranges that were previously sourced from international OEM’s, enabling it to offer more competitive pricing and timeous delivery.

“This will help our customers reduce budget spend by not having to pay exorbitant shipping costs and will help keep production lines up and running by having products locally available and on demand with not having to wait weeks or even months for the same replacement parts and products to be shipped from overseas,” said IRP director Kris Kibble.

“Due to the substantial investment in tooling, IRP has increased its capacity by adding another new Haitian Mars III 280-ton Eco series injection moulding machine to accommodate this increase in product range.”

IRP now operates 10 injection moulding machines, a fully equipped CNC manufacturing facility, a belting assembly division and large stock holding facility.

“IRP is also planning to build a new state of the art factory to facilitate growth and further enhance our commitment to local manufacture for our customers, completion for this new building is planned for Q4 in 2023,” added Kibble.

www.irp.co.za

The new Haitian Mars III 280-ton Eco Series machine with Lorraine du Plessis of Cabletech, the machine supplier, and IRP Engineering Plastics staff Arnold Nyathi, Phumi Baba, Nardus Gouws and Kris Kibble

Continental – engineeringthe road to localisation

CONTINENTAL Engineering Compounds successfully concluded the commissioning of a R25-million investment in its Pinetown production facility in September this year. The new line provides the ability to produce highly filled concentrates using the most up to date technology available globally.

The focus of this site is to produce engineered compounds for both the industrial and automotive markets. The compounds produced include modified polypropylene, polyamid 6 and 66, polycarbonate and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) compounds. A key component of this is the company’s continually expanding R&D lab and testing facility to bring in-house Continental’s ability to develop compounds specific to its customer’s specifications and meet the requirements of the industry to have local key stakeholders contributing to the localisation programme set out by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2017.

Through its continued success and growth into the industrial market, Continental Engineering Compounds has worked closely with project partners to secure the approvals of its locally produced compounds for automotive applications, focusing on modified polypropylene and polyamid compounds, which have been tested successfully locally and in various OEMapproved labs internationally.

“Through extensive financial investment and dedicated man-hour resources allocated to these specific projects over the past few years. Continental Engineering Compounds has now successfully started supplying into the Toyota SA Motors component manufacturing supply chain, with many more Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects in progress,” says Byron Stanley, general manager.

“These compounds are produced at our manufacturing facility in Durban and encompass the full spectrum of considerations for true localisation . The recent global supply constraint is a clear reminder to all the stakeholders of the need to partner with local manufacturers and to be risk adverse and realize the localisation goals set out by industry.

“With this success, we look forward and continue to work towards broader localisation within the South African automotive value chain, through the supply of technically strong and commercially bespoke compounds. This is being achieved through strong project partnerships and a commitment to strengthen the local technology available to the industry,” Stanley adds.

Has approval for its locally produced compounds for automotive applications

unveil electric

CITROËN and BASF have unveiled their all-electric concept car oli [all-ë], a manifesto to how much can be saved by reducing weight and resource usage. With speed limited to 110km/h, the concept car gains a wider range and significantly improved battery lifespan. The complete backrest is made of a flexible 3D-printed plastic material (Ultrasint® TPU88A). The open lattice structure provides natural air flow, replacing all ventilators in the seat. Many of the new components are designed and manufactured from materials from the same chemical product family. Bonded and welded components made from different materials are a challenge in mechanical recycling. Another highperformance plastic from BASF can be found in the rear armrests and the interior floor, Infinergy®, an expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In oli, the material provides a pleasant yet stable surface in armrests and floors. Plus, it dampens noise and vibrations. The hood, roof, and trunk are made of panels combining the Elastoflex® polyurethane system and the Elastocoat® spray paint system.

Educational by AfriEco from

AFRIECO of Durban, is busy turning clean-up work into marketable products. It is using items such as collected post-consumer bottle caps in the production of one of its latest products, eco-educational building blocks.

According to Jonathan Welch of AfriEco, much of its work is co-ordinated with Green Corridors, a Durban-based organisation involved in community activities, including tourism, eco activities and clean-ups, in which area it also cooperates in river and beach clean-ups organised by Plastics SA.

AfriEco, in collaboration with Green Corridors (through its KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre,) has set up a number of value chains for various waste materials.

“An example of such a value chain is one where Green Corridors buys in bottle caps, sorts them by colour, type and cleanliness and

World’s first cross-linked polyethylene pipes based on renewable feedstock

Drop-in solution reduces carbon footprint by up to 90% vs comparable pipes made from fossil-based virgin PE-X

BOREALIS has been collaborating with pipe specialist Uponor to enhance the sustainability of crosslinked polyethylene (PE-X) pipes. The resulting PEX Pipe Blue is the world’s first pipe portfolio made from PEX with accredited renewable feedstock.

Based on Borealis’ Bornewables™ polyethylene (PE) derived from second-generation natural resources, such as waste from pulp production or residues from food processing oils, the new PEX Pipe Blue products boast an unprecedented carbon footprint reduction of up to 90% when compared to conventional fossilbased PE-X pipes.

The significantly lower carbon footprint of PEX Pipe Blue compared to traditional fossil-based PE-X pipes is based on Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) calculations according to EN15804+A1 and CML/ ISO21930 standards. EPD evaluates the environmental impact of products by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). All the data is verified by an independent third party.

This means that for every ton of certified Bornewables PE-X used in production, an equivalent amount of PEX Pipe Blue can be claimed as certified renewable, without compromising on quality or efficiency.

Uponor PEX Pipe Blue – the world’s first pipe portfolio manufactured by Uponor from sustainable cross-linked polyethylene with ISCC PLUS certified Bornewables PE polymer from Borealis

New recyclable

Makes good on 2018 ‘green’ promise

WOOLWORTHS has confirmed that with the recent opening of a new PET wash plant in Cape Town an additional 1 000 of the retailer’s food packaging items can now be recycled in South Africa. Another packaging improvement is the current rollout of a recyclable polypropylene bag for its ever-popular rotisserie chicken, which means that on an annual basis over 11.5 million bags will not go to landfill and can be recycled.

The new rotisserie chicken bag is made from 60 micron cast polypropylene and will be rolled out to Woolworths stores across the country, as the old packaging supply is depleted.

“Zibo Container’s recent investments in PET wash and decontamination plants is a huge boost for recycling in South Africa. These new plants will reduce packaging waste to landfill, improve circularity of our resources which is critical for the planet’s survival as well as create much needed jobs,” says Latiefa Behardien, Woolworths Foods chief technology and sustainability officer.

“It is particularly exciting for us as it means that an additional 1 000

These eco-educational building block systems from AfriEco facilitate literacy and numeracy in our youth

blocks made collected waste

then washes and granulates them into different grades of recyclate material for the production of new products,” explains Welch. (AfriEco buys the highest grade of product for its ecoeducational building blocks whilst its lower grades are used to colour green concrete paving stones.)

Some teething problems were encountered with the first version of the system, launched in 2020, but Welch and his team have honed the design, had moulds made by a Durban convertor and production for

market testing is now underway.

“We see the sale of eco-educational building blocks to educational suppliers and toy stores as a vehicle to not only improve literacy and numeracy in South Africa, but also to drive up viability of the collection, sorting and processing of materials often discarded into the environment,” Welch adds.

AfriEco set up a materials beneficiation centre in KwaMashu in Durban to process non-recyclable and organic waste streams… as well as to recover items which can be reused, such as the post-consumer bottle caps being sorted here by Nokuthula (who also operates the hammermill)

bag for Woolies chicken

Woolworths’ semi rigid PET thermoform foods packaging items can now be recycled. And this recycled material is then reused into the same semi rigid PET thermoform packaging, so it is circularity at its best,” she says.

“As part of our vision to have ZERO packaging waste to landfill, we are designing our packaging for circularity. This means that we are designing our packaging to keep it out of landfill and that it can rather be reused in a continuous process within the packaging supply chain.

“An example of which is our recent switch to an ‘easy wash off’ glue like Cleanflake which ensures that the glue from the packaging’s label washes off entirely in the recycling washing process leaving no leftover residue to compromise the recycled plastic. This results in the entire piece of packaging being recycled versus just the parts with no residual glue,” adds Behardien.

Avery Dennison’s CleanFlake™ adhesive technology is specially engineered to support the recycling of PET and HDPE packaging, making sustainability an easy choice. During PET recycling, the adhesive deactivates to allow both label and adhesive to separate cleanly, leaving the plastic free of contamination. During coloured HDPE recycling, the label stays attached, but does not compromise the resulting plastic pellets.

“In the flexible packaging space our goal is to eliminate all multi-polymer structures, moving them from previous nonrecyclable laminates and co-extrusions to mono polymer laminates and co-extrusions. We’ve already shifted more than 300 tons of multi-layered multi-polymer structures to mono

polymer materials which can be recycled primarily in the PE and PP streams One such success is our coffee bags which shifted from traditional coffee laminate of PET/ALU/PE to an all-PP structure,” comments Diane Peterson, Woolworths sustainability communications consultant.

In November 2010, Woolworths was the first retailer to introduce recycled content into its packaging, and now the packaging of over 2 000 of its foods products have between 30-70% recycled content with some packaging like the WLab Breathease 2-in-1 laundry liquid made from 100% postconsumer recycled HDPE.

“While recycling alone cannot solve the world’s pollution problems, it has significant potential to impact on cleaning up our waste systems, creating jobs and reducing the use of virgin plastics. Every step of the way helps to bring about a cleaner country for all,” concludes Behardien.

jonathan@afrieco.co.za

‘Ocean Action’ from UPM Raflatac uses SABIC’s certified circular polyolefins

Reprocesses recovered ocean-bound plastic that could end up in rivers

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, has joined an innovative project with value chain partners to help UPM Raflatac launch the world’s first packaging label materials made from SABIC certified circular polypropylene based on advanced recycled oceanbound plastic (OBP). The label materials are marketed under the UPM Raflatac Ocean Action™ brand of labels.

