The Hispack fair will be the setting for the presentation of the White Book of the container and packaging

In the last presentation of the Hispack fair to the media in Barcelona, the fair gave a preview of Chapter 3 of the White Book of the packaging and packaging which is dedicated to General data relating to the sector of packaging and packaging in Spain in 2005. An average turnover close to six million euros per company, an average price of 1.25 euros per kilo of packaging, some 1,650 companies with an average size of about 33 employees and about 175,000 euros of turnover per employee. This is the most visible part of the sector of packaging at Spain. The export and the r & d are two aspects which have a tendency to the run-up in the last 6 years, production and billing to be two key elements of the prosperity of the sector. The white paper is presented in Hispack.

To these figures you should add small productions of many companies, perhaps some 3,000 more than they spend part of his activity to the packaging. I might also add packaging production in the production chains of large consumer products manufacturers, to expand, for example, small plastic tubes to give shape to their bottles. One could speak of a market around 15,000 million euros.

The largest number of companies corresponds to the sector of machinery, for good to clarify that it is not both manufacturers and distributors, but whose evolution gives a powerful index of the degree of development of the sector in Spain. Companies in the sector of packaging that is still renewed. In addition to the machinery, the greater turnover provide corrugated cardboard and plastic, between the two little more than a 50 per cent of the total turnover of containers of the sector and about two-thirds of the production.

The size of the company is rather small and medium, with the exception of complex cardboard and glass sectors.

The plastics sector is the biggest change has been with regard to the estimate of the number of companies.

As for the distribution of the turnover by sectors, the plastic was in 2004 19 per cent of the total number of sectors, after the machinery with a 20 per cent and the first, the corrugated cardboard which was 23 per cent.

In the areas of marketing of the products generated by the sector, 44.5 per cent of the total production of the surveyed companies, is currently sold in local markets or within the same autonomous community where they were generated: 39.4 percent of the production of consulted enterprises goes to autonomous communities out of the place of production (domestic market) and a 16.1 per cent of the production is intended or exported to foreign markets, taking 60 percent of the surveyed companies exporting activity. Most exporting subsectors are the machinery and metal, followed by plastic and glass.

The importance of foreign trade in the various subsectors of the packaging in plastic to 18 points, higher than the average of the total amounts in the subsector of the plastic (machinery, metal, plastic, glass, wood, paper / combined carton and corrugated board) which is 16.1 points. The principal is machinery with 28.7 points.

Next countries EC, and in the North of Africa, remain the main recipients of export. France was the first destination of the exports of the packaging industry with a total 48.4 in 2005 despite having diminished the flow of products ranging from Spain to the neighboring country in 2002 (59.2 per cent). The second, by proximity, is also Portugal with 23.4 per cent of the total in 2004 at the same time who has also registered a decrease of 21.3 percent from 2002. The third country, on the other hand experienced a growth of 8 per cent in 2002 to 14.5 per cent in 2004 is United Kingdom, followed by Germany (charged a decline of 14 per cent). The following countries who headed exports in 2004 were Morocco (with a significant increase), Algeria, Mexico, Belgium.

The export and the r & d are two aspects which have a tendency to the run-up in the last 6 years, production and billing to be two key elements of the prosperity of the sector

The industrial and agro-food sectors are the main beneficiaries of the sector of packaging, stressing also the sanitario-farmacéutico, cosmetics and beverages.

Raw materials or packaging subsectors, the most prominent by recipient sector are:

• Industrial: cardboard, plastic, metal and machinery.

• Agro-food: metal, plastic, paper, cardboard, wood and machinery.

• Sanitario-farmacéutico: metal, paper, plastic and glass.

• Cosmetic: paper, plastic, metal, machinery.

• Drink: machinery, glass, metal, plastic, cardboard complex.

• Automotive: metal, plastic, paper.

• Construction: metal, plastic, machinery, wood.

• Drugstore: machinery, paper, plastic, metal.

• Textile / footwear: papel-cartoncillo.

• Furniture: corrugated cardboard.

• Fishing: metal, paper, glass.

• Computer: corrugated cardboard, paper.

• Transportation: wood, plastic.

The export and the r & d are two aspects which have a tendency to the run-up in the last 6 years, production and billing to be two key elements of the prosperity of the sector. The trade balance, as expected, seems that it will improve given a forecast of growth in exports, strongly exceeding imports.

On the other hand is not anticipated sensitive increases in the human resources section, which is why the increase in production will have to be necessarily supported in a net increase of productivity, which - once more - is linked to a strong investment in r & d, possibly worthy of aid administration, but also the clear sharing of a sector that either directly or indirectly, some EUR 15 billion Bill.

Global import equipment and products studied, exceed slightly to exports in the years 2003 and 2004. The balance for packing and packaging machinery and products (containers and packaging) is reflected in the following way:

• Total imports 2004 (machinery + products): 1.688.373.340 EUR

• Total 2004 exports (machinery + products): 1.661.584.820 euros.

By sub-sectors differ that the machinery of packaging, packaging and its graphic art is purchased abroad and has increased the percentage of imports from 2003 to 2004. However, in the product and packaging exports only are slightly exceeding imports (51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively), while between 2003 and 2004 imports have grown and exports have been reduced.

Europe is at the forefront as a main client /proveedor for foreign trade operations both in machinery products and packaging at great distance from other geographical areas. Note that the area where most have grown the sales abroad in 2004 has been Asia after Europe.

The wrapping and packaging machinery involves more than 65 percent of the volume of imports / exports carried out in respect of the machinery of the packaging, the packaging and its graphics. Products, are plastic containers which have greater weight.

Based on collected data related to 1,650 companies, have been verified the existence of 1,171 web pages belonging to companies in the sector and also 793 enterprises that provided as a form of contact have been identified (alone or in addition to other) email.

Picus is a Craft project funded by the European Commission under the 6th framework programme which main objective is to develop a biodegradable plastic 100 fiber per cent to be used in climbing ropes for greenhouse crops and networks of packaging.

This project consortium is formed by a group of 6 SMEs in different European countries (Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom), 3 Spanish SMEs, and three research centres, Unipi (Italy) PEAR (United Kingdom), and Aimplas acts as coordinator of the project.

Picus seeks to find a green solution to the management of plastic waste generated by the climbing ropes and synthetic networks, whose use has increased exponentially in recent years.

String vines of synthetic plastics used today do not allow that the generated waste, after the harvest, is used for composting, the result would be a compost contaminated with remains of non-biodegradable plastic. For this reason, in many cases are managed these waste through little environmentally friendly alternatives such as burn or bury contaminated waste from plants, or deposit them in landfills.

The solution that is provided from the project is the development of strings for greenhouse crops that combine the biodegradability and low cost of elimination of ropes made from natural fibers, with an excellent ratio of "resistance to traction" / "density", greater possibilities of design, and the advantages of the technique of processing (flexible and cheap) of the synthetic strings.

Synthetic networks for packaging of low birth weight (up to 5 kg) can also affect negatively on the environment. Usually is throw away mixed with other organic domestic waste, causing further problems in the management of RSU (urban solid waste). The result is, again, a compost contaminated with low commercial value. To avoid this situation, since the draft Picus will develop biodegradable fibers for agricultural products, marine products and inedible products, with the same mechanical properties that have the nets made with synthetic fibres, but without the problems of waste disposal.

Therefore, biodegradable network and the new string will have the physical and mechanical properties which are required for optimal use and production but will suffer a biodegradation full in terms of composting, thereby providing a better environmental solution.