SA POLYMER TECHNOLOGY

S OU TH E R N A FR IC A N P OLY ME R TE C H N OLOGY

POLYMER technology

VOL 17 NR 6 DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020

Maritime Marketing on the acquisition trail

V OL 17 N R 6 D E C E MB ER 2019 / JA N A U RY 2020

Steady progress in efforts to end plastic waste

www.sapt.co.za

Biggest injection machines from China yet, commissioned in SA

Botswana’s Sun Plastics gears up, gains BRC accreditation

Safrique’s Success at K INE ENTERS H C A M TO O R D E C N ADVA EER PLASTICS N IO P T A N IO T C U D O PR

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The Home of Size Reduction The Home of Size Reduction The Home of Size Reduction

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Purple Line goes 2-stage, again … this time with PP 14

Unilever signs SA Plastics Pact, commits to 2025 goals 16

New Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree starts 2020 38

BRENNTAG BRENNTAG POLYMERS POLYMERS BRENNTAG BRENNTAG BRENNTAG BRENNTAG POLYMERS POLYMERS POLYMERS POLYMERS

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BY THE WAY

Publisher & Managing Editor: Martin Wells (martin@summitpub.co.za) Editor: Tessa O’Hara (tessa@summitpub.co.za) Publishers Assistant: Heather Peplow (heather@summitpub.co.za) Financial manager: Lisa Mulligan (lisa@summitpub.co.za)

Purple Line Plastics in Cape Town has recently commissioned a two-stage PP stretch blow moulding system which is, we are nearly sure, a first in South Africa. Purple’s MD Charl du Plessis and GM Kevin Marle have also recently completed a rejig of their plant’s layout, which is one of the top lifetime achievements for any convertor: putting years of experience to practical use, to improve flow and efficiency in the factory and – phew! – getting just a little more peace of mind at the work place. See page 14

Designers: Jeanette Erasmus Graphic Design (jeanette.erasmus@lateraldynamics.co.za) Bronwen Moys Blinc Design (bronwen.clarke@gmail.com) Summit Publishing cc t: +27 (21) 712 1408 f: 086 519 6089 c: +27 (82) 822 8115 e: tessa@summitpub.co.za Postnet Suite 42, Private Bag X16, Constantia 7848, Cape Town, South Africa Unit 8, Bergvliet Village Centre, Cnr Hiddingh & Children’s Way Roads, Bergvliet 7945

www.sapt.co.za GAUTENG Lowrie Sharp t: (011) 793 4691 f: (011) 791 0544 c: 082 344 7870 e: lowrieplasticsmedia@absamail.co.za KZN Lynne Askew c: 082 904 9433 e: lynne@summitpub.co.za

Better result with flatbed than baseball bat OBTAINING a machine or machines after payment has gone through and due processes apparently completed has mysteriously proved more complex than expected for some convertors. When a machine is not forthcoming, strained relations have not surprisingly been created and buyers have been left stressed and even in peril from a business perspective. Back in the old days, buyers sometimes hired pugilists such as the late and famous boxer/comedian Mike Schutte of Boksburg to speed the process up: Mike would enter the premises plus baseball bat, smash a coffee table or cabinet or two and the supplier would usually become much more cooperative. That operational style is apparently no longer permissible, but one convertor did recently decide, in the nicest way possible, to sort out such a matter.

Just two gentlemen arrived at the supplier’s premises and gained access, perhaps fortuitously, but they had a better weapon: a flatbed truck with crane. Negotiations proceeded at surprising speed, based on focus more than threat, and a very similar machine was duly loaded. But it didn’t stop there: the partners left owing the supplier – yes! – for additional goods estimated to value some half a bar. That payment went through on schedule and the case is now shut.

Printed by: Novus Print, Paarl Southern African Polymer Technology is published six times a year and focuses on these industries in South and Southern Africa. We welcome news, articles, technical reports, information in general and photographs about events and developments related to the plastics industry.

The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Plastics Converters Association, Institute of Materials or Association of Rotational Moulders either.

Copyright: All rights reserved.

ISSN number: 1684-2855 (ISDS Centre, Paris) Summit Publishing: CK 9863581/23 VAT reg: 4600187902

Congrats to Nampak’s De Ruyter THERE were apparently over 140 applicants for the position of chief executive of Eskom, which must rate as the most difficult job in South Africa at present – or ever for that matter. Very few people outside of the industry had even heard of André de Ruyter prior to his unveiling as CEO in mid-November, but take that as a good sign: the fact that Nampak is still around is in itself quite a feat. Hardly a month passed without some crisis at its businesses across Africa in the five years he was at the helm of SA’s most diversified packaging group, resulting in several big changes being made. The people at Eskom may need to prepare for change now too. Very few are capable of managing change at that level, and many will be sorry to see André leave.

Association of Rotational Plastics Institute

Moulders of South Africa

of Southern Africa

Plastics Converters Association

PET Plastic Recycling South Africa

Institute of Materials

… 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

Volume 17 No 6

DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020

CONTENTS Find out more at www.sapt.co.za

29

INDUSTRY NEWS 6

Biggest injection machines from China yet, commissioned in SA

12

Maritime Marketing acquires a stake in Gantec Tool & Die

14

Purple Line goes 2-stage with PP

16

Unilever signs SA Plastics Pact, commits to 2025 goals

18

Safripol’s PE100 pipe material globally compliant

34

Sun Plastics gears up, gains BRC accreditation

40

Advanced roto machine enters production at Pioneer Plastics

21

SAPRO BEST RECYCLED PLASTIC PRODUCT AWARDS

28

GOLD PACK AWARDS

24 52

58

67

K2019 REVIEW 42

K2019 gives a clear signal for responsible handling of plastics

ENVIRONMENT 52 56

Domo, Circularise and Covestro partner on full plastics traceability Biocomposite of the year!

DESIGN 76

Thermoformed parts competition pushes the boundaries

ON THE COVER: PC masterbatch – The silver prize in the newcomer category of the SAPRO Best Recycled Plastic Product Awards in November went to Masterbatch SA for its post-consumer masterbatch. The grade enables convertors and brand owners to manufacture 100% recycled content products with consistent colour whilst maintaining their environmental claims. The total tonnages of post-consumer material sold by MBSA since the grade was introduced in August 2018 impressed the judges. Read more on page 21

COMMENT Alliance to End Plastic Waste – The fact that several of the major global brand groups are involved in the alliance, along with many of the top world material manufacturers, is a big positive for the programme.

The effort to end plastic waste in the environment is operating out of Singapore and the partners are committed to providing funding estimated at $1,5-billion over the next five years – that’s only a fraction of Eskom’s debt, like five percent of it

www.endplasticwaste.org

These are

challenging

but exciting times for all of us Lots to do in SA and Africa going forward

I

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has already set up in Singapore, mainly since the biggest source of the problem, according to the management of the programme, is five countries in the SE Asia zone. Programmes have already started along the Ganges in India (which is not in the ‘top 5’) and elsewhere. One of the main goals is to resolve the problem of marine debris. As far as Africa is concerned, perhaps PlasticsSA’s Initiative to End Plastic Pollution in the Environment and recyclers organisation SAPRO’s Plastics Pact can tag on to the global programme?

It’s a big relief that brand groups have bought into it. This whole new scenario offers challenges for convertors, but finding new solutions in the years ahead will create exciting times for all of us.

Just surviving ‘019 was an achievement For most of us, 2019 has not been over-whelming, and perhaps the biggest achievement was simply surviving. Hats off to all the employers who got through, it certainly has not

been easy. Perhaps the most notable aspect for convertors was managing to halt the very aggressive strike action that started in late 2018. The Plastics Convertors Association shelled out over R3-million in legal fees (read inside), in the process of which the Labour Court found in its favour in 10 of the 11 cases brought before it. Now perhaps everyone can just get on with their work and lives?

Design awards The recent Gold Pack Awards (pages 28-32 and SAPRO Recycled Product Awards (pages 20-27 produced several innovative solutions. There are just about as many companies who participate in these programmes and those who don’t, but it’s fair to say that using awards labels in the marketing of products goes down well with consumers, even if it only has a subliminal effect.

For the participants, the awards process was fun, and for their partners too. The guys were superbly turned out at the awards nights and the ladies were even better – it’s got to be said, guys, if the ladies lose interest it’s basically game over.

Now, going into the summer break, it’s best wishes to all of our readers, your colleagues and families and friends. If you can take a break, enjoy it … and let’s all return a little wiser in 2020.

Martin Wells, Publisher

4

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

F YOU haven’t heard enough about it already, there is another programme aimed at solving the problem of plastics in the environment … only this time, thankfully, it’s a global cooperative effort involving many of the top brand and material manufacturers..

THIS ISSUE

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JHB 63491/OJ

Sustaining communities.

An attractive characteristic of PE100 piping systems is the creation of leak-free joints through heat fusion, which creates a joint that is as strong as the rest of the pipe. Ensuring on fulfilling the needs of the local potable water pipe market, for generations to come.

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A Division of KAP Diversified Industrial (Pty) Ltd.

2019/11/08 11:45

NEWS

Biggest

injection machines from China yet commissioned in SA Huge Tederic systems go into production

6 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

TWO huge Tederic injection moulding machines, of 4500 and 2700 tons clamp force capacity, have been commissioned at Tego Plastics in Cape Town.

The new systems are the biggest injection machines from China to be installed in South Africa to date, an impressive showing of the growing efficiency and capability of the Chinese machine manufacturers, now in applications to manufacture large and complex products where machines from the Far East would until recently not have been deemed suitable.

According to Umberto Favini of the machine supplier, Userve of Johannesburg, which is the SA agent for Tederic, the project has been

several years in the making. A number of machine suppliers were invited to tender for the contract, including both European and Asian manufacturers.

A proven track record was among the most important criteria under focus.

Fortunately, Tederic has previously completed near identical projects in Turkey and other countries, which may have helped give it and project coordinator Favini the inside lane.

Up until quite recently, major contracts like this have mainly gone to the leading European

marques, due to their efficiency and more recently their ability to use less power as well as the feature of reduced maintenance requirement. But Tederic, and obviously a number of the other Chinese machine manufacturers too, has made constant progress and now – as opposed to a decade ago – its machines are seen as a viable and attractive alternative.

With a capable shot weight of 62kgs per moulding, this is certainly one of the most impressive moulding applications undertaken in the industry in South Africa in recent years. But just about

Just about every stat for the project is impressive

Personnel from Hestico (supplier of Maguire loader/ blender), Userve, Tederic and the mould manufacturer were on site at the time of the final machine trials at the plant in November

The 2700 ton machine and the 4500 ton machine (near the rear of the hall), which is certainly the largest and most impressive Chinese injection machine yet installed in South Africa, with Umberto Favini of Userve, supplier of the massive Tederic systems, and Edward Smith at the new Tego plant in Brackenfell, Cape Town. The premises were extensively upgraded to accommodate the big machines

every stat for the project is impressive, said Favini. Of an especially intimidating scale is the mould, which weighs a staggering 63 tons. Full trials of the mould were conducted at the huge Tederic machine factory in Hangzhou, China, where several hundred of the bins were produced before the system was stripped down to be shipped.

The DH4500 unit being used to produce various large products at Tego features a servo electric screw drive, a high-speed solution necessary to inject such a large volume of melt per shot in the shortest time possible. The smaller DH 2700 unit is running a support product for the product in the DH4500.

The mould was built by a toolroom in China which Userve and Tederic have long been working with. Its entry to production in SA is a major accomplishment for the toolroom.

The pick-and-place robot from Campetella of Italy is the biggest ‘payload’ robot yet supplied by the Italian robotics specialist, also represented by Userve, in South Africa.

All the peripherals were simply designed around the mould and products, said Favini. One necessity was to increase the ‘daylight’ between the mould platens to lift the product out of the zone quickly, minimising the delay to the process and further reducing the cycle times. www.userve.co.za

Edward Smith of Tego and Umberto Favini of Userve jointly coordinated the project

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 7

NEWS

8 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

JUST BRIEFLY

Huge legal bills hit PCA after strike THE Plastics Convertors Association (PCA) incurred major legal fees during the strike which afflicted the industry from October 2018, with bills of R3,084-million received, meaning that the convertors’ body was technically insolvent and had to enact a special levy to raise funds to continue operating.

This became apparent at the PCA’s annual general meeting in Midrand in October, when a special motion in which members were requested to pay an additional levy was passed.

The PCA had budgeted for less than a quarter of the total amount for legal costs at the outset of the strike by the National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA), which turned out to be one of the most aggressive to hit the industry since 1992. The strike commenced on 15 October 2018 and the lock-out of NUMSA members who continued with the strike followed from 29 October. In the ensuing months, PCA director Johan Pieterse and the association’s legal team were in court frequently: the Labour Court found in the PCA’s favour in 10 of the 11 cases held up till the end of October, over a year after the strike started.

“The only case in which the PCA was unsuccessful was to have the strike declared unprotected,” said Pieterse. “In the remainder we were successful, including several interdicts, contempt of court and opposing the application by NUMSA to have the lock-out declared unprotected.”

The PCA’s strategy proved to be a vital factor in enabling convertors to continue operating during what for many was an extremely challenging period. The legal action helped deter further possible action by the union.

Some PCA members at the AGM voiced concerns around the additional levy, but other members cautioned that costs of interrupted production or damage to property may have been far higher.

Industry leaders make steady progress in efforts to end plastic waste Four working groups tasked with addressing weaknesses in SA’s waste management system THE South African Initiative to End Plastic Waste has made important progress in its efforts to find workable solutions that will end plastic from polluting the environment.

According to Plastics/SA executive director, Anton Hanekom, the initiative was formed earlier this year and enjoys the support and active participation of the entire packaging value chain - including the chemicals sector, polymer and/or raw material producers, importers, packaging converters, retailers, brand owners, fast food franchises, producer responsibility organisations and many other stakeholders.

Coordinated by the Consumer Goods Council (CGC) of South Africa as secretariat, four working groups were formed to look at: the role of technology, innovation & design; infrastructure; bioplastics & alternatives; and education & awareness in combatting litter.

“These working groups are made up industry leaders representing the entire value chain, as well as government representatives of the Department of

Environment, Forestry & Fisheries; Department of Trade & Industry and the UN Environment Programme.

They are all working towards specific outcomes and present progress reports to the greater forum on a bi-monthly basis. It is truly exciting to see how the different sectors are complementing and supporting each other’s efforts to develop scalable solutions that eliminate plastic waste in the environment and that fit the country’s particular environmental, socio-political and economic realities,” Hanekom explained.

Highlights of the work done to date by these working groups include: 1 Improving design for sustainability The Technology, Innovation & Design working group is focusing on improving the South African plastics industry’s success with design for sustainability, increasing recycled content in products; securing demand for recyclate; generating energy from waste; increasing commercial and home composting facilities, developing end-markets for recycled plastic and developing refuse-derived fuels. >>

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2019/11/05 13:33

NEWS

Transpaco to discontinue recycling operation

10 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

JUST BRIEFLY

TRANSPACO has decided to discontinue its Transpaco Recycling post-consumer recycling operation in Elandsfontein, following a decision taken by the Transpaco board on 30 September. The plant is almost certainly the biggest polyolefins recycling operation in South Africa.

It said in a statement that the decision was taken due to restricted selling price levels as a result of low virgin polymer prices while energy, labour and distribution costs keep rising. With no likelihood the pricing situation improving in the short to medium-term, the statement said it had thus decided to discontinue the business in the current financial year.

Botswana’s Kgalagadi Plastic Industries buys British packaging business KGALAGADI Plastic Industries (KPI) group of Botswana has purchased Grange Packing Solutions of Warrington, England, in what must be one of the first European business purchases by an African convertor.

Grange focusses on contract packing and has been in operation since 1992. Since then the company has expanded its services considerably, it operates a cleanroom facility and a number of pick-and-place filling lines.

Its core focus is working with brands to create innovative packing solutions for new product launches, as a result of which it offers a variety of packaging services, including that of ‘tray, pot and top hat sealing’.

Raj Patel of Gaborone-based Kgalagadi Plastics Industries is very positive about his group’s first venture outside of Africa. KPI currently operates plants in Angola (Fabrica de Plasticos Kwanza LDA in Luanda) and in Zambia (Polythene Products Zambia).

Plastics/SA executive director, Anton Hanekom (right foreground) during one of the four working groups formed to look at the role of technology, innovation & design; infrastructure; bioplastics & alternatives; and education & awareness in combatting litter

campaigns with the use of information 2 Improving waste management infrastructure booklets, pamphlets, websites, mobile This group is looking at the best ways apps and clean-up events. One of their of diverting plastic waste from landfill aims is to enhance skills development and the environment. Their objective among entrepreneurs, waste pickers is to support infrastructure, create and waste management businesses. blueprint model(s) for implementation, and roll out relevant waste Next steps management projects.

A progress report back between One possibility for communities representatives of the SA Initiative without waste management to End Plastic Waste and Minister of infrastructure, is the creation the Environment, Forestry & of materials recovery hubs Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, - facilities in central saw the formation of Exciting points which operate two more working to see how the different within a 150km groups with specific sectors are complementing radius. These hubs focus on standards, and supporting each will be responsible compliance and other’s efforts to develop for accepting and the integration scalable solutions sorting all types of of waste pickers packaging waste, into the circular that eliminate plastic baling it and selling to economy. waste in the recyclers (high-value “An impressive environment waste) or for processing amount of work and and converting into furniture research has already or building materials to meet been done, but there is still community needs (low-value or nonplenty more we as an industry need recyclable waste). to do to reach the scale and impact we are hoping to achieve with this 3 Developing alternative project. We are inviting anyone who is feedstocks interested and involved in the plastics The Bioplastics & Alternatives group is value chain and feel they have some currently developing a position paper insight to offer, to join one of the on biodegradable and compostable initiative’s working groups. The ultimate packaging materials, in which retailers success of these solutions will depend and brand owners are being urged to on ensuring as much industry buy-in consider various factors before they and drawing on as much expertise as introduce such packaging products. possible!” Hanekom concluded.

One such factor is the importance of using appropriate labels and logo’s to ensure they are easily differentiated • For more information or to sign up from their conventional counterparts. to the South African Initiative to End 4 Improving education and awareness The Education & Awareness group’s goals are centred on awareness

Plastic Waste, contact Anton Hanekom on +27 011 314 4021, or email Anton.Hanekom@plasticssa.co.za.

www.plasticsinfo.co.za

Classifieds Oct/Nov'19.indd 92

2019/09/12 12:10

NEWS

Marc and Greg Gerasimo (3rd from left) of Maritime Marketing and Jarrad and Anthony Barnes of Gantec Tool & Die are committed to getting the new partnership between the companies off to a solid start and specifically towards getting more moulds manufactured in South Africa

Maritime Marketing acquires a stake in Gantec Tool & Die

12 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

New model provides realistic alternative to have moulds built locally TOP machine supplier Maritime Marketing has purchased a major stake in leading toolmaker Gantec Tool & Die in a move which could provide interesting opportunities for convertors in South Africa, for users of both blow and injection moulds.

In what is yet another trend-setting move by Maritime, one of SA’s longest established equipment supply businesses, the investment gives the Gantec team of father and son Anthony and Jarrad Barnes the scope to focus solely on what they do best, that is the design and manufacture of highperformance tools.

Up untill now, most of – if not all – of South Africa’s toolrooms have operated independently and relied on ‘word of mouth’ to bring in new business, but that hasn’t worked too well for them.

If anything, the majority of convertors in South Africa have shown a preference to work with toolmakers in China: prices have been good, turnaround times have been good and the results have generally been good too. The results have been obvious, most of SA’s toolrooms have been shrinking, in spite of the fact that a large group of outstanding toolmakers are active in the SA industry.

Gantec has been in operation since 2008, with Anthony Barnes having been operating as a toolmaker for years prior to starting the company. Over the period since, it has remained as one of only a few dedicated toolrooms in the plastics industry in South Africa (a large number of the toolrooms have virtually become convertors as a result of going into moulding themselves). The problem for the Barnes team, as it is for most of the other toolmakers, is that the design and metal cutting work is so intense that they have not been able to focus enough attention on sales and marketing.

By comparison, most of the toolrooms The ‘Eco’ Laser system from OR Lasertechnology of Germany at Gantec, here being operated by Jean Pierre Marais, is used for both laser welding and laser deposit welding, meaning that it can be utilised for both mould repairs and design changes

in China use agents, often university graduates who are fluent in English, whose focus is solely to interact with convertors.

The other main difference between the SA and China markets is that the Chinese toolmakers tend to cooperate to speed up turnaround times, and even operate as clusters, which simply has not happened here. These factors have resulted in the Far East toolmakers advancing virtually at the expense of the local toolrooms.

The turnaround The investment by the Maritime team, involving brothers Greg and Marc Gerasimo, has the potential now to turn this all around for Spartan-based Gantec.

The intention is for the Barnes team to manufacture tools for Maritime’s injection and blow moulding customers.

Maritime, reputed to be the first SA machinery supplier to source equipment from the Far East way back in the 1980s, supplies a range of injection moulding machines, including the acclaimed Jetmaster and Supermaster machines from Chen Hsong. The Chen Hsong machines, which are manufactured in China as well as

out to the Far East. That ultimately led to the decision earlier this year to make the offer to buy the stake in Gantec formerly held by a Gauteng tool supplier.

“Our aim is to consolidate the businesses under one roof. We believe operating them alongside each other will provide opportunities for both companies and of course customers can now procure their machinery and moulds from one company as a real turnkey solution.

“The biggest advantage is that Gantec will leverage Maritime’s customer base and sales team which will free up Anthony Barnes to focus on his expertise in mould design and manufacture,”said Greg Gerasimo.

Since the investment, Gantec has rebranded its company image to tie in with the Maritime brand. The new

www.gantec.co.za

business model, almost certainly the first of this nature to be trialed in South Africa, is now underway and work has begun to flow from the Maritime customers to the Gantec toolroom.

Gantec is producing high-quality, fast-cycling moulds with exclusive Smartmould™ technology. Its main activity is multiple-cavity closure moulds, followed by blow moulds and an equal share of injection moulds, the latter mainly for technical products.

The Smartmould comprises of a device that tracks cycle times, shot counts, efficiency and tool maintenance. It also stores all tool drawings, 3D data and other information of the tool. The system allows for monitoring of maintenance protocols ensuring tools are serviced on time, reducing downtime and maintaining efficiency and profitability.

www.maritimemarketing.co.za

Third edition of international plastics exhibition set for SA in March THE third edition of COMPLAST Complete Plastics Exhibition in SA takes place from 3-5 March 2020 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg.

According to the organisers, visitors to the exhibition - plastics processors in South Africa and neighbouring countries including Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Malawi - will get to see dedicated and focussed exhibits and demonstrations of cutting edge plastics technology.

The first two editions of COMPLAST South Africa were a great success with more than 30 exhibitors from South Africa, along with international exhibitors from India, China, Taiwan, Iran, Turkey, and the Middle East, as well as several South East Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. All in all, close on 230 exhibitors participated in the first two editions.

In the forthcoming edition the number of exhibitors is likely to reach 160.

Participating countries so far include India, China, Taiwan, Turkey, Iran, Italy, Germany, Korea, Egypt and Sri Lanka, as well as a large representation

by South African agents and representatives of major international companies from around the glove all over the world.

A concurrent event includes WOPS – World of Products, the perfect convergence platform for buyers and sellers. Seminars and workshops will also be held during the expo, at the venue.

Who should participate?

Manufacturers of plastics processing machines, auxiliaries, raw materials suppliers, masterbatch and additive suppliers, as well as finished products manufacturers.

• For further details email

swaminathan@smartexpos.in or sasikumar.b@smartexpos.in, or phone |+91 97 890 95247

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 13

Taiwan, have for more than three decades been a popular choice in South Africa. Maritime also supplies the TMC range of injection moulding machines (from Taiwan), which have been used by many SA convertors for more than 30 years.

In blow moulding, Maritime supplies the Tongda machines which are widely regarded as the best blow moulding machine brand from China.