“We are proud to offer our customers another more sustainable choice through the advanced recycling of used plastic that could otherwise end up in our rivers and oceans,” adds Lada Kurelec, GM for the polyolefins

and elastomers businesses for petrochemicals at SABIC.

“These labels containing ocean bound plastic connect with our Trucircle™ programme of circular solutions designed to help reduce plastic waste, mitigate fossil depletion and protect our planet.”

Ocean-bound plastic is abandoned plastic waste found in areas up to 50kms inland from waterways that may eventually be washed into the ocean by rainfall, rivers or tides, according to the groups’ protocols. Zero Plastic Oceans, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to addressing plastic pollution issues, has estimated that

oceans

OBP from uncontrolled waste disposal accounts for 80% of marine plastic litter.

”The new innovative Ocean Action label material is the latest step in our beyond fossils journey. It does not only help prevent the plastic waste from ending up in the oceans but also offers brand owners the possibility to meet their recycled content targets for packaging. The Ocean Action label material is an easy-to-use drop-in solution created especially for food and cosmetics end-uses as it has exactly the same performance as the current fossilbased labels,” says Eliisa Laurikainen, business development manager from UPM Raflatac.

Next-generation solutions for recycled plastics

AMERICAN company, Avient Corporation has introduced its breakthrough PCR Colour Prediction Service for polyolefins and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins, and the company’s new polyolefin antioxidants, Cesa™ Nox A4R additives for recycling. These sustainability solutions are specifically designed to improve the customer experience of working with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content for materials used in packaging.

The PCR Colour Prediction Service, helps brand owners understand what colours are achievable based on the amount of PCR used. It uses sophisticated technology to determine – through prior colour matching – if colours are feasible in a new application that incorporates PCR content. A first of its kind for the plastics industry, this internally developed solution also calculates how much PCR content can be added to an existing application

without affecting its signature colour.

Using proprietary software, Avient experts measure resin characteristics to identify the gamut of colours that can be successfully reproduced in a specific PCR-based material. By speeding up the evaluation process, the service also gives greater flexibility to customers that may need to switch from one PCR content source to another.

Avient’s new Cesa Nox A4R Additives for Recycling are based on a special

The OBP used in the project is recovered by local partners of HHI, a Malaysia-based recycling company. The sustainable sourcing, proper collection and management of the OBP is certified by Zero Plastic Oceans and Control Union. HHI converts OBP into a pyrolysis oil by using advanced recycling, and SABIC uses this oil as an alternative feedstock to produce certified circular SABIC PP polymer for further processing to film by Taghleef, a manufacturer of BOPP films for labelling and packaging. Then, UPM Raflatac produces the label material.

The plastic waste used in the process value chain of making Ocean Action label material is certified under the Zero Plastics Oceans programme, and the final label material under ISCC Plus. This means that the material flow is

The new labels –marketed under the UPM Raflatac Ocean Action™ brand – are believed to be the world’s first packaging label materials made from certified circular PP produced from recycled ocean-bound plastic from SABIC www.sabic.com

controlled and tracked from the oceanbound plastic to the final packaging following a set of predefined and transparent rules.

The Ocean Action label material is available as white and clear top coated PP films with RP37, RF37, and RP74 adhesives and PET 23 PCR and glassine liners. These label materials are a perfect fit for fastmoving consumer goods (FMCG), such as household goods, personal care, packaged foods, and beverages. Since the certified circular PP from SABIC performs the same way as comparable fossil-based virgin PP, the switch to the OBP material solution required no changes to the film and label material manufacturing processes.

Vision for the future: Trucircle™ from SABIC

OUTLINING its initiative aimed at developing a circular economy solution for plastics, material manufacturer SABIC summarised its Trucircle™ programme as follows:

“Society is currently facing some of the biggest challenges and we must work together to solve them. SABIC’s vision for the future is that plastic should never end up in the environment, landfill or in our oceans and instead is reused and remade into new products.

“This vision requires a total transformation of the value chain. We have been working with our downstream and upstream partners to reinvent and pioneer our way towards a circular economy for the good of people and the planet. Our Trucircle portfolio and services play a significant part in achieving our vision and closing the loop on used plastic.

“The Trucircle portfolio and services showcase our circular innovations. We want to give manufacturers access to more sustainable materials. That way, they can give the endconsumer more confidence about buying products with the knowledge that the material can be recycled and repurposed, or that it has been produced in a way that can help protect our planet’s natural resources,” its statement added.

The Trucircle portfolio and services currently include:

• Design for recyclability

• Mechanically recycled products

• Certified circular products

• Certified renewable products

• Closed-loop initiatives

in packaging applications

formulation that protects post-consumer polyolefins against oxidation, which can lead to defects like black spots, gels and discolouration. The antioxidant can be added to PCR content early in the recycling process or incorporated in virgin resin to prepare it for future recycling.

The Ocean Action label material has exactly the same performance as the current fossilbased labels

RWC Sevens building sustainability

Global rugby family contributing to a healthier planet,more sustainable society

PLASTIC waste from Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 – which kicked off in Cape Town on 9 September – will be turned into affordable housing as one part of the tournament’s drive to deliver South Africa’s most environmentally responsible rugby event ever.

World Rugby’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030 –launched earlier this year – maps out what the global rugby family should do to contribute to a healthier planet and a more sustainable society.

SA Rugby ran a pilot project during a Test match earlier this year where all the plastic waste – including what was once regarded as non-recyclable material such as chip packets and polystyrene boxes – was collected and converted into pellets to go into the manufacture of bricks.

Springbok Sevens men’s and women’s players teamed to go on-site and build houses at a development outside Cape Town called Garden Cities, part of the Breaking New Ground Homes housing development plan for sustainable human settlements.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said: “It is fantastic to see recommendations from World Rugby’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030 being put in to practice by South Africa’s men’s and women’s sevens players in this innovative project to help build affordable homes using plastic.

“The players actions will no doubt inspire many others to take notice and be a force for good, helping to protect the planet for future generations to continue to enjoy playing rugby in a healthy environment.”

A must-read: ‘Sustainability Management in Plastics Processing’

THE British Plastics Federation (BPF) has published a book called Sustainability Management in Plastics Processing: Strategies, Targets, Techniques and Tools. Written by the plastic manufacturing expert Dr Robin Kent of Tangram Technology and supported by BPF Energy, the book covers all the main areas of a product’s lifecycle.

The book was written to fulfil a very tangible need, said Dr Kent. “Despite all that is written about sustainability and plastics, there is still a lack of practical information for the plastics processor who wants to improve the sustainability of their business. This book aims to provide plastics processors with the knowledge and tools needed to improve their sustainability and to demonstrate this to the outside world. It shows that sustainability management is not ‘rocket science’, simply good management and engineering with an eye to the long-term effects of our actions,” he explained.

The book opens with a detailed

introduction to sustainability management, and then goes on to explore how gains can be made by examining management systems, design, raw materials, manufacturing practices, energy use and water use. It also covers establishing a carbon footprint for both sites and products, minimising waste, the use and endof-life phases for products, social responsibility, and reporting principles and standards.

As the author explains in his preface, ‘each topic is dealt with in a single 2-page spread…and most can be read independently of each other – this is not a cover-to-cover book’.

It is intended to provide practical guidance to plastics processors, providing them with the knowledge and tools to improve their overall sustainability by showing how improvements can be made in key areas. Spanning some 434 pages, written in clear and concise language, it is an accessible and practical reference book, a ‘fundamental manual’ as BPF

Director General Philip Law, described it: ‘so comprehensive in its sweep that its practical guidance will be referred to time and time again by companies in the plastics industry.’

Sustainability Management in Plastics Processing is available to buy now at Amazon.co.uk.

Fulfils a very tangible need

Plastic manufacturing expert Dr Robin Kent

RESIN8 incorporated into mix for concrete blocks

A special plant converts the waste into an “eco-aggregate”, called RESIN8. The manufactured RESIN8 is then incorporated into the mix design for the casting of conventional concrete blocks – disposing of 100% of the plastic waste and reducing the need for conventional quarried materials by up to 20 percent.

Each house requires 1 200 bricks per unit; the Springbok test match produced 398 bags which resulted in 875kg of plastic waste, producing 3 500 bricks (or almost three houses).

The “bag that builds” initiative is just one part of the event’s sustainability drive to contribute to World Rugby’s climate action focus areas of the carbon footprint of the sport; introducing climate adaptation measures across events and using the sport’s global platform to spread awareness.

TPV with 25% recycled content

SARLINK thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) are a great choice for critical applications that require superior elasticity and long-term performance, like extruded seals and hoses or moulded gaskets. Sarlink TPVs have steadily been replacing thermoset rubber, like EPDM, in sealing applications due to improvements in processing, design, and weight reduction. In addition, unlike EPDM rubber, Sarlink TPVs are recyclable, both in-process or at the end of the product’s life cycle. Teknor Apex has now introduced the latest innovation in the Sarlink portfolio, which can further help brands achieve their sustainability goals, by incorporating recycled content into TPVs.

The new grade, Sarlink R2 3180B incorporates 25% post-industrial recycled (PIR) content. This is a pre-coloured black, high-durometer multi-purpose TPV that is essentially the functional equivalent of its virgin

counterpart in terms of processing and performance. Sarlink TPVs in general have faster cycle times or throughput rates versus competitive TPV products on the market, and the addition of recycled content has proven to maintain this advantage during processing trials.

Automotive, industrial and building & construction industries are ideal markets for this new Sarlink TPV, which can be overmoulded or co-extruded with

PP or other thermoplastic elastomers. Not only does Sarlink R2 3180B reduce plastic waste by incorporating it into the compound, but products made from this grade are still fully recyclable at the end of the product’s life.

