Netstal targets dairy in Brazil with overmolded PET tech

Netstal is aiming to chip away at the dominance of coated-paper cartons in the Brazilian dairy market, with plans to install its two-layer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) preform technology in the South American country by the end of the year. Italo Zavaglia, who works for Netstal in Brazil, noted that a PET-based system for milk would be more recyclable, and while there is a higher initial investment for its preform technology, there are not the down-the-line royalties paid when utilizing some other systems. Zavaglia showed off the technology at Brasilplast, where Netstal maintained its own booth, although that will be different at the next event in two years (for more read here).

There are some blowmolded plastic bottles for dairy currently on the market in Brazil, according to Zavaglia, but they utilize a label across the entire container to protect the milk from UV light exposure. Netstal's system first injects an opaque, black core, which is then overmolded with a white PET, creating a fully UV-protected container that doesn't require a complete sleeve.

This will be the first time this technology is deployed in Brazil, with the only other system in the world running in France. The 24-cavity mold actually utilizes 48 cores, with one set in white and the other in black. The black preform is injected first, and then the mold opens, the cores move, and white is overmolded. Zavaglia conceded that cartons represent the runaway market leader but said even chipping away a few customers would be a huge victory for Netstal.