Vitebsk enterprise "Allianceplast" will produce plastic packaging specifically for European consumers

Vitebsk-based polypropylene packaging manufacturer, Allianceplast LLC, intends to increase the share of products exported to the European Union to 10-15%.

The company's management has set an ambitious goal: to increase export volumes to the European Union without reducing the level of supplies to the Russian and post-Soviet markets (which currently account for about 90% of the manufactured packaging).

– If at the beginning of the year we shipped about 2-3% to the EU, today sales have grown to 7-8%, so if everything goes as planned, by the end of 2016, we will reach the level of 10-15%, – says Nikolay Silinov, the company's General Director.

There are all the prerequisites for this to "work out". Well-established logistics and a developed customer base – through trading representative offices in Lithuania and Latvia, Allianceplast products are successfully sold in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Israel.

Production areas are also being expanded: the enterprise is currently reconstructing one of the workshops (construction work is in the final stage), and further plans include purchasing new equipment and components for the production of plastic packaging specifically for European consumers.

– The EU has different types and sizes of packaging compared to ours. The Russian and, in general, post-Soviet market developed in isolation, and what we produce does not always fit the established traditions abroad: someone needs a bucket of a smaller diameter or larger height. Logistics have been built around their packaging sizes, and equipment for packaging products in standard volumes has been purchased. We should not forget about the conservatism characteristic of the European market: not every manufacturer is ready to abandon their usual packaging method, even if a new one would be much cheaper. For example, during all the time of cooperation with foreign partners, I only once heard from clients in Germany that our packaging sizes are perfect because they will stand out with their dimensions and appearance on store shelves, – noted Nikolay Mikhailovich.

Other

approaches to quality control as well. Since "Allianceplast" is a link involved in the production of food products (in particular, it produces packaging for them), the new workshop is certified according to HACCP – a global system that involves control at all stages: from manufacturing to transportation and sales. To implement it, it is necessary to study not only one's own product and production methods, but also to apply appropriate requirements to suppliers of raw materials and auxiliary materials.

The implementation of strict international quality standards at the enterprise is not only another plus for the image of the Belarusian manufacturer, but also an expansion of potential sales markets abroad.

To launch the first part of production, oriented specifically towards the European market, serious financial investments are needed for the purchase of equipment and working capital – about 1.5-2 million euros. This will include both own and borrowed funds; currently, the management is negotiating with banking organizations.

– Our long-term partner – the German company "Arburg" – offers us a payment deferral for 4 years; we are purchasing the main part of the equipment from them. We also work with other suppliers – "Demag", "Zafir". So, we have no problems with purchasing equipment. The second, equally significant expense item is the acquisition of molds, peripherals, and robots. We order all of this from Turkey and Poland. Unlike the Germans, they cannot afford deferrals of several years, but they do provide six months, – said Nikolay Silinov.

It is not possible to save money on the acquisition of new, more efficient equipment. Modernization and automation of production are the main components of successful operation for any enterprise in modern conditions, a guarantee of its growth and development. That is precisely why "Allianceplast" decided to abandon the extensive development path, hiring more people and growing through volume; here, the emphasis is on process automation.

– 20 years ago, we processed 10-20 tons of raw materials per month, and now – about a thousand tons. With the previous equipment, to produce a million buckets and attach handles to them, 12 molders were needed.

“Automated robotic complexes have significantly increased productivity; one produces 900,000 units per month, and it is serviced by 2 people in four shifts,” argues Nikolay Silinov.

For the past two years, the enterprise has not increased its workforce; 450 people work here. Although there were certain periods when Allianceplast experienced a staff shortage. The problem was solved by opening a production facility in Shumilino, where 45 jobs were created. Now, production volumes are growing, but the staff remains the same; automation has improved working conditions and eased the monotonous, heavy labor of molders.

We were invited to see this for ourselves during a visit to the enterprise’s workshops. The Head of Production at Allianceplast LLC, Vladimir Kozyrev, first shows us the comfortable rest and dining rooms, and spacious locker rooms for workers. Then, together, we move to the production area where several robotic complexes are located.

One of the units manufactures one-liter buckets for food products; a modern robot also inserts handles into them and counts the items. The molder’s task is to load the material, monitor quality, and package the finished product.

Incidentally, this injection molding machine produces polymer containers with an “in-mold label.”

“The in-mold labeling (IML) technology allows the label to be applied directly during the container manufacturing process; it is fused into the walls of the container or its lid at the moment of molding. As a result, it forms a single entity with the material from which the packaging is made. This method helps to preserve the original appearance of the product for longer, protects the manufacturer from counterfeiting, and also reduces the costs associated with applying conventional labels,” explained Vladimir Lennardovich.

Alesya Ivanova, a plastics molder, monitors the process on this and several other complexes in the 1st workshop. Interestingly, the girl’s uniform looks more like medical clothing; work can only begin after putting on a cap and gloves. The product must not contain

even the smallest impurities, such as lint, otherwise it will be defective.

By the way, at "Allianceplaste" they know how to profit even from their own waste. Production residues and packaging that does not meet quality requirements are reprocessed into other products, for example, into heels or heel counters for the region's footwear enterprises. Even the polyethylene bags in which raw materials – polypropylene granules – are supplied to the enterprise are used to manufacture packaging for their own containers.

Natalia Kamleva. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye Vesti".