Plastics & Rubber Review, July-August 2016

Vol.4 No.4 | July-August 2016 | New Delhi, India

Plenty of potential for recycling

STARLINGER drupa 2016: A resounding RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY: recoSTAR dynamic 215

success

High-speed packaging designs in India

Sacmi Group, another record result in 2015

Bandera broadens its Asian horizons WITTMANN Group celebrated its 40th anniversary

Lightweight solutions Vol.4 No.4 | July-August 2016 | New Delhi, India

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: INDIA: RS.2000 | OVERSEAS: US$150

I n T h e P a g e s Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alois K. Schlarb Technolgy Institute of Kaiserslautern, Chair of Composite Materials

Hybrid polymer based materials Modern components for use e.g. in mobility, energy, or building and construction have to fulfill increasing requirements regarding their performance characteristics, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Hybrid components are the solution frequently, as they show outstanding performances very often.

The boundaries between different material classes thereby may be overcome. What counts is the combination: the combination of materials on different scales from Nano to Macro and the combination of different technologies for production purposes, i.e. the development and utilization of hybrid processes for manufacturing hybrid structures from hybrid materials.

At the first glance metals seem to be the ideal materials for lightweight design because of their high stiffness. However, when it comes to lightweight applications we rather need to talk about the unit weight based properties. When referring the elasticity modulus of different material classes to their respective density, hybrid materials e.g. fiber reinforced plastic composites are unequaled regarding their performance.

Hybrid materials on different length scales provide an extremely broad property range not being covered by any single material class. Because of the excellent stiffness to weight ratio of microscale reinforced plastics and potential effects on the morphology scale of the polymeric matrix of nanocomposites hybrid materials are the ideal material for lightweight applications.

To exploit the enormous market potential of hybrid materials we pivotally need to optimize morphology generation during component part manufacturing by cost-efficient hybrid processes.

4 Supplier Workshop at Arburg 7 High-speed packaging designs in India 8 PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017 13 Bandera broadens its Asian horizons 16 Plenty of potential for recycling 20 Cautious Optimism - The state of the European plastics industry 25 OSH Chennai 2016 reiterates industry’s potential in South India 27 Informa spells out the vision for IPEX 2017 28 Sacmi Group, another record result in 2015 30 Drink pods – Sacmi becomes a strategic partner for Mitaca 32 STARLINGER RECYCLING: recoSTAR dynamic 215 35 drupa: Much interest in WEKO’s latest DigiCon remoistening system for digital printing 36 WITTMANN Group celebrated its 40th anniversary 39 Unleashing the Power of Paper Highcon at drupa 2016 40 40 years History of WITTMANN! 43 New WITTMANN robots for large and small injection molding machines 46 DRUPA 2016: A Resounding Success

Editorial: Reny, Sarvjit, Vishwapreet & Amrita (India), Anna (Sweden), Mike (UK), Liza (Singapore), Upi (Indonesia), Ying & Adrian (China), Arvi (Australia). Public Relations Director: Winnie. Advisor: Rajiv Sanghavi. Production: Rakesh. Design, Art & Web Development: Diamond Infomedia. Publisher: Milinia Plus. Founded by: Late Mr N.S. Kanwar. B-2-B Group Publications: PRINTING REVIEW, Medical Device ASIA, autoASIA, Hotels & Culinary ASIA. Contacts: To advertise: advertise@plasticsandrubberreview.com, to submit a press release: editorial@plasticsandrubberreview.com, to subscribe: subscribe@plasticsandrubberreview.com, for general enquiries: info@plasticsandrubberreview.com. Head Office: D-182, PR House, Anand Vihar, 110092 New Delhi, India. Tel: +91 11 22141542 | Fax: +91 11 22160635.

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Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 3

Heinz Gaub, Arburg Managing Director Technology & Engineering, and Arthur Kopp, Kopp, Director of Materials Administration at Arburg, (from left) were pleased with the great interest shown in the Supplier Workshop 2016.

Supplier Workshop at Arburg • 52 representatives from 25 suppliers and partners attend networking and cooperation event at parent company in Lossburg • Focus on supply chain for new Golden Electric machine series • Workshops on quality, reliability, availability and costs When many people are involved in a large project, success depends on their familiarity with one another and their ability to cooperate effectively. This was the objective of the Supplier Workshop 2016, which was held in Lossburg on 8 and 9 June 2016, and to which Arburg invited 25 key suppliers and development partners. The 52 participants received an intensive introduction to the topic with a tour of the factory, followed by presentations on “Industry 4.0” on the first day of the gathering and an evening event together with Arburg managing partners and directors. The agenda for the second day involved a series of intensive workshops in small groups.

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einz Gaub, Managing Director Technology & Engineering at Arburg, welcomed the participants and introduced them to the company and its technology, saying: “Our aim at this event is to provide you with the details of the new, electric Golden Electric machine series, which we launched very quickly in the spring of 2016, bringing it to market at a very attractive price.” The intention, he explained, was to produce an electric machine series at the price level of the hydraulic Allrounders, that is marketed competitively throughout the world and that is built at the central Arburg production site in Germany. “This was made possible thanks to our close cooperation with you, a high level of standardisation and the planned high unit volumes,” continued the Managing Director Technology & Engineering. He said that the future for the injection moulding machine sector was clearly electric, which is

The new electric Golden Electric machine series was the focus of the Supplier Workshop 2016.

why the Golden Electric series had arrived at just the right time to provide an entry to the Arburg world of electric machines.

Shared growth Heinz Gaub offered proof of the importance of the company’s partnerships, correlating growth at Arburg with upward trends in the purchasing volume of the invited Arburg supplier partners. The company’s turnover grew by 57 percent between 2010 and 2015, while the external purchasing volume of the 25 suppliers actually rose by 59 percent. This demonstrates, he explained, that Arburg’s success also has a direct influence on the success of its suppliers and that successful cooperation offers mutual opportunities for positive business development.

of all components thanks to joint planning and cost-efficient added value all play a prominent role.

With this in mind, we would like to work with you to further improve the supply chain as necessary.”

Heinz Gaub added: “This is particularly important in the case of the Golden Electric, as we find ourselves in a highly competitive international environment with these machines. The key factors here are ‘price/performance ratio’ and ‘high quality and reliability’.

Staying ahead of the competition is the recipe for success.”

to optimise the flow of materials, so that customers can be supplied in good time.

Klaus Abel, Vice President Corporate Purchasing at Balluff GmbH in Neuhausen auf den Fildern, dealt with how Industry 4.0 would influence tomorrow’s supply chain and thus the purchasing practices of the future.

Both presentations attracted a great deal of interest both among the guests at the event and the Arburg Partners and Managing Directors in attendance.

Interesting supplier mix Pleased to find that all 25 key suppliers and development partners had accepted Arburg’s invitation, Arthur Kopp, Director of Materials Administration, explained the aims of the supplier workshop: “You are all important partners for Arburg in the context of the Golden Electric series. That’s why, as well as providing a chance to get to know one another and to network, this event is also about understanding the demands that we all face. This mainly means communicating needs, defining the actions to be taken and implementing specific measures in order to optimise cooperation. A shared understanding of quality, optimum availability

“Industry 4.0” from a Sales and Purchasing perspective Two speakers from among Arburg’s suppliers gave presentations examining the topic of “Industry 4.0” from the point of view of Sales and Purchasing. Malte Lüking, Director of Technology at injection moulders Karl Casper GmbH & Co. KG in Remchingen, explained how the integration of the internal systems in his company has helped

The participants were drawn from a broad base and ranged from suppliers who have proven themselves over decades to brand new partners. On the second day of the event, they worked together in small groups to analyse three key themes: “optimum quality and reliability”, “optimum availability” and “optimum costs”.

This brainstorming event produced extensive results in relation to the

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During a small group factory tour, Arthur Kopp, Director of Materials Administration at Arburg, (2nd from right) also explained the inner workings of the injection moulding machines.

organisation of cooperation, e.g. in the areas of logistics, packaging and substitution, as well as the attainment of shared goals. “What Arburg needs here is 100 percent functionality and quality,” explained Arthur Kopp, “in order to keep the Golden Electric series as efficient and reliable as the tried-and-tested hydraulic Golden Edition.

To achieve this, our suppliers need to step up to these demands and, as we have learned from our discussions, they are willing and able to do so.”

Satisfaction with the results achieved “It was very gratifying to encounter an open, qualityfocused exchange of opinions at a partnership level that was able to benefit both sides,” said a delighted Arthur Kopp. He went on to add that discussions had focused on sustaining relationships and not just on pricing.

Important insights included the fact that suppliers are happy to operate as partners in finding solutions and should therefore be included in new developments at the earliest possible stage. The idea of making the meeting a permanent fixture was also discussed. However, the task for the coming months is to analyse the insights gained during the supplier workshops in the various companies and incorporate these into day-to-day work.

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About Arburg German machine manufacturer Arburg is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of injection moulding machines with clamping forces between 125 and 5,000 kN. This is complemented by robotic systems, customer- and sector-specific turnkey solutions and further peripherals. An innovative additive manufacturing system was added to the plastics processing range in 2013.

The company places the topic of production efficiency at the centre of all its activities, taking into account the entire value-added chain. The objective is to enable the Arburg customers to manufacture their plastic products, whether one-off parts or high-volume batches, in optimal quality and at minimum unit costs – e.g. for the automotive and packaging industries, communication and entertainment electronics, medical technology or the white goods sector.

An international sales and service network guarantees first-class, local customer support. Arburg is represented by its own organisations at 33 locations in 25 countries and by trading partners in more than 50 countries.

The machines are produced exclusively at the parent company in Lossburg, Germany. Of a total of roughly 2,550 employees, around 2,100 work in Germany. About 450 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. In 2012, Arburg became one of the first companies to gain triple certification: to ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and ISO 50001 (Energy).

Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com

Creative Edge Software appoints ThinkPrint to meet demand for high-speed packaging design in India Fast, accurate iC3D digital prototyping offers a solution for continuous revamp requirements in booming industry

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Creative Edge Software appoints ThinkPrint to meet demand for high-speed packaging design in India.

From left to right: Trevor Haworth of (Creative Edge Software), Gopal Krishnan (ThinkPrint), Hemanshu Desai (ThinkPrint), Nick Gilmore (Creative Edge Software).

Creative Edge Software has appointed a new distributor in response to growing interest in its award-winning packaging design application in the South Asia region. The agreement signed at drupa 2016, sees ThinkPrint assume responsibility for sales and support of iC3D software in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

hinkPrint is a cooperation between three companies long-established in the supply of graphic arts systems and solutions: Venus Infotech, Basis Systems and Genesis Systems.

Hemanshu Desai of Venus Infotech says that iC3D has very real potential to transform packaging design processes in India. “Already since drupa we have run a number of demos of the new iC3D version 4 with customers and the response has been extremely encouraging.

They are staggered by its speed and the ease of use.”

According to Desai, the all-in-one iC3D package design solution has several additional USPs that make it ideal for the Indian market. He mentions iC3D connectivity with Illustrator and its ready-to-go library of structural templates that can be modified or entirely re-worked according to requirements. iC3D is an all-in-one packaging application that allows designers to generate 3D digital prototypes in real-time for all types of packaging, including cartons, labels, flexibles, bottles, POS/POP and shrink wraps.

The latest iC3D version 4 launched at drupa 2016 incorporates five new features to deliver unprecedented photorealism, including Ray Tracing technology, which makes glass and liquids look realistic for transparency, translucence, color, refractive index, reflections and shadows.

“The quality of the final 3D

visualizations is truly stunning, and this is a factor of increasing importance in India,” explains Desai. “The packaging industry is booming here and brand awareness has greatly increased in recent years. This means that packaging producers are increasingly concerned with tackling the threat from counterfeit goods. This leads to continuous updating of package designs. With its ease of use and affordable price point, iC3D is perfectly positioned to take the market by storm.”

With headquarters in Mumbai and Delhi, ThinkPrint serves the commercial print, packaging and publishing markets throughout India and beyond. Its three constituent companies share a workforce of 14 people representing a strong portfolio of clients including Epson, CGS, Enfocus, Ultimate, Global Graphics and PPI. “ThinkPrint came to see us at drupa because they were specifically looking for a solution that’s both easier to use and more costeffective than the leading design visualization software products currently on the Indian market,” explains Nick Gilmore, CEO of Creative Edge Software. “They were wowed when they realized we could offer much, much more – an application superior in every respect. With more than 50 strong sales leads in India taken at drupa alone, we’re now looking forward to a long and successful relationship with ThinkPrint.”

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PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017: Packaging and Printing for the Future 6th edition returns with a renewed focus on packaging, and exhibitor line-up that spans the entire value chain from idea to shelf

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s Thailand’s leading packaging and printing trade fair for the industry, by the industry, PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL, The International Packaging and Printing Exhibition for Asia, returns for its 6th instalment with a renewed focus on the packaging sector.

The exhibition will present the entire value chain that is, from ideation to creation bringing to the forefront the full spectrum of the printing and packaging sectors; from developing new products and technology to creating packaging that protects food for a longer shelf life to digital printing’s economic and speed-to-market advantages for mainstream package decoration. Reflecting key global trends in the market which sees the increasing synergy between packaging and printing, PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017 will echo these developments and reflect all the participatory links within the value chain of a printed pack from hatch to despatch. The 4-day exhibition will zoom into areas such as corrugated printing and packaging, labelling, digital printing, electronic printing, and flexible packaging.

As well as presenting a broader exhibit range of technology, machinery, products and services to serve the entire packaging and printing value chain. The exhibition will also extend its reach to a more comprehensive breadth of industries including automotive, electronics, cosmetics, 8 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

pharmaceuticals, drinks, and other fast moving consumer goods. All of which require good packaging, customisation, labelling and packaging printing – to create attractive, cost-efficient and sustainable products in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace.

