The chemical group offers bottlers Kercoat to delay the onset of white marks and scuffing and Opticoat to help conceal scratches.
Arkema boasts world-unique expertise in glass coatings for returnable bottles. The chemical group is the only company to offer bottlers a glass protection technology, Kercoat, which delays the onset of white marks and scuffing. It also offers a masking product, Opticoat, to help conceal scratches. Kercoat and Opticoat complement each other and so considerably improve the appearance and service life of bottles. Arkema presented both solutions at the Brau tradeshow in Nüremberg, which ran from November 11 to 13. 2014.
Scuffing resulting from various contacts during filling and a growing number of return cycles for returnable glass bottles impairs their appearance as well as their marketing value. It has been shown that after 10 filling cycles, bottles with untreated glass no longer meet high-end packaging requirements. The appearance of bottles influences the brand image and therefore sales, and so it is vital for brewers and for bottlers of soft drinks and mineral water to ensure that their bottles always look like new.
To address this major concern for bottlers and help them extend the lifetime of their fleet of returnable bottles without loss of their original flawless appearance, Arkema offers Kercoat to delay the onset of scuffing, and Opticoat to mask it.
Applying Kercoat on bottle filling lines helps delay the onset of scuffing and white marks, while preserving the bottles’ burst pressure resistance. Trials have shown that after 20 cycles, bottles treated with Kercoat exhibit virtually no white marks, thereby helping significantly extend their service life.
Thanks to its properties, Kercoat technology affords savings of some 20 percent over a year in the cost of purchasing and maintaining fleets of returnable glass bottles. This unique solution in the market includes the protection product, the installation of a spray system, and technical support.
For scuffed bottles, Arkema provides a masking coating technology called Opticoat, which helps considerably extend the service life of returnable bottles. This coating forms a thin masking layer that restores glass appearance and feel. Opticoat can be applied on dry, wet, warm or cold bottles: it is resistant to humidity and is environmentally sound.
Arkema has been collaborating with brewer Carlsberg since January, 2014 to optimize the environmental impact of their returnable bottles, while also initiating the evaluation of its Kercoat and Opticoat products by other leading suppliers in the packaging industry based on the Cradle to Cradle protocol used by the EPEA environmental body. As part of this approach, Arkema is playing an active part in the Carlsberg Circular Community whose aim is to improve all packaging materials used by the Carlsberg group.
Arkema is setting up a Glass Coating Academy: information/training modules in the form of Webinars will be provided on a regular basis on the Kercoat and Opticoat solutions. For registration, please email elodie.chal@arkema.com