Plastic Films Situation and Outlook RAPRA MARKET REPORT Françoise Pardos
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
A Rapra Market Report
by
Françoise Pardos
August 2004
Rapra Technology Limited Shawbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 4NR, UK Tel: +44 (0)1939 250383 Fax: +44 (0)1939 251118 http://www.rapra.net
The right of F. Pardos to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
© 2004, Rapra Technology Limited ISBN: 1-85957-480-7 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without the prior permission of the publisher, Rapra Technology Limited, Shawbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 4NR, UK. Typeset, printed and bound by Rapra Technology Limited.
Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Geographical Focus................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Flexible Materials Under Study .............................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Authorship............................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Main Study Findings ............................................................................................................................... 5
3 Types of Films and Materials....................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Main Film Materials Characteristics ....................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Polyethylene (PE) ................................................................................................................................... 8 Types of Polyethylene .............................................................................................................................. 8 PE Films Industry Structure.................................................................................................................... 11 Consumption of PE Films....................................................................................................................... 13 3.3 Polypropylene (PP) ............................................................................................................................... 14 Types of Polypropylene .......................................................................................................................... 14 Oriented PP Films................................................................................................................................... 14 OPP Films Industry Structure ................................................................................................................. 16 Consumption of OPP Films .................................................................................................................... 18 Main Uses of OPP Films ........................................................................................................................ 19 Cast PP Films.......................................................................................................................................... 19 3.4 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)..................................................................................................................... 20 PVC Films Industry Structure................................................................................................................. 21 PVC Film Consumption ......................................................................................................................... 21 3.5 Polystyrene (PS) and Derivatives.......................................................................................................... 22 3.6 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) ........................................................................................................ 23 PET Film Capacity and Comments ........................................................................................................ 23 PET Film Consumption .......................................................................................................................... 26 3.7 Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG).......................................................................................... 27 3.8 Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN) .......................................................................................................... 28 3.9 Polyamide (PA, Nylon)......................................................................................................................... 29 Nylon Films Industry Structure .............................................................................................................. 29 Consumption of Nylon Films ................................................................................................................. 31 3.10 Polycarbonate (PC) ............................................................................................................................. 32 3.11 Cellophane (Cello) .............................................................................................................................. 32 3.12 Disposable and Edible Films............................................................................................................... 33 3.13 Film Substrates for Multilayer Films .................................................................................................. 38 3.14 Ethylene Copolymers .......................................................................................................................... 38 3.15 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) ........................................................................................................... 39 3.16 Ionomers ............................................................................................................................................. 41 3.17 Cyclo-Olefin Copolymers (COC) ....................................................................................................... 42 3.18 Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB)..................................................................................................................... 43 3.19 Barrier Materials ................................................................................................................................. 45 Summary of the Barrier Story................................................................................................................. 49 3.20 Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) ........................................................................................................ 50 Examples of EVOH Film Constructions................................................................................................. 54 3.21 Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH)................................................................................................................. 54 3.22 Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC) ....................................................................................................... 56 PVDC Industry Structure........................................................................................................................ 56 PVDC Consumption ............................................................................................................................... 57 3.23 Oxide-Coated Films ............................................................................................................................ 57 3.24 Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)........................................................................................................... 59 3.25 Polyarylamide MXD6 (PA MXD6) .................................................................................................... 61 3.26 Nano-Barriers...................................................................................................................................... 62 3.27 Polyimides (PI) ................................................................................................................................... 64 3.28 Fluoropolymers ................................................................................................................................... 65 3.29 Adhesives ............................................................................................................................................ 65 3.30 Multilayer Films.................................................................................................................................. 65
3.31 Aluminium Foil ...................................................................................................................................67 3.32 Paper and Board Products....................................................................................................................68
