What is your most popular bottle-making machine and what can it do?
Nicola Scaramuzza: The machines we sell most in the Siapi range are for large capacity containers, in particular EA2M, EA1S and the new EA2S. The first is a two-cavity machine that produces bottles with a capacity up to 12 litres. The second is a single-cavity machine for bottles up to 30 litres. Finally, EA2S is a two-cavity machine that produces containers up to 30 litres, with productivity levels twice those of the previous machine.
What are your customers asking for?
Scaramuzza: New, customised applications increasingly focus on eco-sustainability. This is why our R&D department, in which we’ve recently invested a great deal of economic and human resources, accompanies the customer step by step when developing custom-made projects.
We start with our customer’s requirements, study project feasibility and identify the best solution using in-house prototypes, laboratory analyses and tests in order to create a solution that can be produced on a large scale.
What are the emerging trends?
Scaramuzza: More than 50% of the machines Siapi sold in 2009 were for large formats in PET, which is a niche the company has been developing for 10 years. In particular, the design and materials used for packaging have involved many companies in the food and beverage sector, who are always urging for more research for new eco-sustainable solutions.
The use of PET, for example, makes it possible to reduce the weight and quantity of material used in comparison to polycarbonate, HDPE, glass and tinplate. Reducing the final weight of the containers reduces the emission of CO2 during road transport.
Is ‘eco-enthusiasm’ an operational threat?
Scaramuzza: Our company sees this new tendency as a great growth opportunity. For many years, our blow-molding machines have been energy efficient, and we’re specialised in converting various materials to PET, which has given us great satisfaction in terms of market response.
What challenges do you face in the bottle-making industry?
Scaramuzza: The goal is to continue growth while protecting the environment. As a result, energy saving blow-molding machines have been created, production plants are paying attention to recycling and the emission of CO2, and new types of lighter containers have been developed.
What’s in the pipeline?
Scaramuzza: Within a few weeks, will we launch a new machine on the international market: the EA3S, a three-cavity, two-stage linear blow-molding machine for five-gallon bottles that reaches productivity levels that have until now been unimaginable.
Nicola Scaramuzza is commercial director of Siapi.
Rachel Delahaye is editor of Cooler Innovation magazine. Subscribe here.
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