The pilot plant, to be built at the company’s Tech Center Europe, will complement the existing R&D test field & prototype and combiLab facilities and is expected to be operational by the end of next year
SIG Combibloc to build a pilot plant at its new Tech Center Europe in Germany. (Credit: SIG Combibloc Group Ltd.)
SIG Combibloc Group, a provider of aseptic carton packaging systems and solutions, has announced an investment of €12m to build a pilot plant at its new Tech Center Europe in Germany.
Located near SIG’s packaging plants in Linnich, the new Tech Center Europe will be used to accelerate the new product and packaging development to meet the increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions.
The Tech Center Europe will facilitate the rapid development and validation of new packaging solutions and advanced materials.
SIG is developing the new pilot plant to complement the existing R&D test field & prototype and combiLab facilities.
The pilot plant will consist of modern extrusion and finishing technology, as well as advanced quality measurement systems and testing equipment.
SIG said that the new pilot plant will help boost its serial production processability, system validation and future digital technology capacities.
The pilot plant, which is expected to be operational by the end of next year, will be built as per the latest energy standards and food hygiene regulations.
By carrying out short-run test fillings to speed up innovation cycles, the new pilot plant will accelerate the co-development of products with SIG customers.
SIG test field, prototype and pilot plant department manager Marcel Schopen said: “Our new Tech Center Europe will make us even faster and more efficient in bringing new products and packaging solutions to market.
“It will help our customers to keep one step ahead of trends and changing consumer demands. In the pilot plant and test field of our Tech Center, we support all processes from start to finish, including sleeve production, filling products and pallet packing.”
In November last year, SIG Combibloc agreed to purchase the remaining 50% stake in the Middle East & Africa (MEA) joint venture, SIG Combibloc Obeikan, from partner Obeikan Investment Group (OIG).