Donora's nickname "home of the champions" proved to be as relevant today as it was in its 1950s heyday as the company's decision to locate there gave the community another chance.
While the well publicized difficulties of towns and communities throughout the rust belt are also true, the clear characteristics of hard work, loyalty and positivity shine through.
"Steel production started to decline from the early 1980s, and it was also that pollution became more of an issue throughout the valley. So the tone changed; people and families needed to leave to find jobs, and young people graduated and left," she said.
But while the tone of Donora and its neighboring towns changed, that local pride and expectation of hard work remained.
Read online at Plastics News
The modification of APET films to suit the demands of face shields has opened up not just philanthropic avenues for one packaging converter, but also commercial opportunities. Emma-Jane Batey reports
It will be almost impossible to describe 2020 in the future. With so much happening that we could have never predicted, the stories of loss and triumph over adversity may well get forgotten as we try to make sense of it.
Businesses large and small have had to adapt, some with more of a fair wind than others, and as we head into the unknown that is this winter, it is crucial that we take what we have learned and make the best of it.
During the first lockdown in spring, global plastics packaging manufacturer Retal responded to an online shout-out from a non-profit organisation that needed face shields for healthcare workers in Lithuania. The Retal Baltic Films team made the necessary adjustments to the plant’s equipment in order to produce transparent, fog-free APET films that are thicker than the company’s usual food-grade films.
As ‘essential’ manufacturing has been able to continue throughout the lockdown, the company was able to donate the required volume of these particular APET films for the production of more than 70,000 masks. These were requested by Robotikos Mokykla, a non-profit that provides technical education for children, and was spearheading the organisation of creating PPE masks for people in at-risk jobs during the initial phase of coronavirus.
Following the success of this volunteer project, the Retal Baltic Films team was keen to continue with the production of this specific APET film, even though the demand for face shields decreased in urgency as the supply of PPE became more reliable.
Violeta Ruseka, Retal Baltic Films’ APET films sales manager, explains: “We all know that 2020 has been a huge challenge, but the challenge to amend part of our additional production capacity to produce these thicker APET films for face shields was a welcome one. In March and April we found they were in great demand and we created an internal platform so that medical professionals could order them directly; it’s quite probable that the majority of face shields used in Lithuania until May were made from Retal Baltic Films APET film.”
While demand for this film for face shield applications dropped slightly after June, the company found that other applications were fast creating additional needs, in particular for the temporary, transparent hanging screens that have been quickly installed at many shops, coffee bars, and administrative offices with public access.
Ruseka adds: “This APET film is around 5mm thicker than the film used for face shields, but other than that it has the same anti-fog, no haze qualities and can be easily cut to whatever size and shape is required.”
Now that the company has finalised the technical parameters for its various APET film thicknesses, it is able to quickly adjust production according to its customers’ needs, both in terms of donating product for non-profit organisations and selling in quantity for commercial customers.
For example, Swedish packaging converter INP Forpackningar contacted Retal Baltic Films eager to source large volumes of clear films following the news that the company was able to supply thicker APET film with guaranteed anti-fog, no haze properties.
“This is one of two new cooperations that we have established since June and we are seeing new orders come in in smaller quantities too,” admits Ruseka.
Read online at Plastics in Packaging
A leading business media outlet in Ukraine has voted RETAL Ukraine in the country's top 25 innovative companies.
On 4th November 2020, dsnews.ua published an extensive report explaining why RETAL Ukraine has been included, with the long list highlighting considerable sustainability development actions.
Vladislav Mamchych, Technical Director at RETAL Ukraine, says, “Our strong performance was noted for careful use of resources, such as using modern equipment, energy regeneration, and responsible use of water, reducing carbon footprint by implementing ISO 14064 to prove operate efficiently regarding CO2 emissions, and our reduced consumption of raw materials to promote light-weighting and recycling. This award is a great recognition of our team's hard work, motivation and expertise.”
As part of the global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL, this facility, based in the city of Kyiv, is dedicated to the production of preforms for the food and beverage industries.
Mamchych adds, “We are delighted to receive this award and are fully committed to continuing to lead our industry as a front runner in innovative sustainability performance through smart use of our resources and our capabilities.”