• Teknor is represented in South Africa by Advanced Polymers (Pty) Ltd

Springbok Sevens men’s and women’s players teamed to go on-site and build houses at a development outside Cape Town called Garden Cities, part of the Breaking New Ground Homes housing development plan for sustainable human settlements

The NEW Sarlink® R2 3180B TPV with 25% recycled content is a multi-purpose TPV containing highquality post-industrial recycled (PIR) content and processes and performs like its virgin counterpart

Multi-purpose TPV processes and performs like its virgin counterpart

2022 Re|focus Sustainability

PRESENTED annually, the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) awards recognize companies that are driving environmental advances in product design, sustainable materials, and end-of-life recovery of plastics. This year’s developments came into sharp focus with the unveiling of the 2022 Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Awards.

INNOVATION IN DESIGN

This year’s group of Sustainability Innovation Award winners challenges the limiting idea of “this is the way we’ve always done it, therefore we always will do it this way”. Shaking up the status quo, each of these innovations reaches the next level of plastic sustainability.

Klöckner Pentaplast’s kpNext R1 is the first pharmaceutical blister film designed to be recycled in the RIC 1 recycling stream. While pharmaceutical blister films are typically produced from materials that are not readily recyclable, kpNext R1 is produced from a special PET formulation that allows it to be fully recycled in the same curbside recycling stream as plastic water bottles.

END-OF-LIFE AWARD

www.kpfilms.com/en/ www.viscotec.at/ www.jpindustrial.com/

INNOVATION IN MATERIALS

Starlinger visotec won top honours in the material category for rPET100, a heat-resistant and fully recyclable sheet material for thermoformed packaging. It can be made from 100% recycled content and then recycled again while maintaining high quality in strength and appearance. Containing natural-based mineral fillers only, it uses no stabilizers or polymer additives that would prevent recycling in the current food packaging loop.

JP Industrial won for its proprietary AERO Screening Technology that converts waste polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into a high-grade PVC powder that can be used in a variety of quality applications. The process also captures and reuses material traditionally lost in the scrap recycling process. This material has been used in a variety of applications and products, particularly in the building sector.

Innovation Awards

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Novoloop claimed the People’s Choice Award with the impressive Oistre, the first thermoplastic urethane (TPU) made using advanced chemical recycling. Containing up to 50% content from upcycled post-consumer plastic waste, Oistre has up to 46% lower CO2 emissions than conventional TPUs. Unlike mechanically recycled TPUs, Oistre matches the performance characteristics of conventional TPUs.

INNOVATION IN LEADERSHIP

Ford Motor Co. earned a special Leadership in Sustainability Innovation award with three unique concepts – one involving closed-loop recycling, one featuring parts made from 100% recycled ocean plastic, and another showing the advantages of using nanocellulose. Nanocellulose lightens the weight of vehicles while decreasing dependence on fossil fuels in the manufacturing process.

Seat clip in the Ford Bronco Sport made of 100% recycled ocean plastic ‘Ghost Gear’

Ford Motor Co. earned a special Leadership in Sustainability Innovation award with three unique concepts – one involving closed-loop recycling, one featuring parts made from 100% recycled ocean plastic, and another showing the advantages of using nanocellulose. Nanocellulose lightens the weight of vehicles while decreasing dependence on fossil fuels in the manufacturing process.

Nanocellulose enhanced flexible PU foams used for automotive parts

Ford researchers capitalized on their strengths to disrupt the current PU industry and partnered with industry experts (SAPPI, BASF, and Creative Foams) to develop a nanocellulose reinforced PU foam that improves customers’ experience in the vehicle. Incorporating micro and nanofillers into foam systems improves physical and mechanical properties, especially Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH) properties. Additionally, there are increasing environmental and ecological concerns due to petroleumbased chemicals and products.

Industry’s first closed loop recycling of additive manufacturing waste to replace injection moulded automotive parts

Typically, even in the most efficient 3D printing processes, there is the material that is not consumed, and there are prototype parts that do not have long lifespans. Hence, scrap is generated and, without a way to reuse it, it is destined for a landfill. Here, Ford offers a solution for recycling this waste material into a high-quality injection moulded part.

Ford partnered with HP, Lavergne (Tier 2), and A Raymond (Tier 1) to recycle waste polymer additive powder and 3D printed parts from HP’s high-capacity MultiJet Fusion (MJF) printers. The waste polymer is compounded into pellets that are then injection moulded.

www.novoloop.com/

Success of K2022 is about the value of the

IF my Matric Afrikaans teacher was right, and she probably was, then “Oktober is die mooiste, mooiste maand.” In South Africa this is the time when the drab end-of-winter streets of Pretoria and Johannesburg suddenly burst into purple. In the Middle East it’s the time of year when temperatures drop into the pleasant 30°Cs and, every third year in Germany it’s when the global plastics industry descends on Dusseldorf for the K-show.

Although the Covid pandemic never affected the K-show, it does feel as though K2019 was a very long time ago. There is a quiet excitement about K2022, about meeting people in person, which shows the importance of personal connections even when technology allows business to continue remotely. But there is also an anxiety whether it will live up to expectations. Will it be a show looking to a bright future, proudly exhibiting new products developed in the last three years under the cover of lockdowns and ready to stride boldly forward? Will it be as

I think the whole K-show experience might have been what C. Louis Leipoldt was thinking of when he wrote “Ek is nou in Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand, Met elke dag so

good as we all remember? Or will it be more downbeat with an offering aimed more at surviving the looming recession?

K2022 will certainly be smaller than the last edition, if only because continuing travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in China will prevent a large Chinese contingent from attending the show. All the smaller Chinese companies that usually have stands will be absent, although the bigger companies with a global presence will be there. And of course, Russian companies and visitors will have a much lower profile than previous years. It will be smaller, but that doesn’t mean it will be small!

For those who have never been fortunate enough to attend a K-show, the Messe (show grounds) is a supersized Nasrec. Whereas Nasrec occupies 150 000m2 and has six main halls (as well as some additional spaces) providing around 45 000m2 of indoor exhibition space, the Messe in Dusseldorf has 18 halls with a total of 262 000m2 of exhibition space and an additional 43 000m2 of outdoor space. The K-show, which is one of the biggest single shows held at the Messe, used 177 000m2 of exhibition space in 2019 when it had 3 300 exhibitors and 225 000 visitors over the eight days of the show.

It will be smaller, but that doesn’t mean it will be small!

meetings, the quality of the discussions

The biggest halls are the machine halls where every major manufacturer of injection moulding machines, extruders, film lines, tape lines, blow moulding machines, roto-moulders, thermoforming lines as well as well as recycling lines will have a stand. And these are not just static displays, these are machines running, producing bottles and crates and boxes and chairs and stepladders and many other samples using hundreds of tons of plastic donated by polymer producers, demonstrating the performance of their polymer grades to people happily standing in long queues to get samples.

Then there are the auxiliary equipment halls with mixers, feeders, all types of automation and even demonstrations of robotic arms bouncing balls or carrying out some other incredible feat. Granulators, pelletisers, pulverisers, conveying systems, moulds and recycle lines are all exhibited and in many cases also running. For anyone who has any interest in polymer processing it is fascinating just to walk through these machine halls to see what is on offer. You need a couple of days just to do the machine halls justice if you plan to just walk around, but far better is to have a plan on what you want to see and where in the 12 halls dedicated to machinery they are situated.

Next are the materials halls where polymer producers, additive and pigment manufacturers as well as traders and

distributors and compounders and masterbatch producers exhibit their products. This is where the polymer producers have their stands, high tech displays including some of the most interesting and innovative products produced with their polymers.

Finally, there are the smaller halls with lab equipment, test laboratories, mould design software and trade organizations and consultants have their stands as well as composites, semi-finished goods, and all kinds of other interesting products. There is also a lot going on with daily product launches and announcements.

The success of K2022, and K-shows in general, is not really about the number of attendees or even the number of exhibitors; it’s about the value of the meetings and the quality of the discussions. A short U-Bahn ride from the Messe, on the banks of the Rhine, there is the old part of Dusseldorf, the Altstadt, a pedestrianised area full of restaurants and Bierkellars which provide an opportunity to catch-up with old friends, former colleagues, and people from all over the world working in our industry. I think the whole K-show experience might have been what C. Louis Leipoldt was thinking of when he wrote “Ek is nou in Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand, Met elke dag so helder, so pragtig elke aand!”

Plastic pipeline construction

By Mike SMart Pr. eng. B.Sc. (HonS) civ. eng, MSaice

Continuing from our article in the August/September 2022 issue, we talk about the bedding, embedment and backfill of pipelines. >>

The classification of engineering soils is a complex and exacting science that requires extensive investigation, testing and analysis to precisely define a given soil. however, for the purposes of bedding, embedment and backfill of a pipeline, the broad general classification of soils may be sufficient as follows: • coarse-grained or non-cohesive soils • fine-grained or cohesive soils

• organic soils (peat); extremely treacherous and troublesome

Organic soils are important to the agriculturist, but soil mechanics consider two primary types, sand and clay, as typical of coarse-grained and fine-grained material.

The characteristics of coarse-grained (sand) material is preferable for bedding, embedment and backfill for a pipeline. Although limited amounts of the

Table 1: Characteristics of fine and cement sand

Largest size of smallest

characteristics of fine-grained (clay) material, indicted by the PI (Plasticity Index) can be tolerated but must be specified and controlled.

Soils are mixtures of particles of various sizes, but the properties of a soil are, to a great extent, determined by the predominant particle size in its composition.

The characteristics of the fine sand and concrete sand can be seen in Table 1 are as follows, see below:

Effective Size Uniformity CoefficientSoil type 10% 60% Fine sand 0.11 0.20 0.11 1.82 concrete sand 0.24 1.06 0.24 4.42

A Uniformity Coefficient approaching 1.0, the minimum possible, shows a high degree of uniformity.

