Uflex takes next step in global film manufacturing strategy

- One of largest film lines in the world

 

- Freshly manufactured films better suited for conversion

 

India-based Uflex Group has started work at its new BOPET film plant in Poland, which forms the basis of its plan to set up strategically located manufacturing lines as close as possible to major film markets to dispatch just-in-time supplies of freshly manufactured films to customers anywhere in the world within seven days of receipt of their orders.

 

The new biaxially-oriented polyester (BOPET) plant features a state-of-the-art 8.7m-wide film line that runs at 500m/min. It is one of the largest film lines in the world, Uflex said, and can turn out 36,000t per year of film.

 

It is supplemented by a plasma enhanced high-barrier metallizer that can convert 6,000t of film per year.

 

The project, which operates under the name Flex Films Europa, is located at Wrzesnia near Poznan in Poland and is Uflex Group’s fourth overseas manufacturing facility.

 

It forms an integral part of Flex Films’ master-plan to set up strategically located manufacturing lines as close as possible to major film markets to dispatch just-in-time supplies of freshly manufactured films to customers anywhere in the world within seven days of receipt of their orders.

 

The Uflex Group now has large state-of-the-art film plants operating in India, Dubai, Mexico, Egypt and Poland. Another facility is under construction in Kentucky in the US, and this will be operational by the end of 2012.

 

Flex Films is the only global packaging film manufacturer to have film lines operating in all the four major continents of Asia, North America, Europe and Africa that together account for over 90 percent of the world’s packaging requirements.

 

Pradeep Tyle, chief executive officer of the Uflex global films business, said: ‘We want to get ever closer to our valued film customers by locating plants next door to them.

 

‘Just-in-time deliveries not only enable our customers to totally do away with film inventories and warehousing, the freshly manufactured films also bring with them better functional properties that are better suited for conversion.

 

‘We tell our customers to keep their money in the bank and not in warehouses. We intend to operate out of at least 12 countries by 2020.’ 

 

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