With a dynamic line-up keenly curated to current and upcoming industry developments, PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017 presents a unique draw as a one-stop platform to the latest packaging and printing innovations, critical trade insights and network opportunities with the best in the industries.

A tripartite collaboration between Messe Düsseldorf Asia, The Thai Packaging Association and The Thai Printing Association, PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL is modelled after No.1 global trade fairs in their respective sectors – drupa and interpack. PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017 and will take place in Bangkok, Thailand from 20 – 23 September 2017.

Positive Global Market Opportunities for Packaging and Printing According to Smithers Pira, the global packaging market will reach US$ 975 billion by 2018, developing at an annual growth rate of 4%. Asia, in particular, is predicted to represent over

40% of global demand for packaging, driven by growing urbanization, investment in housing and construction, development of retail chains and the burgeoning healthcare and cosmetics sectors. Printing on the other hand will see an annual growth of 2% per year from now to 2020 due to continued growth in emerging economies, and added-value opportunities associated with digital print.

Based on a study by The Economist Intelligence Unit, package printing will register a 4.2% CAGR through to 2017, accounting for 43% of the printing market. Demand for packaged goods will keep corrugated print in control of the global print market, whereas flexible packaging, labels and tags will be in greater demand due to growing diversification in print products.

Asia-Pacific: Bright Outlook for the Packaging and Printing Sectors Asia-Pacific dominated the packaging printing market with a share of 37% in 2014, according to marketsandmarkets.com. Brought by rising competition, consumer awareness and spending, as well as demand for aesthetically appealing packaging and sustainable printing, Asia-Pacific’s market share will grow at the highest CAGR from 2015 to 2020, in terms of volume, to become the fastest-growing market for packaging printing.

Southeast Asia

Thailand • Packaging: Thailand’s packaging industry is expected to grow at a CAGR 6.41% to reach a value of US$11.1 billion at the end of 2016 – held by growing food exports and the entry of major industry competitors into its domestic market

• Printing: The printing industry is one of Malaysia’s five pillar industries, with an output value of over US$3 billion since 2014. In recent years, packaging printing, in particular, has seen the most significant growth momentum

Vietnam • Packaging: Average annual growth of the packaging sector was 15% 20% due to high population and a rapid development of the packaging sector for consumer goods • Printing: Printing and packaging industries grew by 15% - 20% in output in 2015. Industrial packaging and label printing accounted for 80% of its total domestic output Concurrent Event Co-locating with PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017 is T-PLAS 2017 – the International Trade Fair for the Plastics and Rubber Industries. Strategically positioned in Southeast Asia’s largest plastics processing industry, T-PLAS enhances its regional focus and provides an international outlook of the abundant strategic opportunities available for participating companies to springboard into the region’s plastics and rubber markets. For more information on PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2017 and T-PLAS 2017, please visit: www.pack-print.de / www.tplas.com For more information, please contact: Messe Düsseldorf Asia Ms. Beattrice J. Ho, Tel: (65) 6332 9642, Email: beattrice@mda.com.sg

• Printing: Overall printing industry will grow in line with national economic growth, estimated at between 3.5% - 4.5%. Thailand is the largest printing hub in Southeast Asia, with its offset and digital printing machinery fully imported

Indonesia • Packaging: Packaging, which will grow at 13.2% between 2012 and 2017, will be the second-fastest-growing print products sector and have the second-largest market size at US$2.7 billion, in 2017 • Printing: Indonesia’s print market is forecast to grow to US$9.1 billion in 2017, and growth rate will register at 11.2% through to 2017

Malaysia • Packaging: Top users of plastic packaging are the food and beverages and pharmaceutical industries. Malaysia’s food consumption projected to reach US$20 billion in 2017 and pharmaceutical sales to register US$5 billion by 2023 Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 9

“Think Together”: Specialist conference on lightweight construction at Arburg • • •

“Think Together”: Around 100 participants attend the K.D. Feddersen conference at Arburg Lightweight construction: Specialist presentations on trends, machine technology and materials Programme of side events: Factory tour and practical demonstrations round off the event

The “Think Together” specialist conference on 16 June 2016 provided an opportunity to experience lightweight construction “hands-on” in the Customer Center. Manuel Wöhrle, Senior Sales Manager Lightweight at Arburg (centre), discussed a range of topics with the participants, for example the benefits of fibre direct compounding.

Around 100 participants from Southern Germany came together on 16 June 2016 for the twelfth “Think Together” specialist conference, organised

by K.D. Feddersen and hosted by Arburg in Lossburg. The slogan was: “People. Think.

Plastic.” and the event focused on lightweight construction, a topic that was illuminated and discussed in detail in a series of specialist presentations and live demonstrations.

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“

Arburg is happy to provide the appropriate forum for the ‘Think Together’ event. We are playing our part in the exchange of experiences with presentations and interesting techniques that centre on lightweight construction.

We’ll show you how we work and think and what we can achieve,” said Gerhard Böhm, Managing Director Sales, as he welcomed the around 100 participants to the lightweight construction event on behalf of Arburg.

“Developing innovative lightweight construction solutions requires not just modern materials, but also a complete chain of processes,” added Dr Stephan Schnell, Managing

Around 100 participants found out all about lightweight construction on 16 June 2016 at the “Think Together” specialist conference organised by K.D. Feddersen and hosted by Arburg.

Director of plastic distributors K.D. Feddersen. The twelfth specialist conference in the “Think Together” series was intended to encourage the participants to share their thoughts about trends, technologies, materials and new projects in lightweight construction.

Expert presentations on lightweight construction The conference began with an address from Manuel Wöhrle, Senior Sales Manager Lightweight at Arburg.

During his presentation on the latest trends in lightweight construction, he presented fibre direct compounding (FDC) and the Profoam physical foaming technology.

Practical applications of both innovative injection moulding processes were demonstrated in the Arburg Customer Center in the afternoon. “A Passion for Lightweight Construction” was the title of Thilo Stier’s presentation. The Head of Sales/Innovation at AkroPlastic presented innovative compounds, including a new PA/PP blend and a material with carbon fibres from scraps from carbon fibre rovings from the automotive industry. This was the material used to produce moulded parts in the afternoon.

Thomas Schulz, a field development engineer at Celanese, gave a presentation on long fibre-reinforced

polymers in automotive applications, while Michael Büdinger, Customer Project Manager at Lyondellbasell, introduced the “Save10 initiative: lighter, smarter, more economical”.

The theoretical part of the event closed with presentations

by Proplas Managing Director Stephan Klumpp, who spoke on prototyping using industrial computer tomography, and Gerhard Jell from the company of the same name, who talked about near-contour temperature control with metal laser sintering.

“Live” demonstrations of practical applications Following a shared lunch, which afforded plenty of opportunities for networking and exchanging ideas, the participants broke up into small groups in the afternoon for tours of the factory and also had the opportunity to see a “live” demonstration of lightweight

construction on an Allrounder injection moulding machine in the Arburg Customer Center.

For example, test panels were produced using fibre direct compounding and air-bag housings were manufactured using Profoam physical foaming technology, while letter openers were injection moulded from a compound containing 40 percent carbon fibres.

“The event afforded material and machine manufacturers an excellent opportunity for dialogue and enabled them to take valuable ideas and inspirations home with them,” said Manuel Wöhrle, summarising the practical part and the benefits of the specialist event: “We have shown that there are various ways to use lightweight construction in an efficient way through the right choice of material, process and mould as well as a component-specific design.”

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Bandera broadens its Asian horizons by securing a new order in the Malaysian market

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Bandera strengthens its presence in the SouthEast Asian market by selling a blown film line for flexible packaging in Malaysia.

This new order reaffirms Bandera’s positive market trend, which has

• Web centre guide

registered in the last two years the sale of as many as 10 pieces of

• Corona treatment

equipment in the South-East Asian territory, both for blown film and flat

•

die extrusion technology. China remains a strong stand alone market.

Double station back-to-back winder with surface (contact) winding mode

Main technical features: Bandera supplies complete extrusion lines for the production of multilayer • Applications: general packaging film, lamination film, shrink film, printing film, courier bags

film - 3, 5, 7 and 9 layers - for technical packaging (food, medicalpharmaceutical, lamination and converting industries).

• Lay-flat: up to 1,600 mm net (already trimmed) • Thickness range: 20÷200 μm

Bandera provides know-how and innovative technologies applied to the

• Output: up to 300 kg/h

processing of cutting edge thermoplastic materials for the production

• 12-component batch dosing system

of industrial bags (HDB/FFS), carrier bags and bags of different shapes

• 1 extruder Ø 75 mm for core layer

and sizes in HDPE or in biodegradable material, as well as shrink film and

• 2 extruders Ø 50 mm for side layers

special film for aviation and wind power application.

• Co-extrusion 3-layer die head with Ø 300 mm die and IBC system • 8 ultrasound sensors for IBC management and automatic width control

Bandera is a worldwide leader in designing and manufacturing complete extrusion lines for the production of Agrifilm (high output, multilayer, width

• High efficiency dual lip air cooling ring

more than 22 m, special extrusion heads with diameter of more than

• Automatic film thickness measuring and adjusting system

2,600 mm).

• Dual system bubble guiding cages • Rotating take-off 1,800 mm roller width with carbon fibre rollers and additional “S-wrap” cooling cylinders

Bandera also supplies complete extrusion lines for the production of thick geomembrane film for use in civil and industrial waterproofing systems.

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Highlights

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Plenty of potential for recycling

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Technologically, plastics recycling is not a problem at all today. In-house recycling has now become established right across industry. For plastics processors who work with pure-grade raw materials, the waste-free factory has become commonplace. And for post-consumer wastes, there are increasingly mature reutilisation strategies, enabling the regranulate produced with them to substitute virgin material without problem.

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ccording to PlasticsEurope, the association of plastics producers, plastics consumption in the European industry as a whole came to 47.8 million tonnes, with about half, amounting to 25.8 million tonnes, being collected after use. PlasticsEurope investigated the collection rates in the 28 EU states plus Norway and Switzerland and found that there is still strong variation.

Although a ban on the landfilling of plastics residuals is meanwhile been announced in nine countries, the proportion going to landfill in the other countries is still very high at as much as 70 per cent. Overall, of the total collected residuals in Europe, about two thirds are now reutilised, while 30.8 per cent are landfilled. Of the plastics residuals that are reutilised, about half – 7.7

million tonnes – is recycled and the rest is incinerated to generate energy.

The main fractions are polyolefins With about 9.5 million tonnes of PP, 8 million tonnes of PE-LD and PE-LLD and 6 million tonnes of PEHD and PE-MD, polyolefins are by quantity the plastics most used in Europe, collectively accounting for about half of overall consumption.

If these are pure-grade residues, they can be efficiently processed, so there are numerous recycling businesses devoted to polyolefin

recycling.

The situation is more complicated when PE and PP are mixed, as they are very hard to separate because of their similar density, and NIR sorting processes are today state of the art. However, PE and PP can also be processed together into high-grade products.

PET recycling established but with room for expansion PET, most of which is used for the production of bottles, accounts for almost 7 per cent of total plastics

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Composites are often unsuitable for recycling

consumption per year in Europe or about 3.1 million tonnes. Overall, the 30 countries of Europe achieve an average collection rate of 57 per cent. In 2014, for example, 1.75 million tonnes of post-consumer PET wastes were collected. However, it is almost exclusively bottles that are collected, usually in dedicated collection schemes. Although it was originally the goal to return the collected bottle flakes to bottle production, the industry has sought and found customers in other areas.

For film/sheet manufacturers, post-consumer bottle flakes have become increasingly interesting, and in 2014 they used the biggest share – 34 per cent – of the collected residuals in their branch of industry. Almost 30 per cent of the flakes were used in blow moulding applications, 26 per cent in the fibre industry and the rest for packing straps and other products.

“Production of the regranulate required in injection moulding applications for the production of new bottles for food or non-food contact is currently low because of the sharp drop in the price of virgin material,” explains Elfriede Hell, Head of Recycling Technology at Austrian plant manufacturer Starlinger. Unlike used bottles, post-consumer trays and films usually end up being incinerated for energy or even on landfills. “But things have recently been changing. We have a number of customers interested specifically in projects for recycling trays and films,” Hell stresses.

PVC recycling achieves high utilisation rates The recycling of PVC, a material whose outstanding mechanical properties have made it indispensable – particularly in the building sector, where it has a 70 per cent share, but also in the packaging, furniture and medical technology segments – has developed very encouragingly in the last few years. The recycled PVC is put to use particularly in building applications, e.g. in new profiles and pipes, as well as in horticulture and agriculture.

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While post-consumer products made of pure polymers lend themselves well to reprocessing, the situation for composite products consisting of two or more raw materials is entirely different.

Dr Michael Scriba, mtm-plastics Managing Director and member of Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) and of Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung [Federation for Secondary Resources and Disposal] (bvse), is therefore calling for the recyclingfriendly design of the packages that contribute a large proportion of post-consumer wastes. Here it is particularly important to dispense

with fillers like chalk in PE and PP packages as far as possible, avoid plastics-paper composites, use pigmentation in moderation and make sure that the density of all products is well clear of 1 g/cm³ so that separation on the basis of density is possible.

At the same time, efforts are being made in the industry to develop reutilisation strategies for mixed wastes. Trenntechnik Ulm GmbH is pursuing a very exciting approach here in developing a chemical separation process for PE/PA composite films and building a unique production plant with a capacity of 10 tonnes per day.

Summary

Although recycling is a much-discussed topic today and is also very much alive in many projects in the plastics industry, experts are repeatedly confirming that too little waste material is used instead of virgin material, yet both the collection systems and technical feasibility have developed enormously. Anyone wishing to find out about these new technical solutions can do so at K 2016, the world’s No. 1 trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, from 19 to 26 October in Düsseldorf.

