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Growing product ranges, more frequent changeovers and shorter production runs are making PET packaging operations harder to manage. For manufacturers using multiple blow moulding platforms, separate tooling for each machine type can increase costs, consume storage space and limit the ability to move production between lines.

Competek believes there is another option. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in PET packaging, the company has developed Flex Mould, a universal blow mould designed to work across multiple compatible blow moulding platforms through a dedicated interface system.

The development builds on Competek's wider expertise in custom mould design, packaging optimisation and line conversion. Working with beverage, liquid food and personal care manufacturers, the company supports projects from initial bottle concepts through to mould development, engineering and production implementation, validating designs through mechanical and laboratory testing.

Moulds remain one of the most important assets in any PET packaging operation. They influence bottle quality, production efficiency and the ability to introduce new formats. Yet many manufacturers operating mixed machine environments still rely on machine-specific moulds, creating additional complexity when transferring production between lines or responding to operational challenges.

Flex Mould was developed to tackle this issue directly. Through its dedicated interface system, the same mould can be transferred between compatible machines, reducing dependence on machine-specific tooling. Rather than maintaining separate mould inventories for different platforms, manufacturers can use a single mould solution across a broader production environment.

This approach can provide greater flexibility when managing production schedules. The ability to move a mould between compatible machines gives manufacturers an additional option during maintenance periods or unexpected downtime, helping to maintain production continuity and minimise disruption.

Flex Mould has also been designed to simplify day-to-day operations. A tool-free replacement system enables faster mould changeovers, reducing setup times and making it easier to shift production between compatible machines when requirements change.

The benefits extend beyond operational flexibility. Using one mould across multiple machine platforms can reduce the number of moulds a manufacturer needs to purchase, store and maintain. This can help lower investment costs while simplifying mould management and reducing storage requirements.

The launch reflects Competek's broader focus on practical solutions that help manufacturers improve performance without adding complexity. Alongside mould development, the company supports customers with lightweighting projects, packaging optimisation, energy-saving initiatives, prototyping and line conversion programmes, providing technical expertise throughout the packaging lifecycle.

As PET producers balance efficiency, cost control and increasingly diverse production requirements, mould strategy is becoming more important. By reducing tooling complexity and allowing moulds to move between compatible platforms, Flex Mould offers manufacturers a practical way to gain more flexibility from their existing production assets.