Carbon reduction support and green supply chain empowerment

        Green consumption has become mainstream in recent years, with not only consumers tending towards more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, but also manufacturing giants actively developing more environmentally friendly processes and products. This cover story takes you to the production site to learn how Far Eastern New Century Corporation and Oriental Industries (Suzhou) achieve their goals of efficiency and low-carbon through innovative technology.

        Far Eastern New Century Corporation Breaks Through Capacity Bottlenecks to Meet Customer Needs

                Under the wave of sustainability, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) packaging materials, which were widely used in the past, have been banned or taxed by many advanced countries due to their potential to become a hidden concern for the environment and human health. Taiwan has also imposed restrictions on the manufacturing, import, and sale of flat packaging materials containing PVC, non flat washable tableware filling foods, and other products since July 2023. Renowned brands uphold corporate social responsibility and have also switched to other environmentally friendly materials, with PET being the preferred choice.

        As one of the top three PET suppliers globally, Far Eastern New Century Corporation's polyester shrink film factory not only has the world's first continuous overlapping production line, but also has stable and uniform characteristics. The printing effect is excellent, and it can adapt to various shrinkage conditions and requirements. It has won the trust of its partners and is often used for the outer label of canned beverages.

        Observing the increasing demand for material conversion from brand customers in recent years, Far Eastern New Century Corporation was unable to provide more products due to full capacity. Therefore, the factory conducted research with the goal of "increasing production capacity", evaluated the characteristics of existing equipment and raw materials, and analyzed the four major bottlenecks that affect production capacity: "membrane surface flatness", "reuse system stability", "filter material", and "pipe pressure".

        Firstly, in the manufacturing process, the flatness of PET raw material attached to the cooling wheel will affect the appearance and subsequent printing effect of the heat shrink film. If the output is increased, the cooling wheel speed will increase, and the stability of the attachment will inevitably decrease. Secondly, increasing production capacity represents an increase in recycled materials, and ensuring the smooth operation of the production line recycling system is another challenge. Thirdly, the consumption rate of the filter increases with the increase of production, indirectly determining the cleanliness of the raw materials. Finally, the increase in production of existing equipment may lead to excessive pipe pressure, which is a problem that cannot be ignored.

        Faced with the above four challenges, the project team repeatedly tried to invest different materials and ratios, adjust equipment load values, etc. After a year, they finally found the golden formula for increasing production and high-quality PET shrink film. This not only drove the annual production of polyester film factories, significantly increased sales and profits, but also significantly reduced energy consumption. By refining the process, they once again opened up the gap with competitors, while demonstrating the company's commitment to ESG and demonstrating the innovative spirit and social responsibility of leading enterprises.

                Oriental Industries (Suzhou) creates the world's first eco-friendly automotive product development

        The awareness of green consumption has also spread into the global automotive product market. Oriental Industries (Suzhou), which focuses on producing automotive products, is well aware that developing environmentally friendly industrial silk and curtain fabric products for vehicles will be an important tool to break out of the red ocean market. Therefore, it has decided to accelerate its investment in research and development.

        In fact, PET polyester has already played a crucial role in many industrial productions. For example, high-strength and high denim PET long fibers are commonly used in the manufacturing of tire cord fabrics and other industrial fabrics due to their excellent physical and mechanical properties such as high fracture strength, good impact resistance, and low elongation; PET industrial fibers with high modulus and low shrinkage are widely used in tire frame materials due to their high dimensional stability, low dry heat shrinkage rate, and susceptibility to deformation under high temperature operating conditions.

        In response to environmental protection needs, Oriental Industries (Suzhou) plans to use rPET bottles to recover ester particles and develop high-strength, high modulus, and low shrinkage PET Recycle industrial silk and tire cord fabrics. However, due to its chemical effects violating conventional PET physical forms, research and development work faces severe challenges. Firstly, during the polymerization process of bottle ester particles, IPA components need to be added to reduce PET crystallization and maintain the transparency of the bottle body; However, the characteristics of low crystallinity contradict the composition conditions of high modulus and low shrinkage fibers. To enhance tire size stability, handling, and safety, it is necessary to improve fiber crystallinity during the spinning process. How to achieve a balance between the two tests the team's intelligence. In addition, compared to general ester granules, bottle recycled ester granules contain more impurities and low molecular weight substances, which become uncontrollable variables in the process. Therefore, for a long time, no other manufacturer has used bottle or bottle recycled ester granules to manufacture such products.

                To overcome the above difficulties, Oriental Industries (Suzhou) searched for relevant literature and materials, but there was very little information available for reference. The technical department and R&D Center team could only independently develop and combine theoretical foundations and technical experience to innovate from both "spinning" and "impregnation process". They redesigned the spinning melt flow, heat treatment conditions and formula, and after two years, successfully developed and mass-produced the world's first 100% rPET high-performance industrial silk and tire cord fabric. In 2021, they obtained Continental certification and cooperation from an international tire manufacturer, becoming the world's first and currently the only 100% PET recognized by tire manufacturers. Bottle recycling tire curtain fabric.

        The newly developed environmentally friendly curtain fabric not only has the advantages of carbon reduction and environmental protection, but also has the characteristic of "high strength" which helps to reduce the number of layers required for tires, reduce rubber usage, and make tires lighter and thinner; The characteristic of "high modulus" can improve the stability of tire size and reduce rolling resistance; As for the "low shrinkage" feature, it can better protect the tires from long-term high-speed operation and deformation due to high tire temperature, further achieving the effect of saving fuel consumption, while improving riding comfort, handling, and safety. Since its official launch in 2022, it has achieved good profits repeatedly.

        Far Eastern Group plans Sustainability Development strategy, sets clear goals for each stage, upgrades manufacturing technology, and builds a green supply chain. Far Eastern New Century Corporation has re tightened every line of defense in the manufacturing process, preparing for low-carbon and increased production; Oriental Industries (Suzhou) has crossed the red ocean market of automotive products and created the first rPET high-performance industrial silk and tire fabric product in the market from scratch. With strong research and development capabilities, we have worked together to achieve another peak in revenue and become the most powerful support for global energy conservation and carbon reduction actions.

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