Eco Pack Project

Industry Analysis

Majority of the businesses in Pakistan are converting from the bottle containers of traditional material to plastic substitutes for packaging of their products. The domestic manufacturing of plastic products is growing at 10-15 percent annually. Businesses from different fields are shifting from conventional packaging to PET bottles. Carbonated beverage, edible oil and mineral water industries are good examples for the increasing demand of PET bottles, as majority of the players in these industries have shifted to PET bottles. Within five years, the share of PET bottles has grown from 2-3 percent to 18-20 percent in the carbonated beverage market. With every passing day, new industries are shifting to PET bottling because of lower cost and better preservation of their product.

Because of the high demand of PET bottles, there has been an increase in small manufacturing units of PET bottles in the main cities of Pakistan. The major players of the industry are Gatron and Five Star Industries. There are around 10 small and medium units working in Lahore including Mega Plast, Plas Pack etc. These units manufacture variety of products, ranging from bottles for mineral water to packaging for pesticides.

Product Offered

0.5 Liters PET Bottles

.5 Liters PET Bottles

5 Liters PET Bottles

Production Mix

Description Production Ratio

0.5 Liter bottle 35.6 %

.5 Liter bottle 57.26%

5 Liter bottle 7.14%

100%

Production ratios have been calculated from the capacities of the machinery

Production Process

PET bottles manufacturing process involves two basic stages of Preform manufacturing

and Bottle Stretch Blow Molding.

. Preform manufacturing process consists of following steps:

a. Resin drying and dehumidification

b. Melting of resin and injection into mold

c. Injection blow molding

d. Primary cooling

e. Secondary cooling

f. Ejection and storage

2. Bottle Stretch Blow Molding, process involves:

a. Preform feeding

b. Preform heating

c. Transfer of heated performs to blow wheel

d. Bottle stretch blow molding

e. Bottle ejection

Manufacturing Stages

Bottles can be made through two types of processes.

1. One-step process

2. Two-step process

One-Step Process

In a one-step process, the PET bottles are made directly from the resin. Both the preform

manufacturing and stretch blow molding is performed on a single line.

Main features of the one step process are as follows:

1. Lesser Power consumption.

2. Lower initial investment.

3. Same number of injection cavities and blow molds as on conventional machine.

4. Better thermal efficiency because the residual heat in the pre-forms from the

injection molding process is used for blowing.

5. Bottles free from scruff marks, as performs are not re-gripped before blowing.

6. Highly oval or rectangular cross-sectioned containers.

7. Different preform designs, as preform wall is thicker to retain heat where stretching is required.

Two-Step Process

In a two-step process, PET bottles are made in two discrete steps. The first step involves

making the perform, and the next, the production of bottle. The pre-forms are produced

earlier and stored, and stretch blow molding is done as and when required.

Main features of two-step production process are as follows:

. Higher operating efficiency because of separate injection and blow molding function.

2. Higher initial investment. Buying pre-forms instead of making them can save money.

3. Different cycle times of the two separate machines, so the outputs are matched by

increasing the number of injection cavities.

4. More suitable for high volume production of less technically demanding containers

such as carbonated soft drink bottles.

5. Thermal efficiency lower since the pre-forms are first cooled to the room temperature for storage purposes and then re-heated to suitable blowing temperature.

6. Better adaptability to fluctuation in demand, as preforms can be stockpiled. Care must be taken in controlling storage conditions to ensure consistent aging and moisture absorption of different preform batches.

7. Centralized preform production facility can be created to supply several blow molders.

8. Higher flexibility, as bottle makers can make or buy pre-forms.

9. Higher inventory of preforms, as they are frequently scuffed before blowing.

0. Degree of ovality restricted owing to the difficult of temperature profiling of the preforms.

1. Thinner preform walls, so that it heats up faster where stretching is required.

Machinary Used

Injection Molding Machine I

Injection Molding Machine II

Blow Molding Machine I

Blow Molding Machine II

Compressor

Cooling Tower

Chiller Unit

Lathe 8 ft, refurbished

Lathe 5.5 ft

Pillar Drill 26 inches, with pump

Facer

Shaper 26 inch