During the height of COVID–19 in March 2021, the recycling technology player successfully completed the training and start-up of a complete sheet line at Hickman’s Family Farms in Arizona. This custom-engineered plant has been designed for PET Food Packaging with the sustainable “Bottle to Packaging” direct process. The complete line has a capacity of 3,500 lbs/h and is equipped with a MPR to guarantee the FDA L-NO direct food contact grade of material starting from 100% Post-Consumer r-PET Flakes.
Thanks to the foresight and commitment of Hickman Family, they are now producing in-house the PET sheet to make their famous “Sustainable r-PET Eggs Tray”, thereby closing the LOOP on Recycling and consuming upwards to 30,000,000 pounds of r-PET from post-consumer containers annually. The line is in operation to the utmost satisfaction of the customer, producing around the clock 24 hour/day.
This is the second stage of Hickman’s vertical integration plan to meet their sustainable packaging objectives, as this sheet will be utilized in their 2 AMUT ACF high-speed thermoforming machines. A winning combination for the task at hand, that was completed thanks to an efficient “Team-Work” between AMUT and Hickman staff.
“We’re very excited about working with AMUT on our new recycling start-up here at Hickman’s. COVID created a lot of setbacks but because of the support from AMUT and the team we have, the startup was seamless and very successful” stated Branden the Grand-Son of the original founding Hickman.