Maritime has transitioned extensively over the past few years in order to provide solutions in the rapidly changing industrial and economic conditions. Marc Gerasimo was familiar with tools built by Gantec while still in the converting sector, at Lumoss Mouldings in Johannesburg, and over the past few years began to see the opportunity to have moulds built locally instead of continuously farming work

news The heat is on … Charl du Plessis and Kevin Marle are chuffed with Purple Line’s new PP stretch blow moulding system; the preforms are heated in infrared tunnels before entering the blowing stations

Purple Line goes 2-stage, again... this time with PP Stretch blow moulding offers number of advantages for certain containers

14 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

PURPLE LINE PLASTICS, the Cape small container manufacturing specialist, has achieved another coup with the introduction of new technology for the 2-stage stretch blow moulding of polypropylene containers, possibly the first in South Africa to do so.

Purple Line MD Charl du Plessis and ‘lieutenant/sheriff’ Kevin Marle have been operating the company in Triangle Farm, Cape Town, since 2002 Under six weeks turnaround – Purple Line beat even its own turnaround record to get a range of gin ‘baubles’ to market for the 2018 summer season.

The range of gin from a local craft gin distiller is supplied in 50ml containers now known as baubles, with a ‘five-pack’ comprising five different flavours packaged in a transparent PET sleeve.

It was just less than six weeks from the point the manufacturer agreed to terms to first batches delivered

and at no stage has the improvement process slackened. It has in the process achieved a number of successes, the most recent of which prior to the current project was in 2015, when it commenced with the production of PET containers on a similar two-stage process. To manufacture two stage jars in PP, it was decided to request that the Machine Manufacturer develop and design dedicated technology for the PP work, where the melt point and heating parameters are different to PET. The result of this was the commissioning recently of the new line. Although PP, even with clarifying agent, does not achieve the crystal clarity of PET, it does offer a number of advantages for specific cosmetic containers.

With the preforms being manufactured separately on-site, the advantage is that preform stock can be built up which takes less space than finished Blow Moulded Jars. The easy to start and operate blow moulding process can cater for smaller and quicker turn around times. The company continues to surprise it’s customers by turning large late orders, such as going into the Christmas season, with in-time turnaround and personal service.

Further advantages of using stretch blow moulding for the PP containers,

as compared to extrusion blow moulding, is that seam lines are eliminated and there is no need to trim lost heads or flashing scrap.

In one of the first jobs run on the new machine are 500ml cosmetic jars. A further advantage is that no hydraulics are used, reducing the maintenance requirements.

Rejigged layout Purple Line has also just completed the rejigging of its plant layout. Du Plessis, who has been involved in blow moulding for more than four decades, and Marle have continuously been working at improving the ‘flow’ through the factory. Mind you, they have also expanded into adjacent halls over the past few years. The team is now happy that efficiencies have been improved to the point that they are finally achieving close to maximum performance from their plant.

Purple Line is also using recycled PET in many of it’s containers and last year completed a first off Christmas order for a new brand of gin baubles in a record time. It was the only company that could supply this product into the market within six weeks of conception - mould manufacture and production in 5 different colours!

www.purplelineplastics.co.za

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NEWS

JUST BRIEFLY

Ferro set to buy Performance Colour Systems FERRO South Africa and Performance Colour Systems (PCS) have entered into an agreement in terms of which Ferro will acquire PCS, which is a division of Speedbird. Ferro South Africa is part of Bud Chemicals & Minerals, a diversified group with additional interests in industrial services, building materials and financial services.

Bud is a major operator in the beneficiation, manufacture, importation and distribution of chemical products and raw materials in the Southern African market. Through its Plastics Division, Ferro manufactures black, white, filler and desiccant masterbatches for the SA and export markets.

PCS is a leader in the SA masterbatch market, manufacturing high quality white, colour and additive masterbatches and importing key imported products such as high grade black masterbatch and select additives.

PCS’s products are supplied throughout South Africa and with a significant export footprint that spans across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

16 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Azelis acquisition of Orkila AZELIS, a leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, has signed an agreement to acquire Orkila, the top specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor throughout Africa and the Middle East. Through this transaction, Azelis intends to acquire 100% of Orkila, with over 220 employees joining the Azelis team.

The specialty chemicals distribution market in Africa and the Middle East is one of the fastest growing in the world while the blue chip raw material producers are looking for a sizeable distributor in the region.

Headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, the Orkila group runs offices in 13 countries and is active in more than 30 countries in the region. Orkila was created in 2005 and grew to become the leading specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor in the region, with sales into multiple market segments. www.azelis.com

Unilever signs

commits to Company assures plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 – By NICOLA JENVEY MULTINATIONAL fast-moving consumer goods group Unilever has set ambitious global commitments to plastic reduction, confirming that by 2025 it will have eliminated more than 100 000 tons of plastic packaging from its production lines and assisted in collecting and processing more plastic packaging than it sells.

A joint statement from London and Rotterdam released in early October announced the move would create a circular economy for plastics and said that Unilever was the first major global consumer goods company to commit to an absolute plastics reduction across its portfolio.

This comes as plastic consumption has escalated 200-fold in the past 50 years and increasing amounts of single-use plastics end up in the ocean.

Unilever South Africa hosted a ‘Thought Leadership’ event in Durban in October at which the focus was on the role industry can play in driving an inclusive circular economy. Unilever global CEO Alan Jope said the group was on track to ensuring its plastic packaging was reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 and to use a minimum 25% recycled plastic in its packaging.

“This demands a fundamental rethink in our approach to our packaging and products … to introduce new and innovative packaging materials and scale-up new business models like re-use and refill formats at an unprecedented speed and intensity,” Jope said.

Among the Unilever products available in South Africa, the Sunlight

Unilever South Africa CEO Luc-Olivier Marquet holds up the signed copy of the South African Plastics Pact, an industry-led voluntary initiative to drive developing a circular economy for plastics, flanked by WWF policy and futures unit head Tatjana von Bormann (left) and SAPRO chairman Johann Conradie

Liquid and Dawn Lotion packaging containers are now produced from wholly recycled plastic and are also fully recyclable.

Unilever South Africa CEO LucOlivier Marquet, said consumers – manufacturers, producers, suppliers and customers – need to recycle plastics until an alternative packaging has been created.

We need to keep plastic off the streets, out of landfills, away from the ocean and in the economy. The cost of doing nothing is significantly higher than the cost of taking action and there is no time to waste,” said Marquet.

Pilot project employs waste pickers as official collectors Unilever is a founding signatory to the SA Plastics Pact, an industryled voluntary initiative to drive the development of a circular economy

PHOTOS: TERRY HAYWOOD

SA Plastics Pact,

2025

supported by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and South African Plastics Recycling Organisation (SAPRO).

The company is also working with partners to improve the legislation around waste management, including integrating reclaimers or waste pickers into the recycling economy and compensating them for their services.

A pilot project in Gauteng will see waste pickers employed as official collectors selling their collection to buy-back centres for transformation into new packaging.

An opportunity for economic growth in SA WWF policy and futures unit head Tatjana von Bormann said the initiative will transform the problem of plastics entering the environment and provide an opportunity for economic growth, especially in sectors where South Africans need to adopt recycling as a way of doing business.

African Reclaimers Organisation executive member and reclaimer, Luyanda Hlatshwayo, says ordinary South Africans need to wholly understand what is happening in the recycling industry.

“Our work has been hidden.

Many citizens are surviving on recycling and the collection system, resulting in high collection rates for South Africa – higher than most other countries and this partnership with Unilever will (encourage) other companies to come forward to collaborate,” he says.

goals

Department of Environment directorgeneral Mark Gordon

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 17

NEWS

Safripol’s PE100 pipe material globally compliant

18 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Partnerships with LyondellBasell & Qenos informs Safripol of innovative pipe technology, ensures compliance to globally accepted ISO standards LOCAL polymer producer, Safripol, has firmly established itself as a leader in the PE100 pipe sector for 47 years with ever-growing volumes and technical capabilities. As the local market requirements evolved, and the converter’s customers expected quality guarantees, Safripol adapted to respond accordingly to remain relevant and competitive.

Through international partnerships with LyondellBasell and Qenos, Safripol stays informed of innovative pipe technology, as well as ensures compliance to globally accepted ISO standards set down for PE100 pipe materials, which were subsequently adopted by the custodian of national standards, the SABS. “LyondellBasell’s technology license agreement affords Safripol access to the latest advances in polymerisation and application development, while the exclusive licence agreement with Qenos, an accredited ISO 17025 laboratory, allows for information-sharing and provides the company access to future product developments in the HDPE pressure pipe industry,” explains George Diliyannis, Safripol’s senior technical service and development engineer.

“Furthermore, Qenos and Safripol are the only two companies in the world that use specific LyondellBasell Bimodal Hostalen technology to produce advanced PE100 compliant material.”

Diliyannis says that Safripol’s PE100 pipe grade material, branded iMPACT100®, has always met these ISO standards, and the company has an ongoing mandate to maintain these. iMPACT100®’s compliance with global ISO standards is audited twice a year, with an application to renew certification every three years.

Safripol’s iMPACT100 achieves crack resistance of more than three times ISO requirements Crack resistance is a vital parameter to determine the lifespan of the pipe, and while the industry benchmark set by the ISO standards for crack resistance is 500 hours (Notched Pipe Test), Safripol’s iMPACT100® achieves in excess of 1,200 hours, assuring excellent performance in the field. In addition, external testing is carried out at Hessel Ingenieurtechnik, a specialised pipe testing laboratory in Germany. These results indicate crack resistance of more than three times the ISO requirements, further demonstrating the excellent performance and expected lifetime of pipes made from iMPACT100®.

The minimum ISO requirement for pipe longevity is 50 years, but Safripol recognises the critical need to be more sustainable, aiming for between 50 and 100 years.

“We’re more than just a plastic manufacturer. We want to be sustainable www.safripol.com

ripol’s senior George Diliyannis, Saf development and vice ser l nica tech and Safripol engineer, says Qenos panies com two are the only cific in the world that use spe l Hostalen oda Bim sell llBa nde Lyo e advanced technology to produc al PE100 compliant materi

and intend to do so by making good and durable quality products, and present more longevity than traditional pipe materials (e.g. steel and concrete),” says Diliyannis. He went on to say that the company is investing in infrastructural spending to address local needs.

“South Africa experiences water scarcity, significant water losses, a rapidly growing population, and a population that is urbanising and needs access to clean drinking water, as well as safe water waste disposal. The need to advance local infrastructure is an ongoing drive backed by political will, and we are confident that iMPACT100® is the best type of material to use in pressure pipe applications, not only because it lasts longer, but it also reduces water wastage through leak-free solutions and is more cost-effective, sustainable solution compared to traditional pipe materials.”

While the SABS certification is underway, Safripol will continue to leverage global technology licensors and new information, supported by a continuous focus and improvement in health, safety, environmental, risk, quality, sustainability and operational efficiency.

Diliyannis adds that Safripol’s access to international market trends and new concepts is applied locally to build up the industry, by determining what’s relevant and how best it could be incorporated into South African market pipe projects.

WAG opens

Myles Ryan (second from left), West African Group’s new Cape region manager, was proud to introduce the team at the facility in WP Park recently, including Troy Finlayson, Makabongwe Mxi, Jerome Calvert and Alrick Calvert

new Cape warehouse New spot is centrally located

Ryan heading up the project.

With the decision to change operating structure and establishing its own warehouse, it means Tony Stopford ceases to be involved in the warehousing or distribution activities of WAG. WAG has had a long-standing and very successful partnership with Tony and sincerely wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

Myles was originally at Safripol before a short period out of the industry with Hilti, a Liechtenstein-based power tools manufacturer, but was happy to return to the industry with WAG a few years ago. Myles relocated to Cape Town from Johannesburg earlier this year.

He has considerable experience in the polyolefins area, and the same dynamics apply for all the materials and goods going through the warehouse.

Suitable premises were found near the N7, a freeway linking the N1 and N2 freeways in Cape Town, and the move was on. Transport is being contracted out, but Myles believes WAG Western Cape is well positioned to control and maintain its service standards to it’s customers.

WAG supplies the range of ExxonMobil polymers and performance polymers, Safripol PP, polystyrene from Innova, Supreme and Trinseo, Taghleef BOPP films, natural and synthetic rubber and rubber chemicals, as well as desiccant and dunnage bag products … in other words, there is a substantial quantity of product moving through the warehouse and high-level control is necessary in order to supply convertors consistently.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 19

WEST African Group has moved to new warehouse premises in Cape Town where it will be able to better serve its customers in the Cape region.

As part of its long-term strategy, West African Group (WAG) has been planning to establish its own warehouse in the Western Cape and move away from third party warehousing. It had planned to make the change in 2020 but the timeline was sped up when the landlord at the previous premises instructed that doublestacking of pallets would no longer be possible. Not being able to double-stack would have resulted in substantially more space being required to store material and would have virtually doubled rental: in other words, a direct additional cost to the bottom line. So the move became inevitable and the process then started with WAG Cape regional manager Myles

Recycled Product Awards

industry innovation Showcase for recycling industry

20 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

THE all-new rPET shipping pallet manufactured by Palletplast trumped 27 other semi-finalists to win the South African Plastics Recycling Organisation’s Best Recycled Plastic Product Award for 2019.

Dubbed the ‘Oscars of the Recycling Industry,’ the Best Recycled Plastic Product Awards event was held at Workshop17 in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 4 November. The awards recognise and showcase industry innovation and the wide variety of local products that are designed and manufactured using recycled plastics.

With production starting only this year, using used PET trays, coloured bottles and other waste that to date has not been recycled, the Palletplast rPET Pallet won not only the Newcomer Award sponsored by Plastics/SA and Engineering Award, but was honoured as the overall winner, exemplifying innovation in the full value chain and as a product that best

Overall Winner

The rPET pallet from Palletplast was judged the overall winner and also won the Newcomer and Engineering category awards. The pallet was introduced earlier in 2019; it has the potential to use considerable quantities of recycled PET

showcases the recycling and reuse of post-consumer plastic materials.

A number of other innovative companies achieved recognition in the process, including the recyclers (and also the collectors who these recyclers buy from); the convertors

Night of the stars for recyclers … at last !

Chris Smith and Steph le Roux of Palletplast were pleased as punch to receive the SAPRO Best Recycled Product of the Year for 2019 overall trophy

who have had the vision to use the recycled material grades supplied; and – arguably most importantly – the brand owners and retailers who have had the commitment and vision to bring these products to market.

Mandy Naudé of Polyco, which was the Gold sponsor of the programme, and Michelle Penlington of Polyoak were in fabulous form

shine light on NEWCOMER AWARD POST-CONSUMER MASTERBATCH FROM MASTERBATCH SA This masterbatch is enabling convertors and brand owners to manufacture 100% recycled content products with consistent colour whilst maintaining their environmental claims. The total tonnages of post-consumer tonnages sold

by MESA since August 2018 impressed the judging team.

Silver Award

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 21

First place in the Newcomer Award category went to the rPET pallet of Palletplast, for taking the initiative to invest in the capital, design and develop the product, get the moulds built and to produce a proudly South African export product.

‘Ideal platform for organisations to demonstrate commitment to environment and resource efficiency’ >> pg 22

SAPRO chairman Johann Conradie thanked Dean Toi of Relloy SA and Erema for their generous sponsorship of the programme.

Many of the recyclers use Erema machines

Johann thanked Lisa Parkes, the SAPRO general manager, for the huge amount of work she put into the whole awards progamme

NUMBER 7 AWARD DUROSTACK’S FIBRE REINFORCED PALLET Number 7 … no we’re not talking about a soccer star: Durostack’s fibre-reinforced pallet with 15% of its recycled content comprising problematic multi-layer material waste won the Number 7 Award (for products made from mixed plastics, collected, recycled and converted in South Africa). The pallet is the ‘descendent’ of the Lomold low-pressure pallet developed originally by Lomold group, after it was purchased by a Canadian group.

Silver Award

Gold Award

SOLE BOARD FROM TUFFLEX The Silver was allocated to the Sole Board from Tufflex for taking multi-layer materials and other difficult-to-recycle materials into an out-of-the-norm industry in substantial volumes.

ENGINEERING AWARD The Engineering Award category attracted the largest number of entries.

This category was for products that contain a percentage of post-consumer recyclate. Some entries were still using 100% recycled content with a portion of post-consumer recyclate. Limiting factors listed include insufficient supply of suitable post-consumer recyclate or colour variations in the post-consumer recyclate supply. For packaging, the strong presence of a recyclate odour limited the usage of higher concentrations of postconsumer recycled content.

22 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Bronze Award

Silver Award

THE ‘GREEN TANK’ FROM MAKULU TANKS The ‘Green Tank’ from Makulu Tanks, manufactured from recycled LLDPE, was a special feat in its own right: Makulu Tanks manufactures the water tank by rotational moulding using recycled material – in an industry sector where recycled material is hardly used at all.

MODULAR CABLE DRUM

The modular cable drum with 70% recycled PP from Cycliq, won bronze in the Engineering category.

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INCLUSIVE AWARD This category is for products manufactured from 100% post-consumer recyclate.

Signatories to the various plastics pacts, locally and internationally, are striving to increase recycled content in their packaging and the inclusive awards are acknowledging some of these products. Post-consumer recyclate comes with a packet of challenges ranging from odour issues, inconsistencies and supply.

Winners in this category have managed to market a 100% recyclate product after extensive trials and verification. Often partners and customers had to be convinced that the product is suitable for its intended purpose.

SUNLIGHT DISHWASHER LIQUID BY UNILEVER

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Gold Award

Unilever’s Sunlight dishwashing liquid bottle, manufactured from 100% rPET, won the Inclusive Award sponsored by Polyco (for products made from 100% post-consumer plastic collected, recycled and converted in South Africa).

These bottles, when first entered in the SAPRO Recycled Products awards programme six years ago, contained 50% recycled content. Now in 2019 they are made from 100% recycled content, courtesy of Unilever’s sustainability drive.

2019/11/18 10:09

INCLUSIVE AWARD

Silver Award

LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE

BY ENVIROLITE Envirolite received the silver in this category for its Lightweight Concrete, for the substantial volumes of post-consumer polystyrene trays and cups that can be used in this durable product. In a number of areas, compared to concrete, it offers improved properties, potentially one of the biggest volume applications for recycled materials

SWITCH AWARD SHOPPING BAGS FROM PREMIER PLASTICS

24 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Shopping bags from Premier Plastics, now without CaCO2 and containing at least 70% recycled material, took gold in Switch category.

Premier Plastics’ supermarket carrier bag range made a switch from virgin materials to 100% recycled content in response to consumer and retailer demand, creating a market for 11 000 tons of recycled polyethylene in the last 12 months, aptly winning the Switch Award (for products that divert large volumes of postconsumer plastic from landfill).

GENERIC CRATE RANGE FROM NAMPAK RIGID PLASTICS

Gold Award

Carrier bag range made a switch from virgin materials to 100% recycled content in response to consumer and retailer demand

Nampak Rigid Plastics has been manufacturing its generic crate range in post-consumer recyclate for decades. Here the group was acknowledged for the large volumes of material that have been used.

Film and bags fromTuffy is finding markets in refuse bags, drawstring refuse bags and shopping bags for recycled material.

Silver Award

Silver Award

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26 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

BOARD AWARD Leading retailers Clicks, Shoprite Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths were awarded the Board Award. This new award recognises their commitment to collaboration and mutually beneficial innovation, changing the landscape in the production and consumption of singleuse plastics.

SAPRO chairman Johann Conradie commended the efforts of these retailers for prompting bag makers to remove calcium carbonate from the shopping bags they produce and include at least 70% recycled material, making the bulk of the shopping bags on the market 100% recyclable.

“This signals that retailers are taking Extended Producer Responsibility

seriously, becoming stewards of our environment and ensuring that the costs of disposal of their products are not externalized. We see this, along with the adoption of a standardised approach to On Pack Recycling Logos, as noteworthy in signalling commitment to the South African Plastics Pact, markedly shifting the needle and pace in our transition to a new circular economy for plastics,” said Johann.

SAPRO is an organisation that represents plastic recyclers, providing them a voice in the value-chain, to grow plastic recycling in South Africa. As a cornerstone of the SAPRO strategy to grow demand for recycled plastic, the Awards create a competitive environment for retailers,

brand owners, convertors and recyclers to include ever more recycled plastics in their products.

Along with Polyco as Gold sponsor, the event was supported by Relloy-Erema as the Silver sponsor, PlasticsISA as Category sponsor as well as venue partner Workshop 17, the Ad Shop, Skyland Masterbatch & Polymers and PETCO. “This is an ideal platform for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to the environment and resource efficiency as well as their alignment with global initiatives that catalyse change in industry. Working towards a circular economy for plastics, creating more jobs and business growth- together,” concluded Conradie.

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The Judges A total of 27 entries have been received and were entered into the judging process. The process was coordinated by Annabé Pretorius of Plastix 911 and the judging team consisted of a wide spread of personalities, strengths and experience, including Bob Bond (TUT/PISA), Charles Muller (SAPRO), Eddie van Os (PolyCo), Jacques Lightfoot (PlasticsSA) and Wendy Knowler (consumer journalist).

Night of the stars!

www.plasticrecyclingsa.co.za Johann and Mandy presented Hilton Cowie of Envirolite Lightweight Concrete with Silver Award certificate in the Inclusive category

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Newcomer? – Annabé Pretorius, who originally got the SAPRO design awards programme off the ground about six years ago, was there too, but it’s just a coincidence that she had the Newcomer Award certificate at that moment.

It’s now in the possession of Steph le Roux and Chris Smith of PalletPlast, winner of the overall as well as newcomer awards

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Gold Pack Awards Ingenuity and competitiveness in the packaging industry THE 46th Gold Pack Awards, held at the Inanda Club in Johannesburg at the end of October, saw the who’s who of the South African packaging industry turn out in their black-tie finest to witness the ‘Oscars’ of the industry and the gold trophy awarded to – no, not a plastics packaging product – but the ‘Goats do Roam 3 litre bag-in-box wine carton’ by Shave & Gibson Packaging for Fairview Wine Estate!

However, plastics packaging entrants did themselves proud too, with eight medals and several finalists.

Each year the awards showcase the South African packaging industry’s best and

Food packaging Ideal mayonnaise tub 400g This entry was also awarded the Star for Africa: Gold award.

As Zimbabwe’s first mayonnaise in a plastic tub. The 100% label coverage provides superior oxygen barrier protection, whilst the widened rim enables a superior foil seal which extends shelf life. This is essential in a market where demand is highly unpredictable, and the supply chain is rough, making the Ideal tub a better solution in Zimbabwe. The tubs and lids are lightweight and nest compactly for efficient transportation to Zimbabwe, where they are filled.

This is preferable to importing blown PET jars or finished product in glass, as done by many competitors. The tub features a full label coverage enabling superior branding.

Household & other Sunlight dishwash 750ml and 400ml This bottle, now using 100% rPET, removes 1 800 tons of PCR from the waste stream in harmony with Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan. This South African icon and market leader fittingly is leading the way in educating consumers as to the merits of recycling and will surely encourage others to follow and result in even greater environmental benefits.

Entrant: Unilever South Africa, Serioplast and Extrupet Convertor: Serioplast Brand Owner: Unilever 28

ENTRANT Dairypack Tubs CONVERTOR: Dairypack Tubs BRAND OWNER: Pangolin Products (Zimbabwe)

Packaging related OctoGrip™ lid This polypropylene lid for 20 litre paint buckets, re-closes securely after first opening for colour tinting. The robust tamper band is designed for rough supply chains. After the band is removed, the closure system remains intact with a plug, inner seal and eight sturdy locking tabs securing the lid to prevent accidental spills.

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Plastics packaging entrants did themselves proud too, with eight medals and several finalists.

2019 from its inception in 1973 it has grown into an event of considerable importance and prestige. The competition for medals is fierce, however, the awards event is a celebration for everyone involved or interested in packaging.

The judges looked for the excellent application and execution of any new, innovative and creative design, marketing and technology applied to packaging in South Africa. The judging criteria also included the disciplines of design, marketing and technology, both individually and as

a combination.

This year’s judges offered knowledge in a wide range of disciplines as well as many years’ experience in the packaging and related industries. The judging panel included Andy Rice, Gunnar Sigge, Ralph von Veh, Wendy Knowler, Annabé Pretorius, Shabeer Jhetham, Vanessa von Holdt.

Their deliberations were monitored and recorded by Bill Marshall.