It can therefore be assumed that recycling rates will continue to rise in the years to come, as there is strong demand for recyclate for both environmental and economic reasons. Marine litter, i.e. the pollution of the seas with wastes, has internationally highlighted the irresponsible treatment of wastes particularly in newly industrialised countries and lent added strength to the demands of other consumers for the sustainable treatment of resources.

At the 2016 SGIA Expo in Las Vegas, specialty imagers will gather to experience the newest equipment and applications for graphic imaging, apparel decoration, printed electronics and industrial printing, including: Digital inkjet, screen printing, direct-to-garment inkjet, media and substrates, and much more from the industry’s leading exhibitors. You’ll also see the most innovative software, automation solutions and color management tools available.

Don’t miss the best show for specialty imagers: 2016 SGIA Expo, September 14–16 in Las Vegas!

Cautious Optimism

The state of the European plastics industry

Despite a host of issues to tackle that range from marine waste to multiple force majeures at materials suppliers, the European plastics industry approaches K 2016 in a good state of health and with cautious optimism. But there are still many hills to climb.

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Plastics industry consultant Applied Market Information (AMI) said recently that the European plastics industry “finds itself in another period of upheaval and change as it struggles to pull out of the stagnation caused first by the Great Recession in 2008-2009 and the subsequent Euro zone crisis in 2012-2013.” AMI predicts polymer demand to grow at just over 1% per year up to 2019.

Materials supply has been unstable

Processors are busier

Plastics processors across the continent last year found difficulties in obtaining raw materials. Several major polyolefin plants in Europe stood still for extended periods, and global economic and trade framework conditions made it difficult for processors to obtain materials on international markets.

These factors included not only the relative weak Euro against the US dollar, but also continued strong demand for plastics in Asia and the US. Indications are that price volatility should be lower this year, however.

Prospects for the plastics processing industry across Europe appear to be improving, with trade associations in several countries reporting growth. Even in Italy, where consumption has been flat at best for some time, equipment association Assocomaplast reports a strong upward trend in orders. In Germany, even after a record year in 2014, the sector still managed to post moderate growth last year. But Dirk Westerheide, president of the country’s plastics processing sector association GKV, has lamented major hiccups in supply and very volatile price development of raw materials, particularly polyethylene and polypropylene.

The situation led to umbrella trade association European Plastics Converters (EuPC) establishing the Alliance for Polymers for Europe, to “provide detailed information on the current polymer market and help assist raw material users through its network of national plastics associations, as well as assist companies in requesting suspension of certain EU import

Supply side is content Overall, polymer producers in Europe appear to be upbeat. At Borealis, for example, CEO Mark Garrett says integrated polyolefin industry margins were at historic highs. He notes that polyolefin prices were affected by solid demand combined with a supply shortfall, in particular resulting from unplanned production stops.

duties to relieve shortages on polymer markets,” according to EuPC President Michael Kundel.

In February, The Polymers for Europe Alliance launched its online Europe­wide customers’ satisfaction survey to award the best polymer producers for Europe. “We decided to start the Best Polymer Producers Awards for Europe in order to re­establish a good communication between users of polymers and their suppliers, which has obviously suffered lately,” says Ron Marsh, chairman of the Alliance.

Energy still costs too much Energy costs are very important for the whole of the plastics industry.

Companies across German industry have been particularly vocal in their complaints – prices are among the highest in Europe – and the German chemical industry is also concerned about its falling international competitiveness, especially versus North American companies who have the

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 21

advantage of shale gas.

So many eyes are now on petrochemical giant Ineos, which recently began importing ethane from the Marcellus shale field in the USA into Norway. Europe’s first shale-based polyethylene should come onto the market in a few months. Ineos is also set to begin exploration of shale gas in the UK, although it does not plan any fracking in 2016. It wants to use shale gas for energy as well as a polymer feedstock.

The circular economy On top of concerns about materials and energy supply, there is also growing awareness in Europe that more needs to be done about use, re-use, and preservation of precious plastics. Late last year, the European Commission adopted what it says is an ambitious new “Circular Economy Package” (CEP), which it says will “contribute to closing the loop of product lifecycles through greater 22 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

recycling and re-use, and bring benefits for both the environment and the economy.”

The Commission has proposed revisions to legislation on waste.

Key elements include a common EU target for recycling 75% of packaging waste by 2030 and a ban on landfilling of separately collected waste. “Less than 25% of plastic waste collected is recycled, and about 50% goes to landfill,” says the Commission.

The PlasticsEurope trade association for plastics manufacturers has welcomed the CEP “as a step closer to resource efficiency,”but it has expressed concerns. “The European plastics industry has been calling for a legally binding landfill restriction on all recyclable as well as other recoverable post-consumer waste by 2025,” it says. “Although a 10%

target constitutes a step in the right direction, it remains a timid attempt to put an end to the landfilling of all waste which can be used a resource.”

European Bioplastics (EUBP), the trade association for suppliers of bio-based plastics, was more enthusiastic about the report.

It says that “forward looking sectors with strong environmental credentials and growth potential, such as bioplastics, need to be promoted.” It predicts that by 2025 production capacities of bioplastics within the EU will have grown twentyfold to 5.7 million tonnes.

A new industrial revolution?

Despite all these concerns, the European plastics industry has its eyes firmly fixed on the future. Many European machinery companies are likely to have the

number 4.0 highly visible on their stands at K 2016, as they push their solutions for “smart” factories that operate within the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The 4.0 refers to Industry 4.0, a term invented in Germany in reference to what is perceived as the fourth industrial revolution – and the German government’s plan to make sure German industry is at its forefront. Proponents of Industry 4.0 say it represents a paradigm shift from centralized to decentralized production.

“Industry 4.0 is above all one thing: a tremendous

opportunity that we want to take advantage of together with our customers,” says Dr Stefan Engleder, CTO of injection technology specialist Engel. He says he does not consider the word “revolution” to be very appropriate, however. “The changes that we are currently experiencing are more like an evolution,” he says. “For us, Industry

4.0 is not a new idea, but is already long-established daily practice in many areas.” Others in the sector will doubtless agree.

For plastics processors too, new digital technologies offer new perspectives, says the GKV’s Westerheide. “K 2016 will provide an excellent opportunity to explore the advantages offered by the digitization of our industry,” he says.

Welcome to

K 2016!

The World’s No. I Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber!

The world’s premier fair for the plastics and rubber industry will again be presenting everything the sector has to offer in 2016.

Everything from the latest state of the art and trailblazing innovations to development visions.

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 23

Nordson Appoints Dr. Thomas Ebeling As Director Of Engineering And Operations For Extrusion And Coating Dies

Nordson Corporation has named Dr. Thomas Ebeling to be director of engineering and operations for extrusion and coating dies.

D

r. Ebeling will be in charge of the engineering and production teams for EDI‚Ñ¢ extrusion and polymer coating dies and Premier‚Ñ¢ fluid coating

dies.

“Tom brings seventeen years of leadership experience in the plastics industry and a deep understanding of polymer technology based on his corporate career and extensive academic background,” said Ken Forden, general manager for extrusion and coating dies. “He will play a critical role in Nordson’s program to accelerate R&D, expand our capabilities for precision manufacturing, and make our technologies accessible to customers around the world.” Thomas Ebeling comes to Nordson from Hanwha Advanced Materials, where he became chief operating officer and executive vice president of the Hanwha Azdel business in 2012. Previously at Hanwha he had held executive positions with responsibility for leading teams focused on product technology, engineering, and plant operations. He entered the plastics industry in 1999 as a product developer with General Electric 24 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

Plastics and was global technology director for that company’s Azdel business when it was sold to Hanwha in 2007. At that time he joined Hanwha as technology director for Hanwha Azdel.

University and a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University. He did postdoctoral work as a research scientist at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France.

Dr. Ebeling holds PhD and MSc degrees in macromolecular science from Case Western Reserve

He is the author of multiple technical publications and has filed for more than 20 patents globally.

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures and markets differentiated products and systems used for the precision dispensing of adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials, polymers, plastics and other materials, fluid management, test and inspection, UV curing and plasma surface treatment, all supported by application expertise and direct global sales and service. Nordson serves a wide variety of consumer non-durable, durable and technology end markets including packaging, nonwovens, electronics, medical, appliances, energy, transportation, construction, and general product assembly and finishing. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, the company has operations and support offices in more than 30 countries. Visit Nordson on the web at http://www. nordson.com, @Nordson_Corp, or www.facebook.com/nordson.

Nordson Polymer Processing Systems provides customers with engineered components to melt, homogenize, filter, meter, and give shape to plastic and fluid coating materials. Nordson Corporation leverages the collective plastics industry experience from a series of strategic acquisitions to offer a uniquely broad portfolio of industryleading technologies. Nordson delivers a full range of precision melt stream products — from screws and barrels for extrusion and injection molding — to filtration systems, pumps, and valves — to the extrusion dies and pelletizing systems to meet the constantly evolving needs of the polymer industry.

Nordson Corporation provides customers with local technical sales, service and remanufacturing capabilities through sales organizations and regional manufacturing facilities in over 30 countries. To learn more visit us at http://www.nordsonpolymerprocessing.com or www.facebook.com/NordsonPPS.

OSH Chennai 2016 reiterates industry’s potential in South India South India’s largest trade show for Occupational Health & Safety industry by UBM India

OSH Chennai 2016, South India’s largest international trade event catering to the occupational safety and health industry reiterated the industry’s potential and roadmap in South India. The trade show organized

by UBM India successfully concluded on 10th June at Chennai Trade Centre. The inaugural took place in the presence of Chief Guest, Shri.

Thiru K Kalaiannan, Additional Director, Directorate Industrial Safety and Health, Government of Tamil Nadu; Guest of Honour, Shri V.V.G.Raju, Regional Executive Director - Southern Region, Airport Authority of India; Key Dignitaries, Shri A K Megharaj, Deputy Director General Mines Safety, Southern Zone, Directorate Mines Safety, Government of India; Mr Karthikeya R. Reddy, CEO & Director, Dickies India & ID Overseas Pvt. Ltd.; Mr Badrinath Gulur, Director, Training & Capacity Building - Social Accountability International (SAI); Mr. Varun Budhiraja, Director, Euro Safety Footwear, India and Mr. Dr P.C.Ghosh, Director Retired (Physiology& Ergonomics), Central Labour Institute, Mumbai and Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India amidst an august industry gathering.

The two day event provided an industry platform for professionals across industries to interact with global and domestic suppliers, safety experts, consultants, manufacturers and distributors for quality solutions in the occupational safety and health industry. Renowned companies such as Dickies India - ‘Presenting Partner’; Euro Safety Footwear (India) Pvt. Ltd. ‘Occupational Safety & Health Partner’; Mallcom India Ltd; Venus Safety and Health Pvt Ltd; Acme Safetywears Ltd; Accent Industries Ltd; Prolite Autoglo Ltd; Acme Fabrik Plast Co; Lakeland Glove and Safety Apparels Pvt Ltd; Allied Safety Equipments Pvt Ltd; JLG Industries; Aktion Safety Solutions Pvt Ltd; Tobit Engineers; Tej Engineering; Prem Safety Works; Hetal International and NIST Institute Pvt. Ltd. amongst others participated in this edition.

One of the main highlights of the event was the two-day conference which brought occupational safety to the forefront by experts from

across the country and leading international organizations, whilst discussing industry challenges and global best practices. Topics of discussion at the conference ranged from: ‘Building a culture of prevention in Occupational Safety and Health’; Responsible Care – A comprehensive Safety System for Chemical Industries’, ‘Building Safety Leadership and Talent’; ‘Fire Safety Challenges in India’; ‘Construction Industry: Building a Proactive Safety Culture’ to ‘Workplace Stress: A Collective Challenge’.

The summit lined-up eminent speakers including Mr Birendra Verma, Joint President & Group Head Safety, Aditya Birla Group; Mr Michael Sanderson, EHS Head - Metro and Defence, Larsen and Toubro, Chennai; Ms Gitanjali J B, Chairperson & Managing Director, AUM Hospitals ; Mr. R.A.Venkitachalam, Vice President, Public Safety, Underwriters Laboratories Inc; Dr. Ashish Arora, Occupational Health Physician, Shell India; Mr Shailesh Raval, Head-Health, Safety & Environment, Deepak Nitrite Ltd. and Mr. JC

Sekar, CEO, AcuiZen Technologies Singapore Pte. Ltd. amongst many others. The interactive certified class room style workshop conducted by Mr Badrinath Gulur, Director, Training & Capacity Building - Social Accountability International (SAI) was also well received by the participants, where the overriding message was how to encourage safety culture among the workforce and organizations.

Speaking on the successful completion of OSH Chennai 2016, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “We echo industry’s advocacy of ensuring the safety and health of the growing workforce in our country. To enhance quality of life as a whole, Occupational Safety and Health is extremely important to emerging economies. Applying and highlighting the importance of this sector has become a necessity which in turn gives a huge opportunity to suppliers and service providers from across the world to showcase their product and solution offerings. UBM India

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 25

met its objective for the 3rd edition of OSH Chennai by providing the perfect platform to the industry in South India to realise this opportunity.”

Launches at OSH Chennai 2016

Dickies India Leading global work wear brand ‘Dickies’, the ‘Presenting Partner’ for OSH Chennai 2016 unveiled their new safety footwear and performance occupational work wear line at the expo.

Speaking on their launch and association with OSH Chennai 2016 as Presenting Partners, Mr. Karthikeya R. Reddy, CEO & Director, Dickies India said, “OSH India provides a great platform for Dickies to introduce its products to Indian workers and we are glad to be the Presenting Partners for this year’s edition too. We have introduced global largest work wear brand to Indian workers and we believe OSH was great platform for it. We launched our new safety footwear and performance occupational work wear line at OSH Chennai in June’2016.”

range of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with promising products to cater to every kind of industry.

Studio will be covering the entire length and breadth of the country to generate safety awareness at work place.