The pace of RETAL’s ongoing development shows no sign of slowing down, even though 2020 has been full of unforeseen challenges.
The global plastic packaging manufacturer has been able to stay close to its investment and progression strategy this year, with its ambitious CSR strategy underpinning its success.
An important example of RETAL’s continued growth is the official opening of its dedicated new laboratory and warehouse at its RETAL Baltic Films facility in Klaipeda, which represents a considerable €4.5 million investment, resulting in enhanced testing facilities and a new 4000 square metre warehouse.
RETAL Baltic Films General Manager, Viktorija Griziene, explained how this investment illustrates RETAL’s focus on development.
“We are delighted that our new facilities will support our ambitions to deliver complete packaging solutions for our customers. We can now offer fast, reliable, expert testing in-house, which guarantees that customers can clearly understand every element of their products from RETAL. Essentially, we can imitate the actual industrial processes that our customers use, including capping and filling, allowing us to smooth out any details that could be optimised.”
This complete packaging solution now includes a highly sophisticated validation process, thanks to the investment in the laboratory at RETAL Baltic Films, which assures guaranteed product quality stability due to the in-house equipment and technical expertise.
“Our highly experienced team can effectively utilise the new equipment to analyse the product and any changes the customer requires, including new additives, slight design changes, or new materials,” continued Ms Griziene.
Read more at insidefoodanddrink
We cannot get away from the fact that plastic packaging is not having a golden time at the moment. It's an easy bogeyman across the media, from wildlife programmes to EU legislation, so it can be hard to be a plastic packaging champion without looking like you're disconnected from the zeitgeist. And of course, we all want to be responsible citizens and leave the world a better place than how we found it, so it's not like packaging professionals want to waste loads of valuable raw materials and just dispose of them in the nearest river.
Yet with plastic packaging being so easy to criticise, it also means that the reality of plastic as a packaging material is also incredibly transparent; both literally (consumer studies show a slow uptake for 'non glass like' packaging with higher recycled content, even though it's more sustainable) and metaphorically (being under the spotlight means there's nowhere to hide).
Read more online at Sustainable Plastics
RETAL Baltic Films, which manufactures food-grade APET film and closures at the Klaipeda Free Economic Zone, has completed a €1m laboratory expansion investment project. The renewed lab allows the company to imitate the food and beverage packaging processes of its brand-name customers while utilising the packaging elements it produces, helping to bring innovative packaging solutions to market sooner.
The company has been pursuing scientific research and production testing projects in Klaipėda since 2016, during which time its laboratory has been certified by one of the world’s largest beverage producers. The current R&D capacities of the company have allowed it to successfully perform tethered cap research and to create and test the product, in turn contributing to a greater quantity of packaging elements being returned for recycling and meeting the EU Directive on single use plastics.
Believing in the lab’s importance and its contribution in developing more sustainable products for the market, the company decided to expand its R&D capacity, prompting the completion of the expansion of the laboratory’s premises and purchasing new laboratory equipment this year. The company will transport a full set of equipment to Klaipeda and install it by the second quarter of 2021. Currently, the laboratory premises and equipment have drawn €1m investment, and since 2016, €800K has been allocated for purchasing the equipment. The company plans to purchase a further €700K worth of laboratory equipment. General Manager at the company Viktorija Grižienė notes that the new laboratory will allow the company to expand its research into closures and will open up totally new opportunities in the food film segment. “In terms of bottle closures, we already are a research centre for our global group, and we have also established firm partnerships with third parties. The entire world is keen to use more recycled and sustainable materials in bottle caps and bottle preforms, and in our new lab we can test every idea and possibility by imitating the entire packaging process, replicating the conditions and technologies of our clients. Today, most of the food packaging on the market is comprised of components supplied from various manufacturers, which does not ensure optimal compatibility, functionality, sustainability and opportunities to improve the packaging. We can create products for our customers which are more optimal, more sustainable and easier to recycle,” V. Grižienė says.