AASHTO soil classification

without coarse material with little clay internal friction variable, cohesion slight to moderate, no elasticity, capillarity important; frost-heaves and loses stability during thawing

A5 group a4 but highly elastic, even when dry Deforms quickly under load and rebounds making compaction difficult

A6 clays with low compressibility

internal friction low, cohesion high with low moisture content, no elasticity; deforms slowly, little rebound, wetting and drying considerable volume change

A7 group a6 but elastic at some moisture contentsDeforms and rebounds quickly; volume changes worse than group a6 a7-5 Moderate plasticity a7-6 High plasticity a1 graveL a2/a3 SanD a4/a5 SiLt a6/a7 cLay

Two fine-grained soils with similar grading characteristics may have widely divergent engineering properties and features caused by the varying properties of the clay minerals in the soil and their different effects when the moisture content varies.

Fine-grained soils, formed by the slow settlement of particles suspended in water during which settlement consolidation and drying occurs, go through clearly defined stages:

• Shrinkage Limit moisture content (SL)

• Plastic Limit moisture content (PL)

• Liquid Limit moisture content (LL)

• Plasticity Index (LL-PL), SANS 2001DP1, backfill <12 (PI)

Water content or moisture content is the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of solid in a given volume. Compaction is the expulsion of air, consolidation the gradual expulsion of water, from the pores of saturated cohesive material. Two common compaction tests, Standard Proctor and Modified AASHTO, classify the density of a material.

Thermoplastic pipe standards and thermoplastic pipe literature, specify 95% Standard Proctor compaction but the South African construction standard, SANS 2001-DP1 Earthworks, specifies:

• 90% Modified AASHTO for bedding

• 93% Modified AASHTO in traffic areas

for cohesive soils

• 98% Modified AASHTO in traffic areas for non-cohesive soils.

• The latter two compactions are potentially detrimental to thermoplastic SWP – because compaction energy goes into soil and pipe alike.

The compactive effort applied to a sample in a Modified Proctor (AASHTO) test method is over 4.5 times that applied to the same size sample in a Standard Proctor test method. The Modified Proctor known as “heavy” compaction, was devised by AASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transport Officials) to simulate conditions where heavy compacting equipment is used in highway construction.

A higher maximum dry density is obtained with “heavy” compaction equipment at a lower optimum moisture content, even though there is less moisture to provide lubrication to enable the particles to pack closer together, because of the higher compaction energy applied. The higher compaction energy not only goes into embedment and backfill soil, but it also goes into the pipe. Whatever the amount or method of compaction, 5 to 10% air voids remain in the soil, even when maximum dry density is obtained – <5% is desirable.

It is imperative the compaction of the

embedment supporting the haunch of the pipe conforms to enable the compaction of the embedment at the “half-pipe level” to conform to enable it to transfer imposed loads on the pipe to the trench walls, thereby limiting the deflection to the predetermined design magnitude.

The relationship between the compaction factors is dependent upon the type (classification) of the soil being compacted. A Casagrande Classification SC material will achieve 95% Standard Proctor Compaction with 90% Modified AASHTO Compaction. Different classification soils will have different ratios for the two compaction methods.

Thermoplastic SWP producers must understand, when the pipe has been manufactured, delivered and joined in the trench, approximately half the work to build a pipeline has been done. The other half is the construction of the “soil-pipe” structure on site that must conform if the pipeline is to function as designed.

The bedding, embedment and compaction of the pipeline is an integral part of the pipeline’s construction that enables it to perform its designed service life. SANS 2001-DP1 must be revised to take cognisance of the requirements of thermoplastic pipelines, replacing Modified AASHTO with appropriate Standard Proctor values – it is a pipeline not a road.

wisely.

pipes & fittings with the Green Tick

Safe, responsible and sustainable.

SAVA is encouraging local manufacturers of PVC pipes and fittings to join our efforts to promote a responsible, healthy and sustainable PVC industry.

Members belonging to SAPPMA and other industry associations enjoy a special, discounted annual fee.

In return, they become eligible to display the Green Tick - a product label that communicates to end-users that their products adhere to SAVA's strict Product Stewardship Commitment and that they are lead-free, use additives approved for high human contact applications and are recyclable.

When buying PVC water pipes and fittingslook for the Green Tick!

531-0313 or (071) 083-5219

With the world’s first wet-end block achieving an output of 100 000 0.5-litre water bottles per hour, Krones is establishing a new benchmark in block technology

water bottles in one hour 100 000

Establishing a new benchmark in block technology

KRONES’ has developed the world’s first wet-end block achieving an output of 100 000, 0.5-litre water bottles per hour – thus establishing a new benchmark in block technology.

The basic production sequence of this 100 000-bph block is just the same as in a conventional ErgoBloc L. But when you take a look at the various individual machines, it soon becomes apparent that there are some key differences.

The preform feed unit passes the

PET preforms into the Contiform 3 Speed stretch blow-moulding machine. This machine generation, which was released in 2018, eliminates the need for a pressure pad to hold the two mould halves together. And with a rating of 2 750 containers per blowing station, it set new benchmarks for output and compressed-air consumption.

But in order to raise the total output to 100 000 containers per hour and yet further reduce the machine’s carbon

footprint, additional innovations had to be brought into the machine. And that is how some components from the fourth Contiform generation came to be used in this high-performance block.

The link between stretch blowmoulder and filler: the Ergomodul To cope with the very high output of the stretch blow-moulder, some additional, optimised components, functionalities and assemblies were incorporated in

Project to develop new materials under

IN its first aerospace project, the Aimplas Plastics Technology Centre will identify opportunities for creating new, high-quality and high-performance polymers and fibres in space.

Endowed with a budget of more than € 400 000 in its first phase, the new Advanced Materials Accelerator is an initiative of the European Space Agency’s Business in Space Growth Network Programme.

The Advanced Materials Accelerator was created as an initiative of the Business in Space Growth Network (BSGN) Programme of the European Space Agency (ESA), where AIMPLAS is working to drive the development of new materials under the microgravity and vacuum conditions of space.

The BSGN accelerator is being developed by a European consortium of six leading space and materials companies.

the Ergomodul. For example, the two Contiroll stations and the Multireel magazines for label reels feature a new buffer system which keeps the label tension at a constant maximum level, thus offering ideal preconditions for thin label films, a boon for sustainability. Another of the machine’s key features is the ‘no bottle-no label’ function. If a service rejection in the blowmoulder causes a gap in the bottle flow entering the labeller, no label is transferred to the vacuum cylinder and the corresponding vacuum cylinder suction bars are retracted upon reaching the gluing unit. As a result, no label or glue is wasted and any gaps in the container flow no longer affect the efficiency of the line.

Two filling units, two closing units – but only one machine The filler posed the biggest challenge for the development team because there are physical limits to the standard approach

of “bigger carousel equals higher output”. At some point, the masses to be moved and the forces acting on them simply get too big to reliably maintain a stable process. In order to prevent this, the block features two modularised filling units and two modularised closing units. That may sound simple, but was in fact difficult to implement because although the filling/closing of 100 000 bottles per hour is evenly distributed among two units each, these units are still constituent parts of a single integrated block with just one valve rack and one sorting system for closures.

The Modulfill Dual features around 60 filling valves fewer than a one-filler solution would need for the same output. Thanks to its compact size, the filler takes up less space, but its output is still almost 20% higher.

Milliken launches production at world-class clarifier plant

THE recent launch of production at Milliken & Company’s impressive, new clarifier plant in Blacksburg, South Carolina, will enhance access to the Millad® NX® 8000 additive for customers worldwide. This facility will enable Milliken, a leading global manufacturer of plastic additives and colorants, to meet increasing demand for these products well into the future.

The plant has begun manufacturing product, and is scheduled to reach full operating capacity by the end of 2022, allowing Milliken to increase Millad production by 50%. This represents the largest clarifier plant investment in Milliken history.

Millad NX 8000 helps reduce carbon emissions by enabling converters to lower their energy use during processing while also improving production efficiency. www.milliken.com

Dow Chemical cuts global PE production by 15%

GLOBAL petrochemical giant Dow Chemical is cutting global polyethylene production rates by 15% amid logistics logjams in the US and Europe that have stymied exports since late 2021.

www.krones.com

Dow’s cutbacks are expected to help balance high inventories at key global ports and in packaging warehouses, particularly in the US Gulf Coast during August and September, which typically are the months during which strong hurricanes can form. US polymer producers have been expected to reduce rates, with global resin demand softening on top of logistics clogs that emerged in late 2021 that have lingered through early-to-mid 2023.

microgravity conditions

The first phase of the project, led by Satellite Applications Catapult, will focus on generating interest and demand in the growing in-orbit servicing and manufacturing industry so that advanced manufacturing companies can explore the possibilities that space has to offer and get involved in the programme. The project focuses on five advanced materials technology areas: superalloys and hybrid materials; nanomaterials; advanced ceramics; novel polymers and fibres; and functional coatings and thin film systems.

Future phases will focus on upscaling the opportunities identified in phase one in each area, including in-orbit demonstrations and the delivery of prototype products.

Dow is the second-largest global PE producer, with a total of 9.8 million mt/year of capacity, according to Platts petrochemical analytics. ExxonMobil is the top PE producer, with 10.6 million mt/year of capacity.

Best quarterly results in 25yrs for ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, an American oil firm, unveiled its best quarterly financial results in at least 25 years on 29 July. Its profits for the second quarter shot up to $18-billion, more than double the figure it posted in the previous three months. Two factors boosted its fortunes: Russia’s war in Ukraine led to a crunch in refined products like petrol and diesel, that increased ExxonMobil’s refining margins by an estimated $4,6-bn; and the higher global oil and gas prices increased profits by up to $3,3-bn.