BEST IN PLASTIC PACKAGING

Jungle Plus Range The structure of the IPSA Gold Pack Awards is aligned with international competitions such as the WPO WorldStar awards by being product category driven. However, it is still traditional

for our Gold Pack Awards to recognise the best in the substrates. Winning the best of a particular substrate is considered a high achievement indeed and is a much-coveted award. The judging for these categories is focused more on the technical issues and challenges peculiar to the substrate used for the packaging.

Creating a new standard for cereal, this entry required close cooperation in its development between the convertors and the brand owners. The significant waist on the container demands the use of a high shrink film and the translucent bottle requires high opacity printing. The container is easy on the eye, comfortable on the hand and quick to access for post-exercise recovery. The pack is convenient to use and has set new standards for cereal packaging.

This fully-sleeved, re-sealable, reusable, rigid container creates a stand-out pack for the cereal market.

ENTRANT MCC Label Dbn and Tiger Brands CONVERTOR: MCC Label Dbn and Mpact Atlantis BRAND OWNER: Tiger Brands

Health & beauty Oh So Heavenly face cream 50ml jar ENTRANT: Contan Buckets & Pails CONVERTOR: Contan Buckets & Pails

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

The multiple clear engineered polymers utilise light reflection to enhance the quality optical effect of this impressive pack.

ENTRANT: Teqal and Canway CONVERTOR: Teqal BRAND OWNER: Canway

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Packaging related Rhodes jam lid This long-life flexible PET lid preserves the product in the refrigerator, prevents having to decant jam and permits both cans and tubs to be used as a long-term container.

ENTRANT: Berry Astrapak CONVERTOR: Berry Astrapak BRAND OWNER: Rhodes Food Group (Pty) Ltd

Transit & secondary Imana 100% rPET jar Proudly compliant with the circular economy and can be produced, recycled and reproduced into its own form, with the same material, without adding cost to the value chain. It does not disguise its rPET colour but embraces it and its benefits.

ENTRANT: Mpact Plastics CONVERTOR: Mpact Plastics BRAND OWNER: Tiger Brands

Judges Special Mention medal

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DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Unilever Sustainable Living Plan This year the judges were not surprised to see the recurring theme of sustainability and the issues around a circular economy raised in many of the entries one particular programme and initiative was very apparent. The judges were impressed by the way that this initiative had been embraced by convertors across the board and

realised that it has made a major impact on the packaging industry in South Africa.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple the company’s growth from their environmental footprint, while increasing its positive social impact. Launched in 2010, the plan has three main goals one of which

Compères – Bill Marshall and Suzi Moore did an outstanding job as joint presenters on the night. Bill, of Syndicate Graphics, and Suzi of Packaging + Print Media mag, got through the programme in what must have been record time (which was necessary as there were a LARGE number of awards), meaning that the rest of the night was free for the more important business, chatting about what’s going on in the industry Polyoak was again one of the big winners in the Gold Pack programme, taking two golds on this occasion, for its Octogrip™ paint container lid and a new solution for Ideal mayonnaise containers. Natasha Harmse (Dairypak Tubs/Contan), Basil Mabuza and Jacob Maneswa (both Probrands) and Karl Lambrecht (Polyoak) accepted the award

Gold Pack awards-.indd 30

is to halve the company’s environmental impact by 2030. It is apparent that Unilever takes this ambition seriously as it was quoted repeatedly in the motivations put forward by the convertors. In recognition of the impact of this initiative the judges awarded a Gold Medal for the Sustainable Living Plan to Unilever.

Gold Pack Trophy winner – Shave & Gibson of KZN won the overall Gold Pack Trophy for its innovative handbagshaped ‘bag-in-a-box’ design for Fairview Estate’s three-litre wine box, which was a really new and different solution. The trophy, awarded to the best overall packaging design in all substrates, was accepted by Simon Downes of S&G

The Berry Astrapak team – including Michelle Petersen, Mylene Paynter and Belinda van Pletzen – was extremely upbeat on the occasion, which wasn’t a surprise as the group got gold for its production of the Vaseline ‘Blue Shrink’ 250ml jars as well as, indirectly, for the Sustainability Award presented to Unilever, for who it manufactures a wide range of containers

2019/11/22 13:33

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Household & other

FINALIST

Comfort Fabric Softener Range Entrant: Unilever, Alpla and Extrupet Convertor: Alpla Brand Owner: Unilever

Harpic White and Shine Entrant: Siyakha Imperial Printing Co. Convertor: Siyakha Imperial Printing Co Brand Owner: Reckitt Benckiser

FINALIST

FINALIST

Packaging related 38mm C5 closure & bottle neck ENTRANT: Polyoak Packaging CONVERTOR: Polyoak Packaging

Castle Lite 250ml 6 pack Outer wrap ENTRANT: Tropic Plastic CONVERTOR: Tropic Plastic BRAND OWNER: ABinBev

FINALIST

NOTE: Also a ‘Star for Africa’ finalist for packaging produced in South Africa specifically for our neighbours needs to meet particular requirements and be extremely competitive.

FINALIST

Non-alcoholic beverages

Lightweight 2 litre HDPE bottle ENTRANT: Nampak Rigids CONVERTOR: Nampak Rigids

FINALIST

Health & beauty

Simply Florals body wash and hand cream tube range ENTRANT: Berry Astrapak and Woolworths CONVERTOR: Berry Astrapak BRAND OWNER: Woolworths

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Gold Pack awards-.indd 32

FINALIST

Dawn body lotion range ENTRANT: Unilever South Africa, Berry Astrapak, First Impression Labels, Extrupet CONVERTOR: Berry Astrapak and First Impression Labels BRAND OWNER: Unilever

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

2019/11/21 12:30

Classifieds Oct/Nov'19.indd 92

2019/09/11 12:37

NEWS

Botswana’s Sun Plastics gears up, gains BRC accreditation

Raj Patel’s experience is based on manufacturing in several countries in the southern Africa region over a fairly extended period

Sets up depots in SA

34 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

SUN Plastics, the Botswana-based manufacturer of innovative and advanced barrier flexible packaging, has recently gained A-category BRC accreditation.

With over 40 years experience in the flexible packaging market within the Southern Africa region, Sun Plastics is dedicated to produce the most technologically advanced films and offers quality and service to international standards.

Sun Plastics is based in Gaborone, with trading depots and warehouses set up recently in Johannesburg, KZN and Cape Town. The production plant is a world class operation complying with a number of international rating systems. The process leading up to qualification to the

A-category BRC rating is seen as a major achievement for a film manufacturer in the sub-Saharan market. In order to achieve this standard of production, Sun Plastics has made a number of major investments in equipment as well as in the training of its staff in every area of production, quality assurance and standards maintenance.

Among the investments by Sun over the past few years have been the installation of a 7-layer blown film line, a Nordmeccanica solventless lamination plant, high-speed slitting and pouch making equipment and a range of other international standard processing machines.

Sun Plastics is run by Raj Patel, formerly of Plastic Industries of Germiston. The business is now under the management of his son, Akash Patel, who

recently returned from studying in the USA, during which time he also worked for a period at General Electric group, a global leader in a wide range of areas, including power, lighting, additives, health care and renewables.

Manufacturing capabilities Sun manufactures a wide range of films from mono up to 7-layer using EVOH, PP, Surlyn, Appeal, Nucrel, polyamide, LD and linear up to 2050mm ungusseted layflat and non-barrier up to 2500mm gusseted (nylon barrier layflat from 1-1,6m) in the gauge range 30-250μ. Controls are by PlastControl of Germany, which technology is used on the blown film lines.

It offers print and lamination to the highest standards, which was essential for the BRC accreditation. The same high

Evo XC new compact press for short runs PRINTING press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer has come up with a solution for shorter print runs that could prove suitable in today’s changing conditions, where the ability to keep track of changing consumer preferences means that short print runs are a reality. Koenig & Bauer is reputed to be one of the oldest manufacturer of printing presses in the world, established in Wurzburg, Germany, in 1817, so its new Evo XC press is a product of over two centuries of development. Evo XC is a compact flexo press featuring a unique and clever concept with reduced footprint and smart ergonomics designed to meet the market demands for

producing short runs with a low investment level. It is suitable for printing on plastic, paper, laminates and labels. The core of the system is a heavy-duty frame. The press features easy accessibility with intiuitive digital touchscreen panels such as new HMI and software applications to reduce time and waste during print set-up. New smart solutions such as the concept of the dryer applied on this machine enable the use of conventional solvent or water-based ink systmes as well as with EB and UV inks.

• Koenig & Bauer is represented by Kamboo Marketing.

Sun

PlastContol systems are used on the multi-layer co-ex lines

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 35

The production team at Sun in Gaborone has been motivated by the training programmes undertaken during the BRC accreditation process

standards are practised in bag and pouch making.

Possibly of most importance for Sun at this stage is its environmental outlook.

Contrary to what was the case for virtually all convertors up till even a few years ago, it now “strives to reduce the amount of polymer in packaging products,” says Akash Patel.

It also is making maximum practical use of recycled materials wherever possible in its packaging products.

Sun also operates a state of the art Erema recyling machine in-house to ensure all factory scrap is recyled. www.sunplastics.co.bw

S

M

A

R

T

Specific

Measureable

Attainable

Realistic

Time bound

WE follow the SMART philosophy throughout our factory with a fully integrated lab to perform the complete range of tests.

WE have over 40 years’ experience in flexible packaging manufacturing within the Southern Africa region.

WE produce 7-layer blown films up 2000mm layflat, up to 200 micron barrier and 250 micron non-barrier; customised barrier (OTR & WVTR) films to customer spec, print up to 1300mm layflat in up to 10 colours; laminate up to 1300mm and

produce a wide variety of bags (bottom and side seal, centre seal and K seal, vacuum plus a wide range of custom bags).

Our environmental policy is to reduce the amount of polymer used in our products by using the most efficient solutions and we also make maximum use of recycled materials.

Sun Plastics operates out of Gaborone, Botswana and, in South Africa, operates depots in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

BOTSWANA Gaborone Plot 21337, Phakalane Gaborone sales@sunplastics.co.bw p. (+267) 392 2719 / 3933713

11 Sigma Road, Germiston Johannesburg Mike Chamamtzis 083 633 7471 admin@sunplastics.co.za

SOUTH AFRICA

1 Waterstone, Capricorn Business Park Cape Town Iain Mackintosh 083 324 7293 sales@sunplastics.co.za

www.sunplastics.co.bw Sunplastics Botswana-hal;f page-'1912.indd 94

2019/11/22 08:34

NEWS

36 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

JUST BRIEFLY

MacArthur Foundation pushes brand owners to use less virgin THE Ellen MacArthur Foundation, who has enlisted seven of the 10 largest FMCG companies to cut the environmental footprint of their single-use plastics, wants them to go a step further and pledge to reduce virgin plastics use.

The foundation noted that in the last year, Unilever said it would cut virgin plastic packaging use by 50% by 2025, Mars by 25% and Pepsi by 20% in its beverage business.

The New Plastics Economy project has helped set the plastics agenda for large brand owners. For example, the report noted that companies have agreed to increase the use of recycled plastic in packaging five-fold by 2025, going from on average 4% recycled plastic content in 2018 to 22% by 2025.

The report said that many of the major brand companies are starting from low baselines around recycled content use. Among the 10 largest fast-moving consumer goods makers, Coca-Cola led with 9% of its plastic packaging being made from post-consumer content.

L’Oreal SA was second at 5%, with PepsiCo at 3% and Nestlé SA at 2%.

Woolworths’ plastic alternative household items

Notable firsts for household cleaning in SA WOOLWORTHS has reformulated its Earth Friendly products and has expanded the range to include a total of 24 eco-cleaning and seven plasticalternative household items.

The packaging of the entire Woolworths Earth Friendly range is fully recyclable and there are several packaging features that are notable firsts for household cleaning in South Africa. There are no metal elements in the pumps or triggers and the doy bags for the laundry and dish wash pods are made from PE and fully recyclable.

For the first time, a household cleaning range includes products packaged in ‘green plastic’ HDPE bottles. Green plastic doesn’t use ethylene gas from fossil fuel, but rather ethylene extracted from sugar cane.

The packaging of the Earth Friendly products contains a minimum of 25% of post-consumer recycled plastics with six products’ packaging made entirely from post-consumer content, contributing to a circular plastic economy and boosting the recycling industry.

Meanwhile, after a six month trial in four of its Western Cape stores, including the launch of their first plastic bag free store, Woolworths is rolling out its new low-cost, reusable bag to more stores across the country as well as three more ‘plastic shopping bag free’ stores.

During the trial, which was launched in November 2018, over 100 000 single-use bags were saved from entering the environment.

purple line plastics Owner-managed blow moulding business in Cape Town manufacturing a wide range of small-to-medium sized containers in virtually all polymer materials (PET, PVC, HDPE, LDPE, PP, HIPS, TPE & others).

We operate our own toolroom and specialise in quality custom bottles, jars, short runs & quick turnaround times for the beverage, cosmetic, hospitality & pharmaceutical markets. purple line plastics is also the proud supporter and sponsor of Emyezweni private school in Lwandle, a previously disadvantaged area in the Strand, Cape Town.

p. +27 21 948 5042 | e. info@purpleline.co.za | www.purpleline.co.za

Günter Maralik +27 83 441 3206 Günter Maralik

Wolfgang Maralik +27 82 771 7271 Wolfgang Maralik

83+27 44166 3206 +27 82 771 7271 Office+27 Cell: 250 1937 • admin@mgmwtrading.co.za Log RoadCell: Unit No. • Roodekop Industrial Area • Germiston Office +27 17 66 250 1937 • admin@mgmwtrading.co.za Log Road Unit No. 17 • our Roodekop Areadetails • Germiston Please note newIndustrial contact

Please note our new contact details

www.hitech-china.net www.hitech-china.net

MGMW Trading advert Edited.indd

94 www.hitech-china.net

Office Add: No.67, 6th Avenue, Xincheng Fax: ++86-580-8806010 Industrial Park, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City Email: lyzon@hitech-china.net Post code: 316023 ciplas_mchy@yahoo.com.cn Tel.: ++86-580-8806008 8806009 Office Add: No.67, 6th Avenue, Xincheng Industrial Park, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City Post code: 316023 Tel.: ++86-580-8806008 8806009

Fax: ++86-580-8806010 Email: lyzon@hitech-china.net ciplas_mchy@yahoo.com.cn

Office Add: No.67, 6th Avenue, Xincheng Industrial Park, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City Post code: 316023 Tel.: ++86-580-8806008 8806009

Fax: ++86-580-8806010 Email: lyzon@hitech-china.net ciplas_mchy@yahoo.com.cn

2018/09/14

11:31

MGMW Trading advert Edited.indd 94

2018/09/14 11:31

Classifieds Oct/Nov'19.indd 92

2019/09/12 12:07

NEWS

Guests were invited to wear their best hats in celebration of the launch of the new Bachelor of Engineering in Polymers degree. Here Prof Caroline Khoathane (left) of TUT and Kirtida Bhana (right) of Plastics/SA field questions about the new qualification and explain why collaboration between industry and TUT is key to its success

The Plastics/SA Training Division team, Suzanne Stevens (KZN regional training manager), Kirtida Bhana (Training Executive), Isaya Ntuli (Gauteng regional training manager) and Isabelle Brettenny (Western Cape regional training manager)

Cabaret? No, Anton Hanekom, Executive Director of Plastics/ SA is not about to start singing and dancing, instead he introduces guests to the recently launched Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Polymers at a fun-filled event at Plastics/SA’s head office in Midrand

New Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree starts 2020

38 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Three-year qualification specifically to prepare plastics technicians and engineers for SA market AFTER a few years of developmental workshops, Plastics/SA, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and various other stakeholders. More than 50 people from various companies in the plastics industry, representatives of the Plastics Institute (PISA) and students attended.

This qualification seeks to address the shortage of qualified plastics technicians and engineers facing South Africa.

Explaining the rationale for developing the new qualification, Plastics/SA’s training executive Kirtida Bhana said: “Over the past few years the industry has struggled with a decline in qualified technologists. The technical skills gaps in industry have grown rapidly, as has global competition. Over the past few years, a Plastics Chamber team has researched the education and training provisions in the Higher Education sector with specific focus on preparing technicians and engineers to meet the current and future demands of the plastics industry.

“The study aimed to identify gaps in provision and to make recommendations to the merSETA on future interventions to support the plastics sector. Based on

our experience in the industry and the feedback we have received from our stakeholders in the Training Division, Plastics/SA was actively involved in developing a curriculum that would meet these needs in the industry.”

This is the first time that a consolidated picture of training provisions in the Higher Education band has been collated specifically with the local plastics industry in mind. Researchers engaged with universities and universities of technology to prepare a detailed, quantitative study of the current courses that were being offered at under-graduate and postgraduate level, or as short courses, in order to fully understand the education and training provisions that are currently in place for technologists and engineers.

“Within the context of a global focus on Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy, it was clear that we needed to develop a new qualification that would be radically different from anything that has been offered until now. We wanted to be sure that we would produce well-rounded plastics technologists who are ready to take on the workplace and lead the industry forward over the next decade,”

said Prof Caroline Khoathane, Deputy Dean for Teaching and Learning at the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at TUT. Prof Khoathane stressed that the threeyear curriculum of the new degree fulfils all of the requirements of an Engineering qualification at TUT, with subjects such as mechanics, engineering mathematics, thermoflow, plastic part and tool design and probability and statistics, to mention but a few.

The first enrolment of students will be taken from January 2020.

“Learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. For this reason, we are very proud and excited about this much needed degree that will be equipping our future industry leaders with relevant, targeted information. The training and teaching we give students today will be their passport to the future.

We are encouraging companies to partner with us on this mission of creating a pool of highly-skilled experts by sponsoring students or making bursaries available for them. The future growth and well-being of the plastics and related industries just might depend on it”, added Kirtida.

www.tut.ac.za/faculties/engineering/departments/chem-meta-materials

We make things better

Speak to us..

We know hot runners!

TEL: 011 462 2990

Classifieds Oct/Nov'19.indd 92

info@demaplastech.co.za

www.demaplastech.co.za

2019/09/30 10:51

ROTO NEWS

Advanced roto machine enters production at Pioneer Plastics

SMART machine – Gathered in the hall at the Pioneer Plastics plant in Rosslyn where the new Persico machine was commissioned recently were (back row) Wouter Gerber and Joanne Zambelli, R+D manager and senior R+D engineer respectively at Aerosud, and Gary and Jack Wiid of Pioneer Plastics; and in front, Wayne Wiid (Pioneer Plastics), Martin Spencer (Rototek, UK), Gaetano Donizetti (Perisco, Italy), Jurgen Hartel (ex-Pioneer Plastics director, now consultant), and Nick Swardt (Pioneer Plastics)

40 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

First Persico ‘Smart’ machine in southern hemisphere ONE of the most sophisticated roto moulding machines used in South Africa to date, a ‘Leonardo SMART’ system from Persico of Italy, has gone into production at Pioneer Plastics in Rosslyn.

The project is a collaboration involving Aerosud Aviation of Pretoria and Pioneer Plastics, which operates from Rosslyn just to the north of Pretoria. Aerosud, SA’s leading aeronautical and aerospace component and systems manufacturer,

has entered into an agreement with Pioneer Plastics in terms of which the latter will produce components for it. In the current set-up phase, Pioneer Plastics is running trials on the machine, focussed on controlling and reducing wall thickness as well as cutting cycle times.

The Persico system offers a number of features not seen in conventional roto moulding, to date certainly. Although the tooling frame – known as the ‘spider’ –

on which the mould or moulds are positioned rotates, there is no oven.

That’s because the attached moulds are electrically heated. The Persico system operates through Direct Tool Heating (DTH), with the advantage that the heating process is easier to control. Monitoring of temperature is continuous, with up to 42 temperatures probes used.

Cooling is achieved by fans mounted on the pivot frame onto which the mould

Plastex opens fourth roto plant in Tete on Zambezi

Plastex makes use of roto machines from Reinhardt of India

PLASTEX of Mozambique, one of the leading roto moulding businesses in the east African country, recently opened its fourth plant, at Tete on the Zambezi river.

Established in 1995, Plastex is the largest rotomoulding manufacturer and leading Mozambican distributor of water tanks as well as waste water and sanitation solutions. It also operates plants in Maputo, Beira and Nacala.

“This enables prompt deliveries at minimum freight costs,” said Plastex MD Gerry Marketos.

“The Tete plant was recently opened to provide a secure supply in the region. This is in line with the firm’s goal to enable people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene at a reasonable cost,” added Gerry.

The plant manufactures a full range of water tanks from 250 to 10,000 litres in both vertical and horizontal shapes as well as septic tanks. www.plastex.co.mz

ACD

The frame onto which the moulds are attached rotates, which is possibly the only obvious similarity to conventional roto moulding. With the Persico system, the moulds are heated electrically (no oven is required)

recently, evolved that into a wholly new system, based on the rotating spider with electrical heating, and the name progressed too, to SMART. The technology offers advantages besides, specifically that the moulding ‘cells’, often with robot handling and even mould change by robot, are very compact Persico, based in Bergamo, Italy, has achieved considerable success with the moulding of housings for the internationally renowned Kärcher cleaning appliance range.

Composites to roto Roto moulding is a new venture for www.persico.com

Aerosud, which has been producing most of its components in composites, and switching production of parts formerly made in metal to composites, with carbon fibre, aramid or other types of reinforcement appears to have been its main focus. Roto moulding offers the potential advantage of producing parts such as aircraft wing tips, cowlings and other hollow parts relatively rapidly.

• At the time of going to press, Aerosud and Pioneer Plastics were also in line for an award at this year’s ‘Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Awards’ at the end of November in Port Elizabeth.

www.pioneerplastics.co.za

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ACD RotoFlo ad '019 10.indd 78

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 41

spider is attached.

The other clear advantage, due at least partly to the fact that the operator has more control over temperature, is that a wide range of polymers can readily be run. With conventional roto processing, different polymers are now increasingly coming into play, but the Persico system was designed with that in mind at the outset. All that’s required is for the polymers to be supplied in powder form (which is itself the topic for an additional story).

The origin of the Leonardo SMART name is simply that Persico originally developed its roto technology under the ‘Leonardo’ name and then, more

Members of:

Agents for:

Mold In Graphic Systems® www.moldingraphics.com

LaPlastecnica

2019/10/01 09:23

K2019 gives a clear signal for

responsible handling of plastics Circular economy is ‘hottest ticket’ for global plastics, rubber industries THE 3330 exhibitors from 63 nations at the K2019 show (16-23 October) proved impressively that plastics continue to be an innovative, indispensable material. But the exhibitors also unanimously underscored the necessity of having operational circular economies along the complete material chain and to this end presented numerous concrete solutions.

Companies struck a nerve with people with this focus because the approximately 224,116 visitors from 168 countries took great interest, especially in recycling systems, sustainable raw materials, resource-saving processes. Furthermore, K2019 was characterised by a high propensity to invest, as before. The intention among the international trade audience to get geared up for the future with the latest technologies was perceivable.

“K 2019 came at precisely the right point in time. Its enormous importance for the sector is underpinned by its high acceptance levels all over the world. There is no other place the industry is represented so internationally and completely as here in Düsseldorf every three years,” said Werner Dornscheidt, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, the organiser of the event.

“Especially in turbulent times, platforms such as K are indispensable. It provides guidance and perspectives, is an economic driver, shows forward-looking trends and concrete approaches,” added Dornscheidt.

Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board at K2019, was delighted at the results: “The plastics and rubber industry succeeded in proving once again that plastics are not only very valuable materials with outstanding properties, but also that this industry assumes responsibility along the entire value chain. Never before has the industry addressed an issue so unanimously and worked on solutions so consistently as is the case now in the fields of environmental compatibility, saving resources and avoiding waste. There is a spirit of new departures prevailing in the industry and current dynamics are overwhelming.”

And the positive mood prevailing at the show was also echoed by concrete demand at exhibition stands: “It became clear that global demand for innovative machinery and raw materials is particularly high right now, despite the current tensions in world trade or the business climate in some consumer sectors. This year’s K has by far exceeded our expectations and was able to generate key impetus for sustainable governance and new business models,” said Reifenhäuser.

