Lightweight Containers opens U.S. production line
By Canadian Packaging staff
General Bottling Lightweight Containers BV Lightweight Containers Inc. Logoplaste Slimline lightweight kegs UnikegNew production line in Illinois features full-automated computer- and robot-driven system in anticipation of company’s growth in North American market.
Lightweight Containers BV has started up a new production line in Joliet, Illinois via its American branch, Lightweight Containers Inc., to manufacture the lightweight Unikeg, a lightweight keg developed for the American market.
The American manufacturing facility features a fully-automated computer- and robot-driven line that can produce the company’s entire Slimline and UniKeg series depending on demand, such as the Unikeg 30 Slimline (pictured above).
Logoplaste will support and oversee the line’s daily production.
With the new line, Lightweight Containers is preparing for the rapid growth it anticipates in the U.S.
Lightweight Containers chief commercial officer Anita Veenendaal notes, “In the last six years, our worldwide sales have grown by more than 40 percent a year. A production line in the U.S. will enable us to respond to the growing demand more quickly and flexibly. We also know that there’s broad support from the American society for setting up a factory there, since we’re contributing to the US economy.”
Concentration on R&D, sales, and marketing
The new plant was designed in close collaboration with the manufacturing specialist Logoplaste, who will care of organizing the line’s daily production.
Lightweight Containers chief executive officer Jan Veenendaal Csays: “Working with Logoplaste is enabling us to grow faster in the U.S., as well as to concentrate more on R&D (research and development), sales, and marketing.
“Logoplaste is a highly professional production partner who completely shares our views on quality and continuity. The new production line is a logical consequence of our strategy of producing as closely as possible to our customers.”
The same language
Logoplaste regional commercial director David Batey says: “Logoplaste and Lightweight Containers are both ambitious, successful family firms and we speak the same language. Besides that Lightweight Containers knows the ins and outs of both the production line and the manufacturing process through and through. Because of this we were able to round off the preparations quickly, professionally and successfully. The start of the fully automated production line went well and we’re now producing at full capacity.”
Lightweight Containers now produces its lightweight kegs in three locations: Schwerin, Germany, Den Helder, Netherlands) and Joliet in the U.S. A fourth production line will open in mid-2016 in Germany.
About Lightweight Containers
Lightweight Containers BV is the company behind the lightweight KeyKeg and UniKeg keg brands, offering two complete families of one-way kegs that stand out in the market due to its innovation, quality, convenience, safety and sustainability. Company information available at www.unikeg.com.
About Logoplaste
Logoplaste is a family-owned industrial group, manufacturing rigid plastic packaging for some of the most reputable companies in the world, in the food and beverage, personal care, household care and oil and lubricants sectors. Logoplaste has extensive experience with “through the wall” production, in which Logoplaste offers a complete packaging program for their clients. Today, Logoplaste manages more than 60 factories, more than 350 machines, with locations in 16 countries: Canada, Brazil, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, U.K., the U.S. and Vietnam. The most up-to-date technologies in injection molding, stretch-blow molding and extrusion molding are used to produce packages across the wide range of market segments. More information can be found at www.logoplaste.com.
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