To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Maddy Barron at maddy@bellpublishing.com.

• MCC announces new IML production plant in Brazil
• Delamere unveils new packaging for its Flavoured Milk
• BERICAP expands growth strategy
• Pietro Cassani appointed president & CEO of Sidel
• Epiros reduces plastic and waste brine in new packaging design

The post Roundup: Packaging appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Pietro has been CEO of the Marchesini Group for the past eight years, and before that spent over 10 years as Group General Manager of SACMI. In total he has over 30 years of business and engineering experience. He holds an Engineering degree from the University of Bologna, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the SDA Bocconi School of Management.

About Tetra Laval

The Tetra Laval Group consists of three industry groups, Tetra Pak, Sidel and DeLaval, focused on technologies and services for the efficient and sustainable production, processing, packaging and distribution of food. The group has over 34,000 employees, revenue in 2023 of EUR 15.7 billion and operations in more than 170 countries. More information can be found at www.tetralaval.com.

About Sidel

Sidel is the world’s leading provider of packaging solutions for beverages, food, and personal and household care products in PET, cans, glass, and other materials.

With over 170 years of experience in the industry, Sidel provides advanced systems and services, line engineering and sustainable solutions. With more than 40,000 machines installed in over 190 countries, Sidel can count on more than 5,000 employees worldwide.

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To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Maddy Barron at maddy@bellpublishing.com.

• Carton recycling hub opens in Poland for EU service
• Evaporated milk in PET – aseptically filled
• Sidel launches its own one-stop shop to streamline switch to recycled PET
• Elopak to build a new production plant in the USA

The post Roundup: Packaging appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Sidel aims to facilitate a smooth and efficient market switch to recycled PET by establishing a ‘no fear’ one-stop shop for rPET- the RePETable  offer. These service solutions will enable customers to adopt up to 100% rPET without impacting bottle production. Sidel can also offer support to the industry to develop innovative and more sustainable primary packaging materials that are designed for recycling.

The RePETable offer is a range of services dedicated to rPET, designed to extend virgin PET benefits to rPET and achieve consistent production performance and bottle quality. Sidel packaging innovation experts are continuing to develop advanced knowledge about recycled PET resin and solutions for efficient bottle production by leveraging its unique small-scale recycling pilot line in France.

The RePETable offer has been designed for customers to pick and choose services that best suit their specific needs. Sidel’s RePETable offer is additional to its packaging optimisation services for lighter bottle weight, helping customers make a cost-efficient transition to recycled PET.

Consistent production performance and bottle quality

With more than 40 years of blowing and PET packaging expertise, Sidel has developed a deep understanding of recycled PET resin characteristics, its variability and its impact on bottle production.

“To reach the same level of performance as virgin PET, rPET bottle production process needs to be adapted to suit the resin used,” says Jérôme Neveu, packaging & moulds product manager at Sidel. “Therefore, our RePETable offer is made of solutions to address the challenges associated with rPET bottle production securing bottle mechanical resistance with optimum material stretchability and bottle shaping.”

Sidel offers rPET-ready features with packaging services and mould solutions, equipment upgrades and process support which achieve consistent, high production performance and bottle quality, even with up to 100% rPET. The blowing process is optimised to manage challenges associated with rPET grades and out-of-spec rPET is identified and rejected before processing.

“We are continuing to innovate and find more breakthrough solutions for rPET bottle production,” continues Jérôme Neveu.

A holistic approach with primary packaging designed for recycling

Sidel’s investment in its small-scale recycling pilot line is supporting primary packaging suppliers in innovating with new materials for closure, sleeve, glue, label, additives, colouring and any other primary packaging material.

The services delivered through this pilot line ensure primary packaging recycling process efficiency, resin quality, and rPET bottle performance. Sidel is using this line to recreate every step of the recycling process from washing, drying and pellet extrusion to crystallisation and Solid State Polymerisation, including dedicated process and laboratory controls at every step. Sidel packaging and equipment experts study all aspects of the process from post-consumer PET bales to flakes, including pellets ready to be injected into preform up to rPET bottle blow moulding and industrialisation.

This comprehensive approach, unparalleled in the packaging industry, positions Sidel with a unique hub of expertise for closed-loop PET packaging. It increases the market understanding of PET recycling and helps to verify that primary packaging material innovations comply with bottle-to-bottle recycling.

