US food can shipments slip in first quarter

Steel Packaging Related News:: "Shipments of cans in the US in the first quarter suffered a 2.9 percent fall compared with the same period in 2008, according to figures released by the Can Manufacturers Institute. 

For all categories of cans, quarterly shipments fell by almost a billion to 29.5 billion, with food cans showing the biggest sector decline of 6.2 percent to 6.17 billion. Only sector to show an increase was in beer cans, which were up by 1.7 percent to 7.96 billion. Cans used by soft drinks producers were down by 2.7 percent to 14.28 billion. Overall beverage can shipments were down 1.2 percent. It is thought that the drop in shipments between the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 for food cans, most of which are made from steel, is a result of sharp rises in the cost of tinplate that came in at the beginning of the year. Some tinplate manufacturers introduced prices rises of up to 50 percent. In the fourth quarter of 2008, shipments of steel food cans were up by 6.9 percent to 7.5 billion and, at 29.6 billion for the year, posting a year-on-year increase of 1.3 percent, suggesting that canmakers had shipped stock in advance of the tinplate price rises"

Metal packaging industry hits back at recycled content bill

packagingnews.co.uk: "Metal packaging recycling bodies have blasted calls for minimum recycled content legislation as counterproductive to reducing the total use of primary material.

Southampton Test MP Dr Alan Whitehead proposed a Bill last week that called for minimum levels of recyclate to be established, but Alupro and Corus Steel Packaging Recycling said that end-of-life recycling was a much better measure of success as recycled material was pooled to use in a range of applications.

Rick Hindley, Alupro executive director, told Packaging News metals should be recycled on a 'material-to-material and not product-to-product basis' to ensure a reduction in overall primary aluminium use."

New training facility aims to drive food sector innovation

Food production daily: "A recently opened UK university based food packaging and processing training factory, supported by equipment manufacturers and organisations, is aimed at food sector employees.

The £3.5m National Centre for Food Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln’s Holbeach campus will offer training opportunities from tailored short courses to degree programmes for staff at all levels in the food processing industry, claims its Dean, Val Braybrooks.

She said that the Centre will also support the university in its efforts to further research and innovation in the area of food packaging and processing automation"

Campbell’s wants your packaging ideas!

Blog on Packaging Digest: "Campbell Soup Company is inviting scientists, entrepreneurs and inventors to submit their ideas via a new Web site called “Campbell’s Ideas for Innovation.” The site, which can be accessed at www.campbellideas.com, has been established to provide an easy way for people to submit their innovative ideas to Campbell for evaluation.

Campbell is focused on generating ideas in the areas of new products, packaging innovation, product line extensions, environmental sustainability, business processes and marketing. The company also is interested in new technologies related to sodium reduction, vegetable nutrition and healthier fats and oils."

China Japanese tinplate operations on track to recovery

Steel Guru: "Tex Report reported that China's Japanese affiliated tinplate manufacturers Guangzhou Pacific Tinplate Co and Fujian Sino-Japan Metal Corp are on track to a recovery of their operations from April onward. Patin is affiliated with Nippon Steel Corp and SJ Metal with JFE Steel Corp.

At present, both Patin and SJ Metal are operating at 60% of capacity for monthly production of around 6,000 tonnes. But their production is forecast to recover each to a monthly level of 10,000 tonnes in April with operations at 70% to 80% of capacity. As a result, they have requested increased supplies of TMBP from their parent companies Nippon Steel and JFE Steel after a long interval."

In China, tinplate demand for milk powder cans once took a nosedive in relation to problems with melamine mixed milk powders distributed at home. At the time, tinplate demand for beverage cans was falling as well. Of late, though, tinplate demand for milk powder cans has begun to arise again, while tinplate demand for beverage cans has trended upward toward summertime. Milk powder cans and beverage cans belong to the field of high-grade cans that are made of tinplate. Accordingly, Patin and SJ Metal see a favorable environment for their operations that could enter a full production system in the July to September quarter as tinplate demand is expected to increase from May onward too.

Baosteel Co Ltd executed a cumulative price increase of as large as CNY 3,000 per tonne in its domestic sales of tinplate for shipments in December last year and January this year.

ORG Can Manufacturing

China Daily: "At 70, she is chairwoman of China's largest privately owned can manufacturer, with annual sales of an estimated 1.5 billion yuan ($210 million) and an annual growth rate of 30 percent.

Although she has not been listed in Forbes magazine as one of China's wealthiest women, Guan may be the richest self-made Chinese woman who started a business when she was nearly 60 years old.

Guan's ORG Can Manufacturing Inc now dominates China's metal packaging industry. With more than 10 domestic branches, her biggest clients include Red Bull, the energy drink from Thailand, the JDB Group, a private beverage company best known in China for its popular herbal tea Wang Laoji, and Xinjiang Chalkis Co ltd, the world's second largest processor of canned tomatoes."

For example, Guan said, ORG used "double reduced tinplate" which makes the can much lighter, a cost savings for Xinjiang Chalkis Co. Ltd in canning tomatoes.

In 1994, Guan heard that Red Bull was planning to set up a factory in Hainan. A brand new company, she was competing with 100 other can manufacturers nationwide.

Tetra Pak cuts carbon emissions 12% despite production growth

packagingnews.co.uk: "Tetra Pak has presented its progress in meeting carbon emission reduction targets to the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Savers programme at a meeting at Capitol Hill this month.

The Swedish aseptic carton manufacturer reported a 12% reduction in carbon emissions on 2005 figures, despite production growth during this period.

Energy use, meanwhile, remained stable between 2002 and 2008 despite a 32% growth in packaging production.
Tetra Pak director recycling and supply chain support, environment Mario Abreu said the company was 'on track' to reduce its carbon footprint and meet its 'ambitious emissions reduction goals'.

The company committed to reducing carbon emissions by 10% in absolute terms by 2010 when it was invited by the WWF to become a climate savers partner in 2006"