Procter & Gamble Co. is adding plastics processing equipment in West Thurrock, England, to produce PET bottles for a line of dishwashing detergent currently packaged in high density polyethylene. Although Cincinnati-based P&G declined comment, equipment suppliers confirmed that the plant is adding Husky preform injection molding machines and Sidel blow molding equipment. Production is to begin around midyear.
The new bottle plant will be capable of making 250 million containers per year for P&G's Fairy Liquid brand, which now is packaged in HDPE.
The dedicated molding operation is being installed by Logoplaste Consultores Tecnicos SA of Lisbon, Portugal, a packaging manufacturer and consulting firm that specializes in installing captive plastics processing plants for multinational food and drink companies.
Fairy Liquid will be among the first detergent products packaged in PET in Britain. A P&G spokeswoman at its Newcastle upon Tyne, England, regional headquarters would confirm only that the company has construction work under way at the West Thurrock detergent facility.
Logoplaste said this is its second installation of bottle blow molding for P&G in the United Kingdom. Last year the company installed high-speed equipment to make 6-ounce and 3-liter HDPE bottles for Sunny Delight citrus drink.
That project, in Bridgwater, England, runs about 20 extrusion blow molding machines from Bekum and Uniloy.
Logoplaste President Marcel de Botton also is president of the Lisbon-based Portuguese Association of the Plastics Industry.
He said Logoplaste has installed 32 captive processing plants across Europe and in Brazil.