4 Processes for Films ...................................................................................................................... 69 4.1 Film Extrusion .......................................................................................................................................69 Blown Extrusion......................................................................................................................................69 Flat Die Extrusion ...................................................................................................................................70 4.2 Stretching...............................................................................................................................................70 4.3 Pre-treatment .........................................................................................................................................70 4.4 Processes for Multilayer Barrier Films ..................................................................................................70 4.5 Coextrusion............................................................................................................................................71 Flat Die Cast Coextrusion .......................................................................................................................71 Blown Film Coextrusion .........................................................................................................................72 The Choice Between the Two Techniques ..............................................................................................73 Coextrusion of Commodity Plastic Films ...............................................................................................73 Coextrusion of Specialty and Barrier Plastic Films.................................................................................74 4.6 Lamination and Adhesive Lamination...................................................................................................75 4.7 Coating ..................................................................................................................................................76 4.8 Metallisation ..........................................................................................................................................77 Structure of the Metallising Films Industry.............................................................................................77 Metallised Flexible Material Consumption and Growth .........................................................................78 Replacement of Aluminium Foil .............................................................................................................79 Metallised Paper......................................................................................................................................80 4.9 Form–Fill–Seal (FFS) ............................................................................................................................81 4.10 Thermoforming....................................................................................................................................81 4.11 Printing ................................................................................................................................................81 4.12 New Technical Developments in Films ...............................................................................................81 4.13 Alphabetical List of Machine Manufacturers for Films.......................................................................82
5 Applications of Films................................................................................................................... 83 5.1 Packaging – General Introduction .........................................................................................................83 5.2 Stretch and Shrink Films .......................................................................................................................83 Shrink Film..............................................................................................................................................84 Stretch Film .............................................................................................................................................84 Structure of the Shrink/Stretch Films Industry........................................................................................85 Consumption of Stretch and Shrink Films ..............................................................................................85 5.3 Bags and Sacks ......................................................................................................................................86 Types of Plastic Bags and Sacks .............................................................................................................86 Bag Markets and Applications ................................................................................................................87 Bag producers in Europe and Elsewhere.................................................................................................88 National Laws and Actions Against Shopping Bags...............................................................................90 5.4 Heavy-Duty Sacks and Big Bags...........................................................................................................93 Heavy-Duty Sacks...................................................................................................................................94 Big Bags ..................................................................................................................................................94 5.5 Free-Standing Bags and Similar Products .............................................................................................95 Free-Standing Bags or Stand-Up Pouches...............................................................................................95 Pouches and Sachets................................................................................................................................96 Bag in Box...............................................................................................................................................96 5.6 Automatic Packaging Films...................................................................................................................97 5.7 Multilayer Films ....................................................................................................................................97 5.8 Labels, Sleeves and Display Films ........................................................................................................98 Traditional and Changing Labels ............................................................................................................98 Plastic Labels.........................................................................................................................................100 Film Labels, New-Look Labels and Plastic Sleeves .............................................................................101 Sleeves...................................................................................................................................................102 Display Films ........................................................................................................................................104 5.9 Other Packaging Applications .............................................................................................................105 Lidding ..................................................................................................................................................105 Strapping ...............................................................................................................................................105 Bubble Films and Wrap.........................................................................................................................105 Tear Tapes.............................................................................................................................................105 Twistwrap..............................................................................................................................................106
