Expansions: Alpla sets up new Asia-Pac office in Singapore; ECI/Repsol partner on technology for EVA project in China

Packaging solutions and recycling specialist Alpla, has announced that it is strengthening its footprint in Asia. On 1 January 2022, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) head office in Singapore will go live, with a new region being created from a merger of the former regions North East Asia and South East Asia. It includes current operations in China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The APAC region will be managed by Roland Wallner, currently Alpla Managing Director North East Asia. With 2,750 employees, Alpla APAC is well situated to develop the packaging of tomorrow for the Asian market. It adds that alongside extending the reach of Alpla’s industry-leading moulding technology, a strong focus lies on the further development of circular economy activities in the region.

Alpla CEO Philipp Lehner states: ‘We are convinced that establishing this new regional organisation is the right step to support our ambitions in the region. It will especially enable us to develop market-leading products and services for our growing customer base in Asia.’

Roland Wallner, designated Alpla Managing Director Region APAC, adds: ‘With this step we are bundling our extensive competences and resources in different markets of the region and aligning them in terms of strategic development, customer service, sales and purchasing.’

Alpla operates its own recycling plants for PET and HDPE in Austria, Poland, Mexico, Italy and Spain, and in the form of joint ventures in Mexico and Germany. Other projects are being realised elsewhere around the world.

Meanwhile in other news, UK’s ECI Group has signed an Engineering Expertise Agreement with Shandong Yulong Petrochemical Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China’s Nanshan Group, for a dual-stream plant capable of producing 200,000 tonnes/year of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and other associated high-pressure copolymers in the future.

The plant will be part of Shandong Yulong’s 20 million tonnes/year refining and petrochemical integrated project, a mega complex to be located in the Province of Shandong. ECI Group will provide the technology, design, and training for the facility, as well as support through commissioning, start-up, and production.

Repsol S.A. (Madrid, Spain) is the technology partner of ECI Group and will provide its extensive technical expertise on these kinds of plants and products. Repsol has several LDPE, EVA, and EBA plants in its industrial complexes in Spain and Portugal and has over 40 years of experience producing polymers in high-pressure facilities.

The plant will use high-pressure autoclave technology that has its roots in the heritage ICI process to manufacture of PE. The ECI Group design offers significant improvements in the product range, reliability, and expandability to the original ICI technology, and is optimised to make use of modern materials, design techniques, standards, and industry best practices for construction, operation, and maintenance.

“This agreement is an important milestone for ECI Group and Repsol,” said Joaquin Flores, President of ECI Group. “ECI Group is already recognised globally as the world’s leading provider of engineering and technical services for high-pressure polyethylene facilities, having worked with every major current producer and licensor. The execution of this agreement confirms the strength of our new technology offering, incorporating Repsol’s in-depth product knowledge and market reputation to further enhance ECI Group’s established expertise. We are excited to support Shandong Yulong Petrochemical Ltd. on this prestigious project, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

“It is a great highpoint for Repsol to see the results of this important partnership with ECI Group, a leading engineering and technology company in the petrochemical industry. We are looking forward to providing our expertise to Shandong Yulong Petrochemical Ltd. for their Refining and Petrochemical Integrated Project,” stated José Luis Bernal, Executive Director at Repsol Química.

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