A cost-efficient transition to rPET

As the demand for rPET continues to rise, driven by regulations across the world and brands’ commitment to packaging circularity, the cost of rPET is fluctuating and remaining higher than that of virgin PET. Sidel’s packaging optimisation services for bottle weight reduction help to significantly offset rPET resin costs and even achieve savings with a quick payback.

A virtuous closed-loop

With the RePETable offer, Sidel is committed to using its comprehensive expertise to create a virtuous closed-loop process for food-grade rPET bottles.

“While PET is already fully compliant with the circular economy compared to other plastic packaging materials, combining lightweight and recycled PET is the fastest way to reach carbon neutrality,” says Naima Boutroy, packaging expert global at Sidel. “Lifecycle analysis shows that PET already has the best carbon footprint of all the packaging materials currently available. Creating a robust recycling loop to achieve full circularity at scale will make PET an even more sustainable choice.”

Find out more about Sidel’s RePETable offer and how you can access this kind of support for your business on the Sidel website.

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While there was much variation across the exhibitors and innovations on display, there were undeniably certain themes that recurred throughout much of the show floor, namely: sustainability, automation and digitalisation. And even across those themes there was overlap. This is because, since Covid-19, or quite likely as a result of it, it was demonstrated at Interpack that the entirety of the industry across the length and breadth of the supply chain are facing the same set of challenges, and therefore are working to combat and provide solutions to said challenges wherever they can.

Skill sets

This, first of all, begins with labour and skills shortages. Something that began during the pandemic and has remained in some format, whereby not only can factories not employ enough personnel, but too many of them lack the levels of experience and knowledge necessary to run as before. Mettler-Toledo was one of the companies exhibiting its response to this challenge at the show, with its X2 Series x-ray solution, which among its many other features and attributes, has been designed to simplify cleaning and maintenance routines, removing the need for complex training, with a front-opening design and a belt that can be removed without tools, explained Rob Faes, account manager, Mettler-Toledo product inspection.

On the flip side, there were also innovations focused on training and supporting workers on the factory floor. This came in the form of augmented (or ‘extended’) reality, virtual reality and digital twins, to which almost every company Dairy Industries International spoke to alluded in some way, with Rockwell Automation and tna solutions even having VR headsets on their stands to offer visitors the full experience. Using VR, digital twins of machines can be created, offering customers the opportunity to monitor and train staff on the machinery remotely, as well as completely design, commission, and test a product line from start to finish before it is even built, explained a spokesperson for tna. Accompanied also by AR, these technologies can additionally be used to assist in changeover and maintenance, demonstrating to the operator what steps need to be taken and even how to go about performing them.

This technology is also all about cost savings. With inflation fuelled by the detritus of the pandemic and by the war in Ukraine, prices are high for both the consumer and the manufacturers, so wherever costs can be cut, the better. AR, VR and digital twins can help companies economise; Rockwell’s Emulate3D software allows whole product lines to be tested in realistic scenarios, virtually, responding to conditions as it would in the real world, with the aim of foreseeing potential issues or design flaws ahead of time, and therefore saving on cost.

Rockwell’s objectives at interpack, explained Roger Gaemperle, head of industry strategy and marketing CPG & LS EMEA, Rockwell Automation, was to not only demonstrate its VR and digital twin technology, but to showcase the company’s “complete capabilities and the full play out,” while bringing together its partner ecosystem with end users. This was the spirit of much of this year’s show, with companies and professionals eager to reconnect relationships stretched out over the prolonged absence of interpack.

While this absence proved challenging for many, the economic, political and social conditions have created a catalyst for innovation, as Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development, PMMI, detailed in the company’s media briefing at the show. “Remote access has been available for a long time, maybe over ten years, but the problem was the adoption of remote technologies when many of the CPG companies have concerns over cybersecurity. But during Covid it, quite happily, accelerated; it was the only option.”

This was also a big focus for Syntegon: “It’s a very data driven journey,” said Johan Nilsson, member of the executive board, CSO, Syntegon. The company is launching Synexio, its brand for digital solutions for customers which is cloud-based, allowing for remote access and connectivity on or off the factory floor. Nilsson continued, “It’s a lot about data collecting, different data, displaying it to raise awareness, create transparency, but also in what’s often known as decision support systems,” to inform operators of the most correct and efficient action, based on data, once again providing a solution to the skill and training shortages in the work force.