Another of the machine’s key features is the ‘no bottle-no label’ function

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has received RecyClass certification for its sustainable mechanically recycled ECO grades. The Recycled Plastics Traceability certification, which is valid for Terluran® ECO MR as well as Novodur® ECO MR (mechanically recycled) grades, confirms the post-consumer origin of the waste used in the production of the respective materials.

The newly-obtained RecyClass certification now guarantees the origins and traceability of recycled material and uses the percentage-based recycled content calculation approach that is verified throughout the entire value chain. This is ensured via the Chain of Custody ISO 22095 as well as the Recycled

Plastics EN 15353:2006 standards, on which the certification is based. The transparency of the scheme is additionally warranted via the system of the third-party certification audits.

The certification confirms the postconsumer origin of the waste used in the Terluran ECO MR and Novodur ECO MR materials and facilitates traceability of recycled materials along the value chain, promotes transparent use of recycled plastic in new products, and reinforces reliable and verifiable claims on recycled plastic.

INEOS Styrolution’s portfolio of sustainable ECO materials includes Terluran ECO GP-22 MR50 and MR70, two commercially available ABS grades incorporating 50% and 70% recycled

content respectively. Both grades offer performance on the same level as virgin material, avoiding the need for downcycling and instead offering a dropin solution for existing ABS applications.

Novodur specialty ABS solutions come in various colours. Consequently, the Novodur ECO MR products are also available in black and various colours. A product for self-colouring is available as well. Mechanically recycled Novodur material is available with a 30% to 70% post-consumer mechanically recycled content. The individual grades come with a significant product carbon footprint (PCF) of up to 57%.

Recyclable PP stand-up pouches with barrier

STAND-up pouches are among the most popular flexible packaging concepts for dried sausages and meat, cheese snacks, coffee, tea, spices, and sweets. Now this format is moving into sustainable alternatives, including pouches with zipper or other reseal features.

Südpack has developed an innovative packaging concept for this product market with a new mono-plastic solution, a polypropylene-based pouch that supports regulatory demand for recyclable packaging and with the same functionality of standard pouches.

The material is highly rigid and offers all the properties necessary for the efficient and safe packaging of food products. Depending on the products, the films can be supplied with different barrier properties for aroma, oxygen, moisture,

or UV light.

By substituting the aluminum barrier with a coextruded barrier layer, the shelf life of salami sticks, for example, could be guaranteed for up to 70 days during a pilot project for brand owner zur Mühlen Group.

And with an integrated transparent window, consumers have a clear view at the packaged product.

PP pouches are 26% lighter in weight and highly machinable. Another important aspect is that film thickness is reduced by about 10% for a 26% weight savings versus conventional packaging.

In addition to the above attributes, these high-performance films also boast excellent machinability, resulting in a high level of process and packaging reliability.

Due to its wide transparent seal,

Südpack develops an aluminum-free, recyclable PP-based stand-up pouch for food packaging that’s 26% lighter in weight than conventional pouches

Südpack’s new material can essentially with or without minor adjustments be used on current lines that are designed for processing aluminum composites.

At the same time, the structure of the sealing layer ensures the simple and efficient integration of polyolefin resealing systems such as zippers made with widely available PP or polyethylene plastics.

Certification confirms the post-consumer origin of the used waste

receives Recyclass certification for its recycled ABS grades

INEOS Styrolution

www.ineos-styrolution.com

www.suedpack.com/en/

Extremely safely packed in ex zones

THE film innovation DUO EX-TRA by the film manufacturer DUO PLAST AG in Lauterbach, Germany, is equipped with the static dissipative polymer Elastostat®. This creates the first stretch film suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The newly developed film avoids the ignition source electrostatics. Thus, stretched pallet units no longer pose an explosion hazard.

Conventional stretch films are not approved for explosive areas due to the static charge and pallets must be repacked before entering. The effort involved in unpacking or packing incoming and outgoing goods with conventional stretch film is enormous. Therefore, stretch films with Elastostat are particularly suitable for

companies in the chemical industry and their suppliers, who can be supplied directly to hazardous areas in the future. The packaging delivery process becomes more efficient, sustainability is improved, and costs are reduced. BASF itself is not only a raw material supplier but also a customer and user of the new packaging film.

Since 2017, BASF’s development team, consisting of packaging consulting, safety engineering, product development and polyurethane sales in Lemfoerde,

Germany, had been working to fulfill the long-felt need for a dissipative film. The solution: Elastostat, a dissipative polymer based on TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) from BASF Polyurethanes GmbH in Lemfoerde, Germany.

The film is colour-coded with red flashes. Hence, wrapped pallets can be clearly identified visually and their suitability for the relevant areas can be ensured.

www.basf.com

In cooperation with DUO PLAST, BASF is launching the DUO EX-TRA stretch film

The massive new LEGO site in Chesterfield County in Virginia, over 160 000m² is already taking shape. The group plans to employ over 1700 people here. Up till now LEGO has supplied its products into the USA and Canada from its plant in Mexico. Establishing big hubs near main markets is becoming a reality for global brand manufacturers

Building blocks in place for massive LEGO

Ultra-thin and lightweight electric skateboards

LEGO Group is to invest more than US$1 billion to build a new factory in Virginia, USA. Once completed, the 160 000m² plant will employ more than 1 760 people.

The factory will be designed to operate as a carbon-neutral facility, with 100% of its day-to-day energy needs matched by renewable energy generated by an onsite solar park. The site will also be designed to minimise energy consumption and use of non-renewable resources.

Niels Christiansen, CEO of LEGO Group said: “This is an exciting step for the LEGO Group. More and more families are falling

in love with LEGO® building and we are looking forward to making LEGO bricks in the US, one of our largest markets. The location in Virginia allows us to build a solar park which supports our sustainability ambitions and provides easy links to country-wide transportation networks. We are also looking forward to creating fantastic employment opportunities for the people of Virginia.”

Construction will commence later this year with production projected to start in the second half of 2025. A temporary packaging site will open in an existing

building nearby in early 2024 and create up to 500 jobs.

The Virginia factory will be the LEGO Group’s seventh factory globally and the second in the Americas. The company’s manufacturing site in Monterrey, Mexico, primarily supplies the US market and will be expanded and upgraded to meet growing demand for LEGO products.

The new factory in Virginia, like all LEGO facilities, will use state-of-the-art technology to mould, process and pack LEGO products and ensure they meet the company’s rigorous safety and quality

Starlinger installs first food-grade plastics recycling facility in India

Offers the highest grades of recycled plastics

SRICHAKRA Polyplast, a well-established Indian recycler, commissioned a PET bot tle-to-bottle and a post-consumer polyolefin recycling line from Starlinger in September. With the new lines Srichakra Polyplast upgraded its facilities and now offers the highest grades of recycled plastics to cus tomers in India and international markets such as Europe and the United States.

Srichakra Polyplast, in Hyderabad, invested US$10 million to upgrade and expand its plastics recycling capabilities. The new recoSTAR PET 165 iV+ is the first of its kind Starlinger has installed in India.

It features US FDA-approved technology for processing post-consumer PET bottle flakes. The produced rPET pellets are suitable for food-contact and can be used for food and beverage packaging like bot tles for water and carbonated soft drinks, food trays, etc. With this technology upgrade Srichakra is now able to provide premium food-grade quality rPET for food packaging to the Indian and international markets.

For the processing of post-consumer polyolefin packaging Srichakra uses a Starlinger recoSTAR dynamic 165 C-VAC

The Starlinger PET bottle-to-bottle recycling line at Srichakra’s production facilities in Hyderabad produces rPET for food-grade applications

recycling line with Starlinger’s unique odour reduction technology. If, for example, packaging made of polyolefins such as PP or HDPE has been used for food, cosmetics or cleaners, substances from these products can migrate into the plastic and cause an unpleasant smell after the recycling process.

Starlinger’s three-step odour reduction procedure – consisting of material preparation, highly efficient degassing, and post-treatment in the smell extraction unit of the pellets – eliminates even deeply embedded smells so that the recycled pellets are suitable for use also in demanding applications.

The Starlinger polyolefin recycling line produces up to 1 300kg of high-quality odour-free recycled pellets per hour that can be directly converted into home and personal care product packaging such as bottles for lotions, shampoo, or detergents.

requirements.

Signs of price downturn in European recycled plastic as demand falters

IN JULY, recyclers of most plastics in Europe were able to raise prices thanks to continued demands for their materials. But not all recyclers managed to pass through the full energy and bass material costs.

Recycled PET coloured posted a triple-digit price in crease as strong demand, particularly from Eastern Euro pean converters, outstripped availability. Recyclers of low density polyethylene black extrusion pellet also achieved a large price increase with settlements rising by €50 per ton as a result of strong demand for construction applications.

The surprise was that clear, food grade recycled PET prices failed to rise for the first time since January 2021. Recycled high density PE black injection moulding pellets and recycled polypropylene prices also rolled over from the previous month. All other recycled plastic types registered price gains in the order of €10-30 per ton during July.

In August, only recycled PET materials registered price gains. Recycled PET clear food grade pellets resumed an upward trend with notations settling €50 per ton above the previous month. PET clear flake and PET coloured flake grades gained around €20 per ton over the same period.

Several other recycled plastics grade prices declined in August. Recycled HDPE black injection moulding pellet prices fell €20 per ton, Recycled LDPE prices fell between €15-40 per ton and recycled PP prices were down €2050 per ton.

Recycled HDPE coloured blow moulding pellets and recycled high impact polystyrene prices remained un changed compared to the previous month.

The price softening trend in August was generally the result of slowing demand, especially from the construc tion sector. Meanwhile, supply has remained generally satisfactory. Higher price discounts are widely anticipated for September.

