CYPET TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED COMPANY OVERVIEW

Company History

In 2005, Constantinos Sideris conceived a new, innovative method to produce plastic (PET) bottles and jars. M. Sideris & Son Ltd, a family business established in Cyprus in 1968, started a project to patent, develop and commercialize the technology. Patents were issued, covering the technology globally and a prototype machine was built, proving and testing the technology.

CYPET Technologies Limited was founded in 2013, during the final stages of technology prove- out, entering the plastics machinery market in 2014. CYPET has received so far orders for 27 machines with moulds, from 14 countries on all five continents, for the production of PET containers ranging in sizes from 20 ml miniature bottles to 120 litre drums (world’s biggest PET container), shown in the photograph below.

Example of small bottles / jars produced by the small CYPET K16, just by changing moulds:

PET Basics

PET is a plastic raw material that has become very popular for the production of polyester fabrics and for plastic packaging containers, due to its superior strength, transparency and gloss. Since its discovery in the 1970’s PET has become the preferred material for packaging containers, successfully replacing glass, other plastics, carton and metal for the packing of carbonated soft drinks, water, milk, edible oil, juices, cosmetics, cleaning products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc.

The environmental impact of plastics has become an important issue globally, with legislation in several countries banning certain disposable plastic products like bags, straws and cotton buds, which are difficult to recycle. In the case of PET, environmental impact is minimal, because PET

is not only fully and easily recyclable, but it is also the only plastic that can be recycled back to its original properties, including its suitability for food contact, thus completely closing the loop for a circular economy. As a result, PET is not in the list of plastic materials on which the EU is considering imposing a recycling tax.

There are two steps involved in the production of PET containers. Firstly, test-tube-shaped PET preforms are injection moulded from PET granules raw material and, secondly PET containers are produced by stretch blow moulding the PET preforms.

About 80% of the PET bottles produced globally are made on machines that start with ready purchased preforms, re-heat these preforms and stretch-blow mould them into bottles. These so-called two-stage machines are normally used for high production outputs of bottles, using PET preforms with standard neck sizes and weights, which are easily available in the market.

For medium production outputs and for containers with non-standard necks or weights, preforms would not be available on the market, so PET containers are produced on so-called single-stage machines, that start with PET raw material, injection mould the preforms and then directly stretch-blow mould these preforms into the PET containers, on the same machine. CYPET produces such single-stage machines, which however, operate in a different way than existing single-stage technologies, offering significant benefits.

Intellectual property

CYPET has continued innovating beyond its original patent for the single-stage processing method, building a portfolio of intellectual property assets that will help future company growth. These assets are listed below:

Patents issued:

1. Single-stage PET process (our current main product).

2. PET preforms production method with improved post-cooling.

3. Integrated handles for PET bottles and method of production. Patents Pending:

1. Beer keg with integrated handles and chimes.

2. Pressure relief valve with extension rather than compression spring. Product design registrations:

1. Rigid integrated handles on PET containers.

2. Water dispenser bottle with built-in handle.

3. PET-in-Box packaging.

Unique Applications

In addition to producing normal PET bottles and jars, CYPET machines are capable of producing special containers, that other PET processing machines cannot produce. Examples of such “world’s first” containers, designed by CYPET to promote sales of its machines are the following:

▪ CYPET developed the ZEG, a patent pending stackable beer keg with incorporated handles and a patent pending pressure relief valve. These patent pending features make the ZEG the safest and most economical plastic beer keg on the market.

▪ A 5-gallon returnable water-dispenser bottle with a special incorporated handle, for production only on CYPET machines.

▪ The world’s first “PET-in-Box” packaging for edible oil, has been developed by CYPET and is now in production on a CYPET machine.

▪ The world’s first transparent PET crate for fruit and vegetables, with 570 x 370 mm rectangular opening and 60 Litres capacity, has been successfully produced on a CYPET machine, the only machine capable of producing such a product.

▪ By far the biggest PET container globally is the transparent 120 Litre drum with 400 mm neck diameter, produced on a CYPET machine.