Read more at Delfi.lt
Brands overlook the importance of innovative closures to their detriment, as clever caps deliver protection of product as well as convenience. Yet with the latest EU directive regarding tethered closures making stay-connected caps a need not a want, manufacturers are highlighting how their particular expertise can bring value to this crucial part of packaging design. Emma-Jane Batey speaks to design engineer Andzejus Buinosvskis and marketing manager Mariya Ushakova from RETAL to learn how this global plastic packaging manufacturer is exceeding its brand-owner customers’ requirements.
The impact of the EU Single Use Plastic Directive on tethered closures sees a ruling that all beverage containers of up to three litres must have lids that ‘remain attached’ is not only set to be positive from an environmental perspective, but also in terms of packaging innovation.
With the crucial yet often underplayed role of closures in the performance and, to a lesser extent, brand awareness, this SUP directive brings closures into the spotlight. And now that closures have been given their chance to shine, they seem to be rather enjoying it! For global caps and closures manufacturers, their work has long been somewhat in the shadow, yet for those involved in the creatively technical aspects of the design of closures, their deep understanding of how the closure literally allows the product itself to be protected, this is not news. For carbonated beverages in particular, the role of the closure is driven by the pressure of the fizzy drink within, so understanding how that performance influences the engineering elements is key. The additional demands of tethered closures is bringing an additional challenge to those who create what consumers take for granted.
Andzejus Buinosvskis, design engineer for RETAL, a global plastic packaging manufacturer that works with many of the world’s leading food and beverage brands, explains how the EU’s SUP directive is influencing his work. He says, “In the early days of tethered cap development all packaging manufacturers were working in our own bubbles, but as the regulations and their impact have become more clearly understood and, particularly, now we have more specific requirements from our household-name brand owner customers, we are able to develop solutions that are unique to us.”
Read full article online on Packaging Today
Despite the unforeseen difficulties of 2020, global plastic packaging manufacturer RETAL continues to actively invest. The RETAL Baltic Films plant in Klaipeda officially opened its modern production R&D laboratory and additional 4000 sq.m warehouse for storage of finished products in October, thanks to a EUR4.5 million investment.
The new laboratory is fully equipped with the latest machinery, opening new opportunities for the company to quickly create and produce higher volumes of sustainable packaging films. The expansion of the administrative and warehouse premises will improve the company’s operational efficiency, as greater stocks of finished products will mean faster deliveries.
RETAL Baltic Films General Manager Viktoria Griziene notes that the new laboratory, which has already been certified by one of the world's largest beverage producers, will allow the company to expand its research on caps and maximise completely new opportunities for the film segment. “Now we can test every idea and opportunity; simulating the entire packaging process, reproducing the conditions or technologies of our customers, including filling and capping, which will allow us to optimise all the parameters of our product, including being more environmentally friendly and easier to recycle.”
The combination of high professionalism and the striving of the RETAL team for continual development guarantees the company a competitive advantage, and ensures a trusting relationship with customers, who are primarily global food and beverage brands. Ms Grisiene emphasises: “The new RETAL Baltic laboratory, equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment, is ready to conduct in-depth analysis of the technical and consumer properties of our customers’ products and any changes in their formula, including new additives, design modifications or new materials. We can test both prototypes and the products themselves - films, preforms and closures. The laboratory has installed Zeiss coordinate measuring machines, a Zalkin pilot capping line, and equipment for testing the strength of the closure in accordance with the requirements of leading global brands."
Alexander Grinko, head of the quality department at RETAL, is confident that the use of its own testing equipment, combined with the high technical knowledge of its specialists, assures stable product quality. Mr. Grinko notes: “The new laboratory will provide an even higher level of product quality control for all RETAL factories. Active communication and sharing experience within the company adds to the continual improvement of the testing process and guarantees the supply of high-quality products to our customers in the shortest possible time."
Customers will also benefit from the new warehouse facilities, which are equipped with a software-based racking system and an increased number of shipping bins, as the additional storage volumes and efficient inventory management will ensure faster and more flexible deliveries.
Employees can enjoy more comfortable conditions too, as the investment in the administrative facilities includes a new canteen, a larger changing area, and considerably more space throughout the offices on site.
In 2021, RETAL Baltic Films expects to maintain and boost production processes and the expertise of its employees, which, together with the upgraded facilities, will provide an excellent basis for its continued success.