BASF to invest up to €10 billion to build new Verbund site

BASF has given final approval for the construction of the planned Verbund site in Zhanjiang in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The focus will now be on building the core of the Verbund, which includes a steam cracker and several downstream plants for the production of petrochemicals and intermediates, among others. BASF will invest up to €10 billion by 2030 to build the new Verbund site.

In 2020, BASF started construction of the first plants at the planned integrated Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China, which will be BASF’s third-largest Verbund site worldwide after Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium. The first plant for the production of engineering plastics is currently starting up and a plant for the production of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) will come on stream in 2023. www.basf.com

Bloomberg to spend $85 million against US plastic, petrochem buildout

FORMER New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched an $85 million campaign to block the planned construction of plastic and petrochemical plants across the US, modelled on his decade-long effort to shutter coal plants.

Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman who currently serves as a United Nations special envoy on climate ambition, said his philanthropic organization’s Beyond Petrochemicals campaign will “turbocharge” efforts by local communities in places like Louisi ana’s Cancer Alley, Texas, and Appalachia to block the permitting and construction of heavy emitting plants.

The campaign takes aim at the rapid expansion of US petro chemical and plastic pollution. The International Energy Agency said the plastics and petrochemical industry will exceed coal-fired carbon emissions by 2030 and account for half of the growth in oil demand by 2050.

“This campaign will help ensure more local victories, support laws that protect communities from harm, and reduce the green house gas emissions that are fueling the climate crisis,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

The expansion planned by the industry could account for 15% of US greenhouse gas emissions, which could make the US miss its goal under the Paris climate agreement of halving its emissions by 2030, Bloomberg Philanthropies said.

At least 90 petrochemical and plastics projects have been proposed over the last decade, including 42 major construction projects that will release greenhouse gas emissions and other hazardous air pollutants, according to the Environmental Integrity Project, which tracks the planned buildouts.

Plastic and petrochemical trade groups called Bloomberg’s campaign a “misguided” effort to address plastic waste.

“This campaign will help ensure more local victories, support laws that protect communities from harm, & reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are fueling the climate crisis.”

Suppliers

Arburg presents sustainable plastic parts production

ARBURG is dedicating itself strategically and operationally to the important global issues surrounding sustainability, the circular economy and CO² reduction at K2022. This multifaceted topic will be highlighted in a very focused way in the arburgGREENworld pavilion in the VDMA Circular Economy Forum. In addition, a wide range of sustainable solutions will be on display at the Arburg stand 13A in hall 13

In the arburgGREENworld pavilion, visitors will find out, for example, how plastics can be separated by type and returned to the cycle with the help of digitalisation. Both there and with several exhibits at the stand, Arburg will be demonstrating live how Allrounders process various PIR and PCR recyclates with process reliability.

An electric Allrounder 370 A produces “Greenline” anchors from Fischer, one of the market leaders for fastening systems. The machine is equipped with the recyclate package and Arburg’s new “aXw Control RecyclatePilot”, which ensures a stable shot weight by means of

adaptive process control. The anchors are made of PA6.10, which consists of 50% renewable raw materials. The sprue is deposited directly in a mill and the regrind is fed straight back into the process as post industrial recyclate (PIR) and reused. The give-away is thus a shining example of a successful circular economy.

At the main stand 13A13, a hybrid Allrounder 1120 H will produce housing halves that are finished off with other components to create aesthetically

Sustainability on show: in the arburgGREENworld pavilion in the VDMA Circular Economy Forum, an electric Allrounder 370 A with recyclate package produces ‘ Greenline’ anchors from Fischer

At K 2022, Arburg will be demonstrating how recyclates can be processed reliably with numerous practical examples.

On show, for example, are Allrounders with the recyclate package and the Gestica control system with the new ‘aXw Control RecyclatePilot’ assistance function

www.arburg.com

pleasing, high-quality tool cases. The centre section, handle and the closing clips were pre-manufactured at Arburg in Lossburg on Allrounders from a post-industrial recyclate (PIR) on the basis of PET films. An electric Allrounder 470 A, equipped with the Recyclate Package and the new “aXw Control RecyclatePilot”, will produce the same handles live at K 2022 from post-consumer recyclate (PCR) on the basis of PP.

Arburg is represented in SA by Hestico

Asahi Kasei to present new concept car

Vehicle showcases cross-divisional expertise throughout entire value chain

THE Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei will present its newest concept car AKXY2 for the first time in Europe at the K2022. Using a broad variety of materials and technologies, the vehicle showcases the company’s cross-divisional expertise throughout the entire value chain. Other highlights at this year’s booth will be innovative particle foams, bio-based filler materials and sustainable engineering plastics.

AKXY2 demonstrates how the company applies expertise throughout the entire value chain, from raw materials and production technologies to the usage of recycled and recyclable materials. Virtually everything that can been seen, touched or felt in the vehicle is either manufactured or co-developed by Asahi Kasei. The car features technology that touches the senses, improves safety and ensures the highest functionality while proposing solutions to reduce the environmental impact of automobiles.

All windows are made of outsourced hard-coated polycarbonate through a manufacturing method developed by Asahi Kasei in 2002 that uses CO2 as a raw material for its production. To enable polycarbonate for applications in automotive windshields, Asahi Kasei is currently developing a hard-coating technology that equips polycarbonate with a UN compliant resistance to abrasion and weatherability. Replacing glass with this polycarbonate will significantly reduce vehicle weight and extend EV driving range.

The interior surfaces are covered by Dinamica®, a premium

microfibre resembling suede partially made of recycled polyester.

AZP™, a transparent optical polymer on the interior display, features an ultra-low birefringence and ensures a perfect screen visibility without rainbow effects. The interior is also featuring light technology, using semi-transparent and backlit fabrics made of PET, but also ultra-thin plastic-optical fibres woven into different surfaces.

www.asahi-kasei.com

Meraxis: Digital and sustainable solutions for the future

MERAXIS is presenting its one-stop shop at K2022 with technical and supply chain management (SCM) services that simplifies the procurement process and helps polymer processors to master current challenges in global supply chains.

“Our goal is to digitalize procurement and logistics processes, making them more resilient,” says Dr Stefan Girschik, CEO of Meraxis. “There will increasingly be external disruptive factors. But with the appropriate digital solutions, such events can be detected earlier and, above all, managed with effective countermeasures. This way, companies remain agile and able to act.”

Meraxis’ digital customer portal centralizes data and documents: Users get a 360° overview of current and

past inquiries, offers, orders, invoices, payments, and information on delivery times and delivery status. In the future, live tracking of deliveries will even be possible. Current market data and raw material price developments can also be found in the portal. In addition, material inquiries can be made and orders placed around the clock. Meraxis also offers automated order management for prime and recycled materials to optimize inventories.

With the VMI (vendor-managed inventory) service “Ordering 4.0”, data on customers’ filling and material stocks can be transmitted directly to Meraxis. This is not only possible manually, but also fully automatically, for example via sensors in the raw material silos. If the fill level falls below a defined mark, a reorder with an

ideal delivery time is automatically initiated. Meraxis also supports its customers in switching to recyclates. The digital “Polymer Finder” also helps with this. Here, suitable polymers including sustainable recycled material can be researched, which are suitable for certain processing procedures and fulfill special properties. In addition, Meraxis advises its customers individually on the use and processing of recyclates and gives them access to the fragmented recycling market.

Visit Meraxis in Hall 6, Stand E 27 www.meraxis-group.com/en/

Dr Stefan Girschik, CEO of Meraxis

events

2022

K 2022: 19-26 October Düsseldorf, Germany www.messe-duesseldorf.de

Gold Pack Awards 2022: 9 November Inanda Club, Sandton www.goldpack.org.za

Carbon Fiber 2022: 15-17 November Greenville, South Carolina, USA www.compositesworld.com

Recovered Carbon Black 16-17 November: Berlin, Germany www.carbonblackworld.com

Propak West Africa: 22-24 November Landmark Centre, Lagos, Nigeria www.propakwestafrica.com

2023

Biopolymers & Sustainable Composites 1-2 March: Valencia, Spain www.biopolymersmeeting.com

Africa Energy Indaba: 7-9 March CTICC, Cape Town www.energyindaba.co.za

Firexpo 2023: 6-8 May Gallagher Convention Centre, JhB www.firexpo.co.za

Propak Ghana 2023: 6-8 June Grand Arena, AICC, Accra, Ghana www.propakghana.com

ISTMA World Conference 18-22 September: Cape Town secretariat@istma.org

Interplas: 26-28 September NEC, Birmingham, UK www.interplasuk.com

Propak Cape: 24-26 October CTICC, Cape Town www.propakcape.co.za

Borealis, Trexel develop new reusable, fully recyclable lightweight bottle

Monomaterial solution contains renewably-sourced PP

BOREALIS and Trexel, a leading expert in foaming injection and blow moulded parts, have co-developed a new plastic bottle based on a grade from the Bornewables™ portfolio of polyolefins made using renewable feedstocks derived 100% from waste and residue streams. The lightweight bottle – which will be showcased at the Borealis stand at K2022 (Hall 6, Stand A43) – is reusable and fully recyclable. It boasts a significantly lower overall CO2 footprint because it is composed of renewably-sourced feedstock and produced in the foaming process.

The Bornewables portfolio of circular polyolefins helps reduce the carbon footprint while offering material performance equal to virgin polymers. Using Bornewables grades allows for design freedom and colour flexibility,

and helps retain a premium look and feel. The grades help conserve natural resources because they are derived solely from waste and residue streams, for example from used cooking oil.