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www.k-online.de

More international visitors The nations especially well represented on the part of visitors after Germany were Italy, the Netherlands, India, Turkey and China, followed by the USA. Furthermore, a marked increase in the number of trade visitors from the Russian Federation, Japan and Brazil could be registered.

Results from the visitor survey confirmed a view held by exhibitors, that the international origin of visitors had increased yet again: It stood at 73.1% as compared with 70.8 % in 2016.

Over 42% of all foreign visitors came from overseas – travelling to the Rhine from Angola, Burkina-Faso, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mongolia, Myanmar, French Polynesia or Tajikistan.

As expected, the experts from Asia accounted for the biggest group of foreign visitors, to the tune of 40,000 experts came from South, East and Central Asia. India was represented with the highest number of visitors, while visitor attendance from China and Japan was up again considerably.

Almost 20,000 visitors travelled to K 2019 from North and South America, which corresponds to a 7% increase.

Compared to 2016, there was an especially marked increase in the number of guests from Brazil.

In terms of guests from the neighbouring European countries, Italy dominated with over 10,000 visitors, followed by the Netherlands (approximately 9000), Turkey (over 7500) France (over 6700), Belgium (over 6300), Spain (over 5100) and Russia (some 5000).

Machinery and equipment manufacturing, the biggest segment at the K with 1,975 exhibitors, was also centre stage in terms of visitor interest, with two-thirds of all people surveyed mentioning this area first. 52% said they were primarily interested in raw materials and auxiliaries, whereas for 28% of visitors semifinished products and technical plastics and rubber parts were the major reason for coming (multiple choices possible).

At the Science Campus both exhibitors and visitors to K 2019 were given a condensed overview of scientific activities and results in the plastics and rubber sector.

Numerous universities, institutes and funding agencies provided opportunities for direct dialogue.

• The next K Düsseldorf will be held from 19-26 October 2022

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

2019/11/23 14:33

New electric Zhafir injection unit a high point at K2019 CABLETECH Marketing’s Pierre Jurgens and Tiaan Visser attended K2019 at which Haitian International, for which Cabletech are the SA agents, launched their third generation in the servo-hydraulic top sellers and in the Zhafir electric pioneer series.

The 3rd generation technology from Haitian International delivers even more efficiency, productivity and new ‘solutions to the point’. The versatility of the electric product range has been expanded, and the performance of the servo-hydraulic two-platen machines has been significantly increased.

Optimised drives and an open integration strategy for robotics and automation increase the scope for investment and flexibility in production.

The Mars Series, which remains the world’s best-selling injection moulding machine, presented its servo-hydraulic bestseller third generation with new motors, new machine

design and many other improvements analogous to the Jupiter III Series.

A highlight for Cabletech’s representative at K2019 was the pioneering concept of electric injection units from Zhafir’s high-tech engineers. Available in three attractively priced design versions with 1, 2 and 4 spindles, the injection pressure is significantly increased.

Pierre and Tiaan also visited their suppliers, including Shini and Beier Machinery at the www.cabletech.co.za trade show.

have effectively adjusted their technology to be competitive with Asian manufacturers, and in the case of Zerma Machinery & Recycling

Technology, it’s a German owned and run business that has been successfully manufacturing in Shanghai since 1999.

43

JEFF Cawcutt of Zerma Africa was a busy man at K, but that’s to be expected when representing worldleading principals. Although all European in origin, in each case they

The electric injection units from Zhafir are vailable in three versions

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

WIPA at high speed

The Mars Series remains the world’s bestselling injection moulding machine

Jeff Cawcutt of Zerma Africa astride – WIPA presented this high-speed centrifuge which fulfils the roles of a traditional mechanical dryer but also a highly effective dry-cleaner for post-consumer material, typically operating before a traditional wash-plant. A Belgian recycler ordered three such 2000mm diameter units, suggesting a substantial plant throughput.

Although a well-established operation having celebrated their 25yr anniversary in 2019, WIPA has a young and dynamic management & technical team (as hinted by their agility) and continues its innovative and nontraditional approach to plastic washing equipment.

K2019 review-2.indd 43

2019/11/23 14:26

Erema puts recycling in

Focus on integration of recycling know-how into the plastics value chain FOR Erema, the high point at K2019 was the Circonomic Centre, situated outside on the fairgrounds. Plastic waste collected from the show was recycled there, as part of a live demonstration, where visitors could experience the circular economy.

“Circonomic is a word we created from circular and economy,” said CEO Manfred Hackl. “It expresses what we want to achieve, namely the integration of recycling knowhow into the plastics value chain, so that our industry, the environment and society as a whole, can gain ecological and economic benefits from it.”

The Circonomic Centre hosted daily live recycling demonstrations, in which different materials, such as postconsumer material, film- or injection moulding waste from various sources, are reprocessed into high-quality recyclate.

More than 35 years ago, Erema began manufacturing recycling systems for production waste. Today, this division accounts for upward of 50% of the company’s total sales and, as the industry continues to strive for more circularity, this percentage is set to climb.

For Hackl, the way forward is clear: “I consider this a task for the industry as a whole,” he declared. “As long as the collectors, sorters and recyclers are unable to provide assurance to major brand owners that the material they require will be available in a constant quality over a longer period of time at a specified price, they will not base a product design on regranulate.”

At the same time, waste management companies are increasingly broadening their reach, taking on responsibility for the steps from disposal to sorting all the way through to

Innovation in robotics

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DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Wittmann showcases ‘intelligent’ machines

THE Wittmann Group once again used the K in Düsseldorf to present its numerous new product developments in many different areas. The company showcased its latest innovations in the fields of machinery, automation and auxiliaries on two booths.

Under the banner ‘Enjoy Innovation’, the machine maker will showcase intelligent machines using adaptive algorithms which have the capability to adjust themselves according to the ambient conditions.

As part of this, an all-electric EcoPower 55/350 equipped with the HiQ-Flow, HiQMelt and HiQ-Metering software packages on show produced polycarbonate clothes pegs using a four-cavity mould supplied by Austrian tooling specialist Lechner.

These systems, plus all auxiliary components, are integrated into the machine’s Unilog B8 control system via Wittmann 4.0. With this suite of hardware and software, the system can check whether the connected auxiliaries are sufficient to support the selected product data set, or if

additional equipment is needed.

Additionally, the cell can compensate automatically for material viscosity fluctuations, supporting stable output and helping to eliminate scrap.

At K 2019, Wittmann Battenfeld showed innovative injection Presenting from Hall 15 moulding technologies, processes and applications in line with this year’s exhibition theme: digitization and circular economy for the first time, Wittmann Battenfeld used an additional a machine from the SmartPower series 120m2 of exhibition space in which in XL configuration. With a SmartPower to present its innovative injection 240 XL, a module for a car headliner moulding technologies, processes and with a functional surface was produced applications. with a single-cavity mould supplied by The company also displayed its latest Georg Kaufmann, Switzerland. development of the vertical machine in Other new products at this year’s the PowerSeries design in the multiK included a high-speed EcoPower component version. On a VPower Xpress 160/1100+ in a medical version 120/130H/210V, a plug made of PA and and a MicroPower 15/10 with 150kN TPE for the automotive industry was clamping force. A micro retaining manufactured with a 2+2-cavity mould. ring for medical miniature tubes was In this application, a Scara robot and a produced from PC with an eight-cavity WX142 linear robot were used to insert mould supplied by Wittner, Austria. the wrap pins, transfer the preforms, then remove and deposit the finished parts.

• The Wittmann Group is represented in A second application for the SA by Ipex Machinery. automotive industry was presented on www.ipex.co.za

K2019 review-.indd 44

www.wittmann-group.com

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the spotlight Erema’s new QualityOn:Polyscan makes it possible to measure the polymer composition directly at the recycling machine. The QualityOn package provided by the recycling machine manufacturer EREMA enables continuous quality monitoring during the ongoing recycling process. This means that current MVR, IV, colour values and now also the polymer composition of the input material can be measured directly at the machine

www.relloy.co.za

HIGH THROUGHPUT. WE DRIVE THE DIAMEETS ECONOMY. QUALITY. CIRCULAR

45

To enable its customers to benefit from this potential, the company has developed a new customer portal, called BluPort, that was presented at the K show for the first time.

BluPort brings together decision-relevant information – for example, the My Recycling Plant dashboard, the amortization calculator – and service offerings such as the spare parts online web shop, maintenance videos, and more.

Erema is represented by Relloy SA in South Africa.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

recycling. Or they participate in company consortia that cover these links in the supply chain with projects that are often driven via brand owners, as they require a reliable supply of 10 000, 50 000 or 100 000 tons a year.

“At Erema, we are addressing this issue by technical developments like our QualityOn package for continuous quality monitoring of colour and MVR values and, brand new, for monitoring the material composition,” Hackl added.

www.erema.com

YOUR LOCAL EREMA CONTACT RELLOY S.A. (Pty) Ltd P.O.Box 8190, ZA-1613 Edenglen www.relloy.co.za

Whether it is inhouse, postconsumer or bottle recycling: you can only close loops in a precise and profitable way if machines are perfectly tuned for the respective application.

Count on the number 1 technology from EREMA when doing so: over 5000 of our machines and systems produce around 14 million tonnes of high-quality pellets like this every year – in a highly efficient and energy-saving way.

That’s Careformance!

CAREFORMANCE We care about your performance.

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2019/10/31 2019/11/21 11:48 12:34

Modular extrusion control Maximizes productivity of new and existing production lines

The Maguire + Syncro extrusion control system

AN innovative extrusion control system for blown film can be deployed in a new production line as part of a total system providing single-point supervision of all line components, or it can be used in an existing line to increase productivity and reduce material cost. At K2019, Maguire Products displayed this system in a complete extrusion line employing the new technology.

For a new blown film extrusion or coextrusion line, there are three basic components at the heart of the Maguire + Syncro extrusion control system: 1) the Maguire WXB Weigh Extrusion Blender, which incorporates a gain-in-weight (GIW)

weigh bin and a loss-in-weight (LIW) mix chamber; 2) the Maguire 4088 controller, which controls the loading, blending, and metering of raw material to the extrusion process; and 3) the Syncro controller, which uses the consumption data from the 4088 controller to control line speed and hauloff.

Modes of extrusion control available with the Maguire + Syncro system include pounds or kilograms per hour; weight per length of extrudate; and product thickness in microns.

The Maguire + Syncro system is the product of a partnership between Maguire and Italy-based Syncro srl that began in 2016 with Maguire taking

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DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

World’s ‘largest sustainable packaging machine’ from Sumitomo Demag

SUMITOMO Demag launched what is believed to be the largest and most energy efficient packaging machine in the current global market at the K: the El-Exis SP 1000-ton system responds to market demands from injection moulders specialising in pail production and other large-scale packaging applications, including thin wall stack moulding.

Still the fastest injection moulding machine in the world, with a dry cycle time of 2,7 seconds, the El-Exis SP 1000ton fully automated system is designed specifically to produce large plastic containers used in food, pet nutrition, paint and chemical applications. The increased machine size means that the El-Exis SP, showcased for the first time at K-2019, easily accommodated the two-cavity pail mould designed by Techno Moules.

To improve production efficiency, the mould tool features a new valve gate system developed by the Canadian mould maker. Designed to improve cavity balance during filling, the technology leads to lower clamp forces and as a result increases the lifetime of the mould.

Not only is the processing cycle time of the El-Exis SP faster than competing technology, with sustainability at the front of everyone’s mind, its hybrid design delivers a measurable energy efficiency advantage. This new generation of El-Exis SP consumes up to 20% less energy than the last generation of El-Exis SP machines. This is achieved by regulating the hydraulic pressure during the loading of the accumulator. The amount of energy saved is dependent upon the packaging application, moulding cycle time and process parameters.

Chris with some of the ‘Circular Economy’ pails produced at the show Chris Oberem of Demaplastech on the Sumitomo-Demag stand with the El-Exis SP 1000ton system, reputed to be the most energy-efficient machine packaging machine in the world designed specifically for the producion of thin-wall containers

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www.sabic.com

2019/11/21 12:35

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system for blown film •

• •

increasing productivity and reducing scrap.

IBC and Layflat Controls. Syibc IBC control automatically manages blower balance while coordinating all blower functions; the Vortyx integral cooling device increases cooling capacity. The systems are designed to maximize accuracy.

Gauging Systems. A wide range of scanning devices provide continuous measuring of product thickness.

Rewinder. Ecosys automatic rewinder accurately controls reel tension in the production of stretch film.

Maguire in represented in South Africa by Hestico. www.hestico.co.za www.syncro-group.it

Giant wheel made

from hot cast elastomers A GIANT wheel with a diameter of 1.74 metres, took centre stage at Huntsman’s stand at K 2019 - demonstrating the flexibility and durability of the company’s range of hot cast elastomers.

Raeder-Vogel, one of the world’s largest producers of industrial wheels and castors, produced the enormous wheel using one of Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri’s Tecnothane® hot cast engineering elastomers. During K, Huntsman also promoted the wider range of PU elastomers that it produces, which are pivotal to the performance of a variety of products. Core areas of expertise include elastomer systems for electric and electronic encapsulation; modeling, tooling and prototyping (MTP); synthetic leather production; and noise vibration dampening (NVD) applications.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

www.huntsman.com

an investment position with Syncro, which specializes in controls for all types of extrusion process. If, in addition to extrusion control, the blown film manufacturer seeks to achieve singlepoint control of the entire production line, Syncro has developed the Syntrol supervisory system, which allows multiple line controls to be visualized and synchronized from one touchscreen. These controls include those for extruder temperature and pressure, air ring, IBC, thickness gauge, cage, and haul-off.

Along with the Syntrol controller, Syncro supplies key line components, including: • Air Ring and Auto Profiler. Typhoon and Flyer systems automatically maintain film tolerances while

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2019/09/13 2019/11/21 10:46 12:35

The Cube uses separate tool areas to carry out simultaneous work operations for two cube halves arranged over each other

‘Reverse Cube’ from Foboha a huge attraction at K

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DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

‘Magical Cube’ manufactures and installs multicomponent parts on a single machine THE new ‘Reverse Cube’ developed by Foboha, the German mould maker, in combination with an Arburg Allrounder Cube 2900 injection moulding machine manufactures single and multi-component parts from various materials and has an integrated handling robot for autonomous assembly of parts.

The automated process improves quality, accelerates cycle times by 40% compared to separate injection moulding and installation processes, and delivers tremendous cost savings.

Foboha is part of the global Barnes group and the tool was presented at the Barnes Moulding Solutions booth at the K. The rotating cube mould process fascinated countless numbers of visitors. What had previously been manufactured on two injection moulding machines is now carried out by the Reverse Cube system on a single machine. Two plastic parts, a socket and a roller, are manufactured using two different materials and assembled in a single operation.

The Cube uses separate tool areas to carry out simultaneous work operations for two cube halves arranged

The Foboha mould, one of the most impressive pieces of equipment at the show, was demoed on an Arburg 1300 systems, one of the biggest machines made by the German machine company

over each other. POM and PP for the two roller and socket components are injected into the cavities of two closing levels using hot runner valve gate systems supplied by Männer. The cube halves rotate toward each other in 90° increments, and the next injection operation takes place after each rotation.

Finished components are simultaneously removed after each semi-rotation. A six-axis robot is integrated into the system for this purpose. Simultaneously with the injection cycle, it removes the rollers from the lower cube and inserts them into the sockets still in the cavities of the upper cube half.

The unique aspect of the process is that the two cube halves are thermally separated. This allows the simultaneous processing of varying materials with different temperature requirements. The cube concept with the counter-rotating halves allows the manufacture and assembly of the two components in a confined space and in the shortest possible cycle. The process is flexible, capable of processing a wide variety of component geometries, materials and colours, and can also be used for three components and in cleanroom production.

• Arburg is represented by Hestico in South Africa.

Arburg machines have for long been green, but with the focus on resource efficiency and the circular economy at the show, this year its systems were quite literally labelled ‘Green Machines’. Here we see Juanita Stiehler with Ernst Green and Mattias Kraft of Arburg GmbH in front of an Allrounder 630 A which produced handles made of foamed post-consumer recyclate (PCR) and TPE for the safety doors on Allrounder injection moulding machines

www.arburg.com

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www.hestico.co.za

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Handling BOY LR 5 significantly more compact in longitudinal direction Arrangement leaves valuable production space free

K2019 review-.indd 49 Classifieds Oct/Nov'19.indd 92

cutting pads which are removed from the mould by the LR 5 and placed on a chute in the longitudinal axis of the injection moulding machine.

The practical cutting pad – in the form of a pig – consists of a bio-based wood compound based on polyolefin. The fibre content is about 50% and the wood structure is clearly visible on the surface of the part.

With this application, BOY shows that other materials are also increasingly finding their way into environmentally

More compact automation with BOY LR 5

conscious, modern plastics processing.

Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG is represented in SA by PMS Plastics

•

www.pmsplastics.co.za www.dr.boy.de

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 49

LONGITUDINALLY rather than transversely mounted – this is how visitors to the BOY stand at K2019 experienced an extraordinarily compact automation cell. On a BOY 125 E, the handling LR 5 sits lengthwise on the BOY injection moulding machine.

In contrast to the conventional arrangement – in which the protective fence around the handling and conveyor belt in particular takes up more space – the longitudinal arrangement leaves valuable production space free. Depending on the size of the LR 5 handling system, this automation saves 3 to 5m² of space. The trade fair application showed the production of

2019/11/21 2019/09/12 12:0112:36

Varied and efficient solutions from Zerma Africa (Top) Max Paeslack, based in Shanghai and a regular visitor to SA, was the proud custodian of the impressive GSH-800/1600 heavy-duty granulator on show. The system has a 800mm diameter, 1600mm wide rotor and can process up to three tons an hour

(Left) Zerma Africa now also represents Fimic of Italy, the manufacturer of high performance Laser Filters. With laser drilled filtration holes as small as 80 micron, this eliminates virtually all contaminants. A rotating scraper automatically removes the contaminants from the filter surface with extremely low melt loss, and Fimic filters can be retrofitted to virtually any recycling line.

With Jeff Cawcutt on the stand was Fimic sales manager Emanuele Pozzi 50

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DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Second a success

Numerous positives for SA’s

SAFRIQUE’S second participation as an exhibitor at the K proved successful, with delegates from over 20 African countries visiting its stand and a number of opportunities for raw materials and machinery presenting themselves in the process.

Safrique’s CEO Mervyn Moodley said visitors to the stand also met Safrique’s new partner, materials supplier Global Plastics of the USA, which markets itself as the Green Plastics Company™. Besides virgin materials supplied under the Star Resin brand, it offers ‘green’ polymers, off-grade polymers and chemicals.

Global Plastics has appointed Safrique as its agent/distributor for sub-Saharan Africa and selected countries in North Africa. Mervyn’s recent visit to Global Plastics in Houston, Texas in August was a real eye-opener.

“I was amazed to see how petrochemical companies in the USA are producing polymers from shale gas. With the shale boom, it’s not surprising that there are many petrochemical companies involved and more to follow,” said Mervyn.

2019/09/26 09:24 11:47 2019/11/25

showing at K for Safrique

The team on the Safrique stand included SA’s Patrick Rutaha, Logan Govender, Mervyn and Llewellyn Moodley and Asheen

intra-Africa solutions supplier

There was huge focus on sustainability and post-consumer recycling (PCR) at the show. This is an area where Safrique has been involved for several years.

“Sustainability and recyclability are now ‘key focus’ areas for brand owners, and as a result for both raw material and machinery manufacturers,” added Mervyn. Safrique anticipates that this market trend will see some of its customers in Africa doing their own post-consumer recycling using equipment from its principals Herbold (Germany) and NGR (Austria).

The team and customers were very impressed to witness the demonstration of the Turbostart™ system on the Windmöller & Hölscher Varex 5-layer blown film line. This new technology allows stop and start of the machine in under 10mins, resulting in time and materials savings. This is a significant improvement in the film extrusion area, where considerable quantities of scrap can be produced at start-up or shutdown.

The show also ended on a highlight for Safrique with the sale of a Nordmeccanica Super Combi 4000 laminator to a customer in Ghana.

Mervyn and Llewellyn Moodley with Maira and Kevork of Global Plastics

CABLETECH Marketing’s Pierre Jurgens and Tiaan Visser attended K2019 at which Haitian International, for which Cabletech are the SA agents, launched their third generation in the servo-hydraulic top sellers and in the Zhafir electric pioneer series.

The 3rd generation technology from Haitian International delivers even more efficiency, productivity and new ‘solutions to the point’.

The versatility of the electric product range has been expanded, and the performance of the All servo-hydraulic countries except RSA machines has been two-platen significantly increased.

Optimised drives and neighbouring countries & Nigeria an open integration strategy for robotics and automation increase the scope for investment

Except East Africa & Nigeria

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

51

Partners’ in Selected www.safrique.com African Countries

Except RSA & Nigeria

Except East Africa & Nigeria

50 Wessel Road, Rivonia, 2128, JHB, RSA • TEL: +27 11 803 0333 • CELL: +27 82 604 5926 Email: safrique@safrique.com

11:47

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2019/11/25 09:24

ENVIRO

Domo, Circularise and

partner on full

Flor Peña Herron, Burak Shabaz, Jenny Wassenaar, Rob Groen in ‘t Wout, Mariya Nedelcheva and Michael Sanders from Avery Dennison.

Avery Dennison wins Sustainability Award

AVERY Dennison won the Environmental and Sustainability Award for its recycled PET (rPET) liner at the 2019 Label Industry Global Awards ceremony held in Brussels, Belgium. This is the second consecutive year Avery Dennison has been recognized with this prestigious award for its advances in sustainable labeling products and services.

The liner, which uses 30% PET post-consumer waste, meets technical qualifications while maintaining quality and performance for label design, printing, and application. The post-consumer waste liner portfolio is the latest in a broad range of sustainable labeling solutions aimed at reducing waste, not only throughout the company’s operations, but across the entire label and packaging materials value chain.

The rPET portfolio offers four constructions, including one that uses ‘switchable’ CleanFlake™ Adhesive Technology, designed to enable label materials to separate cleanly from the PET bottle during the recycling process.

This ultimately helps avoid contamination in the recycling process to ensure the PET can be converted into usable material. www.label.averydennison.com

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Transparency achieved through blockchain technology

INTERNATIONAL partners Domo, a leading polyamides solutions provider, Covestro, a major supplier of high-tech polymer materials, and Circularise, an innovative transparency start-up, will collaborate on a project for circularity in the plastics industry through the use of blockchain technology. The newly formed Circularise Plastics project group aims to set up an open standard for sustainability and transparency within this field through which it will be possible to trace a product’s origin and its environmental impact.

“Registries and tracking systems are key to assessing progress towards global circularity goals. Blockchain can bring transparency where it’s most needed, especially when it comes to supply chain traceability in our industry. Achieving

First Beyond Juice bottle – a fully recyclable juice bottle made of 100% recyclate whose FreshSafe PET® barrier system offers unique product and freshness protection

a single standard for traceability to origin would enable the industry to responsibilize and communicate regarding sustainability practices and attach proof of origin to materials,” said Alex Segers, CEO at Domo.

There are three main objectives: • Choose Circular: make it easier for suppliers, processors, manufacturers, moulders and brand owners to choose traceable, sustainable and circular materials; • Produce Circular: create incentives for suppliers and manufacturers to produce traceable, sustainable and circular materials and products; • Make Circular: Provide critical information for reversed logistics and take back of products, materials and components.

recyclable Bottle fully recyclable thanks to THERE is an increasing demand from consumers and the beverage industry alike for packaging which saves on resources.

Companies who design a container nowadays must also take its entire life cycle into account. KHS is addressing precisely this issue with its new Beyond Juice concept.

