Leading PET container technologies specialist SIPA will demonstrate its ground-breaking XFORM PET preform injection molding system on Stand B11 in Hall 13 at K2013. The XFORM two-platen production platform, which raises the bar in terms of production reliability, was invented by Canadian company Athena Automation, founded by Robert Schad. Athena and SIPA have a cooperation agreement on development, sales and service.

Saudi Arabian petrochemical and plastics group Sabic (www.sabic.com) will expand the number of its R&D bases this year to 18 with the launch of four new innovation centres, including two in Saudi Arabia and one each in India and China. Altogether, the group is investing USD 500m in the projects, which it said will meet the needs of customers and an increasingly sophisticated marketplace while also addressing sustainability issues.

Global consumers are guided by product packaging in their buying behavior, not least in India. We reject products in plastic packaging and feel guilty when we throw away plastic water bottles. We worry about the amount of packaging consumed by society, and when shopping online we might consider having goods delivered in simple standard packaging instead of the original packaging if it makes them cheaper. These are the results of an international study by Innventia, Packaging 2020, carried out in association with Kairos Future.