Reaching milestones

Interior view of CMP’s Cajamar plant

Brazil’s Companhia Metalgraphica Paulista (CMP) is upgrading its food and chemical lines in its centenary year. David Hayes reports 

 

Brazil’s three-piece can industry has entered a new development phase, as several leading steel can manufacturers upgrade and expand their production facilities in response to growing consumer  demand  for  products supplied in sustainable metal packaging.

Companies installing new equipment to boost output include one of the country’s biggest food and  chemical  can manufacturers, Companhia Metalgraphica Paulista (CMP), which is currently celebrating its centenary year mid-way through a major plant upgrade and production expansion programme. CMP is targeting double digit production growth and record can sales in 2024 as demand for metal packaging continues to grow countrywide. “We produced almost 150 million cans in 2023 and our projection for this year is that this number will be exceeded,” commented Jose Villela Andrade, vice president of the company.

“We hope to reach the milestone of 170 million cans in 2024 due to the investments we are making in new packaging lines and in expanding our production capacity.”

Founded in 1924 in Minas Gerais state, CMP is Brazil’s oldest and one of its three largest food and chemical can manufacturers. The company’s Cajamar plant, opened in 2013 and located at its Sao Paulo headquarters, is equipped with chemical can lines and large lithographic facilities, while food cans along with some chemical cans are produced at the Anapolis plant in Goias.

In addition to its Sao Paolo administrative centre, CMP operates a distribution centre in Criciuma, Santa Catarina, while client support, including cutting and varnishing services, is provided by its customer service centre in Barra do Pirai, in Rio de Janeiro.

Consumption of canned goods has risen in Brazil during the past few years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused many families to stock up with canned food and other household items, fearing sudden supply shortages.

CMP’s senior management (father and son). Left: Villela de Andrade Neto, president. Right: José Villela de Andrade, vice president

“The Covid-19 pandemic has brought an increase in the consumption of canned food due to several benefits, including the high nutritional quality of canned food and easy storage without the need for refrigeration and food safety measures,” Andrade said. “Canned foods such as tomatoes, grains and dairy products are associated with higher product quality.

“This is proven when we compare the same products packed in plastic packaging such as pouches. These require the use of additives and lower amounts of nutrients; they have a shorter shelf life and lower food quality.”

CMP’s Anapolis can plant is equipped with five can assembly lines, including two lines to produce 73-diametre food cans, an 83-diametre line for both food and chemical cans, and an 18-litre chemical can assembly line.

Andrade noted that the Anapolis plant also recently has commissioned a fifth can assembly line which has been installed to make 155-diametre cans in heights ranging from 152 to 226mm, designed to hold either food or chemical products.

“Food products we expect to be packed in our new 155 cans include vegetables, such as tomatoes, peas, corn and mixed vegetables; also, mixed fruit salads and meat products such as corned beef and cubed beef,” Andrade said.

CMP’s 73×71 and 73×136 cans generally are used to fill with chemical products such as paints and glue. However, Andrade remarked that the 73×75 and 73×84 cans also are used by some customers to fill with food such as cereals (peas and corn) and tomato-based products. Andrade added: “We also have the 73×80 cans that are used for packaging milk-based food products; for example, condensed milk or crème de leche.”

CMP’s ongoing plant upgrade and expansion programme has increased the firm’s total annual production capacity to 350 million cans, of which food cans comprise 250 million units and chemical cans 100 million units.

To introduce the new 155-diametre can size, CMP has installed a complete dedicated 155 assembly line along with automatic double scissors to cut 155 can bodies, a handle application machine for 155 cans, a 155 can ring seamer, an external varnish touch- up application system and an electro-welder for welding ears on 155 cans.

Other new equipment CMP has installed over the past two years includes machinery to produce chemical cans. A five-litre can body electro-welder and a portal press line for bottom printing one gallon and quarter-gallon cans were installed in 2023, Andrade said.

“All our can lines are made up of high-quality performance equipment from renowned global equipment manufacturers,” he commented.