For the first time the Dortmund systems provider has now developed a fully recyclable juice bottle made of 100% recyclate whose FreshSafe PET® barrier

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

2019/11/21 12:38

Covestro

plastics traceability The value of

Netherlands-headquartered tech innovator Circularise is making transparency

The compatibility of and communication in global value chains possible by utilizing blockchain and blockchain is that zero-knowledge proof. The objective of the plan is to reveal a product’s origin blockchains has been and transparency on its environmental impact a hot topic, including it avoids the use of in the plastics space, The Circularise Plastics concept Netherlandsa powerful central where the benefits of involves a seven-step process whereby headquartered tech authority and thereby innovator Circularise this new technology the source material can be followed can serve all parts of through a blockchain pathway, ensuring is making transparency gives equal rights to the supply chain. end-to-end product traceability and and communication all participants “For material suppliers provenance. If ultimately accepted by in global value chains and processors, as well as the original information holder (plastic possible by using blockchain equipment and mould makers, producer/moulder), the OEM can access and zero-knowledge proof. Their Circularise Plastics participation means important information and make statements protocol enables trusted data exchange increased material value and trust in your accordingly. This solution has two basic in fragmented supply chains without production, by adding material passports main advantages over other initiatives: public disclosure of datasets or supply to plastic resin, additives, colorants and the open protocol will enable an industry chain partners. Unlike other blockchain any other materials produced. standard (on any blockchain) and avoid transparency solutions, Circularise’s The value of blockchain is that it avoids monopoly, and the Smart Questioning technology called ‘smart questioning’ the use of a powerful central authority technology safeguards privacy, while protects a company’s privacy and and thereby gives equal rights to all still allowing for transparency. sensitive information. participants. www.circularise.com/plastics www.domochemicals.com www.covestro.com

juice bottle made of 100% rPET FreshSafe PET® technology system offers unique product and freshness protection.

Following a number of optimizations, the Beyond Juice bottle was issued with the Made for Recycling seal by Interseroh – the first PET bottle to score a full 20 out of 20 points.

FreshSafe PET also ensures that sensitive, high-quality juices and spritzers, for instance, keep up to 10 times longer than those filled into uncoated bottles. This is primarily thanks to the wafer-thin layer of glass applied to the inside of the bottle which prevents oxygen from penetrating the bottle and CO2 from escaping from it.

The label area on the Beyond Juice container has been kept so small that sorting systems recognize it as a PET bottle. This makes sure that the container can be reintroduced

to the recycling loop and is not simply used to make energy. It was also important to select the right kind of adhesive so that the label can be separated from the plastic in the recycling process and there is no unintentional soiling during the washing process.

The new KHS bottle concept has also been developed as a film-free pack for recycling purposes. Dots of adhesive which are strong and secure yet easy to remove hold the bottles together. With Nature MultiPackTM from KHS the film otherwise used to package the PET bottles as a six-pack, for example, is no longer required. This adhesive is also easily removed during recycling. www.khs.com/en

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

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ENVIRO Pepsi accelerates plan to use less virgin plastic

PEPSICO Inc wants to cut use of virgin plastic beverage packaging by more than a third by the middle of next decade. The soda and snack food giant said increased use of recycled plastic, as well as alternative packaging, will help the company reach its 35% reduction goal.

PepsiCo’s SodaStream business, which uses home machines to make soda in reusable packaging, is also being counted on to cut single-use plastics at the company.

PepsiCo previously said it wanted to have all packaging recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025. The company also wants to increase recycled content in packaging to 25% in the same time frame.

Another brand, LIFEWTR, is transitioning to 100% recycled PET in the US, and the company’s Tropicana brand aims to reach 100% recycled PET use in Western Europe by 2025.

Trinseo, INEOS Styrolution plan PS chemical recycling plant

STYRENICS Circular Solutions (SCS) and Agilyx are collaborating with INEOS Styrolution, Trinseo and Agilyx to advance the development of a commercial scale polystyrene (PS) chemical recycling facility in Europe.

The new plant will be capable of processing up to 50 tons-per-day of post-consumer PS feedstock.

Agilyx evaluates the composition of the waste feedstock and successfully recycles it back into its original liquid monomer, using its proprietary depolymerisation technology.

PS is a polymer with unique circularity potential, as it is most easily reversed into its original monomer, which in its liquid state, enables easy purification. The recycled monomer is identical to the virgin monomer and can thus be processed into styrenics polymers with identical, virgin quality enabling all applications, including food contact.

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Plastic alternatives may worsen marine pollution, MPs warn Committee says UK should reduce use of plastics rather than replace it with other materials COMPOSTABLE and biodegradable plastics could add to marine pollution because there is no infrastructure in place to make sure they break down correctly, a committee of British MPs has warned.

According to a report in The Guardian in September, the use of alternatives to plastic are being adopted by many food and drink companies, takeaway coffee venues, cafes and retailers. But experts giving evidence to MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs committee said the infrastructure required to deal with the new packaging was not in place and there was a lack of consumer understanding about these alternatives.

Much of the compostable packaging produced for the UK market only degrades in industrial composting facilities, rather than in home composting – but not all is sent to these facilities.

Environmental NGOs told the committee that the rapid introduction of such alternatives could actually increase plastic pollution. Juliet Phillips, of the Environmental Investigation Agency, said: “If a biodegradable cup gets into the sea, it could pose just as much of a problem to marine life as a conventional plastic cup.”

Green Alliance – a coalition of NGOs – said there was evidence that the term biodegradable made consumers think it was fine to discard it into the environment, which would make pollution on land and at sea even worse.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

2019/11/21 14:12

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DESIGN

Biocomposite Six candidates vie for the honour

SIX candidates have been nominated for the ‘Biocomposite of the Year 2019’ award. Golden Compound from Germany won first place with its certified home compostable coffee capsules.

KNN Cellulose from the Netherlands took second place with their biocomposite granulates made from recycled toilet paper.

And Bcomp from Switzerland achieved third place with their

1

st

powerRibs™, a composite material made of natural fibres for high-performance applications in lightweight construction.

This year’s nominated companies give a good picture of the emerging application fields for biocomposites: automotive, packaging, casing for consumer goods, instruments as well as solutions for construction such as facades.

Golden Compound (DE): HOMEcap – home compostable coffee capsules HOMEcap is the world’s first and only home compostable capsule successfully introduced in the market that is ‘OK compost HOME’ certified. The capsule was successfully launched this year. It is made from a unique compound comprising PTTMCCs PBS and PBSA mixed with sunflower seed shells and inorganic fillers. It comes with a paper and cellulose based lid, sealable to the capsule without additional glue, and is home compostable. The material composition results in low oxygen transmission rates, which allows to avoid additional barrier packaging and is therefore saving waste. A VDI 4605 sustainability assessment showed that this capsule outperforms current state-of-the-art capsules, like deep-drawn PP EVOH multilayer capsules, in terms of sustainability.

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www.golden-compound.com

KNN Cellulose (NL): ® Recell Biocomposite – the competitive alternative www.recell.eu

nd

Recell biocomposite is a granulate at competitive pricing and with low environmental impact. The biocomposite is made from recovered toilet paper (a tertiary cellulose source) mixed with a variety of polymers like bio-resins, PLA or PHA. The granulate is suitable for standard injection moulding and extrusion operations. Current applications include flowerpots, cladding, fencing, decking and crates. The product for the competition is a picnic table produced by EcoDeck. The Recell cellulose fibres are efficiently produced from Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with Cellvation® technology.

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of the year!

Bcomp (CH): PowerRibs™ – sustainable lightweighting The Swiss company Bcomp has developed proprietary lightweighting solutions for high performance applications by applying the latest composites knowledge to natural fibres. Thanks to powerRibs™ technology, a reinforcing grid inspired by the thin veins in leaves that provides maximum stiffness at minimum weight, natural fibres can

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achieve the performance of carbon fibres in a motorsport body and thus replace them. The result is a 75% lower CO2 footprint, 30% lower costs and improved safety without toxic dust and sharp shattering, as well as viable end-of-life options. The powerRibs™ are also used to make automotive interior panels up to 40% lighter.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 57

Trade. Create. Elevate.

> www.meraxis-group.com

Deep insights, deep impact.

As a global player for polymer-related solutions, we elevate your business success – with innovative, customer-focused material concepts, with unique expertise in logistics, trading and distribution and with a deep understanding of your requirements.

For knowledge with substance. For sustainable solutions. For deep relationships with our customers and partners.

Meraxis South Africa (Pty) Ltd Johannesburg +27 11 455 2889 Cape Town +27 21 556 7787 Durban +27 82 775 5344

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DESIGN

Finalists

OrganoClick (SE): A burial coffin made ® with OrganoComp and 3D fibre moulding A coffin called Saga made of Swedish company OrganoClick’s biocomposite, was launched in May 2019. OrganoComp® is a patented, 100% bio-based material made of Swedish wood fibres. The binder is based on biopolymers from side streams in the food and pulp industry, such as orange peels and shrimp shells. OrganoComp is produced with a patented production technology for 3D fibre moulding and is

replacing particle boards used in burial coffins that contain synthetic glues. The strength of OrganoComp enables 50% raw material reduction of the coffin while maintaining the appearance of traditional coffins.

OrganoComp is also used to replace fossil-based plastics and other applications include containers, acoustic panels, and furniture. www.organoclick.com

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Trifilon (SE) – Trifilon BioLite – market-tested biocomposites made with hemp fibres With BioLite, Trifilon offers a green alternative to plastics. BioLite is a polypropylene reinforced up to 30% with hemp fibres. Trifilon BioLite is a hemp fibre, polypropylene composite that is delivered in granulates for injection moulding machines. Hemp is one of the strongest natural fibres in the world, which makes BioLite products strong, light and durable. The use of hemp fibres in BioLite optimises the material properties for many applications – the Dometic Coolfun SC 30B thermoelectric cooler is just one example. This technology gives manufacturers the opportunity to make sensible use of renewable raw materials, and an excellent one is hemp. The cooler housing is the world’s first to be manufactured with biocomposite material. www.trifilon.com

Finalists Lingrove (US): ® Lingrove Ekoa veneer Lingrove builds high-performance veneers for composites - such as the Ekoa® product line with flax fibres and vegetable resins. The veneer has a higher stiffness/weight ratio than steel, is lighter than carbon fibre and has the look of vintage wood. Accordingly, Luttwak guitars made of Ekoa look like wood, but are not made of wood – they are even better than wood. Lingrove is currently scaling veneer and panel production to meet demand from commercial and residential real estate markets. www.lingrove.com

Innovative stand-up pouch designed for recyclability

Dow, RB, Drukpol.Flexo develop recyclable packaging for dishwasher detergents A SUCCESSFUL joint development between Dow, brand owner RB, and converter Drukpol.Flexo has led to the creation of a new resealable pouch designed for recyclability and end-of-life disposal into existing recycling streams.

Using Dow’s polyethylene (PE) films, the stand-up pouch was designed for RB’s Finish perfume-free dishwasher detergent line.

“The innovative mono-material pouch is yet another example of the power of collaboration,” said Karin Katzer, marketing director End Use for Dow’s Packaging & Specialty Plastics business. “Through our Pack Studios network and design for recyclability solutions, we are helping brand owners

move to a circular economy and deliver on their sustainability commitments.”

Dow, RB and Drukpol.Flexo worked together to overcome the challenge of creating a mono-material, PE-films based packaging that can be produced on existing equipment and enable extra functionalities like zippers, easy opening, and the right mix of stiffness and flexibility. The development team was able to address this challenge through Dow’s portfolio of innovative technologies including Affinity™, Dowlex™ and Agility™.

The new packaging was tested with the “0% perfume-free green line” of Finish dishwasher detergent at German retailers and online through Amazon and

received 4+ stars consumer feedback on product features and quality.

Dow, RB and Drukpol develop recyclable packaging for FINISH dishwasher detergents

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ASSOCIATIONS

RecycleConnect

offers marketplace for

Plastics has of late proved to be one of the most traded materials A PRESENTATION by the founder of RecycleConnect, Online market place for Theodore Nagel, proved recycling – Theodore Nagel of thought-provoking at the RecycleConnect was thanked PISA national annual general for his presentation at the PISA AGM at the Royal Natal meeting in Durban in August.

Yacht Club in Durban by KZN RecycleConnect is billed as chairman Rani Appalsamy an ‘online market for business recycling’ which has in the few years since its establishment in 2012 gained much traction in the plastics sector. Although it is also active in the recycling of chemicals, paper, metal, wood, rubber and other materials, plastics has of late proved to be one of the most traded materials, and hence most popular, says Theo.

Operation is simple, as Theo made clear on the night: once registered, the seller posts what he or she is offering for sale, the buyer then makes a bid and, once there is agreement, a match is made.

Listing is free, and RecycleConnect charges only a minor percent fee once a match is made.

The key for sellers is thus that the site attract buyers, and specifically buyers who mean business, so that they can sell materials where others can derive value.

Prior to starting RecycleConnect, Theo studied a B.Eng Electronic Engineering degree as well as a B.Sc Information Technology degree at the University of Johannesburg (then known as RAU). Thereafter he worked as a product developer in the electronics field for several years.

Polystyrene association launches food compliance responsibility initiative THE Polystyrene Association of SA has launched a Food Compliance Responsibility Initiative (FCRI) aimed at addressing health and safety concerns surrounding the use of polystyrene. Members of the association who manufacture packaging used in food contact applications have been encouraged to sign a voluntary commitment to adhere to international health and safety standards.

“These are all excellent product qualities which have made PS the material of choice for many applications. However, as with any other packaging material, it needs to be used as intended by the manufacturers and handled correctly – especially in certain phases of its life cycle if it is to have a role in a sustainable future for society,” explains Adri Spangenberg, CEO of the Polystyrene Association of SA. Adri goes on to clarify that the driving force behind the initiative is the belief that raw material suppliers, product manufacturers, product distributors and consumers are joint stewards for the responsible and sustainable production and use of food compliant PS products.

“Manufacturers are required to ensure that all raw materials included during the production process, are food grade certified. Good manufacturing practices must be displayed at all times and only in-house recyclate derived from the original food grade raw materials is allowed to be used,” she says.

Support from the industry has been very positive and welcoming and the country’s biggest manufacturers of polystyrene packaging have already committed themselves to these standards.

“We are very excited about this recent development and believe it will it is an important step forward that will protect the growth and well-being of our industry and ensure the long-term use of polystyrene as the packaging material,” Adri concludes.

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‘Warning signs’ of

Interventions to remedy situation are available THE KZN branch of PISA held a most interesting lecture in November, by business rescue practitioner Louis Klopper.

The presentation focused around the early ‘warning signs’ that indicate whether a

www.polystyrenesa.co.za

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Bruce Naidoo, outgoing national chairman of PISA, congratulated Bob Bond on his election as chairman, in Durban recently. On the right is Northern’s chairman Dr Vincent Khumalo, who has been elected national vice-chairman. Longstanding PISA member Bob has in fact been chairman before.

Congrats guys!

recycling... of just about anything

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and RecycleReconnect had its first transaction early in 2012 and ended the year finding markets for 150 tons from a single client.

“At that point we knew we had a model which was ‘sustainable’ in both meanings of the word. The business has grown from strength to strength – with markets developed in everything from polyolefins to engineering grades such as nylons, acetals, ASA, PC – both locally and abroad. We are currently in the process of developing the fourth version of our website portal, incorporating various new features and upgrades which we hope to take live by the end of the year,” Theo concludes.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

“While searching for electronic components unavailable in SA, I sourced various components through online portals such as Global Sources and Alibaba, and noticed the value that ‘business to business’ portals provide in this application – from China to the rest of the world,” Theo says.

“This, combined with my IT background as well as my observation of the low proportion of waste going back into production in the engineering field, set me to conceptualise and create an online marketplace for these waste streams,” he adds.

The beta version of the online portal was launched at the end of 2011. The first year’s material listings came through calling potential clients and a lot of time on the road – seeking both suppliers and customers. Theo’s perseverance paid off

www.recycleconnect.co.za

business failure often ignored

e available business is not performing optimally and the necessary interventions available to remedy the situation. Various stages in the decline of a business were identified along with the appropriate intervention strategies. Nearly all these warning signs appear in the annual financial statements of a business entity, yet are often ignored by the management.

All in all a very interesting, informative and enlightening presentation which was most appropriate given the prevailing economic climate in the country.

The lecture was well attended by PISA members and non-members alike.

Similar lecture evenings are planned for 2020.

The speaker at the PISA event in Durban, Louis Klopper, with Kevin Govender and Garth Taylor

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Leading roto-moulding release agents and mould cleaners We supply a broad selection of additives and water-based or solventbased release agents and mould preparation products from Axel of the USA to prevent product from sticking to the mould and preventing plating or colour transfer. Some of the Axel additives available are used to assist as an internal release agent, improving flow and assisting with anti-static properties.

“BTCAP are also the distributor for leading epoxy brands, WEST SYSTEM Epoxy, PRO-SET Epoxy and ENTROPY Epoxy for various industries and also supply adhesives used for composites and plastics industry.”

Feel free to contact us at the following: Office +27 12 997 2148 Direct +27 71 642 7188 Office email info@btcap.co.za Direct email shenton@btcap.co.za www.btcap.co.za

2019/11/21 12:41

ASSOCIATIONS

SAPPMA status mounting NPO, offering technical Never before has need for technical development & quality been so prevalent “Never before has the need for technical development DESPITE a struggling economy, the Southern African and maintaining quality been so prevalent. In the past, Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA) manufacturers only needed to focus on one standard per reported a growth in membership and influence this product line, and then perhaps only superficially. These past year. Speaking at the association’s 15th AGM days, there are around 124 national standards that they in Johannesburg recently, CEO Jan Venter said the need to satisfy,” Venter said. importance of having a dedicated, non-profit organization Because SAPPMA’s sole focus is on a relatively small that offers technical support and co-ordinates activities in (but crucially important) sector of industry, they are in a the plastic piping industry, cannot be over-emphasized. unique position to detect and address problems much “Judging by the growth in the market and new earlier than any other organization. Through closely applications we have seen in recent years, it is clear monitoring the quality of the products their members that plastic is no longer seen as ‘an alternative’ pipe produce, SAPPMA ensures full adherence to all material. It has grown to a dominant position in piping relevant national standards. Only pipes that were systems worldwide, with an estimated share of more independently tested and audited are allowed than 50%. In South Africa, around 150 000 to bear the SAPPMA logo as assurance that tons of plastic pipe (PVC and HDPE) are In SA, they meet international benchmarks of produced annually and used across a wide around 150 000 safety and quality. spectrum of many industries, including mining, civil, irrigation, industrial, tons of plastic pipe Technical marketing and problem telecommunication and building,” (PVC and HDPE) are solving he added. produced annually and Apart from focusing on product “South Africa is rapidly becoming an arid country where water is a scarce used across a wide standards and long-term quality, resource. With increasing demand SAPPMA also fulfills an indispensable spectrum of many and inconsistent rainfall, we can no need in the marketplace for technical industries. longer afford the huge losses in pipelines marketing and problem solving. This (estimated to be of the order of 40%). We service is not only offered to its own need piping systems that are reliable, leak-free members, but extends throughout the industry. and durable. HDPE and PVC pipes answer this call “We have become a repository of technical information with distinction as they won’t rust or corrode over time. and are frequently called upon by municipalities, engineers They are more cost-effective in applications where soil is and decision-makers to assist with scoping a project, aggressive, offer extended lifetimes of up to 100 years and specifying standards or making technical decisions,” are highly suitable for the rehabilitation of old pipelines,” Venter says. For this reason, SAPPMA has appointed Venter said. a technical manager to assist with queries and offer Growing need for an independent standards body SAPPMA was formed 16 years ago with the purpose of creating absolute customer confidence in the plastic pipe industry and to ensure the long term sustainability of the industry with top quality piping systems. According to Venter, the importance and scope of this task continues to grow each year as the industry develops both in complexity and competitiveness.

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professional advice, whilst the association’s technical manual for PVC and HDPE piping systems (regularly updated and distributed) continues to be indispensable to designers and decision makers in the piping business.

“In addition to our hugely successful PIPES XII technical conference that took place in August this past year, SAPPMA has also begun hosting regular workshops for both members and non-members alike that focussed on different aspects of quality. These events were all very well

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as dedicated support attended and is clearly addressing a very big need that exists in the market. As a result, we will be hosting similar sessions in other main centres during 2020,” Venter revealed.

Factory audits Factory audits will continue to be a key factor in the success of the association and is seen as an important differentiator that sets members apart from non-members. Announced and unannounced audits were completed on all manufacturing and installing members during 2019 and SAPPMA has reported an increased in quality awareness and compliance.

New SAPPMA Board and recognising contributions SAPPMA’s new board of directors comprises Jan Venter, who remains as chairman and CEO, assisted and supported by Terence Hobson (Sun Ace SA), Don Coleman (Sizabantu Piping Systems), Renier Viljoen (Rare Plastics), Mark Berry (Safripol), Trevor Woolward (Pipe-Tech Manufacturing) and Lizl du Preez (PipeFlo).

Alaster Goyns (Pipes CC), Lesley Geyser (Rare Plastics) and George Diliyannis (Safripol) received the SAPPMA Merit Awards for 2019 – an annual award that was instituted in 2008 with the aim of recognising and rewarding the input and effort of individual SAPPMA members.

“Never before has the need for technical development and maintaining quality been so prevalent. These days, there are around 124 national standards that they need to satisfy,” said Jan Venter, CEO of SAPPMA

• Official Distributor in Southern Africa for BASF

on TPU Elastollan® Thermoplastic Polyurethane

• Official Distributor in Southern Africa for Elastron on TPE, TPV Elastron® SEBS and EPDM/PP

• Official Distributor in Southern Africa for CGFSE on FSE® Fluoroelastomers and Perfluoroelastomers

Looking ahead “We are excited about the opportunities that await us in the year ahead, but also mindful of the challenges our members are facing. I once again urge them not to lose their long-term view, particularly in terms of quality, and not be tempted to take short cuts that will later come back at a cost. Difficult conditions always provide new challenges – also to an association such as ours. At the same time however, it reinforces the need for a central organization such as this. We therefore appeal to them to continue participating in all our activities – together we are making a difference!” Venter concluded.

• Distributor for Weifang on Weipren CPE • Suppliers of EPS, Various Grades • Engineering Polymers • Polyolefins • Reworked and Repaletised Materials • Official distributor for Politem on PA6, PA66 ®

unfilled and filled compounds

www.sappma.co.za DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

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ASSOCIATIONS

SA’s Tamlyn Naidoo wins IOM World Lecture event Presentation looked at acid mine drainage remediation system

IN A commendable achievement, Tamlyn Naidoo of Wits University won the Institute of Materials’ Young Persons’ World Lecture competition in London in October. Second place went to Malaysia and third to Canada, who entered the competition for the first time ever. Tamlyn’s lecture covered an ingenious and sustainable solution to a major industry current challenge: that of an acid mine drainage remediation system using waste products from the steel manufacturing and sugar industries and preparation and application of bionanocomposites filaments in 3D printing. Her research uses sugar cane bagasse and BOF slag to treat the water and the results on small and medium scale testing have proven successful.

Tamlyn Naidoo did extremely well to win the IOM world lecture competition in London

Ströberg of Nuvo to give IOM Foundation Lecture, 18 March THE Institute of Materials’ Foundation lecture, to be held on Wednesday 18 March 2020, is to be presented by Collin Ströberg of Nuvo Rubber Compounders.

The event, the 35th edition of the Foundation Lecture,

will be held at the Protea Hotel by Marriot OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg.

Ströberg is managing director of Maritzburg-based Nuvo, one of SA’s leading rubber compounding businesses.

PISA conference provides forum for student researchers

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Very wide range of topics covered THE 2019 PISA national conference gave a good indication of the state of academic research in the polymers field in South Africa, and it has to be said that a lot is going on.

Students from Stellenbosch University and the Tshwane University of Technology gave presenations on a very wide range of topics, some of which may have baffled the man in the street. Topics as different as ‘Tracking lubricants during singlescrew extrusion of uPVC’ and ‘Synthesis of zwitterionic polymers for

nanodisc formation’ could challenge even seasoned industry veterans, even leave them totally nonplussed.

The conference was co-sponsored by the MERSETA and the fact that that provided an opportunity for the young students has to be applauded.

Perhaps more people from the industry should have attended and asked challenging questions?

Some of the students appeared apprehensive that future employment opportunities may be limited, once they’ve completed their studies, and

these concerns were outlined at the outset by Prof Albert van Reenen of Stellenbosch University, but attention was also focussed on the fact that many opportunities may result for them in the new drive towards sustainability and the Circular Economy. If anything, the current challenges faced by the plastics and polymers industry could provide major and on-going fields for their research and academic work.

