Market and technological developments in the canmaking
world highlighted at The Canmaker Conference

* Metal bottles are fighting back in the Japanese market where specialized drinks are using screw-top steel containers from Daiwa. Hirosi Endo detailed the company’s latest developments.

* Easy-open ends have a history going back more than a century, said Frank Le Pera, R&D chief at Sonoco Phoenix. And the latest designs offer even better consumer convenience.

* Retorted products are increasingly using peelable ends, reports Reinhart Geisler from Alcan Packaging in Germany. Now a more cost-efficient manufacturing process that wastes less steel is being developed by Rasselstein.

* An integrated range of coatings for easy-open steel ends has been launched by Grace Darex Packaging Technologies, said Russell Bennett. Called Apperta, the range meets increasingly tough requirements for flexibility and migration reduction.

* Food grade lubricants and cleaners for can seaming machines are often better performers than conventional products, and meet increasingly tough regulatory requirements, reported Andy Hatch from Henkel Corporation. Food safe lubricants that work were also highlighted by Greg Morris of Shell.

* In China, ORG is one of the fastest-growing canmaking companies and is planning to become the largest domestic manufacturer by 2015 with an ambitious expansion plan that now includes collaboration with Impress Group in Europe. ORG’s managing director Wei Giong outlined in detail the metal packaging business in China. Sales of metal packaging in China grew by 28.4 percent to 42 billion Yen (US$5.4bn) in 2006.

* Canmakers are increasingly becoming aware that lamination systems of the type recently launched by Germany’s Billhofer could offer appealing economic solutions for both high-quality products with high-barrier properties. Detlef Blumenstatter of Billhofer and Hajo Hagens of Mitsubishi Polyester Films detailed the latest developments with the Novus-1200 application system and the films it uses for laminating metal sheets for fabricating cans.

* A laser marking system that is easy to program for a variety of container formats and alters the colour of containers coatings was revealed by David Coulter of DS-Chemie.

* Can sealants are increasingly being made from universal materials that meet international regulations for migration and product life, reported Teresa Ramos of La Artistica in Spain.

* Conveying systems that are simple in design and innovative in application were highlighted by Marty Tabaka of Ashworth Brothers. Latest product is a spiral conveyor for use in canmaking plants.

* A sophisticated process control system for high-speed can seamers is being launched by CarnaudMetalbox Engineering Seaming Systems. Offering on-line reporting from data collected as the can is seamed, the system offers the opportunity for zero-defect deliveries to customers. Under development for six years and only previously available to CMB’s customers, it is being offered for application to any kind of can seamer, said Peter Moran.