Rockwell had on display its own version of this need for cloud-based connectivity with Fiix, an AI-powered computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Through it, all Rockwell’s software systems can be connected, communicating with one another, becoming more efficient and powerful through the use of the artificial intelligence. This can help a customer monitor energy consumption through Rockwell’s Model Predictive Control (MPC) technology, Gaemperle explained, “To cool down the milk and reduce the moisture level, that costs a lot of energy and if we can optimise it with an MPC solution, or going forward help with artificial intelligence to optimise the process, that can save you a lot of energy.”

Furthermore, there is this demand, according to PMMI’s Izquierdo, for machinery to be able to cope with such packaging material changes from one customer to the next, as well as be adaptable for any future material innovations, especially in the realm of sustainability and recyclability, that have yet to come. “What we are finding is, in terms of operations, a lot of material and formats change continuously. You change one year to a new material, next year for the new product, and then you’re changing to another new material. It’s a continuous change, one after the other. It’s a chase for what’s the best fit for different markets,” commented Izquierdo. Therefore, machines have to be exceedingly adaptable, as companies are not wanting to spend on whole lines of new equipment, they would much rather adapt what they have to a new line, or have one piece of equipment that works with multiple of their CPGs.

This was something Sidel showcased on its show stand. Jean-Marc Passemard, senior manager, marketing communications – FHPC Markets, Sidel, demonstrated how the Cermex ProSelex, a flexible collating system for complex unstable bottles, on its international debut at interpack, could be easily altered for different product and packing formats. Each changeable part was easily accessible and lightweight, meaning that extensive training is not required for the operator in charge of the changeover, and the changeover itself is shortened to an average of one minute for a new collation to two and a half minutes for a complete bottle change. Sidel even offers the option for the machine, through automation, to changeover itself to preset specifications.

Not only does reducing downtime improve line throughput and therefore increase profits, it also saves energy, which is both beneficial from an economic point of view, but also from a sustainability point of view. Sustainability was naturally unavoidable as a show topic at Interpack, as it is the food and drink sector in particular that is being looked to by consumers to improve, due to its reliance on single-use packaging. Exhibitors at the show had set themselves sustainability targets and had made technical adaptations to their machinery – either to adapt it to sustainable packaging choices and formats, or to reduce energy or even water consumption.

Overall, the 2023 installment of Interpack was a veritable success, with 96 per cent of visitors stating that they had achieved their trade fair objectives, according to its organisers. Certainly at least that many were also breathing a collective and anticipatory sigh of relief to be back once again, interacting with colleagues and clients, with business as normal, or at least the new normal, as the industry could almost be considered unrecognisable considering the dramatic adaptations and innovations it has undergone since, and as a result of, the Covid-19 pandemic. Much can thus be anticipated for the show’s return to Düsseldorf, from 7-13 May 2026.

The post Back to business appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Seeking carbon neutrality, the packaging industry is in the middle of a transition period that aims to replace virgin PET with recycled PET. Sidel is engaging with this transition to circular packaging solutions, enabling r-PET to be more widely used. The unique small-scale PET recycling line will allow Sidel to develop advanced knowledge about the recycling of food-contact PET bottles. As Sidel packaging experts assess the impact of additives and primary packaging materials on r-PET resin the facility will become an important reference for raw material producers, recyclers and recycling regulatory organisations. The line will also enable Sidel to further develop its own knowledge, ideas and innovative packaging solutions.

Helping to meet demand for r-PET

Demand for r-PET is increasing and the market is developing as brand owners seek carbon neutral solutions. The amount of recycled PET in packaging globally has increased to 8% compared to 5% in 2018. In Europe, the average is already 15% and is projected to grow to 35% in 2030.¹

“There is a big move towards recycled PET, but demand is outstripping supply,” says Naima Boutroy, Sidel’s Global Packaging Expert. “The market still has a lot to learn and we can provide valuable insights. There is a variability in recycled PET resin grades, and standardisation is still in development. We need to address this to create the best possible finished bottles. Our line will test the recyclability of post-consumer PET bottles from different feed stocks, including  additives and caps as well as labels, inks and glue. We will be working with traditional Sidel customers such as brand owners, converters and co-packers, as well as other suppliers like raw material producers, recyclers and regulatory organisations, to enable the scaling-up of r-PET capacity. We can also check any innovations comply with bottle-to-bottle recycling.”