Speaking on the launch and their association with OSH Chennai 2016, Mr. Varun Budhiraja, Director, Euro Safety Footwear (India) Pvt. Ltd., said, “We have been working on our new product range for months now. When any new player enters a market, it follows the ongoing trend and offers what people are already buying. What we have offered is something new and what people would want to buy. Workers want comfort, convenience, looks all wrapped up in a blanket of safety and this is exactly what we have offered. OSH and Euro Safety Footwear have been working together to spread awareness about occupational safety and for the first time, we supported the expo as ‘Occupational Safety & Health Partner’ to strengthen our beliefs. We must always remember that the money saved today on compromising a worker’s safety is spent on fatality; what’s left of it is the guilt.”

Being no.1 manufacturer of Fall Protection Equipment & PPE and a one stop solution for safety consultancy the company felt responsible to educate people and organisations about safety awareness and how to best use the safety products that may help them to minimize the risks of working at height & in Confined

Karam Euro Safety Footwear Euro Safety Footwear, the ‘Occupational Safety & Health Partner’ for OSH Chennai 2016 showcased their newly developed

KARAM launched Safe India Drive campaign which is basically a mobile exhibition demo van as part of our continuous effort to achieve worker safety. The KARAM Mobile

26 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

Spaces.

This van will go to their door-step and will give them a chance to see new innovative products, use fall protection equipment and training on scaffolding followed by opportunity to witness a live Strength test of their products. The entire program is scheduled for 90 minutes and can be repeated multiple times in a day as per the customer’s satisfaction on product training.

About UBM India UBM India is India’s leading exhibition organizer that provides the industry with platforms that bring together buyers and sellers from around the world, through a portfolio of exhibitions, content led conferences & seminars. UBM India hosts over 25 large scale exhibitions and 40 conferences across the country every year; thereby enabling trade across multiple industry verticals. A UBM Asia Company, UBM India has offices across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. UBM Asia is owned

by UBM plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. UBM Asia is the leading exhibition organizer in Asia and the biggest commercial organizer in mainland China, India and Malaysia. For further details, please visit ubmindia.in.

UBM India is India’s leading exhibition organizer that provides the industry with platforms that bring together buyers and sellers from around the world, through a portfolio of exhibitions, content led conferences & seminars. UBM India hosts over 25 large scale exhibitions and 40 conferences across the country every year; thereby enabling trade across multiple industry verticals. A UBM Asia Company, UBM India has offices across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. UBM Asia is owned

by UBM plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. UBM Asia is the leading exhibition organizer in Asia and the biggest commercial organizer in mainland China, India and Malaysia. For further details, please visit ubmindia.in

Informa spells out the vision for IPEX 2017 Informa Exhibitions announced details of its plans for IPEX 2017. In addition to the innovative pricing strategy for exhibitors already announced with inclusive power and lifting arrangements, and stand size limits aimed at improving the user experience, the organisation has begun to announce how it will deliver on its promise to exhibitors of an industry-focused, value for money exhibition drawing international visitors to the NEC.

R

Rob Fisher continued; “We’ve been clear in our vision from day one that this exhibition will show print in action. That’s not just something we are leaving up to our exhibitors. We will have a series of features designed to strengthen the link between the creative and print industries by showing both the capabilities of the latest technologies, and the skills both groups need to learn to make the most of those capabilities, whether those are technical, marketing or management skills.”

IPEX 2017 covers all applications of printing – from signage and advertising through to packaging of finished products – and will help production staff from print management companies, design and marketing agencies, learn the latest capabilities of printers and print technology. The exhibition, covering all kinds of print, will help printers understand what the creative industries will expect of them over the next three years and beyond.

Dr Brian Minards, principal of Harrogate and London-based design consultants Minards Associates, and Professor in the School of Advertising at Academy of Art University, San Francisco, said; “I have been attending IPEX for many years. It’s always been an excellent forum to learn about the latest ways that designers can

ob Fisher, Event Director of IPEX, said; “The printing industry has seen huge technological and organisation changes over the last decade. Some applications of print have diminished, while others have expanded in quality, volume and impact. People interact differently with print these days, and both specifiers of print and consumers of printed products have very different expectations of what it can do. We are planning an event that will show how every aspect of printing can become more relevant today than ever before.”

use print and print techniques to deliver innovative advertising and packaging. Print is where design meets the real world, so to my mind it is vital that designers learn what it can do for them. The NEC makes the event easily accessible to all the main creative hubs around the UK, as well London, so I’m looking forward to seeing what innovations IPEX 2017 will have on show.”

IPEX 2017 takes place from 31st October to 3rd November, 2017 at the NEC in Birmingham, and is the UK’s largest and only truly international print show.

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 27

Sacmi Group, another record result in 2015 Sales totalling 1.354 billion euro and greater than expected performance in all the main business areas. Continuing growth on international markets thanks to carefully targeted action in several countries. Highly positive feedback from recent strategic takeovers

and B&B, plus the recent 100% takeover of C&M Holding. These operations have already yielded better than expected results and are likely to generate further positive effects for several years.

The President, Paolo Mongardi: “Thanks to a growing portfolio, expectations for the current year remain very high With sales of 1.354 billion euro and a net result higher than that of the previous year by some 3 million euro, Sacmi has, for the second year running, posted one of the best results in its long history. This, then, is what emerges from the Annual Report 2015, approved on 14th May by the cooperative members’ meeting. “Like its parent company Sacmi Imola, the Sacmi Group closes the year with a result that decidedly improves on both the budget forecast and the previous year’s performance”, points out the President of Sacmi, Paolo Mongardi.

The year 2015 was also characterised by the positive effects of the special transactions completed in previous years, These included, for example, the sell-off of Negri Bossi and the acquisition of shares in Cosmec, Cmc, Eurofilter, Mectiles

At individual business-market level, performance has been driven by the strategies of both Ceramics and Packaging-Beverage. More specifically, the Group’s German firms achieved particularly good results: Riedhammer’s performance is noteworthy as it has, alongside its more traditional business areas, increased its market share in the special ceramic kiln sector (doing so in synergy with Sacmi Imola’s Special Pressings Division) while Sama put the seal on its 20th year of doing business by inaugurating a new facility (tableware lab) and renewing corporate organisation.

On the Ceramics front, 2015 also saw Sacmi complete a 100% takeover of Intesa (glazing lines and digital printing machines) and the year proved to be a positive one for Sacmi Forni thanks, in particular, to innovative large slab firing solutions (EKO kilns). These results go hand in hand with the growing success of the Continua+ line and, reveals General Manager Pietro Cassani, “lead in the direction of further investment in ever-newer market solutions that, on one hand, focus on product quality and manufacturing versatility and, on the other, lower consumption and emissions; such solutions are designed to combine efficiency and flexibility as part of a broader goal of helping customers create the ‘smart factory’.

Environmentally sustainable development, the creation of

28 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

shared value for employees, cooperative members, customers and stakeholders. This, then, is the Sacmi business model, comments President Paolo Mongardi, a model founded on the positive values of the Italian cooperative movement, the ultimate goal of which – as stated in our 2015 Sustainability Report – is the creation of wellbeing for the community, in keeping with the growing international sensitivity to environmental issues that Sacmi has already responded to with the H.E.R.O (High Efficiency Resource Optimizer) project which provides a series of energy-efficient technological innovations across the entire machine range.

On the international scene, nearly 90% of sales continue to be absorbed outside Italy, a figure in keeping with previous years.

Sacmi has reaped the rewards of policies aimed at boosting synergy between Group companies on all the main markets and has been particularly attentive to investment in more promising nations (from Africa to the Far East, from the USA to South America). Manufacturing and sales policies were also aimed at ensuring the world’s individual areas make a balanced contribution to overall Group sales.

A key strategic decision in 2015 was that of establishing a new branch of Sacmi USA in Tennessee; recently inaugurated, this facility will provide after-sales support for key projects being implemented in the area by numerous Italian firms.

Similarly, the just-ended year demonstrated the soundness of the Beverage development plan, with unified management

of the entire Packaging portfolio and reorganisation of design and after-sales services. Equally positive – upon final balance– were the results of the Group’s Latin American companies (Sacmi de Mexico and Sacmi do Brasil), while in Asia the growing dynamism of the Indian market – with excellent results from Sacmi Engineering India – have been counter-balanced by a slowdown of the Chinese market which Sacmi is responding to with ever-greater attentiveness to efficiency and costs. In any event, the Group’s presence in the Far East remains strategic as markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand become more and more important for all the sectors in which the Group operates.

Another defining feature of 2015 was the continuing development of the African market in the North (Egypt, Algeria and Morocco), in South Africa and especially in Central Africa, with direct investment also on the rise in

non-traditional outlet markets. “A result achieved”, states the General Manager, “thanks to a far-sighted policy that has, in recent years, seen Sacmi set up new facilities and branches on the continent and develop a far-reaching assistance network to provide customers and markets with close local support”.

“Similarly to the parent company”, underlines Pietro Cassani, “the cooperative also had an excellent customer portfolio at the start of 2016 and further improvements in revenues and margins are anticipated; growth forecasts are particularly encouraging for the Closures and Beverage (Packaging) and Food Divisions. Of course, international macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties will inevitably have an impact on Group results in certain areas.

Yet we remain confident that thanks to the daily commitment of a qualified managerial team and by focusing, as is the Sacmi tradition, on innovation and quality

- all our goals can be achieved successfully”. The year 2016 will also see Sacmi head decisively in the direction of Industry 4.0, the ‘factory of the future’ where the real ‘physical’ world of machines and ‘virtual’ digitalization merge.

Industry 4.0 is the internet of things and services, where complete process integration and control are combined with just-in-time production, where advanced plant sensors, automated order management systems and fast prototyping services make up a single fully integrated process, the hub of which is data and, therefore, the new professions capable of managing and controlling it. Alongside the process revolution, then, Sacmi also aims to found, at the Imolabased parent company, an ‘Academy 4.0’ dedicated to training our own, customers’ and partners’ human resources”.

Buoyed by these positive economic results, adds Sacmi’s

President, Paolo Mongardi “the cooperative shall continue investing in research to provide markets, over the coming years, with innovative solutions that offer everbetter, customer-focused product and service quality. We shall also continue our commitment to cooperative values and solidarity, both nationally and internationally.

Again in 2015, considerable resources were ploughed back into improving quality of life within the local community by investing in health, culture and various youth training schemes; to this we can also add the over 14,000 training hours for partners, 359 man-days of design and testing on customers’ premises and a daily commitment to health and safety in the workplace that – thanks also to new technology – places enormous emphasis on people and skills. Ever since its founding, the Sacmi Group has nurtured these core values, making them the foundation of success in this new millennium”.

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 29

Drink pods – Sacmi becomes a strategic partner for Mitaca Specialised in the design and marketing of espresso coffee and other drink pods, Milan-based firm Mitaca recently completed, together with Sacmi, an ambitious investment project for the manufacture of pods with improved aesthetics and quality. The result: two installed CCM compression presses and a technology deemed to offer the best productivity and pod quality on the market.

Lighter pods (just 2.15 grams) have been made possible by, among other things, the intrinsic advantages of this technology: plastic extrusion at lower fluidity indexes, at lower temperatures and with accurate, fully independent control of each individual cavity consequently eliminating scrap.

A

lready a long-standing partner of Illycaffè and specialised in the design and marketing of expresso coffee and other drink pod systems, Milan-based firm Mitaca has, together with Sacmi, now completed an ambitious investment project for the manufacture of pods with improved aesthetics and quality.

A provider of pod systems for offices and large businesses, Mitaca saw Sacmi technology as being the best the market has to offer in terms of process linearity and high productivity; it’s also a system that allows total quality control of every single pod. This soon led to the installation of two Sacmi-developed CCM 32-cavity 30 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

compression presses at Mitaca, a firm that has, since 2008, helped Illycaffè develop this particular segment both in Italy and on key international markets.

Key advantages enjoyed by Mitaca with respect to traditional alternatives (such as injection) include halved cycle times for the MPS product (3.2 seconds with the supplied CCM32MB solution) and high productivity rates of around 600 pcs/min.

Thanks to movement of the dose in a more viscous state than with injection and accurate monitoring of each cavity via an integrated vision system, the Sacmi machine ensures improved thickness control of the pod bottom, allowing maximum repeatability of “opening performance” over time and guaranteeing the hermetic seal of every single pod. Last but not least, the production process is simpler and repeatable thanks to the absence (with respect to the alternative technology) of the heat chamber. Mitaca, which for some years now has decided to take a more aggressive stance on the drink pod system production market, has drawn further strategic advantages from its partnership with Sacmi, a key one being the ability to develop solutions right from the start by working in close collaboration with the Sacmi Group R&D Center to ensure optimum product quality and design.

Key global players in the industry choose Sacmi FFS technology for beverage pod segment in Brazil High productivity, automation and a guaranteed aseptic filling process: Sacmi form-fill-seal technology covers another segment in a market and industry that is strategic to the future of beverage

This solution offers numerous advantages of great appeal to customers, such as the special sterilisation system incorporated in the FFS which acts at various levels of the manufacturing cycle. Above all, this means super-sterilisation of the materials the pod is made up of by way of hydrogen peroxide misting; then, the entire pack forming, filling and sealing process takes place in a sterile environment, the only residue being - after heating - the water vapour.

Over 80 aseptic machines supplied worldwide, with characteristics – from ultra-high productivity to an innovative sterilisation system – that make them the most appealing drink and dairy product packaging solution. This, in short, is Sacmi’s aseptic FFS (form-fill-seal) technology, now chosen by an industry giant (the result of a joint venture between a major American bottler and an international vending machine provider) to produce, fill and package its range of drink pods. This ‘pod’ market has aroused great interest in recent years following a change in consumer habits and the market entry of major international players in the sector.

