The move represents the completion of the Germany-headquartered company’s planned expansion in the field of rPET.
Part of the Sun Capital Partners group, Kobusch has selected the Austrian company SML as supplier for the downstream equipment of the new line – the third it has installed since 2007.
Together with the “known benefits” of the Smart Parallel Gap Design and the ultra-hard thin-wall rollers (roller diameters 370/700/700 mm), the line will allow Kobusch to “significantly expand” their markets with high-quality sheet products, according to the company.
Tony Mitchell, Kobusch UK sales director, says: “With this £3 million investment Sun Capital has demonstrated its support for our plans for growth.
“We intend to keep the existing extrusion division in Stanley in operation for our expansion plans.
“The new EREMA system with SML downstream equipment will enable us to continue to increase the amount of post consumer waste in our rPET production without sacrificing any quality in clarity in the thermoforming process.”
The company has been running a Vacurema inline sheet system at its plant in Livingston since 2007, with the single stage processing coming from EREMA and SML, so the decision was taken to order a new, larger system from EREMA and SML.
This new system will go into operation in the first half of 2013 and, together with a Vacurema Basic 2016 T, will then enable throughputs of up to 1,400 kg/hr.
“The amount of sheet containing recycled materials has grown continuously in recent years in the interest of both cost-effectiveness and sustainability,” the company says.
“Using Vacurema technology, food-contact compliant rPET monolayer sheet can be produced through efficient decontamination.”
