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Borealis Develops Polypropylene BH34MO
For Pail Packaging
Borealis, a leading provider of innovative, value creating plastics solutions,
with more than 40 years experience in the polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene
(PP) business, has created a unique opportunity for pail packaging converters to
raise productivity and increase processing efficiency while delivering pails
with excellent stacking performance, high impact resistance and good aesthetics.
Pail packaging is used largely in the business to business markets of industrial
chemicals, food, catering, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products and for water
based pain and high quality building and construction materials. Traditionally,
both empty and filled pails are stacked one on top of another during storage and
transport.
A new polypropylene BH374MO has been developed by Borealis, to meet converter
and OEM demands for high quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly
pail materials that reduce per unit packaging weights, offer storage and
transport benefits, and improve performance.
BH374MO's higher than normal melt flow rate (MFR) of 45, achieved through its
low viscosity, allows easy and fast processing with unrivalled consistency in
both single and multi-cavity moulds. The resulting potential for shorter
production cycles and faster processing impacts both production output and
speed, with the added environmental and cost benefits of reduced energy usage.
Added to this, OEM customers can take advantage of a number of transport,
storage and aesthetic benefits thanks to the material's high stiffness,
lightweight, improved strength and excellent anti-static performance.
BH374MO's high stiffness allows for thinner wall design, reducing weight and
enabling the integration of new handle connection systems for superior stacking
of empty pails. The outstanding strength of the new material prevents potential
collapse of a pail base; a problem that can be caused by the high forces exerted
by liquid contents when filled pails are stacked. This development also prevents
leakage or breakage, even in the event of rough handling.
A special anti-static additive improves aesthetics by ensuring clean, dust-free
packaging that retains its attractiveness over the long-term. This is of
particular importance to the pail packaging sector where 80 per cent of pails
are white.
BH374MO fulfils all food contact approvals and is suitable for use in food and
non-food applications. Furthermore, it is a 100 per cent recyclable
mono-material solution that enhances the recovery of pail packaging waste during
production and at end-of-life.
(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz dated February 15, 2007)
AMDSI Urges Govt To Reduce Customs Duty, Set Up Medical
Tech Park
The Association of Medical Devices and Diagnostic Suppliers Of India (AMDSI) has
urged the central government to give boost to the medical equipment and other
medical technology manufacturing industry in the country by amending the
existing provisions regarding the industry in the coming Union Budget.
AMDSI president GSK Velu told Pharmabiz that the Association has submitted
memorandums to various ministries and were also in talks with the Union Finance
and Commerce Ministries to include provisions in the budget that would promote
indigenous manufacturing of medical equipments and other medical technology
products in the country.
In the letter, the AMDSI had stressed to rationalize customs duty and settle the
disparities in the duty for finished goods and raw materials, create medical
technology parks in the country similar to the software technology parks and
give them benefits and make it mandatory for multinational companies to set up
manufacturing units in the country rather than just do trading in India.
Speaking about the rationalization in customs duty, Velu said, "There is a lot
of expenditure that goes into the manufacturing in this sector. For instance,
for importing raw materials for manufacturing a CT Scan machine in India, we
have to pay customs duty, excise duty and VAT. So what happens is that instead
of manufacturing the products in India, people go in for the finished products.
But if the customs duty and other taxes are reduced, the equipments can be
manufactured in India and invariably the price of the product will also come
down."
Commenting on the issue of setting up medical technology parks in the country,
Velu said that the Government should promote setting up medical equipment parks
in the country and give income tax and other benefits, so that more and more
Indian companies will start manufacturing medical equipments. "Technology is
ruling healthcare and if the equipments are manufactured within India, the cost
of healthcare will come down and end consumer will benefit," he said.
On the issue of asking the MNC's to set up manufacturing units in the country,
Velu said MNCs are now trading in the country and reaping the benefits. The
country is not getting any benefit from that. So, the government should bring an
Act making mandatory for the companies to set up manufacturing units within the
country.
Citing the example of China, Velu said a few years back the situation was the
same in China too. But things have changed now after they set up manufacturing
units in the country thereby stopping the imports of finished goods. They are
now a 10 billion dollar market and around 4 million dollar comes from export
alone. "India should follow China's policy," he said.
(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz dated February 15, 2007)
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