The reusable new bottle developed by Borealis and Trexel retains its value over many life cycles thanks to the use of Trexel’s proprietary technology in tandem with Bornewables grades; as a material solution, the new bottle minimises the use of valuable raw materials. Moreover, converters consume less energy in the production process when using the MuCell® technology. The bottle thus helps close the loop on plastics circularity by way of design for recycling, the use of renewable feedstocks, and excellent material performance across multiple life cycles. www.borealisgroup.com www.trexel.com

The

Bioplastics specialist presents broad product portfolio

FKuR is once again setting an example for more sustainability in the use of resources. In line with the hot topics of the K ‘circular economy’ and ‘climate protection’, FKuR will show visitors how they can implement the principles of a sustainable circular economy in their products using renewable raw materials and recycled plastics.

Bio-Flex® is a family of biodegradable and certified compostable plastics based on renewable raw materials. The main applications of Bio-Flex include a wide range of flexible film applications, such as agricultural, household and hygiene films, but are also used in injection moulded products or thermoformed articles.

Visit FKuR in Hall 6, Stand E48

Terralene® are bio-compounds based on polyethylene made from renewable raw materials (Bio-PE). All Terralene granulates are 100% recyclable and can be processed by injection moulding, blow moulding and film extrusion. In addition, the Terralene portfolio includes natural fibre reinforced grades, as well as bio-based PP compounds and bio-recyclate hybrids.

Green PE is a bio-based polyethylene made from the renewable raw material sugar cane. As a drop-in, Bio-PE is a renewable alternative to fossil polyethylene (PE). This bio-based and 100% recyclable plastic is used primarily in packaging for food and cosmetics as well as in household products, sports articles and toys.

www.fkur-polymers.com

Nissei ASB demonstrates four moulding technologies

Focus on packaging sustainability & efficiency

NISSEI ASB Machine Co Ltd, a world leading manufacture of machines and moulds for injection stretch blow moulding of PET and other plastics, will demonstrate live moulding of four separate technologies at K2022.

Three of the four machines demonstrated will make their global debuts at the show:

• HSB-4N – double blow heat-set reheat blow moulding + 1-litre returnable & refillable PET bottles for sparkling water – at 53 grams lightest in the industry with exceptional performance. In a typical production scenario, a

single HSB-4N machine will produce up to 20 million returnable and refillable PET bottles per year, and with each having a lifetime of more than 25 cycles, represents the equivalent of 500 million single use bottles.

• PF36/9-12000 – 1.5-step injection stretch blow moulding + 12-litre bagin-box super light-weight container for water server, 120 grams, at an output of 1 540 bph.

• ASB-12M-2INJ – 1-step double layer injection stretch blow moulding + 300ml airless pump bottle with PET outer & PP inner layer. Weighing 28.5g

(PET: 22.8g + PP: 5.7g) at an output of 410 bph, these pumps are used for liquids requiring no, or minimal contact with headspace air after initial opening.

• PM-100/111N – vertical clamp compact preform injection moulding + 13.5 gram preform at 14 700pph. Injection moulding is conducted in a three-row configuration with a choice of 18, 24 or 36 cavities depending on preform specification.

www.nisseiasb.co.jp/en/

all-electric machine + temperature control + intelligent assistance =

energy savings

Be the first. Be efficient.

Be the first. Be efficient.

Be the first. Be efficient.

Your situation:

Be the first. Be efficient.

The solution from ENGEL:

Your situation:

Your situation:

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

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

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

Your situation:

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

www.greentechmachinery.co.za

www.greentechmachinery.co.za

The solution from ENGEL:

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 e ciency. Up to 67% energy can be saved compared to a hydraulic injection moulding machine with a constant pump and conventional temperature control.

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 e ciency. Up to 67% energy can be saved compared to a hydraulic injection moulding machine with a constant pump and conventional temperature control.

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 e ciency. Up to 67% energy can be saved compared to a hydraulic injection moulding machine with a constant pump and conventional temperature control.

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 e ciency. Up to 67% energy can be saved compared to a hydraulic injection moulding machine with a constant pump and conventional temperature control.

Read more: engelglobal.com/be-e cient

Read more: engelglobal.com/be-e cient

Read more: engelglobal.com/be-e cient

Read more: engelglobal.com/be-e cient

Sumitomo Demag expands

Expansive range of proprietary robotics and automation solutions

At K2022, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag will present customers with an even more expansive range of SAM (Sumitomo. Automation. Machine) proprietary robotics and automation solutions.

Designed specifically for injection moulding machines, Sumitomo Demag will reveal how it is accelerating its inhouse automation platform, showcasing numerous concepts, including a new 6-axis system with special kinematics.

Automation Business Development director Jürgen Schulze explains how the company continues to analyse customer needs and drive forward its in-house development of cost-effective production solutions.

“Current and future customer requirements take centre stage in every aspect of our technology developments. The result is a portfolio of innovative new robotic and automation systems aligned to the company’s

machine developments. All realised in collaboration with highly competent and longstanding technology partners.”

Showcasing ‘Easy Automation’ is the SAM-C robot integrated into an IntElect 75 ton machine, manufacturing a DEHNguard ACI electronics application.

At the show, the IMD Wallbox exhibit features a 5-axis linear robot SD 22x on an IntElect 220, underlining the successful and long-standing partnership Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has with Sepro. The biggest attraction at this year’s booth, however, is the inaugural global presentation of the company’s new self-developed 6-axis robot that uses Sumitomo drive technology. This unveiling will take place on the company’s prominent LSR exhibit, featuring the production of an LSR SMARTcap on an IntElect 180.

SAM-S (Scara) builds upon the SAM-C (Cartesian) in-house range.

Engel creating high-end visible parts from recycled material

IN COLLABORATION with partner companies, Engel is closing the material cycle for high-end visible components made of ABS at the K show 2022.

Unique electronic boxes in black are being produced on an e-mac 465/160 injection moulding machine. They are made from rABS sourced from post-consumer recycled plastics. The surface is high-gloss. The cavity is laser engraved to create innovative patterns on the top side of the box, and there are fixtures for installing fans and connectors on the side surfaces. The part is also ultra-thin – 1.2mm – in order to save material. Conventional moulding would require thicker wall sections.

The all-electric Engel e-mac injection moulding machine relies on mould temperature control, based on Roctool induction technology, to enable

outstanding moulding precision and the highest surface quality.

The smart assistance systems from Engel’s inject 4.0 portfolio include iQ weight control, which detects fluctuations in the raw material and automatically adjusts the injection profile, the switchover point and the holding pressure to reflect the current conditions in the same cycle. In general, recycled materials are subject to greater batch fluctuations than virgin material, iQ weight control has a particularly positive impact in terms of achieving consistently high product quality in this application. At the same time, iQ melt control improves the homogeneity of the molten plastics by automatically adjusting the plasticising time to the optimum value for the application.

The proportion of virgin material can be

significantly reduced, to zero in the best case. Thanks to this combination of Roctool technology and Engel smart digital assistance, even demanding housing parts with a super thin, complicated geometry can now be produced from post-consumer recycled material in a cost effective and sustainable way.

The official sales launch of SAM-C, the first inhouse robot series from Sumitomo Demag will take place at K2022

Engel represented in SA by GreenTech Plastics Machinery

The rABS used to produce the electronic boxes is sourced from post-consumer recycled plastic

www.engelglobal.com

own-brand robot range

The new SAM-S is a 6-axis hybrid robot comprising Scara mechanics and linear robots. With two payload sizes (12kg and 25kg) currently planned, the SAM-S series is suitable for applications where a linear robot is considered too inflexible, yet industrial robots too complex for operators. Currently sized for injection moulding machines with clamp force ranges between 130 and 1 000 tons, the basic robot comprises five servo axes, with an optional extension to a sixth axis.

Manufacturing industries’ foremost exhibition returns to Lagos

RETURNING in November, Propak West Africa is once again set to be the primary exhibition for the packaging, plastics, printing and processing industries to showcase their products and connect with their industry peers.

From 22-24 November at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, the organisers expect to welcome 5 000 visitors and more than 200 brands to the exhibition venue. Leading companies from the region and around the globe will be in attendance, demonstrating the latest in industry innovation and sharing experiences with those in attendance to collectively raise the profile of the manufacturing sector in West Africa.

In 2021, the exhibition took place on the back of the pandemic but this year’s event is already set to beat the record numbers of attendees and brands set in 2019, and expands into the newly built Hall 3 at the Landmark Centre.

The conference programme that runs alongside the exhibition will take a closer look at the verticals that make up the exhibitor profiles as well as green technologies, Intra-Africa trade, innovative industry developments and capital finance for machinery. These sessions will help to attract the leading minds in the sector who want to understand how to take their businesses to the next level and share their experiences over the last few years. www.propakwestafrica.com

Propak launches in Ghana

THE organisers behind West Africa’s largest manufacturing event have announced the launch of the latest edition in their portfolio; Propak Ghana. Propak Ghana will focus its attentions on the packaging, plastics, printing and processing sectors in Ghana and its neighbouring countries and act as a catalyst for business connections and growth. The exhibition will take place from the 6-8 June 2023 at the Grand Arena in the centre of Accra.

With a verified audience of 2,500 visitors descending on Accra to interact with 120+ brands on display it promises to be a melting pot of ideas, commerce and knowledge sharing, that will help support these key manufacturing sectors in the region and provide access for international brands looking to expand their footprint in the region. www.propakghana.com

www.wumitomo-shi-demag.eu

Sumitomo-Demag represented in SA by DemaPlasTech Machinery (Pty) Ltd. Visit Sumitomo Demag in Hall 15, stall D22

Interactive robotic demos by Sepro allows K visitors to experience future of automation

Games

SEPRO Group will present several examples of injection moulding automation, giving visitors hands-on experience with future technological concepts including novel man-machine interface devices, total-system integration and artificial intelligence.

Each demonstration cell has been designed to be both informative and easy to use for all types of visitors. Attendees will be encouraged to take control of the robots and peripheral equipment to experience Sepro HMIs and, in one cell, visitors will be offered the opportunity to compete in the ‘K Challenge’. This game will be open to anyone, regardless of previous experience or training, partly to demonstrate how the robot controls of the future can be designed for use even by less-skilled operators.

