Global value chains are at a critical juncture, sandwiched between growing international demand following the post-pandemic economic recovery, on the one hand, and a combination of supply shortages and transport bottlenecks, on the one hand. other. These two factors that are causing increases in the prices of raw materials, unimaginable until a few months ago. In this regard, we would like to bring you some data and some reflections, which we have, in turn, collected from popular sites.

What are the causes of increases in the prices of raw materials?

According to authoritative experts in the field, the cause is the strong imbalance between supply and demand; this gap is constantly growing, which cannot be bridged. The most recent estimates have marked an increase in the prices of some materials in the order of 200% only in the last year and thanks to the collapse in prices that had characterized the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic, made the increase so substantial . A striking example, which closely involves our production, is made up of steel, which went from $ 380 per ton in June 2020 to $ 1,100 per ton in September 2021: a dizzying increase that reaches almost 300%. As for oil, the cost of which had collapsed in 2020 (-68%) and has since then risen sharply (+ 203%), it is possible that its price could settle at 60-75 dollars a barrel. However, all materials have had a similar story, but the negative primacy of the increases goes to copper, iron, steel, corn, coffee, wheat and soy, timber, semiconductors, plastics, cardboard for packaging, rare earths, lithium. To translate the situation into numbers, the purchase of raw materials accounts for 46.6% of the turnover of manufacturing companies and 33.1% for construction companies. To these dynamics was added towards the end of last summer (but in a process that had already been developing for some months) also a surge in energy prices, consequent to an increase in demand for hydrocarbons (natural gas in particular ) and, also in this case, the lack of supply. In fact, natural gas went from $ 1.22 per MMBtu (British Thermal Unit, a unit of measurement that is used to quantify natural gas and whose unit corresponds to approximately 28 m3) in May 2020 to $ 25.81 in September 2021. Certainly these two peaks cannot be considered as immovable reference values ​​given the frequency of price changes, but the difference gives an idea of ​​what is happening in the global energy market. The transition will lead to an increase in the costs of fossil energy sources and these are the first consequences. Within the EU, the increase in prices is also partly linked to the implementation of some of the EU’s climate policies. The increase in the cost of energy is compounded by the increases in gas and diesel, thus compromising the expected post-pandemic recovery. Meanwhile, the governments of many countries will have to manage rising inflation. Indeed, the US Fed and the ECB in Europe are already taking steps to prevent uncontrolled increases in inflation. The strong push on costs, unsustainable in some sectors, is reducing company margins and causing a rise in producer prices which in November 2021, net of energy, rose by 8.9%, a rate of change never recorded since 2001.

As we said in the beginning, we transmit this information to you for disclosure purposes, as we have received and collected it. In turn, we suffer from this situation, which inevitably affects our prices. Nonetheless, we have kept our increases as low as possible and have absorbed these general increases in a very high percentage.

Pactur

L'articolo Increases in the prices of raw materials and impact on the markets proviene da Pactur International.

For us, the extraordinary is routine.

Another significant advantage of purchasing a packaging machine from Pactur is having access to our entire technical team for possible customizations tailored to the specific type of products you need to package. At our core, we are fundamentally a craft-based company, and each machine is built as if it were a unique piece, from the welding of the metal framework (see published article) to the assembly of individual mechanical and electronic components. For us, creating special packaging machines or scaling up our models to produce extra-large formats is almost “routine.”

140 LINE for Huge Escavators

The following video shows how a 65 LINE can become a maxi format (140 LINE) for a customer who has to pack non-standard size O-Rings for huge excavators.

New Application of the Auto 80/L & TL80M Model for Large Formats

Here is an interesting application of packaging using an automatic shrink wrapping machine equipped with a continuous sealing system, designed for medium to large-sized products. This solution serves as an alternative to packaging with semi-automatic and automatic sleeve wrapping machines.

As shown in the attached video, the products in question are bulky, heavy, irregularly shaped, and are commonly packaged using a sleeve wrapper. However, sleeve wrapping has the disadvantage that the shrink film does not completely wrap the product, leaving the package open on some sides.

Although Pactur also manufactures sleeve wrappers, offering a range of semi-automatic and automatic models, in this case, the company addressed a specific aesthetic and qualitative need of its customer by using an automatic overwrapping machine to achieve full closure packaging.

The result is a highly refined and compact package.

When analyzing the pros and cons of this solution, it is worth noting that handling the finished package is more labor-intensive compared to packages produced by a sleeve wrapper, where the side openings in the shrink film make the package easier to grip.

On the other hand, two significant advantages of packaging with an automatic shrink wrapping machine featuring a continuous sealing system stand out: the superior aesthetic result, already highlighted above, and the high productivity achieved by this type of automatic machine.

For the sake of completeness, it is essential to mention that the maximum product height is a key limiting factor: if the product height exceeds 300–350 mm, a semi-automatic or automatic sleeve wrapper becomes the only viable packaging solution within Pactur’s range of overwrapping machines.

Another noteworthy advantage of the continuous sealing shrink wrapping machine and its fully enclosed packaging (enclosed because the film is sealed on three sides and folded on one) is product security: if the package remains intact, with no visible signs of damage or holes in the film, it guarantees that the product inside has not been touched or partially removed.

Finally, the automatic packaging machine with a lateral rotary sealer and transverse sealing bar achieves high productivity thanks to the synchronized speed of the longitudinal sealing wheels with the conveyor belts and film unwinding system, and the fast guillotine-like motion of the transverse sealing bar, whose opening can be adjusted based on the product height.

PACTUR.IT

L'articolo Extra-large products proviene da Pactur International.

IMAGES OF AN ITALIAN WORKSHOP

Pactur, an Italian workshop producing packaging machines for shrink film, has the honor of defining itself as an authentic Italian manufacturer, which manufactures its machinery entirely, from the welding of the sheets to the final assembly.

We have dedicated an entire page of our site to illustrate who Pactur is.

This allows the management, care and control of the entire production process, alongside the mastery of one’s own product, which allows flexibility in adaptations, in response to specific customer requests.

In addition to the quality of the execution, the integral manufacturing of the machinery also guarantees the correct choice of construction materials. From a “walk” in our carpentry, it is immediately clear that there was no saving on the thickness of the sheets: absolutely considerable thickness steel is used, to ensure solidity and absence of vibrations during the many years of work, which await our machines packaging machines.

The welds are all done by hand, as well as the assembly of the parts is manual. Pactur thus seeks to harmonize the dictates of product industrialization, with the craftsmanship of unique pieces, made to last over time. A true Italian workshop of artisanal character for the shrink wrapping machine.

L'articolo An Italian workshop proviene da Pactur International.