News
Agr International Expands Process Improvement Services for Plastic Container Manufacturers
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Agr’s Process Improvement Consulting Service includes a team of professional consultants that utilize the extensive experience and knowledge accumulated by Agr engineers in their work developing process management tools and testing equipment for the bottle manufacturing industry. “Our primary mission is to work with our customers to utilize Agr instruments to optimize the production processes,” states Robert Cowden, Agr’s Chief Operating Officer. Agr’s consulting professionals work directly with process engineers and plant floor personnel to solve difficult problems such as managing challenging light weight applications and quality issues as well as a myriad of process improvement efforts that lead to improved pack rate. Some of the offerings available through this service include:
- Process control design – establishing effective process control variables and limits
- Manufacturing process control – auditing and analyzing of process capabilities vs. performance
- Experimental design (DOE) including on-line package evaluations, process problem analysis and blower performance analysis
- Statistical learning
- Material testing (new)
Projects that Agr’s Process Improvement Consulting Service has been involved in over the past ten years include: multi-layer and barrier testing/qualification applications; process and quality training of plant personnel; gauge qualification; studies to determine correlation between sidewall thickness and other container attributes; and process control and process variable identification. Clients have included the likes of Proctor and Gamble, Southeastern Container, Logoplaste, Graham Packaging and Pepsico, to name a few.
The recent acquisition of West Analytical Laboratories by Agr International has facilitated further expansion of the offerings available through the Process Improvement Consulting Service portfolio of analytical testing services including:
- Contaminant identification
- Non-volatile residue content and identification
- Qualitative ID of polymer and surfactants
- Glue content of PET, solvent extraction and quantification
- Ash content (Loss on ignition)
- Plastic additive profiling
- Lube analysis
These tests are performed at Agr’s fully equipped and ISO 17025 accredited analytical testing laboratory, located in Maumee, OH (USA). Staff scientists, with experience in a number of disciplines, offer capabilities that uniquely fit the present day needs of the plastic industry, complementing the services rendered through Agr’s Process Improvement Consulting Service.
With the current focus on light weighting, sustainability, and improved efficiencies, Agr’s Process Improvement Consulting Service provides manufacturers with the expertise and additional assistance they need to meet the processing challenges facing the PET bottle industry today. In addition, with the increased use of post-consumer materials in bottles, the testing services offered by Agr can provide added assurance with regards to the integrity of materials used in the manufacture of bottles.
Agr International Inc. develops and manufactures blowmolder process management systems as well as a full line of laboratory and on-line testing/quality control devices for plastic containers and similar products under the Agr® and Agr*TopWave® trade names. Agr’s headquarters and main manufacturing facility is located in Butler, PA, USA.
For further information contact: David Dineff, Product Marketing Director Agr International, Inc., Butler, PA, USA. Phone +1 (724) 482-2163 or email ddineff@agrintl.com.