Spotlight on stretch blowmolding: news from Graham, Sidel, W. Amsler

Multilayer, wide-mouth, clear PET jar is ready for hot filling

Packaging processor Graham Packaging Co. (York, PA) claims it is the first to offer a transparent, multilayer, wide-mouth polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle. The SurShot preform molding technology used to mold the five-layer PET preforms was developed by Owens-Illinois and injection molding machine maker/PET preform moldmaker Husky (Bolton, ON); Graham acquired 31 O-I bottle blowmolding operations, along with the SurShot technology, for $1.2 billion in 2004.

The new wide-moth bottles can be hot filled in a temperature range of 195-205 F (90.5-96.1 C), making them suitable for pasta sauces, salsas, fruits, and other products. Shelf life of the products will be from 12-18 months, product dependant. Graham reckons the new bottles will win over some products now packed in glass.

Graham says the containers include post-consumer and post-industrial recyclate, and the oxygen barrier material can be separated from the PET during recycling process.

Graham Packaging also has launched an online database of its stock containers, including downloadable drawings. Available at www.grahamcatalog.com, the online catalog features stock containers for the food and beverage; personal and beauty care; household; chemical; and automotive-lubricant markets, with search criteria like capacity, units of measure, material, shape, description, and neck finish. Users can create an account name and password to save work, and each search produces specifications, a detailed view, a printable PDF, a link to request additional information, and a link to obtain a sample.

Sidel with new boss, and an anniversary

To start the year, stretch blowmolding and beverage packaging machine manufacturer Sidel (Le Havre, France) named Mart Tiismann to succeed Gérard Stricher as president and CEO. Tiismann joined Sidel in 2005 as executive VP, leading industrial operations and product R&D activities. His prior experience came with Scania, Eaton, Ingersoll-Rand, and Esab in Europe and the U.S. Stricher plans to retire this month at the age of 60. He joined Sidel in 2001 and has been its head since 2002. In 2005, Stricher oversaw the merger of Sidel and Simonazzi.

Celebrating 10 years in India as of January, Sidel India has grown to 105 employees and three sites, with offices and/or manufacturing in Pune, Gurgaon, and Mumbai. Sidel says the local presence has pushed it into a leadership position in India’s bottled water, soft drink, and fruit juice market. Back in 1998, Sidel says the Indian industry, which had been dominated by polyvinyl chloride, was beginning to switch to polyethylene terephthalate.

The company opened an assembly plant in Chakan, near Pune, in 2001-2002 for the production of small linear blowmolding machines. Today, following the 2005 merger of Sidel and Simonazzi, Sidel India offers Indian customers all of the machines found on a bottling line. In coming months, Sidel India will expand its manufacturing operations to include the assembly of additional packaging line equipment.

Amsler broadens portfolio, strengthens guarantee

Blowmolding equipment supplier W. Amsler Equipment Inc. (Richmond Hill, ON) has introduced a two-year warranty as standard on all new blowmolding machines, and also offers a new five-cavity machine. The company, which supplies leak testers and turnkey filling lines in addition to linear stretch blowmolding machines, say the parts warranty is “bumper to bumper”, even covering wear items like preform heating lamps.

The L51.5 five-cavity machine can blow bottles from 60 ml to 1.5 l, with throughputs up to 8500 bottles/hr. More on the company at www.amslerequipment.net.