Stronger than ever before
CMI’s Scott Breen addresses the audience as the first keynote speaker, on 31 October
The 2023 edition of Asia CanTech marked the show’s biggest year yet, with record attendance and incredible feedback after a packed and diverse conference programme and, as always, valuable business conducted
At the end of October 2023, we returned once more to the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok, Thailand, for the three-day Asia CanTech event.
Registration opened on Monday 30 October, and also saw the opening of tabletops, as well as presentation rehearsals for the conference. The exhibition space in the hotel was expanded this year due to feedback from 2022’s show about the hall becoming cramped during peak times. Therefore we were pleased to open Halls 1 and 2, to provide easier flow of traffic for all.
Day two, Tuesday 31 October, marked the start of the 2023 conference programme. This year, we received an overwhelming demand for speaker slots and filled them all with a diverse scope of topics – ranging from inspection; coating; greener manufacturing; market trends; lubricants; handling; recycling rates; metal decorating; product innovation and much more.
As always, Neil McRitchie welcomed everyone back to the show for another successful year, before handing over to our first keynote, Scott Breen, who was then vice president of sustainability at the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) but has, since the show, been promoted to senior vice president of sustainability at the company.
Breen used his presentation to highlight CMI’s vision statement, which is to ensure the industry can compete in the US and globally, and that the metal can is recognised as the superior sustainable package. Breen also presented Grand View Research’s projected can industry growth figures from 2022 to 2030, for both the Asia Pacific and US metal cans markets – the US market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7 per cent, with Asia Pacific set to grow at a 6.6 per cent CAGR over the forecast period.
Breen also noted that, while the industry knows about metal’s infinitely recyclable and therefore sustainable qualities, the packaging type has actually been ranked low on sustainability by consumers (McKinsey Packaging Survey, March 2023). He noted how actor, Jason Momoa, had recently been attacked in the media about caring more for profits than saving the planet, through his canned water brand, Mananalu.
Breen highlighted that the solution to changing perception lies in the metal packaging sector creating global partnerships to strengthen funding, not only recycling infrastructure, but also consumer education. Breen highlighted CMI’s work with Scrap University Kids on the Million Cans Recycling Contest that is taking place between October 2023 and May 2024, encouraging school children to collect as many cans as possible and participate in a friendly recycling competition.
In terms of employee retention, the metal packaging industry should be a desirable career option, Breen commented, stating that “people want to work for businesses that do something good in the world.”
When speaking about recycling data in the US, “most of the loss is at the home,” Breen stated; with different recycling bin rules for each state, there is clearly confusion aplenty. If a good deposit return system scheme was introduced nationwide, recycling rates could jump by 48 per cent, he noted.
While Breen’s keynote mainly covered the US, our second keynote presentation at Asia CanTech led on to discussing aluminium beverage can recycling rates in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Adrine Thiban Arokiamsamy, regulatory affairs analyst at Crown Holdings, explored some of the findings from its study with the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), which has found that the recycling rates for Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are at 86, 93 and 90 per cent, respectively.
Arokiamsamy noted that all three nations are dependent on informal aluminium collection mechanisms, with litter pickers prevalent (66 per cent in Thailand), so this needs to be addressed going forward to further improve the environment of can collection, as well as general infrastructure for supporting it. Additionally, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is only going to be present in Vietnam from 2024, whereas the other two countries do not have EPR in place yet.
Crown’s recycling rate report identifies 25 levers to further increase recovery rates, both in countries relying on informal collection but also those with more elaborate recycling systems.
Arokiamsamy highlighted that a call for action would be set in motion at COP28, which we now know means that Crown has joined the IAI’s call to accelerate aluminium beverage can circularity worldwide (news of which is covered in this edition’s sustainability section).
