Choosing the right equipment supplier to successfully integrate more rPET material into your packaging
The shift to recycled PET (rPET) is more than just a trend – it’s a strategic, cost-effective move that aligns with consumer demand. Transitioning to rPET, however, is not without its challenges. From technical complexities to material variability, the process often requires advanced technology and expertise.
Many leading brands and producers are now leveraging strategic supplier collaborations to navigate these hurdles and turn them into opportunities for innovation and growth. But how do you identify the right supplier for your rPET needs?
In this article, we explore five critical questions to ask when evaluating potential rPET solution suppliers, helping you assess capabilities, ensure a smooth transition, and position your business for success.
How deep is their technical expertise?
Transitioning to rPET presents technical challenges, the most significant being material variability and its effect on processing parameters that can result in part quality issues. To overcome these challenges, any potential equipment supplier must have proven expertise processing diverse rPET compositions and grades, ensuring consistent quality even when faced with material variability.
Look out for a track record of successful implementations in applications similar to yours, supported by measurable outcomes that demonstrate an ability to navigate industry-specific demands.
In particular, they should excel at:
- Mitigating process inconsistencies
- Addressing variability issues
- Producing high quality parts consistently
A deep understanding of process optimization is also critical. The ideal equipment supplier won’t just troubleshoot production issues – they should proactively recommend and implement tailored solutions to optimize your operations.
It’s also important that the capabilities of any prospective equipment supplier span the entire production process, from material assessment to final product performance. This will ensure that your transition to rPET does not compromise efficiency, part quality, or cost-effectiveness.
How do they handle process integration?
Success in rPET implementation is about more than just technology – it’s about finding a supplier who is fully committed to your long-term success. While technical expertise provides the foundation, the ability to seamlessly integrate rPET into your existing operations determines the true value.
Ideally, you will want a supplier that takes a holistic approach, addressing every aspect of the transition, including incorporating this new capability into existing infrastructure, proper auxiliary set-up, process optimization, and long-term support. This means moving beyond one-size-fits-all solutions to offer tailored approaches that address your unique operational requirements, including:
- A comprehensive integration plan: Based on a thorough assessment of your current systems and processes to ensure a smooth shift to up to 100% rPET production.
- Knowledge transfer: After providing initial training, a real supplier should also support ongoing education, enabling your team to operate and optimize rPET production independently. This ensures your operation remains efficient and effective as technologies, applications, and industry demands evolve.
What quality monitoring systems do they offer?
When processing rPET material, its inherent variability makes quality control critical. Consistent, high-quality output requires robust systems that can address these challenges while maintaining compliance with stringent industry standards.
The ideal supplier should offer comprehensive quality assurance protocols that emphasize early defect detection and prevention. This means leveraging advanced monitoring tools and testing capabilities tailored to your specific production needs – from raw material evaluation through to final product inspection.
Continuing to monitor for defects is important for success when integrating rPET into manufacturing, which can be achieved with integrated downstream monitoring equipment. This ensures the detection and correction of part quality issues before entering the supply chain. Such issues can include persisting solid contamination, black specs, bubbles, haziness, color variations, as well as injection defects on preform sealing surface and gate area. One example is the Intravis Premon Inspection system, which is capable of monitoring common rPET related defects and is integrated to work with Husky’s HyPET® preform injection molding platform. Color variation is another critical variable when processing rPET material. Husky has developed closed loop color correction capability that monitors and corrects preform color automatically in real time.
Operating at optimal standards while managing sustainability requirements requires a deeper level of understanding, not just of the complete molding process, but of the unique considerations of running rPET material. Holistic monitoring of the entire production process is the last vital step to achieving quality, consistent system performance. A real-time equipment monitoring system enables proactive intervention to correct issues before performance is affected. Husky’s Advantage+EliteTM proactive, predictive, transparent monitoring solution is able to detect changes in part quality and cycle time by monitoring leading system variables to identify the root cause of issues. By optimizing the process to manage conditions, world class OEE standards can be maintained while producing rPET preforms.
How robust is their support infrastructure?
Even the most advanced injection molding systems require strong, ongoing support to sustain optimal performance. With that in mind, an equipment supplier’s support infrastructure should go beyond basic maintenance to provide comprehensive, responsive assistance that ensures operations run smoothly and efficiently. This should include:
- Fast response time: When issues arise, your supplier should provide fast, reliable support to minimize costly downtime and keep your operations on track.
- Preventative maintenance: Support shouldn’t be focused on reacting to problems. The ideal supplier will offer proactive maintenance programs designed to prevent issues before they occur. These programs should not only maintain equipment, but also extend its lifespan and improve performance through regular monitoring, updates, cleaning, and servicing.
- High-quality technical support: Accessible and knowledgeable technical teams are essential. Your supplier should have a deep understanding of production with rPET and your specific operational needs. They should also go beyond troubleshooting, offering process optimization, performance analysis, and continuous improvement to keep your production running efficiently.
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Real-world implementation A major North American water bottle producer faced processing challenges, instability, and variation in one of their facilities and suspected rPET material quality as the root cause. Husky experts performed an rPET quality evaluation and graded various resin characteristics. Their evaluation revealed issues with the resin’s intrinsic viscosity and Acetaldehyde levels. To mitigate any further issues, the producer stopped using this batch of resin and to avoid future cost and production issues, implemented the step of an rPET quality evaluation to their process before purchasing large batches of resin. |
Are they driving innovation or following the industry?
The best suppliers don’t just follow industry trends – they lead the way with forward-thinking solutions and continuous innovation.
When choosing an OEM equipment supplier, consider their history of research and development. Do they have a proven track record of early adoption and successful implementation of cutting-edge solutions that improve efficiency and sustainability? A truly innovative supplier will focus on delivering tangible results – enhancing performance, reducing costs, and achieving sustainability goals.
In addition to technology, an equipment supplier should have strong expertise and experience in packaging design and development, particularly when working with rPET based applications. Recycled packaging can contain varying percentages of rPET material and it’s important to work with a supplier that can navigate the complexities of this material to enable the production of high performing, high quality, robust, and durable rPET packaging.
It’s important to note that an adaptable supplier should also be able to guide you through shifting regulatory landscapes and changing market demands. Their development roadmap should align with emerging sustainability goals and anticipate future requirements, ensuring that your rPET investment remains viable and competitive as industry standards and legislations evolve.
Start your rPET transition now
Reach out to our team of rPET experts to learn how our proven solutions can guide you through a successful rPET transition. Book an assessment, and we'll evaluate your packaging needs, recommend tailored strategies and help you achieve both sustainability and operational efficiency