The target market for this new giant is the American continent.

The goal is to become the area’s first platform provider capable of making the most of the current revolution in the way drinks are consumed, not just at work but also at home. By coupling pod-

type machines with purified natural water distributors consumers can, in fact, obtain a broad variety of hot, cold and CSD beverages (the new pod range offers up to 24 different flavours, with the new installed line offering an output potential of no less than 1 million pods a day).

Well equipped to grasp the opportunities offered by this revolution in the industry, Sacmi has, with this latest order, strengthened its strategic position on the American market even further - a result achieved thanks also to an impeccable reputation and already-acquired key customers.

The supplied solution – a 30-cavity Miniasepack – has an hourly output rate in the order of 50,400 pieces (from 15 to 50 ml, in PS-EVOH-PE, thickness between 0.8 and 1.2 mm, protected with ALU-PET film).

In just one single process the machine carries out thermoforming of the pod, aseptic filling and pack closure. Rational and streamlined, the production process stands out on account of automation, very high speeds and absolutely guaranteed product integrity (in this case, UHTsterilised beverage concentrates).

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 31

recoSTAR dynamic 215: New machine size scores big on manpower savings, energy efficiency Starlinger recycling technology unveiled its new plastics recycling line recoSTAR dynamic 215 for a select group of prospective customers on June 7, 2016 at the Starlinger factory in Weissenbach an der Triesting, Austria. such as post-consumer plastic waste or agricultural films can be reprocessed into valuable secondary material.

ecoSTAR dynamic215_C-VAC_300dpiCMYK.jpg: The new recoSTAR dynamic 215, here with C-VAC module

“

With this line we have again increased our capacity range for polyolefin recycling,” states Paul Niedl, head of sales for Starlinger recycling technology.

“The recoSTAR dynamic 215 was purpose-built to customer specifications regarding output and minimised operator involvement.

The high degree of automation makes it possible to operate even a line of this size with the same personnel as the smaller lines, working efficiently with minimum energy consumption.”

With its output range of 2,200 to 2,600 kg/h and power requirement of 0.2 to 0.35 kWh/ kg, the recoSTAR dynamic 215 is one of the most energy-efficient lines on the market. To achieve this, Starlinger recycling technology developed the “rECO” concept for optimum energy use: Only the most energy-efficient motors are used, energy recuperation systems are integrated into various process

steps, and the extruder barrel is heated with infrared emitters. In addition, the Dynamic Automation Package (DAP) developed by Starlinger keeps the line working at the optimum operating point, thereby maintaining not only constant production of consistent quality pellets, higher output and greater flexibility in material processing, but also reducing energy consumption.

recycling lines are capable of processing a wide range of plastics and are especially suitable for moist, hygroscopic or highly contaminated input materials. Depending on the line configuration, plastic waste with up to 25 % moisture can be recycled.

By integrating the optional C-VAC high-capacity degassing module into the line, even heavily printed or heavily soiled input materials

About Starlinger recycling technology Starlinger recycling technology is a division of Austrian-based Starlinger & Co GmbH, world market leader in the field of machinery and complete lines for woven plastic packaging production. For more than 25 years Starlinger recycling technology has been providing machinery solutions for the recycling and refining of a wide scope of plastics such as PE, PP, PA, PS, BOPP and PET. Starlinger PET recycling systems produce foodsafe rPET and are approved for use in food applications by many brand owners as well as various national and international authorities. The worldwide sales and service support network and technical consulting service help customers to achieve optimum results in the manufacturing process.

Further information: Starlinger & Co. Ges.m.b.H. Sonnenuhrgasse 4, 1060 Wien, Österreich T: +43 1 59955-0, F: +43 1 59955-180 E-mail: recycling@starlinger.com www.recycling.starlinger.com

Together with the “rECO” concept, this realises energy savings in excess of 10 %.

The first recoSTAR dynamic 215 recycling line with integrated C-VAC module will be supplied to a customer in Spain, where it will be used for reprocessing postconsumer EPS packaging waste.

In test runs with this material, a throughput rate of over 2,800 kg/h was achieved.

The recoSTAR dynamic

32 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

recoSTAR dynamic 215 – Presentation_300dpiCMYK.jpg: Many interested customers attended the presentation of the new recycling line in the Technical Center of Starlinger recycling technology.

New Lubricated Compound Expands Advantages Of TPVS Over Rubber In Seals And Gaskets For Wastewater And Drain Pipe Sarlink® 9156-02 TPV from Teknor Apex Exhibits Superior Processability and Greater LongTerm Sealing Force, while Enhanced Lubricity Helps Speed Assembly and Prevent Defects A new thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) elastomer for pipe seals exhibits the same processing and performance advantages

Hordijk, general sales manager for the Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex. “Fittings with lubricated seals also facilitate pipe insertion, which is done by hand at the construction site. By reducing the forces needed for inserting the pipe into the fitting, lubrication helps prevent improper assembly and damage to the seal.”

Like Sarlink 9156B, the new lubricated compound exhibits greater retention of sealing force over a period of years than rubber, prolonging the working lives of pipe seals, which must prevent leakage from within the pipe and seepage from outside. Sealing force is measured by the degree of stress relaxation.

Compared with rubber, both TPVs exhibit lower levels of stress relaxation over a period of years, particularly at elevated temperatures.

over thermoset rubber as a wellestablished TPV while providing enhanced lubricity for faster insertion of seals and more error-free assembly, it was announced today by Teknor Apex Company, which will introduce the compounds at K 2016 (Stand 6C58-02).

For use in seals for non-pressure water and drain pipe, Sarlink® 9156-02 provides physical properties nearly identical to those of Sarlink 9156B, a workhorse compound for pipe seals, but as a lubricated compound it exhibits a coefficient of friction that is only 16% as high.

“The substantially greater lubricity of new Sarlink 9156-02 is a big advantage for inserting the seals into the fittings—a mechanical process in which lubrication increases speed and helps to prevent rejects,” said Stef

Both TPVs also make possible substantially greater productivity than rubber by eliminating the crosslinking step, by being processable on standard thermoplastic equipment with much less scrap, and by providing the capability of twocomponent molding.

“The ability to be two-component molded is a key advantage of Sarlink compounds for pipe seals,” said Chris Smith, senior market manager. “This has made it possible to create seals as single, integral parts that combine the sealing performance of elastomers with the rigidity of materials like polypropylene or higher-durometer TPVs. The two-component seals differ in design from rubber seals, providing easier and more effective ways to position the seal in the fitting. By contrast, rubber seals have typically been single-component items that are made thicker to provide sufficient rigidity to hold the seal in place.”

About Teknor Apex. Teknor Apex Company, a privately held firm founded in 1924, is one of the world’s leading custom compounders of plastics. Teknor Apex produces flexible and rigid vinyl, thermoplastic elastomers, nylons, color masterbatches, specialty chemicals, and hoses. The company is headquartered in Pawtucket, RI, U.S.A. and operates thirteen manufacturing facilities worldwide in the United States, Belgium, Germany, China, and Singapore. To learn more visit: www.teknorapex.com.

The Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex Company offers the broadest portfolio of TPE compounds available from a single source. The division compounds TPEs at eight locations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia under the brands: Elexar® (electrical and electronics applications), Medalist® (medical devices), Monprene® (consumer and industrial products), and Sarlink® (transportation).

READER INQUIRY INFORMATION: Americas: Teknor Apex, 505 Central Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02861 U.S.A. Tel: 1-401-725-8000. Tel. from U.S. only: 1-866-GETTPEs (1-866-438-8737). Fax: 1-401-728-5680. E-mail: tpe@teknorapex.com.

Europe: Teknor Apex, Mijnweg 1, 6167AC, Geleen, Netherlands. Tel: 31 (0) 46-7020950. Email: eutpe@teknorapex.com. Asia: Teknor Apex Asia Pacific, 41 Shipyard Road, Singapore 628134. Tel: 65-6265-2544. Fax: 65-6265-1821.

Email: apactpe@teknorapex.com.

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 33

34 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

drupa: Much interest in WEKO’s latest DigiCon remoistening system for digital printing WEKO – Weitmann & Konrad GmbH & Co. KG – presented current solutions to the trade fair visitors at the drupa in Düsseldorf that were met with great enthusiasm by machine manufacturers, print shops and further processing facilities alike.

product manager at WEKO. The visitors at the WEKO trade fair booth realised this as well and were excited by the non-contact remoistening system, the WEKO-DigiCon. Several systems could be sold right away at the trade fair to the delight of WEKO. Powder spraying in offset printing is another topic presented at the WEKO exhibition. The WEKO engineers had been tinkering for month with very exact powder application cycled precisely to each sheet.

They did succeed as the concept study “WEKO-STEP” demonstrates.

The prototype of the new STEP spray bar that cycles the powder directly at the printed sheet was presented to the interested professional audience for the first time at the WEKO booth. WEKO has positioned itself deliberately compared to alternative technologies such as LED UV printing.

High print quality, frictionless production processes and high processing speeds continue to make an extremely thin, precision-applied powder coat indispensable for further processing of the printing products. Markus Klempin, Offset Printing product manager at WEKO is optimistic: “We were able to convince the visitors that powder spraying will remain a viable topic in the future and that WEKO continues developing and fine-tuning its application systems to provide the maximum technological benefit to the user”.

Using the motto “Don`t play – work with precision” WEKO presented innovative solutions and concepts with great success at this year’s drupa facilitating process optimisation for the user both in digital printing and sheetfed offset.

The company from southern Germany is a specialist for remoistening paper webs dried by the fixing process with heat. The quality of the dry paper deteriorates. “The loss of quality becomes apparent through electrostatic charges, paper curl, waviness as well as fold breaks affecting especially downstream processing. Paper conditioning through remoistening is an extremely effective measure of restoring the paper’s original properties” explains Thomas Laißle, Digital Printing

About WEKO - Weitmann & Konrad GmbH & Co. KG The WEKO experts offer worldwide support with the choice and integration of WEKO non-contact minimum application systems into the production process. They help customers achieve clear benefits and cost advantages with the materials to be processed and/or in the process itself. Comprehensive services, such as test series at the WEKO technical centre and high WEKO service standards, complete the WEKO offering.

In addition to the main office near Stuttgart WEKO maintains two production sites in Germany and Brazil, own sales and service subsidiaries in Italy, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Brazil.

Furthermore, WEKO collaborates worldwide with agencies marketing the products and offering the proven WEKO service standard in addition.

www.weko.net Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 35

40th anniversary of the WITTMANN Group

WITTMANN Group celebrated its 40th anniversary In 1976, the design and production of WITTMANN flow controllers was the starting point from which today’s WITTMANN Group has developed. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, WITTMANN invited its customers and business partners to the company’s birthday party in Vienna on 8 and 9 June.

EcoPower 110/350 equipped for medical technology applications

The history of the WITTMANN Group is characterized by continuous growth in terms of both its corporate product portfolio and the group’s geographic presence. In 1976, Dr. Werner Wittmann founded today’s WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte GmbH based in Vienna to produce the flow controller developed by Werner Wittmann. Only three years later, the product range was extended by introducing WITTMANN temperature controllers. In 1983, robots were added, followed by the production of dryers, material loading systems, granulators and metering devices.

The takeover of BATTENFELD Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH in Kottingbrunn, Lower Austria in 2008 was a milestone in the history of the WITTMANN Group. By this move, the company’s previous product range, consisting of robots and peripheral appliances for the plastics industry, was further extended to include injection molding machines. Major investments in product development and expansion of production facilities in the areas of injection molding machines as well as automation and peripherals, plus a global distribution network developed over many years, have made the WITTMANN Group what it is today: an innovative, competent and reliable 36 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

partner for its customers around the world.

At its 40th anniversary celebration, following a keynote presentation

by Dr. Rüdiger Baunemann, Managing Director of PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V., on “Key Driver for Sustainability“ and an impressive show act, the WITTMANN Group presented to its guests its innovative products on 8 and 9 June at the Viennese exhibition center Messe Wien. The exhibits included several absolute novelties.

UNILOG B8 – the new generation of control systems 10 exhibits were on display in the area of injection molding

machines. An absolute highlight was the introduction of the new control system generation for injection molding machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD. The new UNILOG B8 sets itself apart from its predecessor generation not only by its new, attractive design and its 21.5” monitor screen, but above all by simplified intuitive operation with a multi-touch screen. In addition to the soft touch function, however, WITTMANN BATTENFELD has also kept some hardware keys in its control system, to provide easy access to frequently used functions. The new control system was in operation on a machine from the all-electric EcoPower series, an EcoPower 110/350, on which a fuel cap was produced

microParts GmbH, Germany was manufactured in PEEK. The parts and the sub-runners of the hot-runner were removed by a WITTMANN W837 side-entry robot. After the disposing of the runners, the components were separated by cavities.

The EcoPower on display in the Viennese trade fair hall was a multicomponent EcoPower model with an insider cell. On an EcoPower 180/350H/350V, a flange was produced from HDPE and PA using a 1+1-cavity mold supplied by Polar-Form Werkzeugbau GmbH, Germany. With the insider cell, the W821 WITTMANN robot for parts removal and depositing, as well as the WITTMANN temperature control system and a conveyor belt, were all integrated in the machine.

MicroPower – NEW: now also in a multicomponent version

The new UNILOG B8 control system

from PA in a 2-cavity mold supplied by Reutter, Austria.

A WITTMANN W818 robot handled parts removal and depositing. Two more exhibits were also equipped with the new B8 control system, a SmartPower 120/350 Medical and a MacroPower 1100/8800, which were demonstrated on a company tour in Kottingbrunn.

The EcoPower – ideal for medical technology applications and multi-component technology With another EcoPower 110/350, WITTMANN BATTENFELD highlighted its expertise in the field of medical technology. On this complete clean-room production cell, equipped with a laminar flow box from Max Petek, Germany, the central pump component of the Respimat inhaler from Boehringer Ingelheim

Another absolute highlight of the event was the MicroPower 15/10H/10H, the first multicomponent model of the MicroPower series from WITTMANN BATTENFELD designed for injection molding of small and micro parts.