Fully-equipped line to study entire process

Sidel’s new line will take raw material from industrial partners such as sorting facilities, recyclers and brand owners. It will then recreate and study all aspects of the process from bales to flakes including pellets ready to be injected into preform, injection and blow moulding.

Sidel will give the packaging industry the opportunity to access a fully equipped pilot line. This line covers every step of the recycling process: from washing, drying and pellet extrusion, to solid-state polymerisation, including dedicated process and laboratory controls at every step.

Making PET a more sustainable choice

PET is proven to be recyclable and is the only food-safe bottle-to-bottle recycled material, but the market has yet to see the production of standardised r-PET resin grade in high quantities; achieving this could facilitate the market conversion from virgin PET to r-PET. Lifecycle analysis shows that PET already has the best carbon footprint among materials currently available; creating a robust recycling loop to achieve full circularity at scale will make PET an even more sustainable choice.

Sidel to become one-stop shop for r-PET

Sidel’s investment in the r-PET pilot line is unparalleled in the packaging industry and will also empower Sidel in shaping the packaging solutions of tomorrow. The line, which has a holistic bottle-to-bottle approach, is just one of a range of services that Sidel is establishing under the name RePETable services. The services will draw upon Sidel’s 40+ years of blowing and packaging expertise, to support brand owners and convertors in producing r-PET bottles through line upgrade solutions, packaging optimisation, blowing process qualification, troubleshooting, r-PET processing training.

Find out more about the r-PET pilot line and how you can access this kind of support for your business on the Sidel website. 

¹ Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Commitment 2021 progress report.

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To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Maddy Barron at maddy@bellpublishing.com.

• interpack is back after six years and a forced absence during the pandemic. From 4-10 May 2023, Düsseldorf will once again become a business platform and future technology workshop.
• Cathedral City becomes the first cheese brand to introduce side opening, resealable packs
• With the help of Elopak, for many dairy companies choosing the right packaging is no longer just about keeping their product fresh, it’s also a chance to demonstrate what they stand for.
• Sidel is inviting customers to meet its experts at Munich’s drinktec 2022 to discuss industry challenges and discover the packaging solutions of the future.

The post Roundup: Dairy packaging appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

The stand showcases advanced systems and services, line engineering, and digital and eco-solutions, including aseptic production, sustainability, packaging optimisation and holistic turnkey solutions.

An immersive experience, with advanced multimedia illustrating the latest packaging equipment and processes, the stand is designed to engage all the senses.

Ko Hoepman, executive vice president – Portfolio, Innovation & Marketing at Sidel, said:

“We will be renewing and building relationships and demonstrating the very best of our offer as a trusted, reliable partner. We are confident that our superior performance and technological expertise will help our customers meet the challenges of the future.

Sidel will demonstrate its key expertise in:

Digital evolution

Top-class digital solutions enabling customers to face challenges, and reach peak production performance without compromising operational costs, product quality or environmental impact. The Evo-ON® software suite offers powerful cloud computing and data analytic technologies.

Sustainable transformation

Eco-friendly packaging alternatives, from 100% recycled PET (rPET) and light-weighted primary packaging with tethered caps, to optimised secondary and tertiary packaging alternatives.

Aseptic

With 47 years’ experience in aseptic packaging equipment technology, Sidel will be premiering a new development.

Complete line solutions

Sidel has expertise and a comprehensive portfolio of services in every related field including line concept, engineering, line control and automation, packaging technologies and equipment.

Join Sidel

Sidel is eager to welcome visitors and provide them with the best advice and information in the industry.

The post Sidel to exhibit at drinktec 2022 appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

To submit a news item for inclusion, please contact Suzanne Christiansen at suzanne@bellpublishing.com or Alex Rivers at arivers@bellpublishing.com.

• Spanish dairy company Andía Lácteos de Cantabria SL has modernised its plant in Renedo de Piélagos with modern, state-of-the-art aseptic PET bottling technology from Sidel (pictured above).
• Somerset-based Sycamore Process Engineering has secured an order for four of its Open Curd Tables for a cheese manufacturer in India.
• The Morinaga Milk Group is currently expanding sales of its lactoferrin-based products by more than doubling the production capacities of its MILEI subsidiary in Leutkirch, Germany.

