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Two projects are under way at , Holland, Ohio, a leader in PET package development. One is intended to help PET bottle makers reduce their energy costs by designing custom plans for processors. This involves a careful analysis of all bottle manufacturing stages at the customer. This includes preform and bottle production, supply and quality of compressed air, machine conditions and capabilities, blowing cycle review, oven setup, process development, and package performance validation. “Companies go out of their way to drive weight out of bottles, but they often overlook the significant amount of energy waste that occurs when running the equipment,” says Donald Miller, v.p. of technical services. “Depending on how inefficient energy usage is, this can be a gold mine of ‘found money’ for the company.”

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A particular focus of PTI’s energy review is compressed-air usage. Miller says, “The key to creating a successful energy reduction program is to consider air delivery and air demand requirements at the same time. In the past, companies have tended to focus on these as separate areas and not in concert with one another. Using a systems approach is the key to optimizing operational improvements.”

Another new initiative by PTI is becoming the exclusive U.S. representative for several PET processing technologies developed by of Tokyo. One of the areas that the two companies will be working together on is new foamed PET bottle technology which produces lightweight containers with good barrier attributes and unusual visual and tactile properties. The companies will unveil more details about the new technology—and its potential impact on beverage packaging in the U.S.—in the coming months. They also will reveal other PET technologies to be marketed here.