PET: transformation technique evolves and reduce resin consumption per unit

The use of PET resin in Brazil should close the year with drop in about 2014. In the first half, estimates of the Brazilian Association of PET industry (Abipet) point a 4% and 6% reduction. Last year, after several years of high growth, there was a reduction in the use of PET for the first time in the Brazilian market. 608,000 tonnes were consumed, compared with 620,000 tonnes in 2013.
Of the total, around 70% was destined for the soft drink industry, with the rest divided among other applications. Deserves special mention the mineral water market. Also promising are the segments of milk, juice, tea, edible oils, cosmetics and hygiene and cleaning materials, among others. The total consumed represents the apparent demand, takes into account the total of Virgin resin consumed in the country over the data of international transactions of preforms. In 2014, the preforms have exceeded imports in 115,000 tons exports.
Last year, Brazil became self-sufficient in the production of the raw material. Has two producers installed along the petroquímica Suape, Pernambuco, able to supply with off the domestic market and export still part of production. One of them is the PQS, connected to Petrobras, which began operating late last year and has facilities aimed to achieve the maximum capacity of 450,000 tons per year. The other is the Italian company Mossi & Ghisolfi (M&G), which has for a long time around here and has a production capacity of around 550,000 tons per year.
According to Auri Marçon, ceo of Abipet, the market data need to be assessed with caution. To him, the reduction of consumption checked 2014 here should not be credited to the economic crisis, we must take into account a misdemeanor. With the evolution of technology, the weight of the bottles used to pack the soft drinks and other products has been suffering significant drop.
"The combination of two factors. In a first step, the resin formulations offered to the market if perfected. Then, the equipment used for processing if you have sophisticated, especially the injection, used in manufacturing of preforms. Even lighter, the packaging of today have the same resistance, can handle the pressure of the carbonated beverages and can be stacked without any problem ". This made it possible to increase the number of bottles obtained with the same volume of resin.
The leader presents some numbers to help understand this scenario. "In the last ten years the weight of the bottle of soda fell 26%. In the last five years, some bottles of water had their weights reduced from 18 to 11 grams ". So the fall estimated between 4% to 6% of consumption of raw materials does not mean a reduction in the same proportion in the parcel number of packages. There are no up-to-date data on the total number of units produced.
In an analysis based on his experience, Marçon believe small reduction in consumption of soft drinks in the domestic market this year, motivated by the economic crisis. This fall is offset in part by the strengthening of resin use in other applications. Among them, the niche of bottles for mineral water, which becomes increasingly more promising for the transformers. "The demand for bottles for water has been growing in the double digits even with the crisis", he assures us. The markets for milk, juices, edible oils and other energy with above-average development.
A new aspect must change the results of the sector in the second half. This is the strong increase in the dollar exchange rate. To the Exchange variation Marçon is already causing consequences. "The real weak is already causing the fall in resin import". This fact should, of course, the entry into operation of the PQS in September last year. In the case of preforms the situation is somewhat different, the consequences of the devaluation won''t be felt in the short term. "We are supplied by other Mercosur countries, suppliers rely on long-term contracts".
Worth a caveat. International prices of raw materials are calculated on the basis of the quotations of the American currency in various locations around the world. "In fact, the whole chemical industry works around the value of the dollar". So, with the devaluation of the real, transformers suffer. Too bad that the prices of oil derivatives suffered reduction in recent times, which eases the situation. "The worst problem is the instability of the currency, which raises doubts among the entrepreneurs".
Soft drinks and waters – the two segments of the beverage business are big users of PET, but have different characteristics, influence the pace of developments in the use of the resin. Are markets that need to be analyzed on a case by case basis. In the field of soft drinks bottles made with this polyester are consolidated at the top between the largely packaging materials. The manufacturing industries that meet the sector have, for the most part, production lines with large machines. Is a stable segment and without a lot of news lately. The necessary investments for expansions are high and the momentum of the economy doesn''t help.
In the case of the mineral water market, the situation is different. This is a niche business with some very positive situations currently for manufacturers of PET bottles. It is necessary to emphasize that the use of resin in this application was novelty. "The PET holds around 87% of the market of water", informs the President of Abipet.
One of the aspects relevant to explain the positive time is the profile of the transformers. The segment is formed by different companies of the soft drinks. In addition to being more sprayed, offers small and medium-sized factories, many of them scattered in different regions of the country. "Huge investments are not needed to install a plant", stresses Marçon.
A very important factor for the evolution of the commands in the niche of water is the segmentation of product lines offered. In recent years, reached the market in different formulations, with greater or lesser presence of gas or minerals and other components sold with the appeal to provide positive effects to the health of consumers. The manufacturers '' marketing calls for side image "medicinal products. Diversification expanded with the arrival, in recent years, mineral water offered with fruit flavors. Another positive factor is the supply of bottles in various sizes. "Grew up looking for small bottles, that people use on a daily basis", exemplifies.
To complete the scenario, it should not be forgotten the great water crisis experienced in the Southeast, especially in the State of São Paulo in Brazil. Many localities are subject to the restriction of supply. The quality of the water provided by the Government fell in several regions and this has encouraged a major consumption of industrialized products.
Milk, juice, teas-other segments are promising for manufacturers of packaging made with resin. "The use of PET for the manufacture of long-life milk packaging in Brazil reached amazing results over the last three years," explains Marçon. In this niche, the President of Abipet doesn''t expect a big boom, but a gradual growth. This can be explained by the fact that the producers to invest in the expansion of its capacity when their lines reach the capacity limit, or when their equipment become obsolete and need to be replaced.
Another barrier is the competitor to beat. The carton packaging won great presence in this segment, the estimate of the experts is that they dominate more than 90 percent of the market. The great name in manufacturing of these packages in Brazil is the multinational company Tetra Pak. "is not easy to debunk such consolidated material," admits Marçon.
Despite the difficulties, is visible the increasing participation of PET bottles on supermarket shelves. "At least four major brands are already making the experience". For Marçon, this is only the beginning of a process. "The dairy should advance in the use of PET, because they''re realizing the competitive advantages of plastic". In accordance with the opinion of the resin transformers, once deployed the production lines, the cost of the plastic casing is advantageous. The versatility of the production lines is also highlighted. With the PET can be created lines with capacity of 60000 bottles per hour. With the journals, that number reaches 18000.
Other appreciated features are the functionality of bottles, ease-of-use and allow for greater protection to the product once opened. Can also be created with higher capacity bottles, such as two or three liters, for example. Yet from the perspective of manufacturers of PET bottles, under the aspect of marketing, the plastic containers are more appealing. One difficulty is in need of the bottle to be opaque, a necessary condition for the survival of the product. One of the outputs adopted to circumvent the confusion is preforms injection with two layers of resin.
Even though the growth of the participation of plastic between milk producers to occur slowly, the potential of niche deserves attention beyond special. The country is one of the biggest consumers in the world of the product in the form of long life, with annual consumption calculated at the 6 billion liters, according to entities from the dairy industry.
A market of great potential, in which the participation of the PET begins to gain body''s juices flowing ready for consumption. Also in that niche, there is strong competition from "little boxes", dominant in the packaging of a liter. The advantages of PET in this war are similar to those observed in the case of milk. With...