From my views, pardon me if I am wrong, everyone is the competitors in business. Now, let us focus in 4 arms, Amcor (the biggest of the world packaging), Visy (next on the line), Pact and then Pro Pact.
Amcor is the world's biggest packaging corporation, but in a way, in Australia, they covered more into all sorts of plastic packaging, soft plastic like nappy bags, here and there with rigid plastic. Why? Because chunks of plastic companies got sold off to Visy, then Geminder took some chunks of underperformers companies out of Visy.
In a way, Amcor reflects the global views into plastic industry, but having said that, right now, if you dealt with Australia alone, I would say Visy and Pact are 2 major competitors in rigid plastic (containers, bottles and caps), and Amcor versus Pro Pact with soft plastic (nappy bags, chip bags, pallet wrapping rolls)
In term of recycling, the old Visy man is the wisest of all, they started of with cardboard recycling and no one beats them in that. Visy also covered many extent arms into glass and aluminum and plastic too. Last Friday, they were on the AFR about how you can throw the pizza box into the recycling bin too with Everyday Dan, and Environmental Minister. So, in a way, I would call Visy an all rounder with focus in cardboard recycling as their root, and expanding into glass, aluminum and plastic.
With Amcor, they do serious about recycling too, and in fact, they had spent some chunk of money into Shanghai, China for some recycling technology into soft plastic and they got some institutional investment willing to invest to recycling soft plastic in Australia. I don't follow much with Amcor, but that's what I read. I think they do cover other recycling into rigid plastic, but I will leave it blank as I am not sure.
Now, with Pact Group and Pro Pact Group, Geminder splits it out like this, most of rigid plastic goes to Pact, and most of soft plastic goes to Pro Pact. In term of rigid plastic, whether it similar to Visy or not, from scientific views, not all plastic can recycle. Most of plastic can recycle are soft drink bottles, milk bottles and ice cream containers. Of course, the system is not perfect, but to take a chunk out of landfill is worth it so Visy and Pact group keep on promoting it and at a same time, keep on manufacturing virgin plastic just like Amcor and Pro Pact for the sake of balance sheet and for workers and their families and consumers too.
Recycling is still a new model, at best right now, it can only shred back to resin and then mold it again to become plastic bottles or holders. There are research right now, and early models suggest of pyrolisis plant which convert plastic into oil. The recent development I read, was some how, scientist are researching of how to convert a $100 a tone of plastic waste into $1200 a tone of expensive oil.
Of course, this is still in research and most people would say this can be scientific fiction, so, Mr Sanjay's job is just to recycling plastic to reduce the amount of waste into landfill (but also his job is to maintain company profit and dividend to shareholders too>>>> my idea). But as future goes on, I think Mr Sanjay will be out of job, as full circular economy kicks in, the company needs to focus in both plastic manufacturing and recycling into circular economy or to convert back to oil. But, the way it goes, Mr Sanjay will be to old to pick up new technology and he probably will be retired already, oh well. Life goes on, I guess.
In term of policy, the government ambition for next few years is to reduce waste into landfill, until research is fully developed. Plastic in full mode can go back to oil or somehow back into circular economy.
The issue Pact and Pro Pact had all along were that, Geminder took on the very hardcore industry, plastic. With Pact, he tried to do fuel injection by acquisition of plastic plants to pump the balance sheet. The issue is the debt involved with it and right now, that's why no one gets dividend over profits issue. Having said that, they sold 50% of their crate pool division to lower the debt. Lucky for him that, bunch of us up here rejects the ideas of share recapitalization or else will be like Pro Pact, with lack of buyers to cover vast amount of shares. With Pact, I think they can turn around if they can control the debt, pump the profits, pay out dividend, maintain quality productions, delivery on time with minor machinery down time, and of course be smart with their inventory by watching resin prices and masterbatch order and don't get into argument with qube again, I suppose. They still have some very important people of investment, some very important personnels, some very important properties and some very important plants, I suppose.
Pro Pact as described by other members here, they lost talents in the company and from my belief, soft plastic is a step behind with rigid plastic into recycling. But hey, it is coming, at least from the news of Amcor, so I guess how they handle those issues are up to their management ends I supposed.
Amcor is fine, but it just right now as they stated, come on man, there is inflation and interest rate stuffs, less consumer demand around the globe, so their issue seemed to be related to the globe and I think the Mother Earth going to be alright man. It's just the best of the best trying to versus the world to be breaking all time high record share price seems to be awark, I would just say, take it easy man!!
With Visy, oh yes, the mother of all Pact and Pro- Pact, share price seemed to be around $3-$4 for nearly a decade (at least from 6 years since I have been watching), hang in there man, $4 plus soon in future, but very good dividend pay out and Anthony Pratt seemed to be very active with his public figure. Hang in there, man!
Just my 2 cents opinion.
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