Dr Vincent Khumalo of TUT said the sessions had inspired him continue and expand his “search for new ideas for our next conference, especially for CSIR students”.

Bob Bond of PISA Northern branch has been instrumental in organising the event and should be applauded for making this a reality.

Students from Stellenbosch and Tshwane universities gave presentations at the PISA conference at Spier in October

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ASSOCIATIONS

SAVA’s Vinyls2020 conference

Local presenters will share stage with international experts from Global Vinyls Council (GVC) and Vinyls Plus THE Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) will host its Vinyls2020 one-day conference on Friday, 12 June 2020 at the Sandton Hilton Hotel.

According to Adri Spangenberg, CEO of SAVA, the previous Vinyls SA Conference took place in 2017. “In the three years since we hosted our last event, a lot of industry innovation and developments have taken place.

The vinyls industry (locally and internationally) has faced and overcome many challenges, but in an everevolving market, we need to continue addressing various environmental, health and business issues. We are hoping to create a platform where local role-players can show off their products and where the amazing versatility of vinyls can truly be put on display,” Adri says.

SAVA is confident that the Vinyls2020 Conference will attract delegates representing various sectors of the vinyls industry, including raw material suppliers, manufacturers, recyclers, students, the media and other interested parties.

“Vinyl is used in so many different applications – ranging from water supply and healthcare, to packaging, footwear, building and construction. We are inviting presenters to submit an abstract for delivering an engaging talk that focuses on the innovative use of PVC, recycling or possible end-markets for recycled vinyl products, addressing legacy 66

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issues and manufacturing challenges or any new and interesting application using PVC,” Adri expands.

Local presenters will share the stage with international experts from the Global Vinyls Council (GVC) and Vinyls Plus who have also been invited as keynote speakers. A panel discussion will conclude the day’s activities during which pertinent issues that are impacting the industry will be discussed.

“Our aim is to make the Vinyls2020 conference bigger and better than ever before! Feedback received from delegates who attended our Vinyls conferences during previous years made it clear that there is a need for such an industry-specific event during which the challenges, opportunities and developments impacting the local PVC industry can be addressed. By attending, presenting or exhibiting at the Vinyls2020 Conference, we will pro-actively address PVC related issues and constructively engage with stakeholders and role players in order to create a positive environment for a vibrant and sustainable PVC industry”, Adri adds.

• For more information about sponsorship possibilities or to register for the Vinyls2020 conference, visit www. savinyls.co.za or contact conference organisers via email at Info@savinyls.co.za www.sava.co.za

2019/11/21 12:42

The Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital – a new R3bn hospital in KwaMashu that is scheduled to open its doors in December 2019

7.5 Tons

of vinyl viny floor off-cuts diverted from landfill SAVA and PVC companies collaborate for success POLYFLOR SA and Innovative PVC Compounds (IPC), both members of the Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA), joined hands recently to ensure that 7.5 tons of vinyl floor off-cuts were collected, of which 6 tons were recycled, following an installation at the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital – a new R3bn hospital in KwaMashu that is scheduled to open its doors in December 2019.

The 500-bed regional hospital named in honour of Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, one of the first black lawyers in South Africa and a founding member of the African National Congress (ANC), is the largest hospital currently in development in South Africa. It is situated near Bridge City Mall (a new mixed-use precinct that serves as a business, commercial and transportation hub for the eThekwini Municipality) and will be amongst the largest public healthcare facilities in the country once it is completed.

Polyflor SA, one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of vinyl sheeting and luxury vinyl tiles to the healthcare-, retail-, education- and commercial industries, was awarded the contract to supply more than 35 000m² of vinyl sheeting at the hospital.

Polyflor SA launched the country’s only official programme that recycles vinyl sheeting off-cuts generated during installations in 2016. The company’s contractors are given specially branded recycling bags in which they place the off-cuts, in order to be returned to the company’s head office in Sebenza, Johannesburg, for weighing and recording and collection by recyclers.

“Upon hearing of our involvement in the project through our networking at SAVA and given the fact that it was literally taking place on their doorstep, IPC offered to assist us with the recycling of the off-cuts at their premises,” said Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA.

“Their involvement in this project made the entire process considerably shorter and easier to manage”.

IPC is a family-run vinyl compounds supplier based in Durban. Established in 2010, they are one of the PVC compounders who supply their products nationwide, as well as internationally, for the manufacturing of footwear, safety shoes, gumboots, wire coating, floor tiles, electrical and plumbing fittings, for the moulding and extrusion industries.

“Although recycling of vinyl products is not a core focus of our business, we do encourage our customers to allow us to reprocess any, if not all, of their off-cuts in view of maintaining a sustainable environment. For this reason, we were eager to assist Polyflor by collecting, reprocessing and recycling the material at our facility in Phoenix Industrial Park in Durban, before supplying it back into the industry as compounds for the footwear sector”, explained Mubeen Siddiqi, CEO and Director at IPC. State of vinyl recycling in SA Adri Spangenberg, CEO of SAVA, applauded both companies for their pro-active approach and supporting the industry to reach its recycling targets.

“PVC recycling in South Africa has seen 16.4% year-on-year growth in during 2018, whilst the virgin consumption increased 2.3% in the same period. 20 778 tons of PVC were recycled in South Africa, of which 80% was flexible and 20% rigid vinyl products. Because the recycling process does not measurably decrease the chain length of PVC molecules, vinyl products can be recycled repeatedly up to 8 times – depending on the application. For this reason, the vinyls industry has been working very hard to boost collection of waste, optimise recycling technologies and boost the percentage of recyclate in new products,” she said. www.sava.co.za

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COMPOSITES

Iconic 60s replica racing Hand-built using Scott Bader composites

68 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

FOR classic car enthusiasts of the 1960s British AC Cobra® two-seater racing roadster, very deep pockets are needed to afford an original sports car. Back in 2001, world champion auto racers, Tony Martin and Reg Dodd founded Backdraft Racing Inc* to offer enthusiasts worldwide an affordable replica or custom built sports car based on the iconic AC Cars racing roadster.

Backdraft Racing combines 60s styling with modern suspension, braking and powertrains, producing cars for both road and race track driving experiences.

Based in the US and South Africa, Backdraft Racing works closely with manufacturing partner TR-Tec (Pty) Ltd, located in Durban, South Africa.

Since 2002, TR-Tec has been handbuilding niche automobiles and ‘turnkeyminus’ rolling chassis for Backdraft Racing, which are produced with fibreglass bodies made using proven Scott Bader tooling, laminating and structural adhesive products. Backdraft Racing completes the production of the roadsters in its state-of-the-art facility in Florida, installing the engine, transmission, drive shaft, differentials and final drive.

Fibreglass body & tooling While the original AC Cars have an aluminium body, all Backdraft Roadsters are manufactured with a lightweight, strong, highly durable, fibreglass body.

The main body section is moulded in one piece on a rotating jig, with separate tooling for the doors, hood, truck and various interior parts. To ensure a high quality build, the attention to detail by TR-Tec is meticulous throughout the construction. For all of the fibreglass components on Backdraft Racing models, TR-Tec specifies pre-accelerated unsaturated polyester (UP) matched Crystic resin and gelcoat systems, which are manufactured locally in South Africa

by Scott Bader in Hammarsdale.

The glass fibre laminate system for the entire main body is a spray applied combination of black pigmented Crystic LS 97PA, a high quality isophthalic spray gelcoat, with three layers of 450gsm chopped luggage compartment are all laminated strand matting with Crystic 491PAT into the main body moulding in a jig to isophthalic back up resin, which is ensure accuracy, rigidity and strength. thixotropic and so can be sprayed or The engine bay and front inner brushed. For certain areas a core mat bumpers are also finished in black reinforcing layer is added, with extra Crystic LS88PA gelcoat for a smooth glass reinforcement in the wheel appearance, durability and arches. ease of cleaning and The individual fibreglass maintenance.

To ensure a body parts, such as the The use of high high quality doors, hood and trunk, performance build, the attention are all moulded by isophthalic grade hand lay-up, double gelcoats for all body to detail by TRskinned for a smooth parts provides the Tec is meticulous finish and added bodywork with a throughout the rigidity, with steel inserts long lasting water in the hinge and lock and UV weathering construction. areas for added durability resistant barrier behind and strength. Once again, the paint system as well Crystic 491PAT is the laminating as helping to minimise any resin, which is brush applied behind a fibre print through; the gelcoat layer is black Crystic LS88PA gelcoat. sanded back and then primed ready for The door surrounds, hood and painting. luggage compartment surrounds and The fibreglass tooling used by TRother strategic points are reinforced by Tec for the Backdraft RT3 and RT3B applying a chopped fibre compound roadster body parts are produced using and an extra layer of glass mat. The Scott Bader’s Crystic Primecoat and cockpit floor, transmission tunnel, fire Crystic Glosscoat for the plugs and the wall, front inner wheel wells and the Crestamould matched tooling system.

roadster bodies built in SA ®

ethane Acrylate Adhesives

Primerless MMA Structural Adhesives Primerless MMA Adhesives

A leading range of structural adhesives suitable for bonding multiple substrates including Polypropylene and Polyethylene.

Since 2002, TR-Tec (Pty) Ltd has hand-built left- and right-hand drive configured ‘turnkey-minus’ rolling chassis (complete car minus powertrain) for Backdraft Racing RT3 and RT3B roadster models

by Scott Bader

The moulds are produced using Crestamould 15PA(B) vinyl ester brush tooling gelcoat with one layer of Crestamould skincoat ortho UP tooling resin immediately behind the gelcoat, then a minimum of eight layers of Crestamould RTR 4010PA rapid UP tooling resin, which has easier handling properties, a lower viscosity, improved shrinkage control and also uses a standard MEKP catalyst. >> DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 69

T: +27 (0) 31 736 8500 E: composites@scottbader.co.za

Bonding Pastes

scottbader.com

Bonding Pastes

COMPOSITES

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All Backdraft Racing roadsters have a durable fibreglass main body, spray moulded in one piece on a rotating jig, using a matched Crystic resin and gelcoat system produced locally in South Africa by Scott Bader (Pty) Ltd

Lightweight FRP adhesive To minimise weight, avoid surface defects and increase productivity, for the interior components, such as the door surrounds and luggage compartment sections, TR-Tec uses Scott Bader’s MEKP cured Crestomer 1152PA structural adhesive to bond in and join parts together in preference to using mechanical fixings.

The range of Crestomers are proven structural adhesives, originally developed for providing structural joint bonds in demanding fibreglass deck and hull marine applications. The 1152PA grade is suitable for gap-filling joints up to 25mm and offers a good level of shop floor leeway during assembly, having a working time of up to 50 minutes (at 2% w/v catalyst, 25°C).

Published Scott Bader technical data for cured Crestomer 1152PA gives typical physical property values (to BS EN ISO 527-2:1196 test method) of 100% elongation at break and a www.scottbader.com

maximum tensile strength of 26 MPa; the limiting strength factor is the fibreglass laminate substrate which breaks first, not the Crestomer adhesive joint, which provides a very tough, high impact strength bond.

Technical support service TR-Tec has been supplied by Scott Bader for many years and values not only the quality of the products supplied, which is critical for making luxury sport cars, but also the pre and post sales technical support and advice they have had over the years.

“Backdraft Racing uses Scott Bader South Africa because they provide us with comprehensive technical support and are ready to assist with any challenges faced by the production team. They go the extra mile to ensure that all our technical requirements are met,” says Tony Martin, production director for TR-Tec and Backdraft Racing SA. www.backdraftracing.co.za

“For me and my TR-Tec team, this level of service along with their extensive range of extremely good, consistently reliable products, is the perfect combination for our business needs.”

* Backdraft Racing is not affiliated with Shelby® Cobra®. Shelby®, Carroll Shelby® registered trademarks and/or the trade dress of Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc. (Shelby).

www.backdraftracing.com

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2019/11/12 10:06

COMPOSITES

High-volume,

CFRP Transmission Crossmember

zero-waste process

with Hexcel moulding compound A HIGH-performance moulding compound from Hexcel has been used to produce a carbon fibrereinforced plastic (CFRP) transmission crossmember, using a zero-waste process ideal for high-volume manufacture. The automotive part is comparable with aluminum versions in terms of its performance and price, but could be 30–35% lighter.

The transmission crossmember has been developed by Hexcel and the Institute of Polymer Product Engineering (IPPE) at the University

of Linz, Engel and Alpex. These parts connect either side of a vehicle’s chassis together and support its transmission and therefore must be stiff, strong, and resistant to fatigue.

To meet these requirements, the partners selected HexMC-i 2000, which is the best-performing moulding compound currently on the market, to produce the part. HexMC-i 2000 has been designed specifically to bridge the price–performance gap between sheet-moulding compounds (SMCs) and prepregs, and is stiffer than steel

at approximately a fifth of the density.

Further, its mechanical performance is highly consistent.

HexMC-i 2000 comprises randomly orientated rectangular chips of unidirectional carbon fibre-reinforced prepreg impregnated with Hexcel’s M77 snap-curing epoxy resin to form a 2000gsm sheet material. The moulding compound can cure in as little as two minutes to produce lightweight, strong and stiff parts.

To produce the transmission crossmember, preforms of HexMC-i 2000

Covestro, EconCore join forces in composites development Polycarbonate applications in mass transportation ECONCPRE NV and Covestro are combining their technologies in order to produce strong and lightweight honeycomb panels with outstanding performance. One of the targeted key performance aspects is to comply with Fire, Smoke, Toxicity (FST) requirements for public transportation applications, including railway and aerospace.

Covestro has developed and tested a wide range of polycarbonates and -blends with specific grades to meet the FST performance required by railway and aviation applications. The company is also currently developing a range of lightweight thermoplastic composite solutions under the brand name Maezio™. EconCore has developed and patented a unique manufacturing process to produce ultra-light honeycomb structures in an economic way, with a high variety of material combinations that can be fine-tuned in order to meet customers’ needs.

The companies’ goal is to optimise the FST performance of honeycomb panels to meet different application requirements. This will be achieved by selecting the right combination of polycarbonate grades and composites for the honeycomb core and skin and at the same time adapting the parameters within EconCore’s honeycomb technology.

The results of preliminary FST tests, carried out by 72

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an independent institute on semi-finished, laminated honeycomb panels, are very encouraging. Sandwich-panels with different material and technology combinations have been produced and evaluated, fulfilling critical tests of EN45545 or FAR25.853 standards for various applications.

Currently, the positive results of the preliminary FST tests are being verified in detailed investigations of different material combinations. www.covestro.com

www.econcore.com

EconCore and Covestro are combining their technologies to produce strong and lightweight honeycomb panels with outstanding performance

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

2019/11/21 12:47

Clas

On the path to industrialisation of pultrusion process Sustainable solution with polyurethane resin Hexcel, IPPE, Engel and Alpex produce a lightweight transmission crossmember using a zero-waste process

are laid up in moulds fabricated by Alpex and compression-moulded using a v-duo press that has been tailored for the application from Engel. Ribs, aluminum inserts and other functions can be moulded into the part using the single-stage process, reducing component-count in comparison with metal versions of the part and keeping costs low.

Crucially, any offcuts from the preforms can be interleaved between the plies of material to provide additional reinforcement in key areas – meaning that the process generates no waste whatsoever. www.hexcel.com

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Carbon Truck & Trailer GmbH (CarbonTT) designs truck chassis from carbon fibrereinforced composites and has the know-how and various IP rights to manufacture and assemble them. The composite component can be produced continuously by pultrusion with Covestor’s Baydur PUL polyurethane (PU) matrix system. The material properties of the end part also meet stringent OEM specifications while enabling a lighter structure.

Within seconds, the Baydur PUL low-viscosity system penetrates millions of carbon fibres perfectly and enables CarbonTT to achieve significant productivity gains. Pultrusion runs have been successfully performed to demonstrate the benefits of the PU system and are being expanded. The pultrusion process is a continuous process that can be automated to a high degree and is currently in the process of achieving industrial application. This makes it possible to produce differentiated and complex composite parts extremely efficiently, especially if a suitable polyurethane resin is used.

www.covestro.com

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COMPOSITES TEPEX continuous-fibre-reinforced composites from Lanxess are becoming established in large-scale production of various structural components for lightweight automotive design. One current example of this is the Audi A8

Lightweight rear seat shell in composite design Continuous-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials in large-scale production

TEPEX continuous-fibre-reinforced composites from Lanxess are becoming established in large-scale production of various structural components for lightweight automotive design. One current example of this is the Audi A8.

This sedan car is also offered with two electrically adjustable individual rear seats, the shells of which have been developed by Faurecia Automotive Seating and are manufactured using the hybrid moulding process. The polyamide-6-based Tepex dynalite

102-RG600(2)/47% is used for this purpose. The short-glass-fibrereinforced Durethan BKV30H2.0 polyamide 6, also from Lanxess, is used as an over-moulded material.

The composite material is around 45% lighter than a comparable metal design but can also be produced cost-effectively, thanks to the high degree of functional integration. It can also withstand the high mechanical loads in a crash.

Up to now, comparable seats have mainly been made using metal

shells screwed onto a substructure.

Manufacturing the metal shells is time-consuming as they consist of numerous individual parts that have to be joined together by means of welding in several steps. In the hybrid moulding process, by contrast, a readyto-install component is created in a single process step. The pre-contoured and heated semi-finished composite product is formed directly in the injection moulding tool for this purpose, and equipped with numerous functions by

Maiden flight of CFRP air taxi All-electric jet-powered, 5-seater uses composites to deliver performance LILIUM (Munich, Germany) has revealed its new all-electric, five-seater air taxi prototype, the Lilium Jet, which completed its maiden flight in the skies over Germany earlier this year. The structure of the Lilium Jet is nearly all carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP), a key component of the ultra-lightweight design. The full-scale, full-weight prototype is powered by 36 all-electric jet engines that reportedly enable it to take off and land vertically, while achieving efficient horizontal, or cruise, flight. The simple aircraft design – no tail, no rudder, no propellers, no gearbox and only one moving part in the engine – is said to contribute

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to the safety and affordability of the aircraft while also enabling the team to add aesthetic elements such as panoramic windows and gullwing doors. The aircraft reportedly can achieve a maximum speed of 300km/h and a range of 300km. Its endurance is said to be due in part to an efficient, fixed wing design that generates enough lift to keep it in the air during cruise flight while using less than 10% of the aircraft’s 2000 horsepower. Lilium expects to be fully-operational in various cities around the world by 2025, although trial services will start earlier than this in several locations.

www.lilium.com

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Clas

Recycling of wind turbine blades a triumph In the hybrid moulding process, a readyto-install component is created in a single process step

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means of injection moulding.

In addition to reinforced ribs, the piping groove for securing the seat cover in place as well as numerous holders and guides (e.g. for seat ventilation and cable holders) are integrated into the component.

The clips to attach the seat shell are also directly injected. The shell can be assembled easily and quickly without screws using the clips, and disassembled again for servicing purposes. The clips are highly stable and meet all relevant safety requirements. www.lanxess.com

A project by a group of European wind and chemical industry partners has been formed to advance recycling efforts for composite wind blades.

The initiative to recycle wind turbine blades includes the use of recycled glass fibre composites for cement manufacturing, replacing raw material and saving energy.

There are more than 2.5 million tons of composite materials in use in the wind energy sector with 130 000 wind turbines active in the European Union today and more than 900 wind turbines in South Africa.

One of the areas being explored is the use of recycled wind blade material as filler for cement in a process that is said to reduce the carbon dioxide output of the cement manufacturing process by up to 16%. Composite materials are being recycled at commercial scale through cement co-processing, where the cement raw materials such as silica are being partially replaced by the glass fibres and fillers in the composite, while the organic fraction is burned in the process for energy, replacing coal. The wind blades can be broken down by the grinding equipment on location, so there is no need to ship entire blades to a recycling point.

2019/09/13 12:47 11:17 2019/11/21

DESIGN

Thermoformed parts competition THE Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Division’s annual parts competition produced some innovative and exciting designs, among them a tractor cab roof, tamper-proof hinge packaging and a beverage dispensing equipment lid.

This year’s competition entries pushed the boundaries in each category.

PUSHES PEOPLE’S CHOICE

PLASTICS UNLIMITED FOR THE ‘TWO-SHEET GLUED VERSATILE CAB ROOF’ The tractor cab roof top consists of two thermoformed parts that are glued together. Inside the roof, there are several different steel and thermoformed parts. Our customer approached us about producing a cab roof top for them that would incorporate mounting brackets and air ducts. They wanted a colour matched Class A top side, with a black textured bottom side. They also wanted to keep tooling costs low. The two-sheet glued option was the best process for this. The material on the outside is a colour matched high gloss Class A acrylic capped ABS and the bottom is a black acrylic capped haircell ABS. Some of the most difficult parts of this process include controlling the shrink and making sure the top and bottom fit correctly so the glue gap is consistent. Another difficult part is making sure everything is held correctly when gluing the top and bottom together to ensure there is proper pressure on all sides.

The two-sheet glued design was a huge tooling cost savings over other processes like Long Fibre Injection (LFI), Sheet Moulded Compound (SMC), injection moulded, or twin sheet moulded plastics. This part is formed from temperature controlled, single cavity production tooling.

ROLL FED THIN GAUGE – INDUSTRIAL

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PLACON FOR THE ‘ORTHOFIX’ The Orthofix tray package was designed to securely hold medical screws with HA (hydroxyapatite) coating in place until operating room usage. The HA coating is on each screw, as this compound helps reduce the screw from backing out of the bone after implantation into the patent. Once the screws are securely fastened into the retainer base, a retainer cover goes over the tray and snaps into place to create a second secure barrier for the HA coated screws.

The tray and all packaging components are made using PETG material. This tray package design is composed of two

parts (retainer tray and tray cover) that were designed and two pre-validated double sterile barrier trays that go inside each other and hold the newly designed tray and tray cover.

Because this Orthofix thermoformed tray only holds the head of the screw used in medical surgeries, the coating on the threads are protected from scuffing damage.

THE BOUNDARIES ROLL FED THIN GAUGE – INDUSTRIAL

SILVER

PLACON FOR THE ‘PACLOCK’ The new bi-fold Pacific Lock Company (Paclock) clamshell package with its open and fold back panel design, gives it 100% more marketing and graphics space to convey important product and brand information. Current packaging in the marketplace uses a simple front and back blister or clamshell design. The bifold clamshell package creates an added dimension with a back panel that can open and close. The package was designed to allow the consumer to open and close the back panel to read more about the product.

In most cases a package like this would be made using an injection moulding process.

However, with precision trim and tooling options, we were able to design a more lightweight package that can be thermoformed in a single piece during production. The result is a more simplified production and assembly process. The package is a single thermoformed piece that can be nested when placed into the shipping carton. It is made from PET and recyclables.

ROLL FED THIN GAUGE - FOOD LINDAR CORPORATION FOR THE ‘SIMPLY SECURE TAMPER OBVIOUS HINGE PACKAGE’

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Our Simply Secure, tamper obvious, closure has been applied to this new hinged package design to ensure customers receive high quality products, safely. The package design creates a freshness seal when closed to help ensure product freshness is maintained until customers consume the product.

The package design has a unique tapered closure from hinge to the front opening tab to display the contents and to maximise space efficiencies to ship and/or display in less space.

The package is made from black/clear APET material and provides excellent freezer performance. Each package is also designed to receive a label that wraps around from the top of the package over the hinge area and onto the bottom of the package.

Our Simply Secure tamper obvious package design supports automation designed to de-nest, place, close and engage the Simply Secure closure. This item is made from .015 starting thickness APET on a 10 cavity aluminium production tool.

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DESIGN

ROLL FED THIN GAUGE - FOOD PLACON FOR THE ‘HOMEFRESH ENTRÉE’ The HomeFresh Entrée product line was designed for modular stacking and interstacking (small footprint containers stack on and under large footprint bases), leak prevention when lidded, and secure stack engagement to limit package movement when stacked during transportation from the foodservice establishment to the place of consumption.

A vent channel was designed and strategically located within the base of the compartmented containers to allow the steam from hot foods to evacuate the container when closed. The vent channel allows the air to circulate through the container compartments and escape through the c-vent on the compartmented lid. Incorporating the vent channel eliminated the need for more than one vent opening in the lid.

