Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI) is bringing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) package evaluation services to brand owners and suppliers in Southeast ASia. 

The new capability is a result of a partnership between PTI and Hemetek Techno Instruments in Mumbai. An open house is planned for January 20th, after which the facility will be accepting bottle performance projects.

"For the past 30 years, PTI has earned a global reputation as the leader in PET bottle development and performance testing. Through our new partnership with Hemetek, a company that has established itself as a respected package testing solutions provider, we are now able to bring these services to Southeast Asia," said Greg Fisher, director of global analytical labs for PTI.

The expansion into the region has been driven by brand owner requests for PTI to establish a local resource to help them determine if their preforms and bottles are meeting performance parameters. Up until now, companies were forced to send these components to laboratories in other parts of the world or rely on limited internal capabilities.

"Empty PET bottles do not typically sustain long journeys well, and particularly those that are subjected to temperature extremes typically found in Southeast Asia. By partnering with PTI to locate these testing services in closer proximity to bottling plants, we can help reduce both time and cost and provide brand owners with critical data to help them meet their performance requirements," said Viraj Devasthale, president of Hemetek.

PET resin, preform and bottle testing will include solution intrinsic viscosity, acetaldehyde and moisture content, finish dimensions and bottle expansion and burst. The new capability will be based out of Hemetek's expanded testing facility in Baroda, located in the Gujarat state, in western India.