Page 15 - Plastics News August 2020
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BASF to open colours and pigments distribution Sonoco to upgrade Hartsville corrugated
hub machine
ASF has started work on a new 20,000m sq iversified packaging company Sonoco has
Bwarehouse and distribution facility in Germany to Dannounced plans to upgrade its corrugated
enable it to be more flexible in the delivery of smaller medium machine in Hartsville, South Carolina, US,
quantities of colours and pigments.Located in with an investment of $83m. The move to transform
Ladenburg, the site is 20km away from BASF's Colors & the machine into a new recycled paperboard machine
Effects division's largest production site in with a production capacity of 180,000t a year is aimed
Ludwigshafen. It is due to open in spring 2021.The
company said the facility will allow it to combine its
centralised distribution structure in Europe with a
distribution network geared to small quantities.Once
open, BASF said customers can expect “even greater
adherence” to delivery dates in the future, even with
short lead times. The size of the warehouse is expected
to be sufficient to cover the expected volume growth of
colours and pigments in the coming years, especially in
at further bolstering the company's recycled
paperboard mill system. With this investment, Sonoco
is expected to become of the largest and lowest-cost
producers of recycled paperboard in the world. The
transformation will be carried out as part of Project
Horizon and will reduce electricity consumption in the
company's US and Canada paper mill system by 16%.
Sonoco will also be able to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 16%, while its total water usage by mills
will decrease by 25%.Sonoco president and CEO
the area of high-performance colour and effect
Howard Coker said: “We are calling this investment
pigments. Ground-breaking for the new building has
Project Horizon because it ensures the long-term
begun. Once opened, BASF will operate the site with
viability of our Hartsville paper mill complex and
Neska Schiffahrts-und Speditionskontor, a logistics
places our US and Canada recycled paperboard mill
provider that specialises in the handling of chemical
system into the top quartile of performance from a
goods. “This site, about 20km away from our largest
cost perspective. “More than 80% of our consumer
production site in Ludwigshafen and in an ideal
packaging sales are linked to food products, and we
location to our other European production sites, allows
are being called on to meet an increased demand for
us to combine our centralised distribution structure in
consumers who are staying close to home. I'm
Europe with a distribution network geared to small
quantities,” said Dr Florian Hofer, who is globally extremely proud of how our associates have rallied to
responsible for customer service and logistics our customers' calls for help during this crisis.” In
management at the coloured and effect pigment 2018, Sonoco announced commitments for sustainable
manufacturer. BASF has launched its Colors & Effects use and increased recyclability of packaging by
division in 2016. It serves customers across five 2025.In April, the company's board of directors gave
industries including coatings, plastics, printing, the approval to enhance its uncoated recycled
cosmetics and agriculture. paperboard (URB) mill system in the US and Canada.
August 2020 13 Plastics News