The c-cut vent trimming technology is unique because it is completed within the same cycle as the forming and perimeter trimming. The vent is trimmed at the end of the forming cycle inside the form tool and

SILVER then opened by tooling in the stacker.

Typically, two trimming stations are required to create a cleanly opened vent. This tooling advance saves money on tool cost and saves the foodservice employee time, as they do not need to manually open the vent.

The HomeFresh Entrée base was awarded three design patents: one for the lid and two for the base. The top surface of the base rim reduces the amount of plastic needed in the lid as it does not overhang or wrap around the bases’ outer lip. The opening tab features are on separate planes, which help with ease of opening by keeping the two tabs naturally separated.

The container is made from polypropylene, while the PET lids are made from Placon’s Ecostar® material, an FDA compliant, food-grade, post-consumer recycled PET sheet made from curbside collected plastic bottles and thermoforms.

ROLL FED THIN GAUGE RECYCLED/SUSTAINABLE

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CMI PLASTICS FOR THE ‘HOPPE’S BLACK GUN CLEANING KIT’ This unique tray and lid features a mix of firearm maintenance tools, totalling 15 different items. There are multiple configurations or products that can be captured in the design to allow a significant cost savings by elimination of additional covers. The kit is used to showcase the product in retail as well as at home. The benefits of the sturdy design include long-term product storage and enhanced shelf-presence.

The challenge was to design a rigid thermoformed tray that has the appearance of a heavy-duty injection moulded part. The tray is made with recycled ABS with a starting gauge of .075”. The ABS contained

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a minimum of 70% recycled content. The lid was made with recycled PET with a starting gauge of .035”. The PET contained a minimum of 50% recycled content.

The tray design was challenging due to the small cavity diameter and the thickness of the ABS. The combination of prototype testing and high-end plug assist materials allowed us to get proper distribution into the moulds to maintain the injection moulded look the customer requested.

CUT SHEET HEAVY GAUGE - VACUUM FORMING PROFILE PLASTICS FOR THE ‘NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT’ This part is used in a neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is made using 0.236” cast acrylic sheet. The part requires total clarity on all flat surfaces to enable nursing staff complete and unimpeded visibility of premature newborns. Cast acrylic material was required to achieve the specified clarity. Ridge forming was chosen for the moulding process. To achieve the customer’s target price point, it was determined that the part had to be moulded in a rotary forming machine equipped with a quartz oven.

It was also necessary to incorporate a precisely ‘shaded’ section on the part to hide the unit’s electronics and wiring.

SAY PLASTICS FOR THE ‘DOOR ASSEMBLY’

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This door assembly is a lightweight highly aesthetic solution for a new generation of commercial tankless water heater systems. These systems are especially well-suited to demanding domestic hot water needs in applications such as hotels.

The tooling required was two cavity epoxy CNC machined moulds, with CNC machined trim and assembly fixtures. This production tooling system not only takes mould material into consideration, but more importantly, the process control and technique that will be unique to each design.

The assembly consists of five thermoformed parts (1 inner, 1 outer, and 3 hinge covers) produced out of custom colour matched Kydex 100. The Kydex 100 was chosen to meet the stringent UL requirements and meet project timeline.

The inner panel provides a sharp colour contrast to accent the customer’s name and logo through the CNC machined reliefs in the outer panel. The assembly also features the use of a 3D printed mounting bracket for the touch screen. Inhouse 3D printing complimented our corporate branded tooling system as a vehicle to provide the customer a quick project turnaround. This is an excellent example of where 3D Printing provides added value to the thermoforming processor. All parts were assembled with a two-part epoxy aided by a CNC machined assembly fixture to ensure proper component locating and bond strength.

This was GOLD accomplished via distortion printing of each sheet of cast acrylic prior to forming. The repeatability of all of the formed features as well as the overall trim dimensions was critical. Five axis, close tolerance, CNC trimming of the part was required to precisely fit with the numerous amounts of other, equally precise, mating parts.

DESIGN

CUT SHEET HEAVY GAUGE PRESSURE FORMING RAY PRODUCTS FOR THE ‘STRATASYS 3D PRINTER’

GOLD

This multi-part/multi process assembly provides highly aesthetic and repeatable enclosures for an industrial grade 3D printer. The F Series 3D Printer is comfortable in any office environment, but is durable enough to thrive in harsh manufacturing environments. Initial design concept was intended for reaction injection moulding, but once the customer understood the values and benefits of the pressure forming

process, the design shifted to a 100% moulded in colour pressure-formed unit. Pressure forming allowed for larger parts to be moulded, decreasing the total number of parts and tools required. In addition, paint was eliminated and all structural ribs were removed, which increased the capability of the 3D printer and the part size it could produce. The pressure-formed parts have no residual stress, no need for additional reinforcement, and allow for quick, easy and repeatable assembly.

SILVER

PROFILE PLASTICS FOR THE ‘MOTOR DRIVE COVER’ This cover is made for a motor drive used for the integration of various control systems. It was formed using 0.250” gauge KydexT, then two-tone painted for a specific cosmetic appearance. Detailed and crisp cosmetics were required and provided by the pressure forming process. The limited space for internal components required smaller than normal radii around the perimeter of the part, which provided a challenge for the specific fastener types and to also maintain critical parts.

HEAVY GAUGE TWIN SHEET

80 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

PROFILE PLASTICS FOR THE ‘BEVERAGE DISPENSING EQUIPMENT LID’ Made for beverage dispensing equipment, this lid, when in use, is uniquely designed to distribute the beverage product in specific flow patterns to ensure consistent and continuous mixing, while also creating a visually novel experience for the end customer.

The part is made using 0.118” (x2) PETG, clear sheet.

The twin sheet process was selected to meet the part specifications of a 100% leak proof seal, high-temperature dishwasher safe, impact resistant and optical clarity. The part was originally made by hot plate welding two injection moulded parts (top & bottom).The parts ultimately failed due

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to crazing, therefore, diminishing the part’s overall appearance and useful life. Significant cost savings were achieved due to reduced part weight, improved chemical resistance, and eliminating the secondary bonding operation.

CUT SHEET HEAVY GAUGE TPO KAL PLASTICS FOR THE ‘CAB-OVER FRONT CAP’ The vacuum formed TPO truck camper was developed to replace fibreglass. The move to plastic was made to reduce costly field repairs/warranty claims on the fibreglass predecessor and to reduce the overall weight of the camper to achieve better fuel efficiency.

A.Schulman’s HGSR TPO was selected for the typical benefits afforded by TPO and specifically the high gloss – scratch resistant product feature. The customer identified the front, curved, surface area to be the most critical area of the part. Structural, and aesthetically pleasing, design elements were incorporated, and several starting thicknesses were tested. Ultimately the client decided to specify 0.230” as the preferred starting thickness.

To aide in the construction of the finished tool, it was decided to make the mould in two cast aluminium sections; a left and a right. In such a large part, two castings allowed flexibility to work out any imperfections in the finished mould.

Additional thought was given to the thermal cooling

system/placement and bracing of the mould. Void materials were added to decrease interior volume of the mould to aid in crisper detail and better performance, when forming.

CUT SHEET HEAVY GAUGE PARTS PRODUCED WITH AUTOMATION & NEW TECHNOLOGY WILBERT PLASTICS FOR THE ‘MEDICAL ASSEMBLY MRI’

GOLD

This medical equipment enclosure is thermoformed, robotically trimmed and then assembled using vision systems and augmentedwork instructions to ensure a complete and correct assembly.

The main equipment component is thermoformed and robotically trimmed to the customer’s specifications and then moved into an assembly area for completion.

This assembly has 88 components and 28 steps, which means it is critical that all components are correct, and all steps are completed correctly prior to shipment.

Assembly operators are guided by augmented work instructions which are projected on the main component part surface, describing assembly steps, component part numbers and locations. Multiple vision systems are used to ensure the correct component(s) are used at each step in the assembly process and that each is in the proper location. Overall assembly process is completed ensuring all components are installed and in their correct locations, so the customer is confident the assemblies that are shipped directly to their end customer are complete. www.thermoformingdivision.com

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MIDDLE EAST

Sustainability for polymer producers – Borealis has EREMA, who develops and produces plastic recycling systems, as a ‘value-chain partner’

Sustainability solutions were the key focus at K2019

For polymer producers, it means taking an interest in where their polymers go after they have been used

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BY NIALL MARSHALL

AS the leaves turn gold and the long days of summer draw to an end, tens-of-thousands of visitors from Asia, Africa, the Americas and all across Europe descend on Düsseldorf in Germany for the tri-annual mega-plastics’ K-show. For the Middle East polymer producers the K-show is a chance to meet existing customers from around the world, impress new customers and show-off to their competitors. As always, there were large contingents from the Middle East exhibiting their products, visiting some of the 3 200 exhibitors in the halls of the Messe and getting a first-hand view of who is doing what in the global plastics industry, but probably not as many as at previous shows.

This year’s K-show seemed a bit more subdued than previous editions – it felt less busy overall (some days were very busy) although it still attracted an impressive number of visitors and exhibitors. There also appeared to be fewer visitors from Asia, possibly due to the growing importance of ChinaPlas which itself attracts thousands of visitors and many exhibitors from Europe and North America. But it was probably mostly due to a growing uncertainty about the global economy in a world of trade disputes and tariffs.

At the last two K-shows the emphasis was on productivity and efficiency: ‘Faster!’ at K2103 and ‘Industry 4.0’ at K2016. This year it was all about ‘Sustainability’.

Sustainability means different things to different people: for some it means using renewable resources, for others it means using resources more efficiently, even using waste cooking oil and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide as a feedstock.

But increasingly for polymer producers, it means taking an interest in where their polymers go after they have been used.

LyondellBasell has a joint venture with SUEZ S.A., a waste management company, where they are looking at how to ensure quality waste polymer is able to be reprocessed as new polymers in its Quality Circular Polymer Project. Borealis has EREMA, who develops and produces plastic recycling systems, as a ‘valuechain partner’. ExxonMobil promoted the use of Vistamaxx to compatabilise PE and PP in recycle streams with its ‘Rethink Recycle’ theme, while Sabic highlighted its commitment to the

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circular economy and reducing plastic waste by supporting recyclability, durability and optimal reuse.

All the polyolefin producers had examples of products that improved energy efficiency in construction and transportation, reduced food wastage and articles produced using combinations of virgin and recycled materials. But the challenges of sustainability were possibly best highlighted by the mention of an initiative run by Borealis and Borouge in Indonesia – Project STOP which is focussing on preventing leakage of plastics into the marine environment, which includes the design, implementation and scaling of circular economy solutions (effective waste collection, sorting and recycling systems).

There were many more recycling-equipment exhibitors at this K-show than I remember seeing in the past – from systems for sorting waste polymer to shredding, compacting and regranulation systems to complete turnkey recycling plants.

But there is still one major challenge beyond collecting postconsumer waste, reprocessing it and producing high quality material and products: doing it economically. With polyolefin prices at the current levels, virgin polymer is added to recycle to make the recycle competitive rather than the other way around!

Many of the Middle Eastern polymer producers also exhibited in the materials halls – either on their own stands or on stands shared with sister companies. This gave them the opportunity to meet with customers, promote their product ranges and launch new grades. There were also a number of Iranian polymer producers at K2019, large but quiet stands promoting products no-one can purchase – a sad reminder of the lost opportunity for these companies resulting from the reneging on the so-called ‘Iran Nuclear Agreement’ by the USA and the subsequent partial withdrawal from its requirements by Iran. How significant the low-cost Iranian polymer producers could be in the global polymer market once complete normalisation was achieved remains unanswered for now, and probably won’t be answered by the next K-show.

It is always good to spend a few days at the centre of the polymer world, to see what new things are on show and to meet with old friends in the Altstadt. But all good things come to an end, so until 2022, auf wiedersehen Düsseldorf!

2019/11/21 12:54

FEATURE

PIPE MATTERS

Lack of the skills needed to do what needs to be done Training is critical to elevate whole industry workforce

By MIKE SMART, Pr. Eng., B.Sc. (Hons) Civ. Eng., MSAICE

THE world is a contradictory place.

Historically, certain sensitive or possibly embarrassing topics were taboo and not spoken about to avoid embarrassment. Now, everything, including the most intimate and sensitive subjects, are spoken about in graphic detail that can be a little awkward in certain circumstances.

The rationale is that we must be honest and open about all things to avoid hypocrisy, ambiguity and clandestine wrongdoing – you be the judge of which is the correct modus operandi.

By contrast, other sensitive and possibly embarrassing topics appear to be now deliberately shrouded in a cloak of prim and coy euphemisms that one can only assume is done to avoid embarrassment to the parties involved – or maybe political correctness.

Just two examples of euphemism are ‘stock shrinkage’ and ‘capacity’.

The first being used to explain an unaccountable reduction in the stock of a company – it used to be call theft. But ‘theft’ is not used because we would, heaven forbid, be implying there are thieves amongst us. The second is used when something

hasn’t been done that should have been. The explanation is ‘a lack of capacity’ – ‘capacity’ being a euphemism for ability. But ‘ability’ is not used because we would, heaven forbid, be implying there are unskilled people amongst us. In other words, there is a lack of the skills necessary to be able to do whatever needs to be done. The tragedy is this euphemism should never have to be used in any circumstance, in any business – let me explain.

All companies are subjected to the National Training Levy of 1% of the employee’s wage bill. Many companies complain about this, claiming it is just another government burden on their business that they could well do without in these tough economic times. This seemed a reasonable complaint about another cost of doing business imposed by a government that purports to be committed to creating jobs but appears to do the opposite.

However, when the background of training is investigated and the rewards payable to companies for training their staff are revealed, we should have workforces that are continually being improved and there shouldn’t be any ‘capacity’ problems.

The paperwork required to take advantage of the training subsidies is substantial, maybe

“If you keep doing the same thing expecting different results – you’re foolish?”

even daunting, with the submission of a comprehensive Training Plan being just one requirement and comprehensive supporting documentation that must be submitted with any claim for reimbursement – usually delayed by the slowly grinding wheels of bureaucracy. Furthermore, only the larger organisations are currently entitled to participate in this scheme, but let’s hope that it will be extended to smaller organisations that also need to improve the skills of their staff. However, it is reported that done correctly, the reimbursements together with the SARS tax deductions, can even exceed the ‘training tax’ paid.

Some companies have been found to be reluctant to train because, they claim, their trained staff become targets to be ‘poached’ by their opposition. But if everyone trains, the whole industry workforce will be elevated, thereby eliminating the minority group of skilled people – except those, who by the natural selection of nature, will always be outstanding and thereby sought by any employer. An unexpected benefit reported by employers is the contribution staff training has made to their BBBEE score.

If every company trains their staff and the scheme is extended down to include SMME companies, South Africa will become a country without ‘capacity’ problems. If we want to be the best in the world we have to train – ask the Springboks!

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WORLD NEWS Nobel Prize for Chemistry shared by Asahi Kasei’s Yoshino ASAHI Kasei Corp’s Honorary Fellow, Akira Yoshino has been chosen for the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his achievements in the research and development of the lithium-ion battery. The lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles.

It can also store significant amounts of energy from solar and wind power, making possible a fossil fuel-free society. The batteries use film, typically polyethylene or polypropylene, at the centre of each cell.

The Nobel Prize website states: “Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized our lives since they first entered the market in 1991. They have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society, and are of the greatest benefit to humankind.”

PlasticsEurope sees progress on its voluntary commitment THE PlasticsEurope trade association is making good progress toward its 2030 Voluntary Commitment around plastics sustainability, but sees chemical recycling as the ‘ultimate solution’ to plastics sustainability.

The Brussels-based group has previously announced a commitment to have 60% of plastic packaging in Europe recycled or re-used by 2030.

At a news conference at K2019, it unveiled a study that showed that last year 42% of Europe’s post-consumer plastic packaging waste that is collected was recycled.

As part of the overall commitment, the association set up several industryspecific voluntary commitments for polyolefins, styrenics and vinyl.

It said it will take several years for chemical recycling technologies to become more commercialised, and that by 2025, much of the recycling could remain mechanical recycling, as it is now. However, development of chemical recycling will escalate, and by 2030 will be a much larger portion.

Campervan of BASF presents concept vehicle VisionVenture

THE VisionVenture, co-created by BASF and HYMER, is a near-production glimpse into the future of van life. Using the development expertise of the BASF Creation Centre, a new class of van has been created that blazes a trail in lightweight construction, independence, travel experience and design.

More than 20 high-performance plastics and a new painting technology from BASF are used in the concept camper. BASF and HYMER use various innovative lightweight materials and processes in the interior and exterior, providing greater comfort while also making the vehicle more robust. The VisionVenture also sets new benchmarks when it comes to design – for example by combining plastics with natural materials such as hemp and slate. Solutions for energy management, thermal insulation and electrical components, a tailored package of measures for preventing noises and vibrations, and more

Hard on stubble, soft to the skin FOR many men, a good, clean shave first thing in the morning makes for the perfect start to the day. So it’s no wonder that electric razors have become high-tech products. Numerous models from a major international manufacturer feature shaving head carriers and blade holders made from the high-performance technical plastic Durethan DPBKV60H2.0EF from Lanxess. The polyamide 6 fulfills the strict requirements regarding rigidity, toughness and dimensional stability and ensures high-quality surfaces. Another benefit of this compound – which features 60% by weight glass-fibre reinforcement – is that it can even be used for highly complex components and processed cost-efficiently in large-volume production.

Despite the high glass fibre content, the flow characteristics and processability of the thermoplastic are comparable to a polyamide 6 with 30% glass fibre reinforcement.

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the future than 100 3D-printed components round off the vision of modern travel.

The VisionVenture’s self-inflating pop-top roof is a world first and one of the van’s most striking features. It inflates in less than 60 seconds, creating more living space than ever before. The Elastollan® coating on the roof creates an outer wall that is resistant to water as well as wind.

Combining the use of natural stone in interior design with a lightweight approach has never been possible before.

But this is about to change thanks to the development of Veneo Slate®, manufactured using the compact, non-foamed polyurethane Elastocoat. This world innovation has an

exceptionally lightweight thin coating of real slate and with adding just 1 millimetre, it is a space-saving and flexible material. The Elastoflex® polyurethane foam offers similar properties. With a unique combination of natural materials and plastic, this equally lightweight material uses the structure of hemp fibres to produce cupboard doors and kitchen fronts.

BASF used a range of 3D printing techniques to male more than 100 components for the interior and exterior of the VisionVenture, including wheel arch linings, bodywork parts, lampshades, handles, hooks and tablet-holders. www.plastics.basf.com

Bright, high-performance colorants for engineering plastics Specifically for colouring polyamides and high-heat engineering plastics MILLIKEN & Company has launched KeyPlast RESIST™, a spectrum of bright, high-performance colorants for engineering plastics. Polyamide resins and high-heat engineering polymers present unique challenges.

The materials of choice in demanding electrical, automotive and industrial applications, polyamide resins and high-heat engineering polymers are subject to high-temperature processing and require steady, reliable performance properties, making vibrancy of colour difficult to achieve.

These products are specially designed for colouring engineering polymers such as polyamides, polyimides, PBT polysulfones, PEEK, PPO and other high-heat resins and

alloys. KeyPlast RESIST colorants can be used effectively with unfilled, glassfilled, and flame-retardant grades of various polyamide types such as polyamide 6, 66, 46, and other high temperature engineering polymers.

The new range delivers the brilliant, consistent colours – including bright orange, yellow, red, blue and green – and the high-end properties that users demand. These colorants offer improved weather resistance and light fastness, are high purity and perform well in the high-temperature and chemically-reductive conditions typically associated with highperformance polymers.

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Milliken introduces KeyPlast RESIST – a spectrum of bright, highperformance colorants for engineering plastic

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WORLD NEWS

California ‘world’s toughest’ recycled legislation vetoed by governor

Curved, pultruded profile on Corvette

This graphic rendering depicts livensee Shape Corp’s RadiusPultrusion system, which will be used to produce curved automotive beams

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

THE curved, multihollow pultruded carbon fibre bumper beam on the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is an automotive industry first, according to the part’s manufacturer Shape Corp. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that General Motors unveiled in July, has a curved, multihollow pultruded carbon fibre bumper beam. It’s a first for the automotive industry, according to the Tier 1 supplier, Shape Corp, that engineered and manufactured the part.

“It’s groundbreaking. For the first time ever, we’ve been able to make a curved carbon fibre pultruded profile.”

Shape Corp initially targeted straight front beams, but quickly recognized that certain performance and package requirements were going to be challenging to meet within the constraints of the material and straight part applications. In late 2013, Shape engineers started prototyping pultruded profiles.

Testing, manufacturing and material development initially began on a straight part. This garnered attention from GM and launched the collaboration on the Corvette. Shape prototyped the curved bumper beam and developed the process with Thomas GmbH & Co. Technik + Innovation KG, a German fibre composite pultrusion company that has a patented radius pultrusion process. This enables the production of curved profiles.

On the Corvette, the bumper beam uses a thermoset resin system including roughly 60% carbon fibre and 40% resin – a urethane acrylate – by mass.

Bumper beams are traditionally made from various grades and processes of steel or aluminum.

Despite the high cost of carbon fibre, Shape was able to find a mass, cost and performance solution that was acceptable for GM. The continuous processing and low tooling cost of the pultrusion process can also offset some of the traditional costs of competing carbon fibre technologies.

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THERE has been no shortage of suspense involved in the drafting of legislation in California to curb the problem of plastics waste. It’s been a ding-dong battle of note.

After the apparent conclusion of the process in late September, the draft legislation was reputed to be the world’s toughest standards around recycled content in plastic bottles, requiring 50% recycled content by 2030.

The whole process came to a grinding halt in early October when California governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the legislation for plastic bottles, saying he supported the goals but opposed last-minute changes designed to mollify the beverage industry. The bill would have created the world’s toughest legal mandate for recycled content in plastic bottles, up to 50% by 2030.

The bill originally proposed imposing a 75% recycling rate for plastic packaging.

But Newsom said he felt the changes shifted too much responsibility away from companies.

“While I support strong minimum recycled content standards, late amendments to this bill would result in a costly, burdensome process that undermines the worthy intent of this legislation,” Newsom wrote.

“The waiver petitions allowed under this bill would put the burden on the state to prove to manufacturers that their products can meet recycling goals, rather than making clear that manufacturers have the responsibility to create products that can meet those goals,” said Newsom.

California’s Against Waste said some plastics packaging items would find it difficult to meet the requirements and that, ultimately, it will have a strong impact on plastics packaging.

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Sustainable alternative to non-returnable glass: wide-neck PET containers from KHS

KHS develops wide-neck PET containers for hot filling Individual container systems with optimum product protection

SAFE, customizable and ecologically favourable: KHS is making wide-neck PET containers which are suitable for the hot filling of food. With its low weight and good recycling properties, this line-compatible container reduces the carbon footprint throughout its entire life cycle. This alternative to the nonreturnable glass receptacle also provides a high level of product safety thanks to FreshSafe PET® coating.

This line-compatible type of packaging can be produced on the energyefficient InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow moulder in what is known as the blow-trim process or from preforms with a moulded neck which can be crystalline as required.

By heating the blow moulds electrically, KHS can thermally condition the containers for standard market filling temperatures. The PET alternative has been designed to withstand both the positive and negative pressures which can occur in the closed container following the filling process.

KHS has consciously opted for PET plastic for its new wide-neck containers.

PET preforms aren’t just much lighter than glass containers; they’re also smaller, which means that they take up less space during transportation and storage.

The filling temperatures needed to obtain the necessary number of pasteurization units are also lower than those for glass. www.khs.com/en/

Evonik invests in medical implants 3D printing start-up

Avery Dennison opens $65 million expansion in Luxembourg

AVERY Dennison officially opened its expanded production facility at the Rodange plant in Luxembourg, completing a $65 million project to strengthen its European manufacturing footprint. The investment is one of Avery Dennison’s largest operational initiatives globally in recent years.

The expansion incorporates a state-ofthe-art, multi-capability coater, additional slitter capacity, a new packaging line and an automated warehouse. The total space used in Rodange increased by more than 12 000m2 and is optimized to deliver maximum sustainability benefits related to waste management, energy consumption and water-use efficiency. In addition, by building the facility in a location closer to more of its customers, the company is anticipating an annual reduction in greenhouse gasses of 700 tons from reduced delivery-related energy consumption.