Adhesive Tapes..................................................................................................................................... 106 Weaving Tapes ..................................................................................................................................... 106 5.10 Building Construction ....................................................................................................................... 107 5.11 Agriculture ........................................................................................................................................ 108 5.12 Consumer Goods............................................................................................................................... 109 Garbage Bags........................................................................................................................................ 109 Household Films................................................................................................................................... 109 Disposable Diapers and Related Products ............................................................................................ 110 Credit Cards.......................................................................................................................................... 110 Tarpaulins ............................................................................................................................................. 111 5.13 Medical Applications ........................................................................................................................ 111 5.14 Automobile Industry ......................................................................................................................... 111 5.15 Electrical/Electronics Industries........................................................................................................ 111 5.16 Synthetic Paper ................................................................................................................................. 113 5.17 All Other End-Uses ........................................................................................................................... 113
6 Film Consumption Summary................................................................................................... 115 6.1 Total World Plastic Film Consumption .............................................................................................. 115 6.2 Geographic/Economic Consumption Split.......................................................................................... 115 6.3 Main Film End-Uses ........................................................................................................................... 116
7 Film Supply Structure, Concentration and Strategies........................................................... 117 7.1 Raw Film Production .......................................................................................................................... 117 7.2 Converted Film Production ................................................................................................................. 117 7.3 Recent Developments ......................................................................................................................... 118
8 Main Film Groups, Mergers and Acquisitions ....................................................................... 119 9 Profiles of Selected Film Producers and Converters ............................................................. 121 9.1 Alphabetical Listing ............................................................................................................................ 121 ACX Technologies [USA].................................................................................................................... 121 AEP Industries [USA, Europe]............................................................................................................. 121 AET, Applied Extrusion Technologies [USA ] .................................................................................... 122 Alcan [Canada] ..................................................................................................................................... 123 Alcan Flexible Packaging [USA] ......................................................................................................... 123 Alcoa [USA] ......................................................................................................................................... 124 Alkor Draka [Belgium]......................................................................................................................... 125 Allflex [Germany] ................................................................................................................................ 126 Alpha Packaging Films [UK] ............................................................................................................... 126 Aluflexpack, AFP [Croatia].................................................................................................................. 127 Amcor Flexibles Europe, AFE [Europe] .............................................................................................. 127 API Foils [UK] ..................................................................................................................................... 128 Aquafilm [USA] and Aquafilm Ltd [UK] ............................................................................................ 129 Armando Álvarez Group [Spain].......................................................................................................... 129 Autobar Flexible [UK].......................................................................................................................... 130 Balcan Plastics [Canada] ...................................................................................................................... 130 Barbier Group [France]......................................................................................................................... 131 Bemis [USA, Europe]........................................................................................................................... 131 Bischof & Klein [Germany] ................................................................................................................. 132 Bolloré [France].................................................................................................................................... 132 BP Films [UK]...................................................................................................................................... 133 British Polythene Industries, BPI [UK] ................................................................................................ 133 Buergofol [Germany]............................................................................................................................ 134 Bunzl [UK, USA] ................................................................................................................................. 134 Caffaro Flexible Packaging, CFP [Italy] .............................................................................................. 135 CEISA [France] .................................................................................................................................... 135 Ceplastik [Spain] .................................................................................................................................. 135 Chamberlain Plastics [UK] ................................................................................................................... 136 Charpentier [France] ............................................................................................................................. 136 Chemosvit [Slovakia] ........................................................................................................................... 136 Clondalkin [Ireland].............................................................................................................................. 136 Clopay Plastic Products [USA]............................................................................................................. 137 Coburn [USA]....................................................................................................................................... 137
