Amcor doubles aluminium can production

By Les Watkins

Forty Olympic-sized swimming pools could be filled with the beverages sold in the 300 million aluminium cans now manufactured annually in south Auckland by Amcor Australasia.

Impressive? Undeniably. But that amount is about to be doubled with the total of cans produced soaring to 600 million a year.

Amcor has invested a further $40 million in state-of-the art technology.

Top industry representatives attended the official launching of the enhanced plant in November and managing director Nigel Garrard, formerly managing director of major Australian food manufacturer SPC Ardmore, told FOODtechnology it should be fully operational early this year.

The investment, he pointed out, will benefit Amcor’s nearly 80 New Zealand employees and the environment as well as the country’s beverage producers.

“For our co-workers it’s good news because it demonstrates our confidence in the future,” he said in an exclusive interview.

“At a time when many companies are not investing in manufacturing, and consequently there is some uncertainty about employment, our people do have certainty.

“This new technology enables us to lightweight our cans so that we use a reduced amount of aluminium which, of course, is good for the environment and also keeps costs down.”

Amcor currently provides about 70 percent of the country’s beverage cans and the new line will give producers access to innovative technologies not previously available in New Zealand.

These include an eight-colour print process, increased embossing capabilities and the addition of the 500ml can size to the range.

“The new plant will also provide greater production volumes and speeds, enabling cans to be produced and delivered to businesses faster than ever before,” said Mr Garrard.

“With the enhanced printing capabilities and high-quality graphics, products will offer originality and product break-through for our New Zealand customers.”

Investment in innovation, he added, is vitally important.

“And delivering world-competitive capabilities more efficiently to our New Zealand beverage customers will help them to drive innovation and stay ahead of their local and global competitors,” he added.

“The next sort of development is going to be in shaped cans and I think in aluminium bottles. We see an opportunity for those bottles in situations where glass is not an appropriate package from a safety point of view - in the events market, for instance - but that is some time away and the technology is still being refined.”