Hindustan Tin Works considers plant in south India

The Canmaker: "India’s leading canmaking company Hindustan Tin Works Ltd (HTWL) is considering the setting up of a plant in the south of the sub-continent.

Sanjay Bhatia, managing director of HTWL (pictured), told Hindu Business Line that demand for tin cans has been growing as a result of the export of mango pulp and coffee from the southern markets. 'The idea to set up a plant is yet to crystallise, as we are considering the cost benefit analysis,' he said."

Bhatia added that the recent budget announcements were expected to "give a fillip to the food processing industry" by setting up food parks.

"Currently 30 percent of the fruits and vegetables produced in the country goes to waste due to lack of good storage and food processing units. Only about 6 percent of fruit is packaged. With the setting up of food parks this would go up to 20 percent," he said.

Latinusa Shares Fall After Net Income Declines 42%

Jakarta Globe: "Tinplate maker PT Pelat Timah Nusantara said on Tuesday that its net income for 2009 was Rp 42 billion ($4.58 million), a 42 percent fall from 2008’s Rp 72.7 billion. Revenue fell to Rp 1.18 trillion, from Rp 1.46 trillion in 2008. Latinusa did not elaborate on the reason for the declines.

The wider steel industry, of which tinplate is a part, has been badly affected by the global economic crisis. Plunging demand, due to manufacturers such as car makers slashing production, has led to big drops in prices.

Latinusa share’s closed down 10.5 percent to Rp 255 following the announcement. The company is 55 percent owned by a Japanese consortium led by Nippon Steel Corp. PT Krakatau Steel, Indonesia’s biggest maker of the metal, holds a 20.1 percent stake. "

Kazakhstan produces 566047 tonnes of crude steel in 2 months

Steel Guru :: "Interfax quoted the State Statistics Agency said Kazakhstan produced 566,047 tonnes of crude steel in January to February as much as in the same period of last year.

According to the report, output of flat steel products fell 12.8%YoY to 405,122 tonnes overall, including 28,755 tonnes of tin plate and tin-plated sheet, a 40.3% increase, and 83,141 tonnes of galvanized steel up by 11%."

Korean tinplate prices to rise

Factiva: "Korea’s Dongbu Steel has decided to lift domestic prices of its tinplate and tin-free steel by KRW 70,000/tonne ($61/t) from 15 March. This follows Posco’s decision to raise its blackplate prices by KRW 50,000/t ($43/t) to KRW 900,000/t ($789/t) from 4 March. Posco is Korea’s only blackplate supplier.

Dongbu will not reveal its new list prices but Steel Business Briefing learns from market sources that the Seoul-based sheet producer’s new base price for tinplate (0.3mm thick) will be around KRW 1.3m/t ($1,140/t).

Korea’s other major tinplate maker, TCC Steel, based in Pohang near Busan, is still deciding when it might raise prices and by how much. A decision will be made within this month, a company source says. TCC is the former Dongyang Tinplate."

Though Posco’s prices of blackplate have increased, the mill’s deliveries to domestic consumers including Dongbu and TCC are likely to remain insufficient. “Supplies of both blackplate and tinplate were tight through almost all of last year,” a source from a major tinplate mill tells SBB. He adds this was because a shortage of hot coils last year led Posco to reduce supplies of blackplate and not because of strong tinplate demand among Korean end-users.

Last year, Posco produced only 649,996 t of blackplate, down by 14% compared with 754,840 t from a year earlier, according to Korea Iron & Steel Association. As a result, Korea’s total output of tinplate including TFS during the same period declined by 3% to 608,152 t year-on-year.

United Biscuits snubs Courtauld 2 after 13% packaging reduction

packagingnews.co.uk: "United Biscuits has today published a two-year update on its environmental commitments that include a 13% reduction in packaging compared to 2003 measured on its packaging recovery note data.

The firm's target is for a 20% reduction by 2015. Last year, it reduced the thickness of snacks film by 17% to save 200 tonnes of packaging that reduced its packaging by 200 tonnes and saved 22 tonnes by reducing the volume of its mini biscuits bags by 30%.

The Masterpieces selection box has also been changed from a tin to a cartonboard box"

Government consults on packaging landfill ban

packagingnews.co.uk: "The government has launched a consultation that could lead to an end to sending packaging to landfill for disposal.

The 'Consultation on the introduction of restrictions on the landfilling of certain wastes' was launched yesterday by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government to look at the environmental impact of restricting biodegradable and recyclable waste from landfill.

The consultation asks for views on banning a range of materials from landfill including card and paper, metals, plastics, glass and wood, as well as food waste.
It also looks at how waste infrastructure would need to change to accomodate banning materials."

Wrap Report

PepsiCo targets 160k-tonne packaging savings

packagingnews.co.uk: "PepsiCo has committed to reducing packaging weight by 350m lb (159,000 tonnes) by 2012 and will continue to expand the use of recycled PET for its soft drinks bottles.

Click here to read the Pepsi's list of commitments."