Coexpan [Spain] ....................................................................................................................................138 Cofira [France] ......................................................................................................................................138 Colines [Italy]........................................................................................................................................138 Coloplast [Denmark] .............................................................................................................................139 Convenience Food Systems, CFS [the Netherlands] .............................................................................139 Crest Packaging [UK] ...........................................................................................................................140 Danapak Flexibles [Denmark]...............................................................................................................140 Deltalene Adelpro [France] ...................................................................................................................140 Dubai Poly Film [UAE] ........................................................................................................................141 Eiffel [Italy]...........................................................................................................................................141 Etimex [Germany].................................................................................................................................141 EVC Films [Europe]..............................................................................................................................141 Exbanor [France]...................................................................................................................................142 ExxonMobil Films [USA, world]..........................................................................................................142 Flexico Minigrip [France] .....................................................................................................................142 Frantschach [Austria] ............................................................................................................................143 Garware Polyester [India] .....................................................................................................................143 Gatex [Germany]...................................................................................................................................143 Gellis [Israel].........................................................................................................................................144 Glenroy [USA] ......................................................................................................................................144 Glory Polyfilms [India] .........................................................................................................................144 Goglio [Italy].........................................................................................................................................145 Gualapack, Safta [Italy].........................................................................................................................145 Hueck Folien [Germany].......................................................................................................................146 Huhtamaki [Finland] .............................................................................................................................146 Imprisac [France] ..................................................................................................................................147 Jason Plastics [UK] ...............................................................................................................................147 Jindal Poly Films, JPFL [India].............................................................................................................147 Kangaroo Plastics [UAE] ......................................................................................................................148 Klöckner Pentaplast [Germany] ............................................................................................................148 Kohler Plastics [South Africa]...............................................................................................................149 Krehalon [Japan, Europe]......................................................................................................................149 Latinplast [Venezuela] ..........................................................................................................................150 Lawson Mardon [UK] ...........................................................................................................................150 Linpac [UK] ..........................................................................................................................................150 Lofo High Tech Film [Germany] ..........................................................................................................151 Manuli Packaging [Italy].......................................................................................................................151 Mapal Plastics Products [Israel] ............................................................................................................151 Megaplast [Greece] ...............................................................................................................................152 MF Folien [Germany] ...........................................................................................................................152 Mianyang Longhua Chemical Co. [China]............................................................................................152 MM Behrens Packaging [Germany]......................................................................................................152 MO.CEL [Italy] .....................................................................................................................................153 NeoGraf [Italy] ......................................................................................................................................153 Nordenia [Germany] .............................................................................................................................153 Nuova Pansac [Italy] .............................................................................................................................154 Nuroll, M&G Polymers [Italy] ..............................................................................................................154 Orbita [Germany] ..................................................................................................................................154 Pactiv [USA] .........................................................................................................................................155 Parkside Flexibles [UK] ........................................................................................................................155 Péchiney Soplaril Flexible Europe, PSFE [France]...............................................................................156 Phoenix Packaging [USA].....................................................................................................................156 Plasto-Sac [Israel] .................................................................................................................................157 Pliant [USA]..........................................................................................................................................157 Poligal [Spain].......................................................................................................................................158 Polinas [Turkey] ....................................................................................................................................158 Poly Products [Nigeria] .........................................................................................................................158 Poly Towers [Malaysia] ........................................................................................................................159 Polyclear [UK] ......................................................................................................................................159 Positive Packaging Industries [India] ....................................................................................................159
Powerpack [Belgium] ........................................................................................................................... 160 PP Payne [UK]...................................................................................................................................... 160 Prepac [Thailand].................................................................................................................................. 160 Printpack [USA] ................................................................................................................................... 161 Radici [Italy]......................................................................................................................................... 161 Reef Industries [USA] .......................................................................................................................... 161 Renolit RKW [Germany]...................................................................................................................... 162 Roland Emballages [France]................................................................................................................. 162 Romar Packaging [UK] ........................................................................................................................ 163 Rotoflex [Lebanon]............................................................................................................................... 