In all the best success stories, it is not one person that makes the difference, but rather a motivated team of like-minded individuals that come together to achieve a big goal. This is certainly true of RETAL Cyprus, the Limassol-based plastic packaging factory, part of RETAL Industries, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on 9th October this year.
The story first started with a big inauguration in 2015. The importance of RETAL opening and operating a successful factory in Cyprus, where it is headquartered, was clear from this event, as it was attended by the President of Cyprus Mr. Anastasiadis, senior local government officials, the President of RETAL Anatoly Martynov, all of RETAL's board of directors, and its global customers. The event was widely publicised as it highlighted the importance of opening such a modern factory in Cyprus.
RETAL's plans in this strategically important region - the south part of Europe - have come true. Today it is a successful and dynamically developing business that contributes to the Cyprus economy. The company’s president Mr. Martynov notes, “RETAL has over 20 years of experience in the production of plastic packaging. It is the synergy of our deep understanding of the industry and significant investments in our modern plant that are key to the achievements of RETAL in Cyprus.”
Read the story online on Cyprus Times
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In all the best success stories, it is not one person that makes the difference, but rather a motivated team of like-minded individuals that come together to achieve a big goal. This is certainly true of RETAL Cyprus, the Limassol-based plastic packaging factory, part of RETAL Industries, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on 9th October this year.
The story first started with a big inauguration in 2015. The importance of RETAL opening and operating a successful factory in Cyprus, where it is headquartered, was clear from this event, as it was attended by the President of Cyprus Mr. Anastasiadis, senior local government officials, the President of RETAL Anatoly Martynov, all of RETAL's board of directors, and its global customers. The event was widely publicised as it highlighted the importance of opening such a modern factory in Cyprus.
RETAL's plans in this strategically important region - the south part of Europe - have come true. Today it is a successful and dynamically developing business that contributes to the Cyprus economy. The company’s president Mr. Martynov notes, “RETAL has over 20 years of experience in the production of plastic packaging. It is the synergy of our deep understanding of the industry and significant investments in our modern plant that are key to the achievements of RETAL in Cyprus.”
Beyond the facility’s impressive equipment and investment, is the unquantifiable advantage of RETAL Cyprus – its engaged, enthusiastic, and highly trained staff. General manager Mr. Hagai Golan shares: “We started from practically a greenfield site. There were almost no specialists in our industry in Cyprus. We recruited people with technical skills, trained them and together we are achieving our goals. We have enjoyed great support in training from our colleagues in other RETAL plants, bringing their expertise to us here in Cyprus. Our team certainly helped us a great deal during coronavirus crisis; our plant operated without interruption and the demand for our products has remained stable. All of this allows us to look confidently to the future."
RETAL global key account manager Nedko Nedev concludes, “RETAL Cyprus is a game changer - one of the leaders in the region. In our first five years we've established high quality standards and reliable business relationships with our local and global customers. Today, about 95% of PET packaging for water, beverages and dairy products in Cyprus is produced by RETAL. Also, our products are in demand outside Cyprus, being exported to Greece, Israel and African countries. RETAL Cyprus plans to expand our product range and sales geography in the near future.”
RETAL Cyprus pays great attention to environmental issues, with extensive investment in solar panels currently providing around 25% of the factory's electricity requirements. The company produces sustainable plastic packaging and utilises its R&D capabilities to offer lightweighted products with a design-to-recycle approach and tethered closures. Promoting the principles of a circular economy, RETAL Cyprus is actively involved in projects related to rPET usage, carries out plastic pollution awareness initiatives, and takes part in cleanup activities to improve the ecology of the island.
RETAL Cyprus also takes part in the social life of the country, sponsoring the Apollon Ladies football team, with both groups participating in environmental activities aiming to raise public awareness in Cyprus on plastic usage.
In its first five years, RETAL Cyprus has become an integral part of the global RETAL company. In the early months, specialists from other RETAL facilities came to Limassol to share their experience. Today, RETAL Cyprus is a hub for key business decisions, strategic planning sessions, and analysing results for the whole group.
The team has ambitious goals, and we hope that by the next anniversary we will have even more to share about the latest achievements of RETAL Cyprus.