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ALPLA Inc is working with consumer products maker Henkel to spend more than $100 million to expand and improve operations at a laundry products plant in Kentucky.

Alpla will invest in infrastructure and equipment for a new bottle production area at Henkel’s Bowling Green, Ky, campus. Düsseldorf, Germany-based Henkel owns a wide variety of wellknown brands, including Persil, Purex and All laundry detergents as well as Snuggle fabric softeners, Dial soaps and Right Guard deodorants and antiperspirants.

The total value of the work, which will increase capacity and efficiency as well as cut energy costs, is more than $130 million, the companies said.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

EVONIK Industries AG has stepped up its additive manufacturing (AM) efforts with a recent investment in a Chinese 3D printing start-up specialising in implants for neuro and spinal surgeries. The company said that it had invested a ‘high single-digit million-euro’ figure in Shanghai-based Meditool to mark its first direct investment in China. Meditool’s homegrown technologies include a software system which can read and process images directly from commonly used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography scan (CT) devices. The software then generates a readily printable 3D model which is sent to the printer. The implants are 3D printed using Evonik’s high-performance PEEK polymers.

Blow moulder Alpla teams up with Henkel in $100m expansion

2019/11/21 14:18

DIARY

Propak West Africa’s 7 edition welcomes largest crowd th

Over three days, 5 019 industry professionals attended Propak West Africa 2019, a 45% increase in the two editions since 2017

A bumper show for this year a welcome increase WITH sponsorship from Sasol, SkySat and PwC, the 7th edition of West Africa’s leading packaging, plastics, printing and foodprocessing exhibition and conference tfrom 17–19 September at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, saw a staggering 45% increase in the two editions since 2017.

Over three days, 5 019 industry professionals attended Propak West Africa 2019, a 45% increase in the two editions since 2017. Visitors came from all over 32 different countries, including Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria itself.

Among the brands exhibiting this year were Atlas Copco Nigeria, BOBST, Beaumont Aromatic Nigeria,CIS Buro, DIPO

Plastics, Engel, Exact Solutions Ltd, Heidelberg, Inautom, Ishida, KHS, Neofyton, PanAsia Tech, Sasol, SkySat, Windmoeller & Hoelscher, Zenith Precision Ltd and many more.

Each year, the show runs a dedicated Conference alongside the exhibition itself, providing both exhibitors and visitors alike the opportunity to learn and enhance their understanding of the local market potential and opportunities. This year was no different, welcoming a total of 905 delegates over the three days.

Further to the informative keynote speeches, the conference hosted a number of interactive panel discussions with senior industry experts giving their take on pertinent topics affecting the sector. One of the most well-attended sessions included

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Polyflor at 2019 SAFHE Conference POLYFLOR SA demonstrated their commitment to ensuring ongoing sustainability in the healthcare industry during a recent exhibit at the biennial SAFHE/CEASA conference held at the CTICC. Widely acclaimed as the flagship event for healthcare infrastructure in Southern Africa, this year’s event brought together delegates from both the public and private healthcare sectors to explore the challenges, complexities and opportunities for improving healthcare services in Southern Africa.

“Exhibiting at the SAFHE/CEASA conference offers us the opportunity to

engage with the decision makers in the healthcare industry and to position our expertise in the market,” says Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA. The company showcased some of its popular products and solutions for the healthcare industry on its 36m² stand. Many of these products have already been installed and used with great success at recent hospital refurbishments, such as the Ngwelezane Hospital in KZN, and Mmametlhake Hospital Bethal hospitals.

“Polyflor prides itself on not just being a flooring supplier and we communicated our ongoing commitment

to a project, our clients and the environment. Our vinyl flooring has a low environmental impact and is known as one of the most environmentally friendly options and we were able to explain our ‘cradle to grave’ approach as well as educate visitors about our exciting project that recycles vinyl floor off-cuts. The feedback we received from the many visitors who came to engage with us, was that they were very impressed with our service offering and are excited about the future of the healthcare industry in South Africa,” Tandy concludes.

Polyflor showcased some of its popular products and solutions for the healthcare industry on its 36m² stand.

Many of these products have already been installed and used with great success at recent hospital refurbishments, such as the Ngwelezane Hospital in KZN, and Mmametlhake Hospital Bethal hospitals

www.polyflor.co.za

Building a future in 3D print

‘An Overview of Current National Standards and Policies as it affects the Manufacturing, Processing and Packaging Industries’ which saw top-tier members from FADE Africa, the National Agency for Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the African Packaging Organization (APO) share their insights and opinions. With 2019’s edition now complete, organisers are now looking ahead to 2020 with some exciting plans yet to be revealed. www.propakwestafrica.com

AMPS conference

clarifies vision for 2020 THE inaugural conference organised by the Association of Mobile & Portable Sanitation Africa (AMPS) on October, was a success with 56 delegates from throughout South Africa and the rest of the continent, and two guest speakers from the UK. Conference sponsors had new products on display and speakers shared valuable information and updates on the industry with delegates.

Gary Bolt, chairperson and director of Sanitation for Africa, said AMPS have a clear vision for 2020 and a mandate to work on developing standards for the industry. “There are environmental concerns in South Africa that will require education programmes to improve awareness and compliance. There is a lot of work to be done and we do have support from our industry and sponsors to make progress,” he added.Bolt said AMPS is currently being structured and registered as a non-profit organisation.

info@amps-africa.co.za

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COM I UP NG

AMI’s Polymers for 3D Printing conference explores the development, production and application of innovative polymers and compounds for 3D printing and other rapid manufacturing technologies. It takes place from 11-12 December at the Meliá Düsseldorf hotel, and brings together the field to identify new market opportunities and debate new ways to add value in this evolving market.

The event will open with a look into the future state of the additive manufacturing industry, with a presentation from the Dyson School of Engineering at Imperial College London.

Polymers for 3D Printing 2019 will provide a unique and timely international platform for anyone involved in the development of specialised polymers for 3D printing, filament extrusion, or rapid prototype production, to gain clear insight into the evolving material demands of the additive manufacturing industry and future market opportunities. www.ami.international

Asia Rubber & Plastics plus Packaging & Printing Expos HOSTED in Shenzhen City, an international economic and trade centre in China, the Asia Rubber & Plastics Expo 2020 from 19-21 March 2020 will put hundreds of quality exhibitors face to face with global professionals on a 30 000m2 show floor at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Focusing on rubber and plastic products, the show aims at building an international and professional platform for global trade and branding, especially for introducing China’s premium rubber and plastics brands to the world, as well as overseas brands to China.

China is an important rubber and plastic products consumer, producer, importer and exporter. Data from China Customs suggests that in 2018, China imported 7.5748 million and exported 0.523 million tons of rubber products. The import and export volumes for plastic products was 0.475 million and 13.119 million tons, respectively.

The exhibition will cover rubber and plastic products, materials and machinery, auxiliary equipment, moulds & dies, industrial dyes & additives and printing & packaging.

Also in Shenzhen City, the 2020 Asia Packaging & Printing Industry Expo from 19-21 March 2020 will be the first trade show of its kind in this young and energetic market. Covering a show floor of 15 000m2, it will showcase various types of packaging, packaging materials, supplies and equipment; special packages for luxuries, functional packages, and anti-counterfeit labels, soft packages & films, and printing technology & equipment.

• For more info, contact Rita at e-mail: marketing1@grandeurhk.com www.asiaplasexpo.com www.packprintingfair.com

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Recycling Awards 90 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

A testament to today’s outstanding innovation The Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2020, which are open to organisations and individuals throughout Europe, will be presented at PRS Europe in March. The seven award categories are Automotive, Electrical or Electronic Product; Building & Construction Product; Household & Leisure Product; Plastic Packaging Product; Product Technology Innovation; Recycling Machinery Innovation and Plastics Recycling Ambassador.

“The first two editions of the awards witnessed an impressive number and calibre of entries. This is a testament to today’s outstanding innovation and continuous progress towards circular economy in the plastics recycling sector,” said Ton Emans, PRE president.

For video highlights of the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2019 visit: https://youtu.be/sltM6NjiLUk.

www.prseventeurope.com

Recycling winners – The winners of the PRS Europe 2019 Recycling Awards, which included some top marque entries, from automotive OEM Volvo and Procter & Gamble and others, in March 2019

Supporting Ghana’s aspirations to greater industrialisation Trade show to bring latest technologies, services and machinery to Ghana AS A forum for trading, business networking, learning and product sourcing, the West African Industrial Trade Exhibition (WAITEX) takes place in Ghana from 21-23 April 2020 at the Dome in the Trade Fair Grounds in Accra. WAITEX has been designed to support companies and individuals involved in the mining, light and heavy industrial, automation, packaging, and occupational health and safety sectors, by creating an environment where business partnerships can develop and trade exchanges can take place.

The show is an ideal trade platform that will bring buyers and sellers together, both with the view of growing business and strategically supporting Ghana’s

aspiration of developing factories and industries which will in turn move the country towards greater industrialisation.

Visitors to the exhibition will meet leading local and international companies showcasing the latest technologies, machinery, products and services. They will also be able to speak to technical experts on the stands and benefit from seeing live demonstrations of machinery in action.

A full programme of free-to-attend seminars presented by industry experts on a range of pertinent topics will also add significant value to the visitor experience.

www.waitex.com.gh

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DIARY

interpack 2020 –

92 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

the trade fair for processes & packaging INTERPACK 2020 will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 7–13 May 2020. The widespread global relevance of the areas covered by interpack and the high calibre of both exhibitors and visitors make interpack in Düsseldorf the go-to international event for a highly knowledgeable specialist audience.

The avid interest taken by exhibitors in the run-up to interpack 2017 that brought the world’s biggest and most important trade fair of the packaging sector and related process industries record attendance of 2,865 companies, was followed by trade fair days from 4 to 10 May with high spirits and further

2019

Thin Wall Packaging 2019 2-4 December: Düsseldorf, Germany www.ami.international

EVENTS

Fire Resistance in Plastics 2019 3-5 December Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany www.ami.international pacprocess Middle East Africa 2019 9-11 December: Egypt www.pacprocess-mea.com AMI’s Polymers for 3D Printing Conf 11-12 December: Dusseldorf, Germany www.ami.international

2020

ICIS Asian Recycling Conference 19 February: Bangkok, Thailand www.icisevents.com/asianrecycling Africa Energy Indaba 3-4 March: CTICC, Cape Town www.africaenergyindaba.com Complast South Africa 3-5 March: Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg www.smartexpos.in Plastics Regulations: 11-12 March Cologne, Germany www.ami.international/events

records: 74% of the approximately 170,500 visitors travelled to Düsseldorf from abroad – three quarters of them were decision-makers. “interpack is an absolute must-go event for companies in this industry and provides unique momentum. Every three years it is not only a one-of-a-kind performance showcase but also the place where suppliers and customers from all over the world get together to network and do business,” underlines Friedbert Klefenz, president of Interpack 2017.

Proving a top trend at many stands was the further digitalization of

production processes on the way to Industry 4.0 applications. Production linked along these lines makes it possible to manufacture personalized packaging efficiently or to guarantee traceability, to name but two options. Furthermore, the modular design of packaging machines and process lines and optimized digital operating concepts play a pivotal role in order to reduce complexity in manufacturing and achieve the highest degree of flexibility possible for changing batch sizes or product versions. www.interpack.com

Asia Plastic & Printing Expo 19-21 March: Shenzhen, China www.packprintingfair.com

Plastics Recycling World Expo 3-4 June: Messe Essen, Germany www.ami.international

plastprintpack Nigeria 2020 24-26 March: Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria www.ppp-nigeria.com

Vinyls2020 12 June: Hilton Hotel, Sandton www.savinyls.co.za

PRS (Plastics Recycling Show) Europe 25-26 March: Rai, Amsterdam www.prseventeurope.com

Electra Mining Africa 2020 7-11 September Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg www.electramining.co.za

Epoxy & Resins Technology Africa 2020 25-27 March: Emperors’ Palace Hotel, JHB www.sjgcapital.com WAITEX 21-23 April: Accra, Ghana www.waitex.com.gh PU Tech India 1-3 April: New Delhi, India www.putechindia.com Interpack 2020 7-13 May: Düsseldorf, Germany www.interpack.com Machine Tools Africa 2020 12-15 May: Expo Centre, Nasrec, JHB www.machinetoolsafrica.co.za Recovered Carbon Black 13-14 May: Berlin, Germany www.carbonblackworld.com

No Dig Live 15-17 September: Peterborough, England www.nodiglive.co.uk Plastics, Packaging and Print Asia 29 Sept-1 Oct: Karachi, Pakistan www.eventseye.com IMPC 2020 18-22 October: Cape Town www.impc2020.com Propak Cape 2020 20-22 October: CTICC, Cape Town www.propakcape.co.za Trenchless Asia 17-18 November: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.trenchlessasia.com

ALPLApharma’s new generation child-resistant closure

‘justONE’ closure

process with the CRC justONE design for a significantly more efficient workflow: all parts are manufactured in just one injection process with straightforward assembly.

The new closure is certified under 16 CFR § 1700.20 and ISO 8317 for childproof packaging for bottles ranging from 30mm to 1.5 litres.

The improved manufacturing process reduces material consumption by 25%, a saving that achieves an excellent priceperformance ratio and protects resources. For the consumer, though, nothing changes: CRC justONE works just like other child-resistant closures and product safety is just as reliable.

www.alpla.com

Africa Wire, Cable & Tube show Shaun Reinecke of CBi Electric was on his company’s stand at the inaugural Africa Wire, Cable & Tube show in November, in conversation with Rudi Mostegel of Packaging Plant & Consumables. A conference was also presented at the event at Emperors. The show saw 135 delegates and more than 20 exhibitors.

THE Plastics Recycling Show Europe show is to take place at the RAI, Amsterdam, on 25-26 March. PRS Europe is presented by Crain, a publishing business, and Plastics Recyclers Europe and is regarded as the first dedicated exhibition for plastics recycling in mainland Europe. The free-to-attend conference/ exhibition has established itself as one of the focal points of plastics recycling in Europe. The biggest names in recycled materials, recycling machinery and services will be on display, showing the latest innovation from this exciting industry.

The informative and inspiring free conference with key industry figures will address the latest opportunities and challenges that face the plastic recycling industry in Europe.

The event covers the supply chain from design for raw materials, design for recycling, collection, sorting and recycling of industrial, commercial, agricultural, post-consumer and ocean plastic through to the recycled polymer being designed and incorporated into new products and applications.

No Dig Live in UK in September THE 15th biennial trenchless technology exhibition No Dig Live is to take place at Peterborough in England from 15-17 September. The last edition of the event in 2018 featured over 100 exhibitors, the plus this time will be live outdoor demonstrations. The show promises a new conference programme bringing together thought leaders and opinion formers from across the sector and an international day showcasing global developments and celebrating the continued growth of the underground utilities market. www.nodiglive.co.uk

Trenchless in Asia in November ‘020

THE 12th edition of the international Trenchless Exhibition & Conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 17-18 November 2020.

The spotlight will once again be on Kuala Lumpur as it hosts the most prestigious and exciting forum for trenchless technologists in Asia. Trenchless Asia is well placed to be an important component of the country’s infrastructure development programme in a sustainable manor.

Trenchless Asia will for the first time feature the ISTT (International Society for Trenchless Technology) International No-Dig event, providing a multi-track conference programme featuring a mix of technical sessions and a platform for the international community to come together to meet, exchange ideas and network with likeminded people.

DEC 2019 / JAN 2020 93

ALPLA Group, an international plastic packaging specialist, is combining its expertise and services for customers in the pharmaceutical industry under the ALPLApharma brand name.

ALPLApharma presented CRC justONE, an exceptionally light, childproof closure, at the official debut of the new brand at CPhI in Frankfurt in November.

Normally, there are three parts to a childproof closure with a tamper-evident band that can only be opened by simultaneously pushing and turning the closure. These parts are produced in three separate production steps and then assembled later. ALPLApharma has streamlined the production

Plastics Recycling Show Europe in March

COM I UP NG

BOOKS

Plastics industry creates transparency for global plastic flows Total of 250 million tons of post-consumer plastic waste worldwide

94 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

SIX associations and organisations in the global plastics value chain have commissioned a pilot study to investigate global flows of plastics, including the handling of post-consumer plastic waste.

‘The Global Plastics Flow Study’ is the first of its kind to document facts and figures about the circular economy in 44 countries around the world, in a uniform and comprehensive manner and to clearly identify traditional weaknesses in collecting and reusing waste.

The study’s findings clearly identify hot spots requiring urgent action to reduce unregulated waste management. What is special about the study is that the findings were not generated from a helicopter perspective, but are the result of extensive regional surveys. The measures to be taken are as varied as the findings: while waste collection needs to be given priority

in some regions of the world, Europe, for example, faces the challenge of expanding recycling and enforcing a ban on landfill.

The study was prepared by Conversio Market & Strategy GmbH in close cooperation with the associations of the Global Plastics Alliance and a large number of other institutions.

The extensive study provides important numbers about the worldwide production of plastics, about how they are recycled, but also about how valuable, reusable materials are lost. The following core findings result at the global level: • Production: 360 million tons of plastic are produced globally.

• Processing: Added to the 360 million tons of new material are an additional 30 million tons of recyclates, therefore a total of 390 million tons of plastics are processed annually.

• Post-consumer waste: The total of

plastics goods used leads to around 250 million tons of consumer-related plastics waste annually.

• Waste management: Of this, 173 million tons of plastic waste are collected.

• Environmental littering: 63 million tons of plastic waste are disposed of improperly, for example through illegal dumping, and 14 million tons are thrown away carelessly (leakage).

The Global Plastics Flow Study is an important step towards capturing, processing and evaluating data concerning post-consumer plastic waste in a systematic structure.

The report also contains country- and continent-specific, as well as global capture and analysis of data. www.k-online.com/GPFStudy

Packaging ecologically with plastic

Polymer demand in Europe 2019

Plastic is everywhere

THE ‘Management Guidelines for the Eco Design of Plastic Packaging’, launched in Berlin earlier this year, are now also available in English. The guidelines are a practiceoriented tool prepared to help companies find the right Eco Design strategy and to integrate this into their packaging development. The tool is available for a 360° check of packaging solutions free of charge at www.ecodesign-packaging.org/en “The Guidelines for Eco Design of Plastic Packaging are an effective and holistic tool that has been eagerly awaited by its users,” says IK managing director Dr Isabell Schmidt, pleased at the publication now available in two languages. A French translation is also planned.

EUROPEAN polymer demand is set to grow by 1.5% a year to 2023, according to AMI Consulting’s latest report, Polymer Demand in Europe 2019’.

This subdued forecast masks a myriad of changes that the industry is facing. Overall, with the market facing clear long-term change to 2030, it is more important than ever to understand Europe’s market structure by country, polymer, process and end-use application.

The granularity of AMI Consulting’s data enables a clear picture of which markets are relatively susceptible, and which are relatively secure.

IN SPITE of daunting issues, there are several companies around the world who are rising to the challenge of what to do with managing plastics after they have reached the end of their life. Numerous polymer recycling innovations are starting to emerge, with improved physical recycling techniques such as solvent extraction, to chemical recycling techniques and depolymerisation. Who is developing them and how close are they to being commercially mature? These questions, along with a broader contextualisation of the general polymer recycling market, are covered in the report from IDTechEx ‘Green Technology and Polymer Recycling: Market Analysis 2020-2030’ by Dr Bryony Core.

www.ecodesign-packaging.org/en

www.ami.international

www.IDTechEx.com/AM

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Advertisers: – December 2019 / January 2020 ACD RotoFlo Brenntag SA BTCAP Cabletech Marketing Carst & Walker Complast 2020 DemaPlastech DH Polymers ExxonMobil Ferro South Africa Hestico Inkulu Plastic Pipes Ipex Machinery Jenowill Masterbatch SA Meraxis MGMW Trading MyPlas

41 IFC 61 09 55 91 39 63 15 31 01 65 50 03 33 57 37 26

Nissei ASB Orion Engineered Carbons Performance Colour Systems Plastomark Polyoak Purple Line Plastics Rawmac Relloy Relloy – EREMA Safripol Safrique International SAPY Colours Scott Bader Skyland Masterbatch Sun Plastics Userve Plastic Machinery West African Group Zerma Africa

49 11 25 73,75 27 36 47 71 45 05 51 IBC 69 23 35 07,17 19 OBC

THERMOFORMING, SHEET EXTRUSION, AND MATERIALS THERMOFORMING TECHNOLOGY

SAVE 90% of your electricity use with GN! • GN (Canada): machines for reduced waste and reduced energy • Thermoforming Moulds for GN and other thermoformers • ToolVu technology for productivity and NEW quality improvement on thermoforming machines • Complete lines for EPS foam trays and EPS cup moulding NEW

EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGY FROM AGRIPAK OF ITALY Mono & multi-layer extrusion lines for the production of: • ‘Cartonplast’ (twinwall/hollow profile sheet) • Multilayer sheet for packaging • Semi-foamed sheet for thermoforming

WE BUY PRODUCTION WASTE

MATERIALS FOR THERMOFORMED PACKAGING

LUMPS – OFF-CUTS - REJECTS - OFF SPEC W-EREDUNDANT B U Y P R- EXPIRED O D U C T- TRIMMINGS ION SKELETAL - TOPS/TAILSW A S T E Contact: 011 894 3520 or desire@jcl.co.za www.jcl.co.za

LUMPS - OFF-CUTS - REJECTS - OFF SPEC - REDUNDANT - EXPIRED - TRIMMINGS SKELETAL - TOPS/TAILS Contact: 011 894 3520 or desire@jcl.co.za www.jcl.co.za

• Sealing films for trays and top web for FFS machines • OPS, PP, PET sheet for general packaging • PP/EVOH/PP for high barrier containers

BRE INNOVATIONS Contact: Tim Forshaw (083 381 5253) or Phil Hopkinson (083 408 5253) or 021 671 5253 or mail to tim@bre.co.za

Amaplast and Lady Be, together again POP artist, Lady Be, was once again hosted at the K2019 trade fair in Düsseldorf.

The objective is to increase visitor awareness to the important, increasingly topical theme of recycling and environmental sustainability. Lady Be creates distinctive portraits using her technique of ‘contemporary mosaic’, working exclusively with recovered plastic objects (toys, packaging, bijoux, stationery, bottle tops and many other items) arranged according to colour gradation.

Plastic is the perfect material for demonstrating the artist’s commitment – something that has polarized her work for a decade – to the campaign against waste and environmental pollution caused by discarded polymeric products. Lady Be’s ‘plastic brushstrokes’ create striking, colourful portraits of internationally famous personalities (Paul McCartney and Marilyn Monroe pictured here) principally from the world of music and cinema (and from other areas as well).

www.ladybeart.com DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

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SPORTS E Stall Esslingen uses flame-retardant Bayblend products from Covestro to design its Li-ion battery modules. It has been participating in Formula Student Germany with its electrically powered racing car

Full throttle!

96 DEC 2019 / JAN 2020

Racing team driving smoothly with PC battery materials from Covestro ELECTRIC vehicles not only prevent local emissions, they can also be fun. Founded in 2012, the E Stall Esslingen is participating in various international events of Formula Student with an electrically powered racing car.

The design of the racing car’s traction battery is demanding – it is one of the most important components for the course of the race: It determines whether the driver has enough power to beat the competition.

Since the 2018 racing season, Covestro has supported the E Stall Esslingen team with flame-retardant materials for the construction of the battery. In its Leverkusen pilot plant, the plastics manufacturer extrudes sheets from the PC+ABS blend Bayblend to produce frames and brackets for its battery modules.

These modules are based on lithiumion battery cells in the so-called pouch format.

A PC+ABS blend with around 10% lower density and high mechanical, electrical and thermal properties was selected for the racing team together

The upper part of the traction battery with white frame parts made from the PC+ABS polycarbonate blend Bayblend from Covestro

with the Bayblend product experts from Covestro to remove even more weight from the racing car’s battery.

www.covestro.com

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2018/01/29 12:33 2019/09/26 12:15 2018/01/29 12:33