163 Rubafilm [France]................................................................................................................................. 163 Sealed Air [US, Europe] ....................................................................................................................... 163 Sopal PKL [France, Germany] ............................................................................................................. 164 Star Polybag [Cyprus]........................................................................................................................... 164 Südpack [Germany] .............................................................................................................................. 165 Syfan [Israel] ........................................................................................................................................ 165 Tekni-Plex [USA] ................................................................................................................................. 165 Tredegar Films [USA] .......................................................................................................................... 166 Treofan [Germany] ............................................................................................................................... 166 Trioplast [Sweden]................................................................................................................................ 167 Tyco Plastics [USA] ............................................................................................................................. 167 UCB Films [Belgium]........................................................................................................................... 168 United Flexible Packaging [Dubai] ...................................................................................................... 168 United Flexibles [Germany] ................................................................................................................. 169 Unterland [Austria] ............................................................................................................................... 169 Valeron Strength Films [USA] ............................................................................................................. 169 Vifan Vibac [Europe, Canada].............................................................................................................. 170 Wihuri, Wipak, Winpak [Finland] ........................................................................................................ 170 Wipf [Switzerland] ............................................................................................................................... 172 9.2 Other Film Companies and Countries – Not Detailed......................................................................... 172
10 Sources ..................................................................................................................................... 177 10.1 Packaging Federations ...................................................................................................................... 177 Europe................................................................................................................................................... 177 Countries............................................................................................................................................... 177 10.2 Publications, Literature and Databases ............................................................................................. 177 Trade Magazines................................................................................................................................... 177 Databases and Similar Sources ............................................................................................................. 177 Books.................................................................................................................................................... 177
Abbreviations and Acronyms...................................................................................................... 179
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
1 Introduction 1.1 Geographical Focus The area of the study is worldwide, but emphasis is on Europe. Other areas of the world, such as North America and Asia-Pacific, are mentioned when of interest, or to show comparisons with Europe. Europe is taken in the broad sense, not only Western Europe, as was normally done until recently, but Central and Eastern Europe as well. Ten new countries entered the Economic Union (EU) area in 2004, and there are already so many links, company subsidiaries and short delivery distances that these ‘new’ countries are already blurring into the former Western Europe. Moreover, since it will be a matter of a relatively short time before other Eastern European countries enter the EU, the preferred definition is thus geographic, and is termed ‘Europe’. The area defined as Europe thus includes all of Europe: the former Western Europe, whether part of the EU or not – thus Norway and Switzerland are included; and Central and Eastern Europe – the ten countries that entered the EU in 2004, and those that may enter at a later date. Countries that are not considered part of Europe in this study are: Turkey, Russia and its closest neighbours – Ukraine and Belarus. All other world areas are geographically defined, Turkey – being part of the Middle East, which extends to Pakistan – excluded. 1.2 Flexible Materials Under Study There are often long, and pointless, discussions about the various definitions of and meanings contained in the terms ‘films’ and ‘sheet’, and the not completely consistent dividing lines between flexible, semi-flexible, semi-rigid and rigid. In common use, films are planar forms of plastics, which may be thick enough to be selfsupporting, but thin enough to be flexed, folded and/or creased without cracking. In German and French traditions, film means a quite flexible, continuous, material that can be put on reels; and sheet (‘platte’ or ‘feuilles’) means a material that can only be made and used in cut formats. The difference in definitions is fuzzy, since many materials can be put on continuous reels, even those with thickness up to 1.5 mm, or 1500 μm, a truly ‘rigid sheet’ material for thermoforming. In Germany, the rule has long been that any material that could be thermoformed on Multivac machines was called flexible. Then Multivac started offering machines that could thermoform polystyrene (PS), and the difference in definitions became blurred. The dividing lines between film and sheet are sometimes given as follows: • • •
2 to 200 μm, flexible, 200 to 400 μm, semi-rigid or semi-flexible, over 400 μm, rigid.
However, in practice, a number of flexible materials are just in between, like polyamide (PA, nylon) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It is increasingly admitted that most thermoformed containers, at least shallow trays, are in the flexible category. Hence, PA is always considered as ‘film’, a flexible material, even when it takes the form of a thicker film to be thermoformed. When thermoformed, nylon is usually defined as ‘semi-rigid’ or ‘semi-flexible’, because it is never thermoformed from sheets thicker than 500 μm. This is because PA is a crystalline material that must be properly cooled. It cannot be so cooled if the material is too thick, and 500 μm is the maximum thickness in this respect. 1
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
A 600 μm PVC/100 μm PE (polyethylene), used in controlled-atmosphere packaging, is also considered as ‘flexible’. Whilst the rigid barrier sheet thermoformed containers of the late 1980s used rigid sheet of 450–1100 μm, the more recent semi-rigid barrier thermoformed containers, developed for prepared dishes, can use 250–300 μm thick sheet, part of the ‘film’ category. Generally, the consensus is that the borderline between sheet and film is 300 μm. The sheet coextruders cannot produce sheet thinner than 350–400 μm, and the film coextruders can extrude film up to 300 μm. This means that part of what could have been sheet markets actually have become film markets. The definition between sheet and film has thus become quite blurred. This shift in the thickness preference for thinner sheet has opened up many thermoformed container markets to coextruded film producers, thus enhancing barrier films at the expense of barrier sheet. Quite often, the practical functional definition given for sheet or film, flexible or rigid, is that flexible films are described as ‘all materials, actually flexible, that can be crumpled, made into pouches, bags, skin packaging and peelable lids’. Probably, the best criterion is the thickness up to which the various fabricating and converting processes can be used. •
Films can be up to 400 μm thick. In the case of laminates, 500 μm is the maximum thickness for lamination. It would not make sense to try laminating thicknesses above 500 μm.