On this machine, equipped with two parallel injection units and a rotary disk, a 2-component micro part made of POM was manufactured with a single-cavity mold supplied by Ortofon, Denmark. The machine was also equipped with a fully automatic camera system and a W8VS4 Scara robot from WITTMANN for fully automatic parts removal.

The second MicroPower showcased at the event also came with a novelty. This machine, a MicroPower 15/10, on which an electronic plug was made of PBT was produced using an 8-cavity mold from Küng, Switzerland, was equipped with the very first hot runner ever installed in a

MicroPower.

MacroPower E Hybrid with an IML application Furthermore, a hybrid machine model, a MacroPower E 500/2100, was exhibited in the Viennese trade fair hall. The MacroPower E Hybrid consists of a modern, servo-hydraulic 2-platen clamping unit combined with an all-electric, high-speed injection unit. This has made it possible to build an extremely compact large machine with a minimal footprint, which simultaneously offers maximum precision and energy efficiency with injection speeds of up to 450 mm/sec. On this machine, the IML process was demonstrated by manufacturing a 10-liter bucket from PP with a single-cavity mold. A high-performance IML system with a W842 pro top-entry robot from WITTMANN was used for insertion and removal of the labels and stacking the buckets.

SmartPower – with CELLMOULD® technology for the first time WITTMANN BATTENFELD continued its presentation of innovative products to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a machine from its new servo-hydraulic SmartPower range, a SmartPower 240/1330.

For the first time an application using both the CELLMOULD® structured foam process and BFMOLD® mold technology was demonstrated on a servo-hydraulic SmartPower by producing a panel for the automotive industry with a high-gloss surface. The parts were removed and deposited on a conveyor belt by a WITTMANN robot from the new pro series, a W833 pro.

WITTMANN 4.0 – demonstrated on a SmartPower 25 On all exhibits shown at the 40th anniversary celebration

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 37

MacroPower E 500/2100

of the WITTMANN Group, networking of machines and peripherals was also implemented. A complete installation was performed on a SmartPower 25/130, the smallest model of the servo-hydraulic series. In this model, the new WITTMANN FLOWCON plus flow controller was also integrated in the machine. On this machine a ball filter was manufactured from PA using a 4-cavity mold supplied by Zimmermanntechnik (HK) Ltd. Hong Kong, which operates a production plant in Shenzen, China and maintains service subsidiaries in Germany, Austria and Mexico. The FLOWCON takes care of closed-loop flow control as well as mold temperature control, which contributes substantially to improved product quality and production stability.

SmartPower 350/2250

interesting machines and applications were presented to the participants.

Moreover, the visitors were given an opportunity in Vienna to expand their knowledge about machinery and processes by a series of technical expert presentations.

Further interesting applications In addition to the smallest machine from the SmartPower series, the largest machine of this series was also shown in operation at the 40th anniversary celebration of the WITTMANN Group. On a SmartPower 350/2250 an “organic sheet” component was produced with a single-cavity mold from Georg Kaufmann, CH. The mold was equipped with a hot runner with needle shut-off, an edge folding slider for in-mold forming of the organic sheet and a punching die to punch out an aperture in it. The automation system developed by WITTMANN Robot Systeme in Nuremberg was custom-made for this application and came with a station to feed the organic sheets cut to size, a heating station to heat the organic sheets with heating elements supplied by Krelus, CH, and a multi-functional gripper with a needle gripper to pick up the heated organic sheet, and a suction unit for finished parts removal.

Finally, the Combimould process was demonstrated as well by making a drinking water closure from thermoplastic and silicone on a hydraulic HM 240/350H/350L with an 8-cavity mold supplied by ACH Werkzeugbau, using transfer molding technology.

A W832 pro robot from WITTMANN took care of parts removal and depositing.

During the company tour in Kottingbrunn, additional 38 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

MicroPower in a multi-component version The WITTMANN Group The WITTMANN Group is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of injection molding machines, robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics industry. Headquartered in Vienna/Austria, the WITTMANN Group consists of two main divisions, WITTMANN BATTENFELD and WITTMANN, which operate 9 production facilities in 6 countries, including 32 direct subsidiary offices located in all major plastics markets around the world.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD focuses on independent market growth in the manufacturing of state-of-the art injection molding machines and process technology, providing a modern and comprehensive range of machinery in a modular design that meets the actual and future requirements of the plastic injection molding market.

WITTMANN’s product range includes robots and automation systems, material handling systems, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, mold temperature controllers and chillers. With this comprehensive range of peripheral equipment, WITTMANN can provide plastics processors with solutions that cover all production requirements, ranging from autonomous work cells to integrated plant-wide systems.

The syndication of the WITTMANN Group has led to connectivity between all product lines, providing the advantage plastics processors have been looking for in terms of a seamless integration of injection molding machines, automation and auxiliary equipment – all occurring at a progressive rate.

Unleashing the Power of Paper Highcon at drupa 2016

U

nder the slogan of "Unleash ing the Power of Paper" at drupa 2016, in Hall 9, C50, Highcon reveals an entire world of applications that can be achieved by their digital finishing customers. From traditional print applications such as folders and packages to paper fashion, large format display items, and all the way to 3D models made of paper.

Even before reaching the company's booth, in the North entrance and in the drupa cube in Hall 6, visitors can see the amazing results made possible with Highcon's technology. These spectacular displays, designed by Wanda Barcelona, were produced by Highcon customer Maison Lack by DLW on their Highcon Euclid digital cutting and machine on Arjowiggins Maine M1 paper. When first approached by the Messe Dusseldorf to produce their eye-catching displays, planned to be the hallmark of drupa 2016, Wanda were hesitant - they saw no way they could produce the kind of scale required. The collaboration with Highcon resulted in this truly memorable vision combining unique design elements that needed to be produced at an industrial pace.

Aviv Ratzman, Co-founder and CEO of Highcon said: "At drupa 2016 we are proving the strength of our vision of delivering digital technology that bridges the gap between design creativity and production capability.

The extensive range of different and exciting applications on our booth,

from the paper fashion show, through to the general commercial and packaging products, and on to the 3D applications, were all produced on our digital cutting and creasing machines and we are proud to be introducing a whole new portfolio here at drupa."

mainstream production with up to 5000 B1 sheets per hour

The surprise unveiling at the show is of the Highcon Shape 3D machine.

Designed by Padwa Design, renowned industrial product and car designers, this is a technology preview of Highcon's new machine, implementing its Rapid Layer Manufacturing Technology aimed at transforming the 3D print world from rapid production to rapid manufacturing. The Highcon Shape, envisaged for release in drupa 2019, will deliver real life, large scale products from a file to reality, within minutes, using any kind of paper.

This machine will produce products at high speeds and at costs that are unmatched by any 3D printing technology. The result is a truly revolutionary process to produce everyday items, such as furniture, which can be customized and personalized, and models for industrial use.

Highcon Axis Web-to-Pack platform, a 2D to 3D solution that brings the benefits of a web-to-print system to all the players in the complex paper or cartonboard production supply chain.

The Highcon Pulse - B2/29 in digital cutting and creasing machine with a smaller footprint at an affordable price The Highcon Euclid III - third generation proven digital cutting and creasing machine with improved capabilities, quality and performance and brand new Variable Data Cutting and 3D Modeling.

Previously announced at Highcon's pre-drupa event, the Highcon portfolio of products will be running throughout the show on the booth.

They will showcase compatibility with a large range of partners, from offset press manufacturers, and also B2 and B1 digital printing companies. The Highcon Beam taking B1/ 42 in digital cutting and creasing into Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 39

40 years History of WITTMANN! Beginning with the production of flow regulators in 1976, Dr. Werner Wittmann laid the cornerstone for a success story like no other in the plastics processing industry – and one that continues to this day. On June 8 and 9, 2016, customers and business partners of the WITTMANN Group were invited to Vienna to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company. 1,650 guests were welcomed. sites in Kottingbrunn, Vienna and Wolkersdorf, and in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary.

Robots for large machines: W853 pro and W863 pro Just in time for the 40th anniversary celebration, WITTMANN presented the new robot models of its W8 pro series. These advanced designs were developed in response to many users who also wanted to be able to rely on flexible automation in the large machine segment.

These robots are best used with machines in the clamping force range of 1,300 to 2,400 metric tons – ideal for handling automotive components, white and brown goods, as well as technical parts.

WITTMANN W853 pro robot The history of the WITTMANN Group has been marked by constant growth. Over the years, with a consistent focus on innovation, the company was able to steadily expand its product line and continuously strengthen its presence in all relevant markets – a presence that spans the globe today.

Dr. Werner Wittmann founded WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte GmbH in Vienna in 1976 to manufacture flow regulators. Today the company is one of the undisputed leading manufacturers of robots and auxiliary equipment for the plastics processing industry. WITTMANN’s product range includes robots and automation systems, material conveying systems with dryers and recycling equipment, and temperature controllers and cooling units for machine tools as well as volumetric blenders and gravimetric dosing systems.

On April 1, 2008, WITTMANN took over BATTENFELD Kunststoffmaschinen Ges.m.b.H. in Kottingbrunn (Lower Austria). The merger formed the WITTMANN Group and integrated the complementary product lines – WITTMANN auxiliary equipment and injection molding machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD. Seamless integration of injection molding machines, automation and auxiliary equipment – complete solutions from a single source for the benefit of plastics processors and their products: That has become the mission of WITTMANN and WITTMANN BATTENFELD. Constant innovative drive and major investments in the individual production sites ensure continuous improvement of energy efficiency and production reliability – the hallmarks of WITTMANN and WITTMANN BATTENFELD products. And the global coverage of the WITTMANN Group’s distribution network guarantees top quality service the world 40 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

over.

To kick off the gala event on the grounds of the Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, the Director General of PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V., Dr. Rüdiger Baunemann, delivered the keynote address entitled “Plastics, Key Driver for Sustainability.”

An impressive live show was followed by product demonstrations and a series of technical presentations about individual product groups and special plastics-processing-related issues. Over the course of the twoday event, visitors were able to take a close look at the full product range of the WITTMANN Group – including many completely new developments.

Guests attending the 40th anniversary celebration were also given the opportunity to tour the company’s production

Both the Z axis and the X axis of these two robots are driven by a gear rack. Carriage guidance is assured by an all-purpose highprecision recirculating linear ball bearing system. The vertical drive is transmitted via a combination of gear rack and belt, whereby strokes ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 mm are available.

The W853 pro is designed for a payload capacity of 40 kg – and the W863 pro is rated for 75 kg, which makes it particularly well suited for use in the large machine segment.

Both offer all the familiar features of the W8 pro series. Standard

equipment includes the ambiLED status display and the new decentralized drive control, for example, as well as the R8.3 robot control system, which provides access to many special functions, e.g. the iVac intelligent vacuum system, QuickNew for easy programming, or SoftTorque for a flexible removal motion based on the ejector motion of the injection molding machine.

WL80 robot for smallest injection molding machines

controllers.

TEMPRO plus D is the name given to the most advanced temperature controller series. These units are conveniently operated via their touchscreen display. The large number of available options makes it possible to adapt the units to the requirements of just about any existing plastic production application. Different pump and heat outputs can be selected. Other options also include cyclical system water replacement, separate cooling and filling, a purge system that combines suction and pressurized air, an automatic pump bypass, and a temperature-controlled cooling water bypass.

In order to better serve the booming compact market, WITTMANN’s 40th anniversary included the world premiere of its new WL80 robot.

WITTMANN W808 robot (left) compared to a WL80 robot Previously the W808, with a payload capacity of 3 kg and a horizontal stroke ranging from 1,250 to 2,000 mm, was WITTMANN’s smallest robot model.

The extremely compact WL80 is designed for a payload capacity of up to 2 kg. Integrating the energy chain into the horizontal arm minimizes the space requirement, which is especially advantageous when this unit is operated in protective housings and used in integrated applications.

The WL80 is available with a horizontal stroke of 1,200 mm, and therefore perfectly matched to injection molding machines with clamping forces ranging from 30 to 60 t. The vertical stroke is 700 mm, and the unit can also be equipped with a second vertical axis. In that case, one of the two axes comprises a pneumatic pivot and the other axis is equipped with a pneumatic sprue gripper. Even then (i.e. when two X axes are required), the dimensions of the electrical cabinet remain the same. The operator interface is the proven R8 TeachBox with its many functions.

The QuickNew programming function makes the WL80 a powerful and inexpensive pick-and-place application with a minimal familiarization period.

WITTMANN TEMPRO temperature controllers On June 8 and 9, the full spectrum of temperature controllers was presented.

The low-cost entry level units of the TEMPRO primus series feature highly functional plug-and-play operation and are suitable for applications that require both direct and indirect cooling.

With its numerous equipment options, the TEMPRO basic series represents over half of the needs-based production of WITTMANN temperature

TEMPRO-plus-D120/1-L The latest development is the TEMPRO plus D120/1-L, a generously dimensioned single-circuit temperature controller. The “L” in the product name stands for “large” – in reference to this model’s large heating and pump capacities. The pump is rated for 4 kW with a maximum pressure of 5.9 bar and a flow rate of 280 l/min. The heating capacity is 36 kW. This unit can be used wherever large machine tools are operated, i.e. especially where production runs initially require high heat output followed by high cooling.

FEEDMAX basic and FEEDMAX plus material loaders At the 40th anniversary celebration, two new conveying units were also on display for the first time.

The updated version of the WITTMANN central loader with discharge shut-off valve is known as FEEDMAX basic. The key features remain the easy cleaning via the vacuum connection that is separate from the canted lid as well as the ability to set the desired conveying time easily via potentiometer. With a capacity of up to 6 l, the FEEDMAX basic is well suited for use in workcells or when drying hoppers have to be filled with a volume of up to 150 l from a long distance.

