VAUGHAN, ONTARIO – July 29, 2015 – Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. (NYSE:UFI) has selected AMUT S.P.A. to assist in the design, construction and assembly of a new PET recycling system for the conversion of post-consumer PET bottles into quality fiber. The new system will be utilized in the Company’s Reidsville, N.C., facility. The approximate $25 million investment in a bottle processing plant will help Unifi achieve its goal of backward integration for its REPREVE® recycled fiber product line.
AMUT was founded in 1958 as a key manufacturer of extrusion machinery and complete production lines for plastic materials, which are used in recycling technologies/facilities, and the packaging and recycling industries. The system Unifi plans to utilize will feature AMUT’s patented Dry De-Labelling system as a way to remove the full body shrink sleeve labels from the PET bottles separately in a “dry” phase that will allow for the recovery and collection of labels.
“This is an important step in the processing of municipal waste stream post-consumer bales,” said Anthony Georges, president of AMUT North America. “AMUT has been an instrumental player in the processing of PET bales in numerous PET recycling plants throughout North America for bottle-to-bottle and bottle-to-sheet applications. We are excited to work with Unifi and be a part of their bottle processing plant and the durable, sustainable products they’re creating.”
“Unifi’s REPREVE brand demonstrates the Company’s commitment to improving the environment through recycling efforts, converting post-consumer materials – like recycled plastic bottles – into high-quality fibers that can be used for a variety of applications. Since 2009, Unifi has recycled more than 4 billion recycled plastic bottles into REPREVE fiber that is used in products made by some of the world’s favorite brands, including Haggar, Ford and Quiksilver, among others.”
“After evaluating a number of technologies, we chose to utilize the proven AMUT PET processes to ensure that Unifi’s high production standards are met,” said Mark McNeill, vice president of technology and business development for Unifi. “We are pleased that this addition will help Unifi continue to bring sustainability efforts full circle.”
Unifi’s new bottle processing plant will produce an estimated 75 million pounds annually of r-PET materials, in addition to the caps and label streams. Operations at the new plant will begin June 2016.
For additional details and information please contact:
AMUT Group
AMUT North America, Inc.
55 Administration Road,
Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
905 761 9400 Ext 221
Mr. Anthony Georges – a.georges@amutnorthamerica.com
Be the first to comment