“Sepro pioneered the concept of easy robot programming with the introduction our Simple-Pick-and-Place concept almost 20 years ago,” says Charles de Forges, CEO & CTO. “Simplicity and ease of operation are even more important today. At K2022, we not only want to demonstrate just how easy it can be, but we also want to see how people react to the concepts we have been developing so that we can discover which approaches are most likely to work best in the real world. We hope to learn

as much from our visitors as they learn from us about robot control.”

K2022 marks the debut of a new modular software architecture that enables the control of multiple pieces of robotic and auxiliary equipment via a single central control system.

In one moulding cell, for instance, the system will not only control a Sepro 5X-25 Cartesian robot and a 6X-140 six-axis articulated-arm unit, but also manage all additional peripheral devices as diverse as a conveyor, quality check equipment and a ink-marking machine. The system also can gather quality and production data that is used to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and provide other operational insights. In the fully automated cell described above, these data will be displayed continually on a large video screen for visitors to see.

Sepro is represented by PACTAutomation in South Africa, based in KZN. Regional manager, Craig Lolliot, says that Sepro robots are used extensively in the automotive and packaging industry in SA.

“Robots are, in most cases in injection moulding, essential for ensuring stability in the production process. They help to ensure exact repeatability and are used for removing anything, from car bumpers

to small clips as well as things like pallets, crates, bucket lids and pails.

“Sepro robots are best suited for any moulding application but it distinguishes itself when used for precision insert moulding and post-processing with the aid of the servo head. They are also brilliant for your general demoulding and placement of parts onto a conveyor to make your cycle time constant,” he adds. “They can also be used for palletising parts once demoulded.”

Lolliot explains that Sepro robots are reliable and accurate, even after years of use. They are easy to use and can perform really complex tasks that are easy to program with the use of the Sepro software installed on the robots.

Sepro robots can be mounted on any and all moulding machine brands, from 4000 ton machines right down to 20 ton machines. Communication between the IMM and the robots is done through Euromap 12 for the older machines or Euromap 67 for the newer machines. www.pactautomation.com

www.sepro-group.com

Sepro 7X-55 robot

FILLERS & ADDITIVES

PLASTICS & COMPOSITES

AUXILIARIES & SERVICES

ANCHOR CHEMICALS

Milliken, EREMA, PreZero to showcase technology for producing top-quality recycled PP

MILLIKEN & Company is partnering with European recycling leaders Erema and PreZero at K2022 to highlight the use of its Hyperform® HPN® performance additives in recycled polypropylene (rPP) compounds.

Operating in the Erema Circonomic Centre in the outdoor area (OA/CE03) of the fairgrounds, it will present a live recycling demonstration of recycled material supplied by German environmental services provider PreZero (Hall 8B/A57).

Erema’s machinery innovation allows PreZero to create odour-optimised premium rPP pellets directly from contaminated post-consumer material. Hyperform HPN upgrades the recycled PP by improving the material’s physical properties while also reducing the cycle time needed to process it. Additionally, these additives also provide for better dimensional control and crystallisation stability during the post-injection moulding period.

Milliken’s popular Hyperform HPN performance additives contribute to faster, trouble-free production of both virgin and recycled PP and deliver proven energy savings.

At the K show, Erema will run its patented Intarema® TVEplus® RegrindPro® extruder system with ReFresher technology, which sets new standards in the recycling of materials that are difficult to process such as heavily printed films and very moist materials. This is made possible through ultrafine filtration, thorough melt homogenization, and high-performance degassing in a single step. The proven basic principle of TVEplus technology is that melt filtration takes place upstream of extruder degassing.

Innovative injection mould technology

CORVAGLIA’S innovative “adaptive flex band” injection mould technology will be unveiled alongside the latest closure solutions at K2022. The technology combines different and in some cases conflicting requirements of beverage bottlers and consumers.

Above all, the technology offers major advantages for the tethered caps.

Beverage bottlers need closure solutions that can be easily applied to bottles on an industrial scale, making it easy to ensure high productivity and reduce scrap. For this purpose, a flexible tamper evident band has become established for conventional closures.

Consumers prefer a convenient opening and closing experience.

Consumer tests have revealed that this requires locking it in the open position with a large opening angle. The locking

mechanism requires hinges, which are preferably produced in the injection moulding process using slides in the injection moulds. Slides can be used to design a wide range of different hinges. The new “adaptive flex band” technology can combine these two demands.

Combination of both advantages of the adaptive flex-band concept. On the left the flex-band, on the right the hinges with large opening angle

Over 30 000 visitors at this year’s Electra Mining Africa

CELEBRATING 50 years this year, Electra Mining Africa saw thousands of buyers and sellers coming together at the Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg from 5-9 September to meet in-person and see the latest innovation and new products, services and technologies that were on display.

During the five days of the event over 30 000 thousand people connected across industries, and thousands of face-to-face interactions took place. Live demonstrations and competitions also kept visitors enthralled. Buyers were able

to get up close to the products, see and feel the quality and speak to technical experts. The show also offered visitors the opportunity to compare products and brands together under one roof.

“It was amazing to be back after four years and we were blown away,” says Gary Corin, managing director of organisers, Specialised Exhibitions. “The industry came out in full force in support of the show with over 650 exhibitors occupying just less than 30 000m2 of indoor and outdoor exhibition space. Although we’ve come

out of a very tough period following the pandemic, the sense of anticipation and the positivity that has been expressed on the floor of the exhibition throughout the show has been enormous.”

There were many innovative new products, services and technologies launched at Electra Mining Africa. Congratulations went to ABC Ventilation Systems, overall winners of the Electra Mining Africa 2022 Innovation and New Products Awards for their latest innovation. They were also winners of the ‘Local Manufacturing Innovation: >>

Ruan, Deon and Charloch were assisting visitors regarding dry ice blasting

Andre Muller, general manager, Maizey Plastics

Jonathan Sizer and Reggie Cuttings from Cape Town (new branch) were manning the Rare Plastics stand

Live demonstrations and competitions kept visitors enthralled

ERA Plastic Pipe Systems stand

Chris Nel of Truco spoke to visitors regarding Truco rubber products and their future

Dylan Haarhoff and Michael Pretorius were on the Pipestar stand

Meyndert de Klerk of manning the Pipe-Tech stand

New Product Mining category Award’.

The awards were presented in partnership between Electra Mining Africa and the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC). Recognising the high levels of innovation at the show, this year’s Electra Mining had 21 entries that were adjudicated with 18 winners and runners-up named, including the overall winner. These were across various local and international manufacturing categories.

The automation technology hall was a big addition to the show and as expected drew a lot of interest with the automation focussed free-to-attend seminars also popular amongst visitors.

skills and South African Day.

Also well received were the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE) free-to-attend seminars which saw over 40 speakers presenting a variety of content-rich topics aligned with the show’s theme days of automation, innovation, safety, future

Multi Plastic Bags, classified

International participation included the Austrian, German and Italian Pavilions as well as exhibitors from India, Chile, France, Australia, USA, Taiwan, Turkey, Switzerland, UK, Poland and Canada.

WE BUY YOUR OLD INJECTION MOULDS

FOR SALE

Paul Metcalfe, Shireen Metcalfe, Gordon Klopper and Neil van

Cycliq ClassifiedBagman Classified

Electra Mining Africa 2024 will take place at the Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg, from 2-6 September 2024

www.electramining.co.za

LOOKING FOR

Good 2nd hand shredder size 45 to 55 KW. Required for PP and HDPE lumps.

Contact: Wouter de Lange on cell 072 705 8597

Ryk Botes and Shaun Dean of Pioneer Plastics were on hand to assist visitors with information blasting

Benjamin Motaung, Koliswa Xoshimba DTIC, Bruce Sargent of SES, Vincent Oupa Mahlangu and William Baloyi on the PipeFlo stand

Plastique

Carst & Walker

McLaren & Athletic Propulsion Labs launch luxury footwear

Progresses design, performance, technology, and construction

MCLAREN Automotive, the luxury supercar maker, and Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL), the highperformance athletic footwear brand, have joined forces to create a new range of luxury footwear that further progresses design, performance, technology, and construction.

Inspired by McLaren’s iconic supercars and hypercars, the first offering from the collaboration is the limited-edition APL McLaren HySpeed™, a breathtaking new silhouette designed as an all-purpose performance running trainer.

From APL’s patented Load ‘N Launch® technology designed to instantly increase vertical leap, to McLaren’s hyper luxury Speedtail and emphasis on reducing vehicle weight to maximize efficiency and experience, the desire to push the limits is at the heart of each company.

The APL McLaren HySpeed™ features a three-piece segmented midsole with APL FutureFoam pods in the front and rear that are connected by a full-length lightweight carbon fibre plate topped by an

all-new nitrogen infused midsole compound that is engineered for supreme responsiveness and energy rich compression.

Additionally, the shoe has a microfibre heel with extended wings and an internal advanced fitment system with three-piece cushion heel padding and APL’s signature Souffle Sockliner.

The outsole also references design details of McLaren’s supercars, featuring a tread pattern inspired by performance tyres that are designed for speed and grip.

Greenpadel from Adidas with ampliTex flax fibres

THE new Adidas Greenpadel racket attracted a lot of attention at this year’s JEC World in Paris. This high-performance padel racket was designed and constructed with Bcomp’s unidirectional ampliTex™ flax fibre reinforcements for extraordinary versatility in both offense and defense.

Swiss company Bcomp is a leading expert in sustainable lightweighting with natural fibre composites for high-performance applications.

The Adidas Metalbone Greenpadel offers players a new level of performance thanks to the outstanding vibration damping offered by flax fibres. Replacing the conventional carbon and glass fibres with ampliTex™ flax fibres allowed the manufacturer to create a more sustainable racket.