Page 22 - Plastics News October 2020
P. 22

Arburg opens expanded Italian subsidiary                Wipak UK upgrades conversion equipment to
                                                                  aid innovation
           njection  moulding  machinery  maker  Arburg  has
          Iopened an expanded Italian subsidiary in Peschiera        lexible packaging converter Wipak UK has unveiled
          Borromeo, near Milan. The company has remodelled        Fplans for a £5 million-plus ($6.4m) investment to
          the building and expanded it by 80 per cent. The 2,000   significantly enhance its capabilities and sustainable
          sq  m  facility  houses  customer  support  and  training   product offering.
          rooms,  along  with  larger  conference  and  events    Specialising  in  sophisticated,  high  barrier  films  for
          spaces. “With the expansion of the subsidiary, we are   food  products,  the  Welshpool-based  manufacturing
          sending a positive message for the future and underline   site  is  investing  over  £5million  in  state-of-the-art
          the great importance that Italy has for us as our most   conversion  equipment,  which  will  produce  flexible
          important European foreign market,” said managing       packaging solutions with significantly less plastic, a
          director of sales Gerhard Böhm. He added that Arburg    lower  carbon  footprint  and  which  can  be  easier  to
          Italy is now ideally positioned in terms of product and   recycle. “The new machinery is set to be in operation
          service portfolio, personnel and infrastructure. “We    by summer 2021 and will be a game-changer for Wipak
                                                                  UK,  giving  us  a  unique  value  proposition  for  our
                                                                  existing  and  new  customers,”  explained  Managing

















          have been present in Italy for almost 30 years and are a
          solid  and  reliable  partner  for  production-efficient   Director,  Andrew  Newbold.  The  sustainability
          plastics  processing.  Our  42-strong  Italian  team    pressures that we face are possibly the most complex
          provides  customers  with  support  ranging  from       that I have experienced in my 24 years in the flexible
          application technology consulting and mould testing to   packaging industry. These are challenges that we must
          training and excellent after-sales service,” continued   overcome  through  true  innovation  and  I  find  it
          Raffaele Abbruzzetti, who heads the Italian subsidiary.   increasingly  frustrating  to  see  examples  of
          The larger showroom now offers space for up to ten All-  greenwashing in the market, from “environmentally
         rounder  injection  moulding  machines,  presenting  a   friendly”  packaging  made  from  the  same  material
         broad cross-section of the Arburg portfolio. Customers   used  to  pack  crisps  since  the  nineties,  through  to
         can test their own moulds on various hydraulic, hybrid   “compostable” plastics claiming to be “plastic-free”.
         and  electric  Allrounders,  for  example.  In  addition,   Wipak UK's new conversion equipment is fully in-line
         there  are  now  special  areas  for  Arburg  Plastic    with our promise to reduce our CO2 footprint to ZERO
         Freeforming  on  the  Freeformer  and  for  the          and  will  allow  us  to  develop  REAL  sustainable
         presentation of digital products and services relating   packaging  solutions  with  REAL  benefits  for  our
         to arburgXworld. The training area was expanded by       customers,  consumers  and  the  environment.”  The
         around 30 per cent and now covers 114 sq m. A two-day    investment  project  is  aligned  with  Wipak  UK's
         open house event was also held to showcase innovative    ambitious growth plans over the coming years, with
         machines  and  applications.  More  space  for           the new conversion machines expected to create more
                                                                  than  50  new  jobs  for  the  local  area  in  the  coming
         ALLROUNDERs,  consulting,  training,  and  specialist
                                                                  years.
         conferences.


           October  2020                                     22                                     Plastics News
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