•
In blown coextrusion, the maximum thickness is rarely more than 150 μm, because the film is cooled with air after extrusion.
•
Cast coextrusion can go up to 500 μm, sometimes well over 1 mm. The cast material is cooled with water and chill rolls. However, when PA is a component in a cast coextruded material, the thickness should not be above 500 μm, and the resulting material is still considered as a film.
•
Sheet ranges from 400 to 2000 μm, and coextrusion is the only possible process – lamination is not used.
The following represents a general consensus: The thickness criterion defines the thickness of films as being 250 μm, or 0.25 mm, or 10 mils (1 mil is one-thousandth of an inch), or less, down to 2–4 μm. Sometimes the film thickness definition goes up to 300 μm, or 0.30 mm, or 12 mils. To help some calculations, remembering the average density of roughly 1 for most films, a film of 25 μm should weigh about 25 grams per square metre. This gives a working rule of thumb and practical order of magnitude for many comparisons, and to convert, roughly, from weight to area. The thickness criterion also applies to paper. As a rule, the borderline between cardboard and paper is put at 225 grams per square metre. The films to be studied are those that can be made of plastics, exclusive of paper, aluminium foil and other flexible materials. This study focuses on plastics, with paper and foil being mentioned when associated with plastics. A single or mono(layer) material is defined as having at least 95% of the same single material. Composite or multilayer materials are viewed, in theory if not in practice, as more difficult to recycle.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
1.3 Methodology This report forms one of a series written and produced over the last several years for the Industry Analysis Unit at Rapra Technology Ltd. These reports cover various aspects of polymer materials and/or their application in specified end-products. Some of the unit's reports have been compiled specifically for a single client or a limited number of sponsoring clients, but others − like the present one − are available for sale. The information presented comes from an analysis of commercial literature including the Rapra Polymer Library Database. Other information comes from recent conferences, trade fairs, interviews and company websites. 1.4 Authorship Françoise Pardos was trained as an economist, with a MA from Berkeley, University of California, and a doctorate ("docteur ès-Sciences Economiques") from Paris. After five years as market research analyst at Kaiser Aluminum, in California, and two years at SEMA, an industrial consultant in Paris, she created Pardos Marketing, an industrial market research consultancy specializing in plastics and plastics applications. Over 200 studies have been completed in the last fifteen years. The main topics of recent studies cover new developments in plastics packaging, barrier materials, plastics applications in automotive, electrical, building and medical industries, high performance plastics, potential developments of new materials, with emphasis on European, African and Indian markets. Pardos Marketing “Beau-Voir” F-78630 Bures Orgeval (France) Tel: 33 (0) 1 39 75 80 19 Fax: 33 (0) 1 39 75 37 87 e-mail :
[email protected] website: http://pardos.marketing.free.fr
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
2 Executive Summary For this report a survey was carried out in October 2003–April 2004 of plastic films, with a general global approach. However, the European/North American position is still privileged, because of the better availability of data, the relative size of these two market areas (still two-thirds of total world consumption) and the presence of the world’s leading players. Profiles of and comments on about 200 plastic film companies are given in this report, yet the author is aware that the surface has only been scratched for the many emerging and rapidly growing players in China, the rest of Asia, Latin America, Russia and even Africa. There is still a vast area left for research in these geographic areas. In general, growth is expected to continue very strongly for the next ten years, with a minimum average annual rate of 3–5% worldwide. Growth should be much more in developing areas and for higher-value and more sophisticated films still in the high-growth phase of their development, such as oriented polypropylene (OPP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (nylon) and their innumerable combinations – multilayered, laminated, coextruded, coated and metallised. 