The Asia CanTech exhibition was extended for 2023, into Halls 1 and 2, to allow for more walkway space. Pictured: PPG, OEE, CanNeed and Toyo Ink were some of the exhibitors in Hall 1
Belvac’s president, David Mammolenti, turned our attention to consumers of beverage cans. He raised a crucial point when he emphasised in his presentation, that, for metal as a packaging material to remain competitive, its sustainability credentials are not enough – it needs to “drive differentiation in its products” too – which is why Belvac has created a new carrier ring, lightweight aluminium bottle. Its unique feature, as Mammolenti explained, is that it can be filled on an existing PET line, allowing it to be a direct replacement for PET bottles.
Staying on the topic of aluminium bottles, Ulrich Gellings, sales director at Germany-based Mall + Herlan, announced a new modular necking machine that will debut in mid-2024. It features 72 stations as opposed to the company’s current 40, and will be capable of processing up to 250 aluminium bottles per minute. In addition, Mall + Herlan will introduce a postwasher that is capable of the same throughput, featuring five to eight different chambers. Gelling noted that the company’s newest development in impact extrusion bottles is a one litre container.
Presenting the subject of beverage can cleaning was Emily Mullins, global market strategy management for surface treatment solutions at Henkel. She gave an overview of the Bonderite C-IC 72000 series, which requires a lower operating temperature of 43°C (110°F), compared to the usual 60°C (140°F) of conventional cleaners. Mullins noted that the cleaner would be running in the Asia Pacific region in November 2023.
Yaser Hassan, then-regional sales manager at Pressco Technology, which had recently opened its new Thai service centre in Bangkok, presented what the ‘factory of the future’ could look like with the correct utilisation of automated data collection and analysis during the inspection process of a production line. Hassan also noted that Pressco is working with Tiama Inspection Worldwide, to bring enhanced traceability to cans.
In terms of training for the factory of the future, Paul Finnegan, chief commercial officer of UK-based Unimaq – which specialises in machines, spare parts and accessories for two-piece cans – showcased the company’s new virtual reality (VR) training programme, which can either replace or be implemented on top of on-site training. Finnegan explained that this technology has been developed alongside experts in the gaming industry. Trainees move up through programme levels, just like they would playing a video game, and the company is able to set goals, ie to achieve level seven by a certain date.
The audience was able to watch a walkthrough of the VR training. Finnegan noted that a background image can be added by user companies, to look exactly like the actual plant floor, in order to familiarise trainees with the environment they will be working in. Finnegan explained that knowledge retention of trainees is 75 per cent with VR, compared to 35 per cent retention in a classroom setting used for training.
Unimaq’s training programme looks to engage current and indeed future generations, which is something that Eduardo Alegria, global metal deco inks sales director from Sun Chemical, emphasised as paramount to being a market leader.
In Alegria’s presentation, which incorporated some humour and examples of alpha male gorillas, he stated that “finding the right partners to align yourself with” is crucial. Sun Chemical has collaborated with CGS Oris and X-Rite Pantone on a project called PantoneLive, which X-Rite Pantone’s senior solutions architect, Rafiq Mulla, expanded on in more detail during his presentation. PantoneLive uses cloud-based colour control to ensure colour consistency by creating a digital specification that is used by everyone on the PantoneLive platform.
Mulla explained that the can’s design is in essence “its advertising,” and if a consumer sees variation in colour of the same design on shelf, this will not only create doubt in the packaging, but also in the product and brand itself. With PantoneLive, accidental colour variation is eliminated. The platform is being utilised by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and AB InBev, noted Mulla.
As is evident from this review, the 2023 Asia CanTech conference proved that the industry is constantly accelerating and looking to innovate for the future of can makers worldwide.
Thank you to each and every one of our speakers for their participation this year.
Asia CanTech 2024
With another year concluded, and feedback forms completed, we are pleased to announce that the 2024 edition of Asia CanTech will be heading to Vietnam, from 21-23 October.
Registration is now open via asia-can.com and please email [email protected] for any further details or questions. After the huge success of this year’s event, next year can only be better, and we can’t wait to welcome you back.
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