FEEDMAX basic (left) and FEEDMAX plus The “big brother” of the FEEDMAX basic is called the FEEDMAX plus and has a capacity of up to 80 l. It differs from the FEEDMAX basic in Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 41

terms of its material discharge and can be used at the machine inlet when high material throughputs have to be handled.

Both units are equipped with the ambiLED status display, which makes it easy for the operator to quickly determine the condition of the conveying unit.

G-Max 12 granulator On June 8 and 9, also the new G-Max 12 granulator was presented for the first time. It is a conventional beside-the-press granulator for the grinding of soft to middle hard engineering resins. This granulator is specifically designed for the inline-recycling of sprues coming from injection molding machines with clamping forces of 90 tons or less.

The G-Max 12 is especially compact, energy saving, and it is equipped with a unique cutting chamber damper to significantly reduce noise.

G-Max 12 The G-Max 12 uses a 1.5 kW IE3 premium efficiency motor, thus achieving significant energy savings. It has a staggered rotor consisting of 3 x 4 knives. The cutting chamber has dimensions of 198 x 169 mm. Depending on the type of material, the throughput can reach 50 kg/hr.

WITTMANN presents an entirely new concept with this granulator: A remote control replaces the conventional electrical control device. This new concept allows for standard functions that are not available with conventional design.

The control device has an hour counter with digits display. An interface enables communication with the injection molding machine. When the IMM is “off”, the granulator stops automatically. Again, this helps to save energy. There are three different positions of the control on the granulator to choose. This makes it much easier for the operator to supervise the grinding process.

The control’s connecting cable to the granulator has a length of three meters, allowing the control of the granulator from the outside of a protective housing. In contrast to the respective competitive products, WITTMANN is offering this as part of the granulator’s standard equipment.

G-Max 12 within the protective housing of a working cell Above that, the G-Max 12 can be operated as a part of the WITTMANN 4.0 concept that enables the interaction between the molding machine and all the other peripheral devices. All aspects of the production process can be integrated and coordinated in a comprehensive way: conveying and blending of material, tempering, injection molding, and automation – and, of course, the recycling process.

42 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

The WITTMANN Group is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of injection molding machines, robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics industry.

Headquartered in Vienna/Austria, the WITTMANN Group consists of two main divisions, WITTMANN BATTENFELD and WITTMANN, which operate 9 production facilities in 6 countries, including 30 direct subsidiary offices located in all major plastics markets around the world.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD focuses on the independent market growth in the manufacturing of state-of-the-art injection molding machines and process technology, providing a modern and comprehensive range of machinery in a modular design that meets the actual and future requirements of the plastic injection molding market.

WITTMANN’s product range includes robots and automation systems, material handling systems, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, mold temperature controllers and chillers. With this comprehensive range of peripheral equipment, WITTMANN can provide plastics processors with solutions that cover all production requirements, ranging from autonomous work cells to integrated plant-wide systems.

The syndication of the WITTMANN Group has led to connectivity between all product lines, providing the advantage plastics processors have been looking for in terms of a seamless integration of injection molding machines, automation and auxiliary equipment – all occurring at a progressive rate.

Contact: WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte GmbH Lichtblaustrasse 10 1220 Vienna AUSTRIA Tel.: +43 1 250 39-0 Fax: +43 1 259 71-70 info.at@wittmann-group.com www.wittmann-group.com

New WITTMANN robots for large and small injection molding machines WITTMANN, one of the world’s leading manufacturer of parts-removal devices for the injection molding industry, has broadened its robot range for both ends of the manufacturing spectrum.

Robots for large machines: W853 pro and W863 pro

whereby strokes ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 mm are available.

These advanced designs were developed in response to many users who also wanted to be able to rely on flexible automation in the large machine segment.

The two new models are different in regard to the length of their axes and their payloads. The W853 pro is designed for a payload capacity of 40 kg – whereas the W863 pro is rated for 75 kg, which makes it particularly well suited for use in the large machine segment.

These robots are best used with machines in the clamping force range of 1,300 to 2,400 metric tons – ideal for handling automotive components, white and brown goods, as well as technical parts.

Both offer all the familiar features of the W8 pro series. Standard equipment includes the ambiLED status display and the new decentralized drive control. Above that, the new large models can use the intelligent EcoVacuum function. EcoVacuum is a shutdown function of the vacuum producer. It allows for minimizing the robot’s demand for compressed air.

Thus a significant saving of operation costs is possible.

The new robots are also equipped with the R8.3 robot control system as standard, which provides access to many special real-time functions, e.g. the iVac intelligent vacuum system with teachable switchpoints, the QuickNew function for easy programming via a visual selection system, or the SoftTorque programme for a flexible removal motion based on the ejector motion of the injection molding machine.

WITTMANN W853 pro robot

W853 pro and W863 pro are based on the same mechanical concept. Both, the Z axis and the X axis of these two robots are driven by a gear rack. Carriage guidance is assured by an all-purpose high-precision recirculating linear ball bearing system. The vertical drive is transmitted via a combination of gear rack and belt,

Martin Stammhammer, WITTMANNs International Sales Manager for Robots and Automation Systems, says that “these extensions of our W8 pro series come from being very close to the market and from listening to our customers’ requirements. During the last few years, much flexibility was offered within the machine range of up to 300 t clamping force – a fact that had led to the development of our W822 robot. Now we have succeeded in adapting this flexibility to machines with around 1,600 t of clamping force. Our new robots are the result. These new robots also close the gap between the W843 pro with Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 43

WITTMANN W808 robot (left) compared to a new WL80 robot

a payload of 35 kg and the W873 with a payload of 125 kg, being our largest robot. Now we offer our customers many more automation possibilities for any application they may run.”

WL80 robot for smallest injection molding machines At the other end of the scale, and in order to better serve the booming compact market, the development of the new WL80 robot was undertaken.

Previously the W808, with a payload capacity of 3 kg and a horizontal stroke ranging from 1,250 to 2,000 mm, was WITTMANN’s smallest robot model.

The extremely compact WL80 robot has been designed for a payload capacity of up to 2 kg. Integrating the energy chain into the horizontal arm minimizes the space requirement, 44 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

which is especially advantageous when this unit is operated in protective housings and used in integrated applications.

programming function. Of course, further functions are available as a standard as well: TextEditor, SmartRemoval, and EcoMode.

The WL80 is available with a horizontal stroke of 1,200 mm, and is therefore perfectly matched to injection molding machines with clamping forces ranging from 30 to 60 t. The vertical stroke is 700 mm, and the unit can also be equipped with a second vertical axis. In that instance, one of the two axes is equipped with pneumatic pivot, and the other axis is equipped with a pneumatic sprue gripper. Even then (i.e. when two X axes are required – what means there are five servo axes instead of three), the dimensions of the electrical cabinet remain the same. The operator interface is the proven R8 TeachBox with its many functions.

For example, there is the intuitive and animation assisted QuickNew

Martin Stammhammer notes that “we are dedicated to servicing both complex and simple manufacturing situations via the robots of the W8 pro series. The QuickNew programming function, for example, makes the WL80 a powerful and inexpensive pickand-place application with a minimal familiarization period. We think that there will be two main application areas of the WL80. On the first hand, it will be used in the Asiatic region with the compact injection molding machines that are predominant there. On the other hand, we will install this device as a part of our own integrated mold-cell production solution, with minimized footprint.”

Strong performance at the fair and great future prospects:

manroland web systems shows its digital side

and thrills customers and trade visitors the fair opted for the pioneering 24-hour-B2B-Marketplace by manroland web systems. “We wanted to offer our customers a manroland web STORE filled with expertise which is as easy to use as consumer market online shops“, Alexander Wassermann, who is now the sole managing director of manroland web systems after Jörn Gossé’s resignation, explains. “By relaunching the manroland web STORE, which we presented at drupa 2016, we have made our vision come true. Fast, flexible and convenient parts supply: That’s a real benefit for our customers.”

From the 31st of May until the 10th of June 2016 manroland web systems welcomed customers, media representatives and numerous visitors from around the world at drupa 2016 in Düsseldorf. As the leading partner and overall solutions provider for web offset and industrial digital printing, manroland web systems showed a wide range of solutions, systems and innovations, all aimed at making the customer more successful. manroland web systems convinced their customers and is able to boast satisfactory results.

T

his year’s drupa was again very successful for manroland web systems. In the commercial printing sector, two more 96-page systems of the LITHOMAN series and two 16-page ROTOMAN systems were sold. In newspaper printing, the new GEOMAN e:line

was introduced to the market and several upgrade sales were made. The customers, from all around the world, chose to make retrofits and refurbishments, but also to purchase used machines.

Besides selling a FoldLine digital Inline Finishing System to Guam, which was exhibited at the fair and presented daily in live-demos, several hot prospect projects were initiated in the newly developed digital printing sector at drupa.

The manroland web systems Service was also very satisfactory: The service promise “WE ADD VALUE.” went down well with the customers and visitors. Several service contracts were signed, including the refurbishment of a third-party machine in India. The manroland web store with its new design and extra features was greeted with much enthusiasm: A great number of customers at

The result is also satisfying: “We are very happy with the results we achieved at drupa“, says Wassermann. “Our presentation was excellent: We once again proved that we are ahead of our time. Besides our double drupa highlight, a complete digital printing workflow unit with variable Inline Finishing (i.e. our FoldLine in combination with a Prosper 6000S

by Kodak), visitors were able to learn more about our consistently developing, comprehensive and customer orientated Portfolio.

We were convincing through innovation in all areas, whether with existing or new model ranges, extensive service offerings with substantial added value, entry into new markets and business models or innovative software and workflow solutions. Customers were also very satisfied with our consulting expertise. Our employees constantly work on ideas together with our customers, which we always put into practice.

Like for example our retrofits on third-party machines. The high intake of orders will fill our factory until 2017. This is a wonderful result and a clear sign that we meet the needs of our customers and delight the industry.”

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drupa 2016 is a resounding success: EXCELLENT BUSINESS DEALS CONCLUDED IN AN OUTSTANDING INVESTMENT CLIMATE Decisive impulses for the global print industry & top marks for drupa 2016

T

he atmosphere at drupa 2016, the world’s biggest and most important trade fair for print and crossmedia solutions, can hardly be topped: the investment climate is extremely good and has far exceeded all expectations. As the 11-day trade fair draws to a close the 1,837 exhibitors from 54 countries unanimously reported excellent business deals, extremely promising contacts and a positive spirit for the global print industry.

The re-positioning of drupa and its focus on future themes with strong growth potential – such as 3D printing, functional printing or packaging printing – proves to be a real asset. Be it publication, commercial, packaging or industrial printing – printing technology offers matching solutions for all of these applications while opening up new lines of business and business models at the same time. “The print industry is constantly re-inventing itself and offers a wealth of highpotential facets. And this is precisely what drupa 2016 has very impres-

46 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

sively proven. We were able to experience a highly innovative industry here in the 19 exhibition halls, one that has succeeded in moving out of the “valley of tears” and grasping the future by the neck,” explains Claus BolzaSchünemann, Chairman of the drupa Committee and Chairman of the Board at Koenig & Bauer AG. drupa 2016: trade fair of decision makers and capital spenders Some 260,000 visitors from 188

countries and some 1,900 journalists from 74 countries travelled to Düsseldorf to learn about technology innovations, further developments and new business lines.

Visitors’ decision-making competence is extremely high: approximately 75% of all visitors are executives and in a decisive and or co-decisive capacity when it comes to capital expenditure in their companies. Various other indicators produced by the visitors’ survey also underscore very clearly that drupa is a flawless B2B trade fair and platform for business decisions:

• 54% of visitors came to drupa 2016 with concrete investment intentions • 29% placed orders during drupa • 30% are planning to place their orders after drupa • 60% found new suppliers at drupa The development in visitor attendance (2012: 314,248) reflects the worldwide consolidation occurring in the industry. This is why visitors’ high decision-making competence produced a particularly positive effect, all the more as one in two visitors expected their companies’ business to develop very well over the next twelve months. “Customers – with very few exceptions – no longer come with large delegations or as part of a company outing to drupa. It is rather the top managers that travel to Düsseldorf today – and from 188 countries to this drupa,” explains Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. drupa 2016: global No. 1 trade fair Totalling 76%, the percentage of international visitors is up 16% from four years ago. This figure can be attributed to Asian visitors: 17% of international visitors came from this continent alone (2012: 13.6%). And here India accounted for the largest share with 5%, followed by China with 3%. The leading European countries were Italy, France, the Netherlands and the UK. “This means that drupa has enhanced its global market significance and its international rating even further. It is the unrivalled global No. 1 trade fair for the print and media industries,” says Werner Matthias Dornscheidt commenting on the results of drupa 2016.

Positive verdict for technical side events Meeting with high demand was the programme of accompanying expert events with its three pillars drupa cube, drupa innovation park, 3D fab + print, touchpoint packaging as well as Printed Electronics and Solutions. One in Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 47

two drupa visitors were interested in the various special shows and lecture theatres. drupa cube, the event and congress location, was received particularly enthusiastically.

Almost 3,500 drupa visitors flooded into the cube over the eleven trade fair days in order to find out about a plethora of topics. In particular high demand were the keynotes by Frans Johansson (founder and CEO of The Medici Group), Silas Amos ? (founder of Silas Amos Ltd. Design Thought) and Shane Wall (Chief Technology Officer HP And Global Head of HP Labs).

The Creative Day organised by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with W&V which addresses marketers and creative workers in particular, was even sold out. And the C-Level Sessions specifically targeting executives were also fully booked.

