A Husky ISB machine is running at its UK plant

Amcor PET Packaging’s giant preform and bottle blowing plant in north Wales has installed a single stage container manufacturing machine to complement the existing two stage production.

The Gresford factory near Wrexham has signed its first piece of business for the new machine with GlaxoSmithKlein. The company will supply GSK’s Maidenhead plant with PET bottles for oral care products such as Aquafresh and Sensodyne mouthwashes.

Amcor is running one of the first Husky ISB injection stretch blow moulding machines, after being involved in the testing and development of the technology.

An Amcor spokesman told PRW.com: “At this stage for the jobs that we have it is definitely the best choice.” The machine can produce bottles from 25ml to 5 litres in neck sizes from 18mm to 110mm.

“One reason we went for Husky is that it has a very fast conversion between different sizes and types,” the spokesman said. Production capacity for the machine is anywhere between 20 million and 50 million a year, depending on the size of the bottle.

Amcor hoped the machine will broaden the appeal of PET bottles to other markets. “It gives customers the opportunity to work with us on product lines that aren’t suited to two-stage PET,” the spokesman said.