(Interview) SACMI to unveil digitized HDPE plastic closures system with smart services
Due to the postponement of CHINAPLAS 2022 physical exhibition, SACMI will be presenting its new 4.0 line for manufacturing HDPE plastic closures and all its latest products and services on the WeChat platform.
The new 4.0 line presented by the Italian group is digitally controlled and equipped with a number of new innovations.
It offers the following main benefits, among others: it prevents operating errors and detects process parameter drifts; increases uptime, minimizes maintenance interventions; and guarantees accurate control on the whole surface of the cap, both internal and external.
Armando Pratella, SACMI Imola Regional Manager, Rigid Packaging Technologies Business Unit and Sacmi Shanghai President, says, “As manufacturers around the world face unprecedented challenges, we have long identified digitalization as a key to successfully overcome obstacles, and we have fully incorporated it in our latest innovation.”
SACMI is a leading cap-making technology provider inChina, covering over 70% of the market. As a result, it is a partner for customers looking to complete the digital transition of their rigid packaging operations.
The 4.0 line for manufacturing HDPE plastic closures from SACMI is equipped with numerous digital controls.
High-speed preform inspection system
Pratella also recommends industry players to check out SACMI’s new vision system for offline inspection of PET preforms: the PVS10L. This inspection system takes advantage of the latest automation solution, artificial intelligence algorithms, and polarized light to inspect preforms at high speed.
“We want to show you how you can concretely take advantage of the opportunities within the digital revolution, making the processes of SACMI lines more efficient and profitable,” Pratella adds. “We also want to show how SACMI interprets the digitalization of process and the strategy behind our recent proposals.”
Cloud-based smart functions boost quality and efficiency
According to Pratella, SACMI’s digital offer covers both the machines and the services.
“If we look to the next-gen extruders, the latest onboard digital controls, and integrated computer vision systems, it’s clear that profitability is the first key indicator boosted by these solutions,” he explains. “We see the benefits of this new manufacturing in the quality, efficiency, and ease of use for the operators.”
Specifically, SACMI’s new Smart Pack and Smart Care services provide a set of functions that make plant maintenance more efficient, proactive, and predictive in the face of frequent product-format changeovers. These functions also help workers troubleshoot problems, such as processing incorrect resin and cooling circuit issues.
With Smart Care, the customer’s plant goes cloud-based, allowing for digital proactive problem-solving. In short, this means more accurate, finely-targeted management of predictive maintenance.
Armando Pratella, SACMI Imola Regional Manager, Rigid Packaging Technologies Business Unit and Sacmi Shanghai President.
Gear up for a circular economy
Being a major global provider of rigid packaging technologies, SACMI focuses on constant innovation, aiming to create tangible and measurable competitive advantages for its customers in terms of product quality and process efficiency.
SACMI’s latest solutions for circular economy help to reduce raw material and energy consumption without compromising on performance. Two examples are the returnable PET and the diffusion of the new tethered standards.
“Among the many challenges the industry faces, one of the most topical concerns is the need to make the plastic & rubber world the fulcrum - not the target - of the sustainability transition,” he comments.
China’s buoyant market
Regarding the Chinese market, Pratella says China was the first country to be hit by the pandemic but also the first to bounce back with “dynamism and propensity for innovation that is difficult to see elsewhere”.
He adds that SACMI’s offer is fine-tuned to the practical needs of its Chinese customers, who are increasingly attentive to the quality and the profitability of their investments. Moreover, with positive feedback from partners already using SACMI’s new technologies successfully worldwide, he is confident that they will greatly benefit its Chinese customers.
