NEWS
Italian machinery manufacturers see sales rise by 5% in 2022
Sales of Italian plastics and rubber processing machin- ery grew by 5% in 2022. Amaplast, which repre- sents Italian machinery makers, said that the sales of nearly €4.7 billion (US$5.1bn) was its second-highest performance of all time. The main driver for the
growth was exports, which rose nearly 9% to €3.25bn (US$3.56bn). Within this, exports to the European
Union rose 8%, though sales to the UK were down by nearly 10% – taking it from sixth to tenth on the table of largest export markets. Sales to the Americas rose 12% thanks mainly to a 33% rise in exports to South America. At the same time, sales to Asia rose by 9% – with India up 24% but China down 7%. Export sales of extruders
rose by 23% while those of thermoforming machines
fell by 22%. For comparison, injection moulding machin- ery sales were flat and blow moulding machines were down 19%. The domestic market
remained stable, with a growth of less than 1% to €2.54bn (US$2.78bn). Regarding the first
quarter of 2023, Amaplast members expected to see an average 7% in orders (compared to Q1 of 2022)
VTT scales up cellulose film production at its pilot plant
Finnish research centre VTT has invested €1.5 million to scale up a pilot plant for making cellulose film. The material can be used
to replace conventional plastic film in food packag- ing. The investment will allow the plant to begin test- ing and developing pro- cesses to enable mass production of these films. “There is a great need to
replace polypropylene film with a more sustainable alternative,” said Ali Harlin, research professor at VTT. “The new facility is a step forward in making sustain- able materials more mainstream.” The pilot plant’s focus is
to improve barrier proper- ties and to make packages from the new materials. VTT estimates that the material could have wide industrial use within five years. It says
6
and a 6% increase in sales. “The outlook for the rest
of 2023 remains uncertain, given the economic and political context,” said Amaplast. “While energy costs and the availability of raw materials and compo- nents have shown some improvement, troubles continue to be the order of the day – such as the recent bank crisis.” �
www.amaplast.org
Amcor tests nano-
coating Packaging major Amcor is looking to use nanocoat- ing technology from Nfinite Nanotechnology to enhance both recycla- ble and compostable packaging. In the proof-of-concept
Harlin: “Customers can’t differentiate between our cellulose- based films and traditional plastic wraps”
it is already working with more than 30 partners. “We’ve received feed-
back from our customers that they can’t tell the difference between our cellulose-based films and
FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | April 2023
traditional plastic wraps,” said Harlin. VTT first announced its sustainable alternative for plastic film back in June 2022. �
www.vttresearch.com
phase of the project, Nfinite’s coating technol- ogy will be applied to Amcor’s existing recycla- ble and compostable packaging material. The aim is to deliver an oxygen barrier to boost performance. “This joint research
project agreement showcases ourd commit- ment to sustainability and innovation,” said Frank Lehmann, VP of corporate venturing and open innovation at Amcor. �
www.amcor.com �
www.nfinitenano.com
www.filmandsheet.com
IMAGE: VTT
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