Meeting with a very positive response was the drupa innovation park that focused on innovative business models in addition to technology innovations from renowned exhibitors. On display were ready-to-market applications for Augmented Reality in field service and in advertising but also successful examples for multi-channel campaigns. The crucial insights from the content-driven dip 2016: print creates content and added value! drupacity: an experience for all And drupa does not stop at the gates of the exhibition centre. Instead, Düsseldorf presented itself with a versatile programme as an attractive trade fair destination for all things drupa: be it an exhibition or 3D event, discussion forums or a “rolling lab”: drupacity allowed thousands of interested visitors to experience the trade fair themes – live and hands-on right in the city centre – providing both drupa visitors and exhibitors with tangible added value and a concept that is truly “one of a kind” worldwide.

“Our concept of bringing the drupa themes to the city thereby making it possible for people to understand and experience technology has paid off 100%. Thanks to numerous city-centre activities Düsseldorf citizens and visitors were able relate to the trade fair themes. drupacity proved an experience for all,” reworked Boris Neisser, General Manager at the trade association Destination Düsseldorf, which organised the drupacity programme, who went on to say: “The many multipliers from all over the world felt welcome in Düsseldorf and will return to their home countries with these positive impressions.

This is “city marketing live” representing a locational advantage not to be underestimated for our city.”

As announced at the midpoint of drupa, the event will will stick to its fouryear cycle meaning the next drupa will be held from 23 June to 3 July 2020.

Exhibitors Testimonials: Asahi, Dr. Dieter Niederstadt, Technical Marketing Manager With drupa 2016 we see our efforts confirmed that visitors, prospects and customers changed their point of view in the flexo printing area completely.

In today’s surrounding, stunning graphical quality is a given. Customers are more looking into productivity advancements of a product such as the improvement in overall equipment effectiveness, e.g. to reduced make ready waste and fewer press wash-ups.

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Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 49

of fixed colour palette printing in reference to extended color gamut (ECG) and drupa was a good podium for that. These OEE benefits create significant improvement at the print converter and has been a hot topic in our conversations at the booth.

Bobst, Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO The industries we serve today are searching for drastic productivity improvement through innovations, services and people relationship. Moreover the digitalization of the packaging supply chain is paving the way for the future.

This year´s drupa has again been a great platform for us to demonstrate that we deliver the right solutions for our customers´ applications – be they folding carton, flexible material, labels or corrugated board.

Canon, Jeppe Frandsen, Executive Vice President Canon Europe Canon came to drupa 2016 with the aim of demonstrating the range and depth of our capabilities in a way that reflected the real business of our customers.

We set out to give visitors fresh ideas about how they could expand their capabilities and to inspire them to unleash print in their own individual ways.

We’ve surpassed that objective on multiple levels. The response of visitors to what we’ve shown and discussed with them has been hugely positive.

The deciding factor for so many Canon customers here at drupa 2016 has been the inspiration they have taken from the live print applications we have shown – so much so, in fact that for us it has been the ‘applications drupa’.

Our many applications, offering significant added value particularly in the areas of commercial print and publishing, have given them confidence in the immediate business potential of our end-to-end solutions and, through their investments with Canon, they’re looking to ensure the long-term future of their businesses. In turn, our commitment far beyond drupa is to give them the long-term support to achieve their goals.

CHILI publish, Kevin Goeminne, CEO drupa 2016 gave us the opportunity to show that CHILI publish has evolved a lot since it first drupa participation in 2012. With not only the launch of a new product but also the numerous partnerships, CHILI publish wants to emphasize that our company is growing and is becoming an important player in the industry. At the booth, we wanted to create a casual and cosy feeling where people were welcomed to learn more about CHILI publish and its products. Which has certainly paid off as the number of visitors on our booth exceeded our expectations! drupa gave us the opportunity to meet people we have only been in contact with via mail or phone and to strengthen existing contacts in real life. CHILI publish is looking forward to the next edition of drupa and will make sure to show many more innovations by then!

EFI, Guy Gecht, CEO The USP of drupa is clearly the production plants in operation. This allows visitors to follow and assess the complete workflow. An asset no other trade fair in the world has to offer.

Enfocus, Fabian Prudhomme, Vice President Again, drupa managed to attract visitors from all over the world, which gave us an extraordinary opportunity to touch base with our existing Enfocus community as much as with new customers. People who were not familiar yet with Enfocus had the chance to discover our solutions and the value these can bring to their respective companies. We showcased the endless possibilities of the Enfocus solutions during the 800 live demos we delivered on our booth. We are absolutely delighted with the feedback and votes of confidence we received from our visitors. Not only is this the result of our customer centric approach in everything we do, but I also believe that we succeeded in convincing our visitors that it is possible to not only touch 50 | July-August 2016 | Plastics & Rubber Review

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the future but also automate it! This drupa was the most successful edition for Enfocus yet and we are already looking forward to drupa 2020.

Epson, Duncan Ferguson, Executive Director, Professional Printing & Robotics, Epson Europe This drupa is Epson’s biggest ever showcase for our most complete range of inkjet printers for prepress, signage, photographic, textile and label applications. We have had a very successful show with significant orders from companies around the globe, particularly for the SureColor SC-S signage range, which has led us to increase production to meet demand. Interest in our SurePress L6034UV digital label press, commercialised at drupa, was high with orders taken at the show from Germany and the UK. Our Print Shop Zone too was extremely busy and attracted huge interest from visitors discovering how our desktop solutions enable them to offer a

collaborative design-and-print service to produce personalized products.

Esko, Udo Panenka, President At drupa 2016, Esko exhibited with its sister company X-Rite Pantone and subsidiaries Enfocus and MediaBeacon. Spread out across six Inspiration Zones, visitors experienced the combined innovations to improve the steps of a typical packaging production workflow.

Bringing that message and demonstrating the value add of a connected and integrated workflow has come across really well for the many visitors we welcomed at our stand.

This drupa helps us to reconfirm our leadership position in all domains of packaging and labels workflows; the overwhelming amount of visitors from all over the globe exceeded our expectations both in closed orders as well as in new contacts.

Goss, Eric Bell, Marketing Director Achieving More Together’ was

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undoubtedly the right theme for Goss this drupa. We’ve had a very successful show, working side-byside with our partners, and this will be continue to be the most logical way forward to support not only our existing customers, but new prospects too.

Our drupa 2016 successes include significant product orders, signed for live on the stand; the sale of the first Goss Thallo system since acquiring of this product line from DG press ServiceS; and the launch of another Goss industry-first, the embedded color bar for web offset packaging production. All in all, drupa 2016 far exceeded our expectations and confirms that our approach to business, with our customers and partners at the forefront of our strategy, is the right direction for Goss moving forward.

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Gerold Linzbach, CEO We are very satisfied with the outcome of the trade fair. Thanks to

drupa Heidelberg starts into the new business with a positive outlook. Our motto Simply Smart was a success with visitors. We received a high demand for our industrial printing ranges and exceeded our own targets.

The further automation of offset printing produced a high number of contracts signed especially for our high-performance presses. Together with our partner Fuji we have set new standards in industrial digital printing.

The debut and market launch of our new digital printing machine Primefire 106 was extremely promising prompting worldwide sales for packaging applications. With drupa tailwainds we are on course for growth.

Highcon, Aviv Ratzman, CEO and Co-Founder drupa 2016 has been a tipping point for our business. We launched our technology at drupa 2012, but this

one has been a real reinforcement of our vision. Sales to both new customers and existing customers have surpassed our expectations by far. drupa has been confirmation that digital technology, and finishing in particular, has reached the point where it is becoming mainstream.

Many of the customers we met during drupa have realized the need to start investing in technology rather than continue to expand capacity, adding value to their products instead of competing on price.

HP, Francois Martin, worldwide marketing director HP Graphics Solutions Business drupa 2016 has been a landmark show for HP. It is clear that digital has arrived as mainstream, with HP experiencing the best attendance at any drupa ever and with sales not only surpassing 2012 results by 20%, but exceeding our 2016 ambitious goals by 25% overall. drupa continues to be the most relevant industry event for innovation, and HP is committed to keep reinventing to help our customers reinvent their own possibilities, ensuring that drupa 2020 is better than we could imagine.

Ink Router, Robert Godwin, Director of Business Development Our first time exhibiting at drupa was a great success. It made it possible for us to introduce our dynamic new product, InkRouter to visitors from all over the world. One of the largest fairs in the world brought us in contact with leaders in the printing industry, which offered us the opportunity to network and to create more brand awareness and brand recognition. Sabine Geldermann, Global Director of drupa and the Messe Düsseldorf team did a great job, I’m glad we were part of this event. drupa 2016 has exceeded our expectations and we are already looking forward to the next edition!

Kodak, Olivier Claude, Worldwide Director of Sales and Customer Operations drupa 2016 completely exceeded Kodak’s expectations. Tens of thousands of high caliber visitors, customers and prospects from around the world visited our stand to do business and see the more

than 20 products and technologies Kodak launched at this year’s show.

The fact that we hit our sales target on Day 7 – and having reached 168% of our sales target on Day 9 is testimony of the industry’s trust in our cutting edge technology, which helps our customers deliver on profitability, sustainability and growth.

Landa, Benny Landa, Chairman drupa 2016 will be remembered as the inflection point in the industry’s transition from mechanical printing to digital. In the past, digital printing vendors had to try to convince the market that digital is the way to go.

Previously it was a ‘push’ selling motion.

Now, for the first time, the situation has reversed. There is a very strong ‘pull’ from the market, driven by both customers and brand-owners, who are now demanding digital printing. It seems that the market leaders – in packaging, commercial printing and in publishing – have come to the realization that they simply must go digital. For Landa Digital Printing, this market awakening has been particularly rewarding, as

reflected in the substantial number of orders which we took at drupa.

Customers are telling us that no one comes even close to matching our quality, speed, substrate independence and print cost, which combine to create a tremendous value proposition.

Massivit 3D Printing Technology, Lilach Sapir, VP Marketing and Business Development This drupa is Massivit 3D first presentation at an international trade fair. It was a great chance for us to present our 3D printing solutions made for printers in an exhibition for Print Service Providers. Our expectations are more than fulfilled.

We had some nice sales mostly to large/wide format printers who understand that the use of 3D printing is their future and enables them to add another dimension to their business and grow their services and business in the visual communication world.

Mimaki, Mike Horsten, General Marketing Manager EMEA drupa always gathers visitors from all around the world and from all

Plastics & Rubber Review | July-August 2016 | 53

different segments of the printing industry. Our 295 sq. booth was a success and attracted a large audience during the 11 days of show! The drupa organisation was as impeccable as ever, and it manages to keep up with the trends in an evolving industry. We had the chance to talk to our customers and discuss how Mimaki can support them with future opportunities. Our Design Book was a big hit, as it shows what kind of applications Mimaki customers have already developed in the past and it thanks our clients for their creativity. This portfolio also inspires people and shows the amazing results that emerge when we create together with our clients.

QuadTech, Karl Fritchen, President drupa 2016 has been a fantastic show for QuadTech! We wanted to reach specific printing markets with the launch of four new products.

There is no better place than drupa to connect with those markets, and take advantage of the bright spotlight. Not only was the quantity of show visitors very high for us, but also the quality. It seemed that almost all were customers or potential customers of our print technology. We experienced very high interest and extremely positive response to our ColorTrack,

DeltaCam, Inspection System and MultiCam TRIM introductions. After investing heavily in new technology innovations, drupa gives us the opportunity to meet with our markets directly, and show them the fruits of our labor.

Ricoh, John Blyth, Market Development Manager & Production Printing Business Group For us drupa 2016 has been all about enabling Ricoh to open new worlds of opportunity to new and potential clients alike. We have been delighted by the strong and steady flow of visitors on to our stand.

There is nowhere like drupa for bringing decision makers in our industry, from all corners of the globe, together. Most notable of all for us has been the relative seniority and influence of so many of those we have been proud to host on our stand. They seem to have appreciated the warm open welcome and the way Ricoh has set out a clear narrative that covers the full, integrated breadth of services and solutions that we offer. In production printing and beyond. From multi-drop inkjet to additive manufacturing, end to end workflow to neon toner and lean and green consultanc. Drupa 2016 has been eventful. But overwhelmingly in a positive way and we are already

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looking forward to drupa 2020.

Scodix, Amit Shvartz, Vice President of Marketing Gaining over 100 new customers in 11 days, Scodix had an extremely successful drupa 2016. The largest exhibition in print provides a hugely popular forum and within this buzzing environment, we saw sales doubling and doubling with each coming day.

With an incredibly fruitful launch at the show in 2012, we saw our company grow from 12 to over 200 customers and drupa played a vital part in that accomplishment. We hoped for similar success in 2016 and the show has exceeded all expectation. Scodix’ vision to ‘enhance your competitive edge’ and drupa’s message of ‘touch the future’ went hand-in-hand for us at the show and we saw these synergies demonstrated by phenomenal business results.

VDMA, Dr. Markus Heering, Managing Director of the Printing and Paper Technology Association within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) Not only our own VDMA stand got an enormous respones, our member companies also gave us the feedback that the quality of

conversations they had and the numner of lead and new orders were extremely positive. Our manufacturers have made use of the lately difficult years to develop custom-fit solutions for the changed needs in the print industry. We have every reason to look to the future with optimism. Print is an industry with a future!

Xeikon, Danny Mertens, Corporate Communications Manager drupa 2016 was a special edition for us, as it was our first major show since we were acquired by Flint Group. The booth, including a number of Xeikon technologies and Flint Group presence, made this collaboration visible for our visitors.

With the theme “X marks the spot”, we wanted to mark our position in the market. We are pleased to say that once again, drupa 2016 has been a successful edition for us. We aimed to create an open and welcome atmosphere at our booth and this was more than visible through the amount of visitors on our stand every day. It gave us the opportunity to get in contact with partners, competitors, existing customers that we have known for years and new, future customers from all over the world. drupa is a unique experience, not only by its size but most of all by its diversified public.

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