Brazilian companies supporting CMP’s growing production operations include Metalitho, a Sao Paolo-based  can making and offset printing technology consultancy and equipment supplier. Metalitho was involved in the supply of the Cajamar plant’s state-of-the-art four-colour printing press with UV technology. Consultancy services provided include four-colour pre-press management, staff training, printing proofs using digital technology and printing process management.

Metalitho, in addition, acts as a representative of the Dugraf Group in supplying CMP with high- performance printing blankets manufactured by German group Continental.

Other new equipment recently installed at CMP’s Cajamar plant and Barra do Pirai service centre includes a varnishing line and a bi-colour printer with UV LED curing, which is used mostly to make chemical cans. “By using UV LED technology, we can reduce the processing time of printing on metal sheets, eliminating the need to use natural resources such as natural gas,” Andrade explained. “By cutting VOC emissions, reducing electricity consumption and decreasing maintenance costs, we are gaining these benefits and directly contributing to reducing our company’s carbon footprint.”

Digital printing is useful for when customers request short production runs. “[This] allows printing in smaller batches without long setup times,” Andrade said. “We have been developing varnishes and inks with a Brazilian partner for UV-LED curing and varnish for UV curing in direct application to the substrate on a surface with corona treatment.”

Digital printing facilities also enable CMP to introduce new customer services, such as QR code printing. “Through the use of a unique QR code on each can or package, the consumer can scan the code and access a digital portal with solutions such as Points Program, Tutorial Videos, SAC, FAQ, Teleservice and many others,” Andrade said.

“Also, as each QR code is unique to the individual package, by reading a code it is possible to individually identify each can, allowing complete traceability of the product.”

Consumption of metal packaging is rising in Brazil due to greater government support and consumer preference for recyclable metal cans to replace plastic packaging.

Public concern over the growing amount of waste plastic packaging being produced each year has caused Brazil to adopt measures designed to curb plastic waste and encourage development of more advanced plastic recycling systems. “This trend will strengthen the steel can chain, since steel packaging is easier to recycle and can be endlessly processed,” Andrade said.

In addition to increased demand for food cans, CMP is reporting higher demand for three- piece chemical cans. The firm’s Cajamar plant is equipped with six chemical can lines that produce one gallon, quarter-gallon, five-litre, 16-litre and 18-litre cans, and buckets.

Consumption of chemical cans increased during the Covid pandemic as large numbers of homebound families spent more time completing delayed domestic maintenance tasks.“There was an increase in demand for cans in small sizes, driven by the ‘do it yourself’ (DIY) trend in the real estate segment,” Andrade said.

“Total consumption of metal packaging has gained greater relevance due to consumer awareness of more sustainable and recyclable products,” Andrade said. “The consumer’s perception at the time of purchase is that a product in metal packaging is of higher quality compared to the same product in plastic packaging.

“In the paint segment, the steel can is unbeatable due to its stackability. This allows paint distributors to save space and storage costs.”

Cans on pallets ready to ship to customers

To provide paint manufacturers with more packaging sizes for the DIY paint market, CMP is developing a new three-litre paint can size with an American closure to launch this year, as part of plans to increase its range of paint pot sizes. “The house paint market is trending toward an increasingly greater variety in the number of brand labels and smaller production runs, given the wide variation offered,” Andrade remarked.

“To meet this demand, we have invested in digital printing, allowing us to serve small production runs with the high-quality traditional printing process. The paint market has been dividing its volumes a lot and this digital technology fully meets this demand.”

Meanwhile, CMP continues to match its investments in raising product quality and manufacturing efficiency with efforts to enhance long-term working relationships with clients.

“Our customers are increasingly connected with us, we have been investing in information systems to accelerate this connectivity,” Andrade commented. “We are optimistic about business prospects, mainly due to the great environmental appeal that steel packaging has as it is infinitely recyclable. “The government’s great concern about micro-plastics will make the most ecologically committed companies look for packaging originating from permanent materials such as steel.”

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