2.1 Main Study Findings The total consumption of plastics in the world was estimated at 165 million tons in 2003, for polymers that take concrete shapes. Films are a very large segment of this total, representing about 40 million tons. The sector is dominated by commodity plastics, essentially polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), together amounting to about 34 million tons. In general, for most films, the main end-user is the packaging industry. However, for some films, other end-uses may be quite important, such as magnetics, optics and ‘telectronics’ for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), consumer goods and medical for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and automobile and construction glazing for polyvinyl butyral (PVB). The present and future demand for films for packaging is set to continue, being fuelled by the already strong base, the rapidly developing market in the ‘rest of the world’, the growing preference for flexible packaging over rigid (with use of sachets, pouches and stand-up flexible presentations), and the constant innovations and launches of new materials and clever solutions. Films are certainly the most lively sector in the plastics industry. The structure of the films industry has been through continual changes over the past thirty years, and the trend has accelerated in the past five years. This is true both for the production of the raw material films and for film conversion and multilayer films, although with different trends. In raw film production, essentially polyolefins, the first entrants, in the 1960s–1970s, were often the plastics producers, which wanted to move tonnage fast. In the past twenty years, the large plastics producers have disinvested their film and other plastics processing activities. Among the main names in basic films now are AET, Aspla, Alkor Draka, Bischof & Klein, BPI, DuPont Teijin, EVC, ExxonMobil, Jiangsu Shuangliang, Mitsubishi Polyester, Nan Ya Plastics, Nordenia, Pliant, Toray, Treofan and Trioplast. More Asian players will soon reach international size and influence. In converted film production, the past twenty-five years have been a continual story of restructuring and acquisitions by the larger groups in the films industry. First, the medium-sized and large film converters bought the many family groups that had been created in the 1960s. Then at the end of the 1980s, the larger groups started acquisitions of their peers. This concentration trend has not ended, as shown by the two giant aluminium companies, Alcoa and particularly Alcan, buying their rivals in 2002–2003.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
As of 2004, it is estimated that the largest flexible converted film suppliers in Europe/North America may cover about 50% of the total converted films. The main names are Alcan, Amcor, Bemis, Danapak, Pactiv, Parkside, Printpack, Renolit, Sealed Air, Wihuri and a number of others. Ranking is difficult, as many of these players are present in several fields and materials other than flexible plastics. The long story of concentration in multilayer flexible films is continuing, as there are still many small and medium-sized players, with very innovative vision and ambitions, eyed by the giant companies. More and more, the world’s largest and most concentrated film suppliers are in packaging. A number of trends can explain the continuing concentration of the flexible films industry, among which are the following: • • • •
Customer base now pan-European, including Eastern and Central Europe and Russia, Growth of supermarket retailers of all types, and migration of supply chain value, Increasing scale of raw materials suppliers to the converting industry, Squeeze on operating margins driving the search for the lowest cost-effective production.
To conclude, the strongest driving force for films is the growing preference for flexible over rigid packaging, a trend that is just beginning.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
3 Types of Films and Materials The processing of any plastic into a film calls for the plastic to be melted, fed into a shaping exit die at a metered rate, cooled and fed to a wind-up station. Many variants and complexities can be added to this simple concept. The die can be flat or annular for either cast or tubular films. All flexible packaging – whether films, laminates, paper, foil, cartons, cases, bags, pouches or labels – starts as material on a reel. Then the converters add value by printing, shaping, coating, laminating, stamping, slitting, forming and folding. A wide variety of plastics materials are used for films: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Polyethylene (PE), high-density (PE-HD), low-density (PE-LD) and linear low-density (PE-LLD), Polypropylene (PP), mono-oriented (OPP), bi-oriented (BOPP) and cast (CPP), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polystyrene (PS) and oriented polystyrene (OPS), Polyester unsaturated, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA or PVOH), Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), Polyamides (PA6, PA11, PA12), Polycarbonate (PC), Cellulosics, cellophane (cello), The combinations of these films as multilayers, by all the processes used to obtain them, whether the final films are all plastics or a combination of plastics and other materials such as paper, cardboard and aluminium foil.
The nature and function of these various materials in the final flexible film vary greatly, and major distinctions run through the following: • • • • • •
Commodity versus specialty performance materials, Single or mono-materials versus multilayer or composite materials, Basic substrate materials versus enhanced added-value materials, Packaging versus non-packaging applications, Various primary and secondary processes used to obtain films, