Nissei ASB will demonstrate an ASB-70DPH(V4) 1-step Injection Stretch Blow molding machine at PACK EXPO 2011, Las Vegas Convention Center, September 26–28, 2011.
It will be producing 100mL PET containers from a 7-cavity mold at 2,000BPH with a ‘twist’
We look forward to seeing you there at our booth; Lower South 5285
Nissei ASB will be exhibiting at the Plastics News – Caps & Closures conference in Atlanta on September 13th & 14th, 2011 at the Westin Atlanta Airport.
Major Milestone for Highly Successful Line of Versatile Machinery for Narrow-Neck and Wide Mouth PET Containers
ATLANTA, February 25, 2011 – Nissei ASB Co., the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Nissei ASB Machine Co. Ltd., has achieved a major milestone with the scheduled delivery of its 1,000th ASB-70DPH one-step injection stretch-blow molding machine for the production of narrow-neck and wide mouth PET containers. The versatile and compact machine, originally launched in 1986, will be delivered in the second quarter to a new entrant in blow molding – Novatex North America, an Ohio-based manufacturer of infant care products.
“This achievement is a testament to our strong leadership in technology and manufacturing and our unique ability to adapt to the market and supply the industry with the most flexible and productive machine on the market,” explained Jamie Pace, vice president and general manager of Nissei ASB Co.
As a single platform, the ASB-70DPH is one of Nissei ASB’s leading models and one of its best sellers. Since their introduction, the machines have undergone major advancements in terms of speed and power, offering significant improvements in efficiency and productivity. The machine line’s success corresponds to the growing global use of PET in packaging during the last decade, according to Pace. The popular model enjoyed explosive sales between 2003 and
2007 with more than 300 units delivered. Similar results were recorded between 2007 and 2011, following the launch of the improved Version 4, with approximately 350 being sold. Power consumption for the newest model (Version 4) has been reduced by approximately 40% compared to the Version 3 machine. In addition, cycle time has been drastically improved with the latest version about 14% (about one sec) faster than the previous version. The current model is highly versatile and compact, capable of producing an extensive range of containers from 50-ml (12 cavities) to 7-L (one cavity) for food, beverages, personal-care, household, automotive, and industrial markets. The ASB-70DPH has 70 tons of clamping force and is capable of producing up to 4,500 containers/hr depending on size and cavitation.
ASB manufactures the machine semi-complete at its wholly-owned facility in Mumbai, India (ASB International) and then completes and tests at the corporate headquarters in Komoro, Japan. The company will commemorate the sale of the 1,000th ASB-70DPH machine with a special event later this spring.
About Nissei ASB Co.
Nissei ASB Company in Atlanta, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan’s Nissei ASB Machine Co. Ltd., based in Nagano Prefecture, is a leading manufacturer of one-step and two-step stretch-blow molding machines for the production of PET containers for the food, beverage, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The Atlanta office is responsible for all U.S. & Canadian territories and offers sales and marketing, technical service, spare parts, container design, demonstration machines, and customer training. In addition to the main office and plant in Japan, Nissei has manufacturing in Mumbai, India, and Shanghai, China. The company has 80 installation sites and more than 550 machines installed in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, call (404) 699-7755 or visit www.nissei-asbus.com.
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By Steve Toloken | PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
Posted January 20, 2011
Ichiro Mizuuchi, managing director of Nissei ASB Machine Co. Ltd., at the company’s Plastivision booth
MUMBAI, INDIA (Jan. 20, 4:55 p.m. ET) — Hoping to capture more of the growing Indian market and tap into lower-cost research and development, Japanese blow molding equipment maker Nissei ASB Machine Co. Ltd. is investing more than $22 million to double the size of its factory near Mumbai in Maharashtra.
The Indian market for Nissei’s machinery remained strong even as world markets sputtered in the global recession, and there is still significant potential to convert products packaged in glass and other materials to PET, said Ichiro Mizuuchi, managing director of Nissei’s India subsidiary, in a Jan. 20 interview at a trade show in Mumbai.
“Very fortunately, the Indian market did not have any recession,” Mizuuchi said.
He was interviewed at the company’s booth at the Plastivision show, held Jan. 20-24 in Mumbai.
Nissei broke ground in December, and plans to finish the expansion by October 2012, boosting employment from about 700 to more than 1,000 and expanding capacity for making blow molding machines by 65 percent, he said. The company currently makes about 400 machines a year there.
The expansion will also double its capacity for manufacturing molds to about 2,000 molds a year, Mizuuchi said.
Nissei set up the Mumbai facility in 2000, primarily as a lower-cost manufacturing spot, he said. That remains a significant reason for the factory — about 65 percent of what Mumbai makes is shipped to the company’s headquarters in Nagano, Japan, to be sent around the world.
But sales within India have grown substantially, from only about 10 percent of the Mumbai’s operations in 2000 to 35 percent now, he said.
The Indian market for PET packaging is similar to the U.S. market 30 or more years ago, before there was significant switching of products to PET, he said.
If measured by market, Nissei said, India uses PET in bottles and packaging in only about 20 percent of the applications used in mature markets in the U.S. and Japan.
And if measured per capita, the gap is much wider — the average Indian uses only about 1/40th of the PET of the average American, Mizuuchi said.
That’s huge potential, he noted, although he said India will not switch to PET as rapidly as the U.S. did, where for example 80 percent of peanut butter jars switched to PET in one year.
The switch is expected to be slower because so much of the population in India is very poor and uses very inexpensive packaging like plastic bags or pouches to buy small amounts of milk or liquids, he said.
“Over the next 20-30 years, they will buy this type of PET packaging” he said. “But it will take time.”
Still, he said given the sheer size of India’s population, with 1.2 billion people, even a relatively small shift such as another 10 percent of the population using PET bottles is a significant market. And the pace of change in India is accelerating, he said.
“That is why there is huge potential here and why we are concentrating on India,” Mizuuchi said.
Beyond production, Nissei sees significant potential to tap into India’s technical skills and do more research and development work there, he said.
The new factory space will give Nissei more room to do R&D, and possibly create round-the-clock engineering in shifts, he said. It will also expand the range of models Nissei can produce in India, broadening beyond the simpler machines it produces there now, he said.
The Japanese headquarters will continue to make machines India cannot, such as those for medical markets, hot fill or specialty markets, in particular, he said.
Mizuuchi said he wanted to take advantage of the exhibition to demonstrate how the firm intends to expand its capabilities in India.
Nissei brought to its booth in Mumbai one of the company’s larger Japanese-made specialty machines, its model 650 EXHD used for making 5-gallon polycarbonate water bottles. “I am telling the customer we will be able to make this type of machine in India after the new factory space is built,” he said. “We are looking for the future to make specialized machines in India.”
ASB Company personnel will be present at NovaPack2011, we look forward to seeing you there January 26-27, 2011.
The seminar is set to highlight resin overcapacity, the trend towards container lightweighting, challenges from bio-based materials and reduced consumer demand for bottled water, and energy drinks and carbonated beverages have put the PET industry at a crucial point in its development. Will it opt to continue the recent spate of market consolidations as the primary strategy to revive profitability? Or, will stakeholders become convinced that investment in new technology innovation is the preferred route to achieving more enduring positive results? This is the overriding challenge facing PET industry leaders as they gather for NOVA-PACK 2011, The 27th International Conference on PET Containers for Food & Beverages on January 26-27 at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida, USA.
