(K-Interview) OQ develops more sustainable but also highly functional packaging solutions
OQ showed its expanded product portfolio at K 2022, including new molding grades for rigid packaging as well as multilayer and monolayer solutions for flexible food packaging, with the “hero” product Luban HP2151T in the spotlight.
As introduced, Luban HP2151T is a high-flow reactor (60 MFI) grade PP homopolymer targeting thin wall packaging applications, which delivers a multitude of benefits.
It is an outstanding addition to the company’s great portfolio, giving the advantages of not just aesthetic, but also energy saving and cycle time reduction during production, explained Trevor Robinson, Global Head of Marketing, Polymer Marketing, OQ, in an online interview with Adsale Plastics Network (AdsaleCPRJ.com).
Trevor Robinson talked us through OQ’s development plans to boost sustainable packaging and emphasized, in addition to sustainability, functionality and efficiency are also important criteria in the company’s product design and development process in order to add value to its customers and the market.
“Look, sustainability is a main leg and right across the aspect, but not just the design of the product, actually a business activity that is more sustainable,” he said. “We do, of course, design our products to be recycled, but that is only one aspect of your responsibility.”
Luban HP2151T for thin wall packaging was the solution highlight of OQ at K 2022, which drew high interest from visitors.
When sharing about the trends for the packaging industry in Asia, Dr Ali Al Lawati, Vice President Global Sales, OQ Polymer Marketing, remarked the increasing use of recycled materials and growing interest in biodegradable materials.
“There is a hunger for more sustainability, cost reduction, and stronger and lighter materials. We see this trend actually coming up specifically in Northeast Asia and China. We also see there is a lot of push for single material,” he added.
Regarding the European market, Ali Al Lawati commented that it is a resilient market in which the policymakers are always fast in responding to challenges. He also noticed that certain actions have been taken to address the recent spike in energy prices.
Ali Al Lawati underscored that OQ has a brilliant workforce and strong stakeholders to deal with critical situations. Besides, he mentioned that the OQ is a global integrated energy company that have businesses across upstream to retail, so it is able to take advantage of economy of scale.
Meanwhile, Trevor Robinson added that agility is another competitive advantages of the company. Luban HP2151T, which was delivered to the market from concept within three to four months, was quoted as an example.
The particular grade was initially planned to be put on a particular platform, but the development team listened to customers, and it was eventually put on a different platform that was still able to meet the requirements of what the team had wanted to achieve, according to Trevor Robinson.
