DPET reportedly is the only direct-to-sheet polyester packaging material in the world. According to the company, the sheet offers sustainability and cost benefits through eliminating five stages in conventional production: pelletizing, SSP, compacting, drying, and extruding.
Popular packaging PET
Joe Barenberg, executive vice president and COO of the company, told FoodProductionDaily the material has resonated with customers in the food arena.
“OCTAL will continue to focus on the growth of the form-fill-seal (ffs) markets, with a primary emphasis on fresh meat and cheese packaging, following the successful application of DPET sheet in the Middle East and North African water cup market, the poultry industry, and single serve and multipacks in the yogurt industry,” he said.
Research shows the DPET product uses 65% less electricity per kg in comparison to other polymers, or 25% reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional APET. Further, the DPET sheet performs better than virgin or recycled PET in emissions tests, the company reports.
Sales boost
Barenberg said the popularity of the DPET product, and the strategic location of its PET Complex production center in Salalah, Oman, has boosted the company’s sales.
“Recently we surpassed $3bn in total sales,” he said. “Operations also reached a new milestone, recording our highest-ever quarter production volume of PET in Q1 2014,” he said.
Since it began operations six years ago, OCTAL has expanded its offerings to more than 75 countries. The firm plans to establish an EU support and distribution hub in the Netherlands to increase presence in Europe.