The post Roundup: Processing appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Andía Lácteos de Cantabria is part of the Iparlat Group, which was originally created from the Spanish union of dairy farmer cooperatives. The company mainly packages liquid dairy products sold under a well-known Spanish retailer brand. The same retailer gave the initial impulse to move from carton and HDPE bottles towards bottling milk in PET. On its Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis – now in operation – extended shelf life milk (ESL), UHT milk and milkshakes are bottled in three formats (0.25l, 1l and 1.5l), giving the dairy player the opportunity to broaden its spectrum of SKUs.

Image courtesy of Sidel

Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis with its dry preform and cap sterilisation technology was integrated into an existing bottling line for HDPE bottles, providing simple, cost-effective as well as sustainable and flexible production, according to the company.

“The new low-speed Aseptic Combi Predis is working at full speed and it offers the best food safety conditions, perfectly matching with our extreme production quality requirements,” says Javier Villafranca, industrial director at Iparlat Group. The line is currently running at 9,000 bottles per hour with 97% efficiency. With this new packaging line several million bottles were produced by Andía Lácteos in 2019.

“We succeeded in increasing our portfolio by producing new UHT milk recipes we could not produce before, for instance, the lactose-free milk, for which the demand in the market is growing every day. With this state-of-the-art aseptic PET bottling line, we will be able to significantly strengthen our brand image in the Spanish market,” explains Villafranca.

The milk PET bottles have proven to be highly successful. With sales soaring, Andía Lácteos de Cantabria has recently decided to invest in another Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis, combined with the conveying and accumulation solution Gebo AQFlex, to increase production capacity even more.

The post Spanish dairy farmers favour aseptic bottling in PET appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Yotvata had clear objectives around the launch of its new 2-litre PET milk bottle, targeted towards family households: “We needed to break the visual codes compared to our competition, as all local dairy producers – including us – are used to packing milk in 2-litre squared bottles in HDPE with a handle. Additionally, we want to ensure a great brand experience for our consumers and maximise opportunities for the bottles to be easily taken from supermarket shelves,” said Ram Srugo, CEO of Yotvata.

Sidel supported Yotvata in designing and qualifying the new 2-litre PET bottle. The new design – which includes a reflection of the customer’s branding on the top part of the container –  comes with significant environmental advantages compared to HDPE, being 100% recyclable and allowing for the lightweighting of bottles.

As well as a new bottle design, Yotvata installed a second aseptic complete PET line from Sidel, allowing the company to produce UHT and Extended Shelf Life (ESL) milk in PET bottles.

“We already had a very positive experience with the Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis technology for PET production on the first line we purchased in 2014. This new packaging line will allow us to increase the production capacity on existing products while reducing our environmental footprint, mainly due to the switch from HDPE to PET and the bottle lightweighting potential offered by Sidel’s integrated dry preform decontamination system,” said Achiraz Horesh, COO at Yotvata.

Currently, the new line is producing 1 L bottles plus the newly designed two-litre bottle for milk in PET. Its flexibility makes it the ideal choice to address Yotvata’s production needs around flavoured, ESL and UHT milk.

The new PET complete line features Sidel’s Aseptic Combi Predis, complemented by Capdis, combining preform and cap sterilisation, blowing and sealing functions in a single enclosure for a 100%-sterile filled and capped PET bottle.

The line also includes Sidel’s RollQuattro, a versatile high-speed roll-fed labeller, able to handle lightweight containers with extremely thin labels, plus conveying and end-of-line equipment. The new installation at the Israeli site includes shrink-wrapping system EvoFill, and PalKombi, an automatic palletiser suitable for crates, cartons, trays and shrink-wrapped packs, designed for medium to high speed lines that allows for easy control and access.

Andrea Tondelli, sales manager Southern Europe, Sidel said: “Yotvata leveraged the entire set of our competences, from packaging design and industrialisation through leadership in aseptic technologies up to our longstanding expertise in complete lines. The Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis delivers utmost hygiene, high ease of operations and flexibility needed to match this customer’s needs, considering the various products they’ll process through the line.”

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