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Packaging

drink Technology + Marketing · March 2012

nomic features like air-mould and soft touch grips. Schoeller Arca Systems' beverage crates also provide a vital tool for product branding and sales. Ad-vanced printing and manufacturing techniques enable customers to exploit the crates' inherent branding potential.

In addition, Schoeller Arca Systems has developed a range of products especially for the beverage industry: from the 4th generation beer crate to the Key Keg®.

?What are the special benefits

which your technology can offer?

!The bottle crate – whether used for

beer, soft drinks or other beverages – provides efficient storage and trans-portation of the products. Bottle crates are fully returnable, making them en vi-

ron mentally friendly with a life span of more than 10 years. Due to the ex per tise of Schoeller Arca Systems in re cy cling we are able to produce 60 – 70 % of our products in regranulated material.

Our technical design department works with customers' requirements to guarantee the most appropriate spec-i fication. Product testing in the design phase ensures the stability and durability of each crate.

A World of Design, Logistics and Packaging

Michael Rinderle, Managing Director of Schoeller Arca Systems International GmbH since 2008, took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Ian Healey for drink Technology + Marketing.

?drink Technology + Marketing:

Please give our readers some back­ground information to your company.

!Michael Rinderle: Schoeller Arca

Systems International GmbH, located in Munich/ Germany is a subsidiary of the Schoeller Arca Systems N.V. located in Zwolle/The Netherlands. Within this group we are responsible for the design of the segment bottle crates and pallets for the beverage industry.

In the aforesaid segment we are also in charge for the sales in all countries worldwide outside Europe.

Thanks to our throughout knowledge and more than 40 years of experience, we are able to design beverage articles and produce tools and hardware of unrivalled quality. These have been used worldwide in the manufacture of returnable packaging solutions.

?What is your product range for the

international market? (What can Schoeller Arca offer the global bev er­age industry?)

!As the leading producer of

returnable plastic packaging, Schoeller Arca Systems offers a broad range of options, all of which are designed to optimize handling. They form a compact, stable and secure unit to store and transport beverages; at the same time they are consumer-friendly with ergo-

Schoeller Arca Systems is global market leader in the field of plastic packaging systems,

committed to helping customers reduce their overall logistics costs and use packaging to

enhance their brand. Combining a global presence with fruitful local partnerships in over

50 countries, the company provides reliable, high quality plastic packaging systems and

services to a diverse range of industries. Beverages, automotive, agriculture, retail and postal

services, to name a few.

For Adelholzener Alpenquellen Schoeller

Arca Systems developed a new crate for their

12 x 0,75 l glass bottles.

Made by Schoeller: The world's first plastic

bottle crate for Henninger's malt beer, 1960.

Photos: Schoeller Arca Systems International GmbH

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Packaging

drink Technology + Marketing · March 2012

?How important is sustainability

for your company?

!In a world that depends upon lo gis-

tics and transport, all shipped in pack-aging materials, we need to reduce the en vi ron-mental stress caused by packaging waste. At Schoeller Arca Systems, we believe re turn able plastic pack ag ing systems are the an swer. We are at the door step of this revo-lu tion ary de vel op ment.

The use of plastic pack ag-ing is stimulated by environmental re-quire ments. Al though plastic packaging typically has a bad reputation in terms of sustainability, the opposite is in fact true. Returnable plastic packaging sys-tems are durable and last for many years and many jour neys. Above all, plastic packaging systems have a 100 % re cycling capa bility.

Schoeller Arca Systems offers its clients recycling knowledge and services. We offer full support and can take care of collecting, recycling and re-using the packaging units that are up for renewal. This is the only truly sustainable use of raw materials and natural resources in a world where logistics and packaging are on the increase.

To provide the best results, we can take care of every step of the packaging proc-ess by offering closed loop systems, i. e. we cover the logistics process from start to finish, right up to recycling.

We are making a solid statement towards the industry, their competitors, suppliers and customers. Our goal is to plant "SAS forests" all across Europe. The first "SAS forest" is located in Belgium. Schoeller Arca Systems has planted 104 trees in the first Schoeller Arca Systems forest. In total 1.660 trees will be planted. With the "SAS forests", we are sup-porting the United Nations goal to plant 14 billion trees worldwide.

?Is service also an important

theme?

!Offering unique and innovative

products is our ambition. At the core of our business is a relentless dedication to our customer's needs. As a committed

business partner, we take the time to sit down with our customers and study their requirements. Every aspect of a containers’ design is carefully con-sidered.

We help customers earn higher rates of return through the use of more efficient secondary pack-ag ing and generate higher revenues through more effective product branding. We design and manufacture innovative, high-quality plastic so-lu tions for industrial

and commercial use, and we provide customers with services that enhance the value of our physical products. Consulting is one such service. We are always on hand to give customers advice regarding all aspects of the logistics process, from design and quality speci-fications to the introduction of the new packaging.

?Do you see the cooperation be­

tween technology and marketing?

!Our bottle crates are an important

marketing tool for beverages in Europe. Due to various production techniques, e. g. silk screen printing, in-mould label decoration or multi component injection moulding we are able to offer several design options in different types of decoration. They are a durable packaging solution through the complete supply chain from the point of sale to the pri-vate household. The crate contributes to the awareness of the brand. There is a clear tendency to crate decorations beyond one color printing outside Europe. From our point of view there is a lot of potential as regards flexible crate decoration.

?How do you see our industry de­

vel oping in the next ten years?

!We have noticed within several

fields that the use of recycling resources is environmentally friendly. We are sure that returnable packaging solutions in closed loop systems are the technology of the future. Key No. 78386

The in-mould label technique enables a photographic presentation in high-quality. The Beck’s

20 x 0,5 l glass bottle crate was the precursor of this new crate generation.

"Thanks to our throughout knowledge and more than 40 years of experience, we are able to design beverage articles and produce tools and hardware of unrivalled quality."

MICHAEL RINDERLE, Managing Director of Schoeller Arca Systems International GmbH