Building its first machines in India, selling its first Unika combo blowmolding/filling unit, and expanding its presence in the U.S.: extrusion blowmolding machine manufacturer Techne SpA is keeping busy.

Techne (Bologna, Italy) claims an installed machine base of 850 machines in 60 countries and is set to increase that soon. In answer to inquiries from MPW, the company’s CEO, Moreno Minghetti, said the company has received its first order for the Unika combination extrusion blowmolding/filling unit it premiered earlier this year (initial report here). The processor ordering the first of these is based in China and wants the unit for processing of dairy-based products (12,000 bottles/hr for 200-ml containers) in high-density polyethylene. The first Unika units will be delivered in February 2010, with negotiations ongoing with other potential purchasers worldwide, adds Minghetti. Techne claims its Unika is the first single, integrated system combining blowing and filling of HDPE bottles.

In India the company’s joint venture with Lohia Starlinger (initial report here) is on track, according to Minghetti, with the first machines now being built there. In an announcement made at the Plastindia trade show in Feb. ‘09, Techne and Lohia Starlinger Ltd., the world leader in manufacturer of lines for woven plastic packaging, tape stretching, film coating and other extrusion-related applications, announced that the latter firm will manufacture two models of Techne’s shuttle blowmolding machines.

Meanwhile in the U.S., Kyle Grodzinski, Techne’s North American VP, named Millholland Conrad Inc. (Cicero, IN) as its agent for Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Techne North America (Ft. Worth, TX) plans an aggressive growth strategy in the U.S., said Grodzinski. The parent firm, Techne SpA, recently built a new manufacturing facility and added capacity. Techne also sees growth opportunities on the West Coast, where there is a heavy concentration of processors in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, cosmetics, and household chemicals markets.

Millholland Conrad will sell Techne’s continuous extrusion blowmolding equipment, including the company’s new Advance Series of all-electric, linear shuttles. —Matt Defosse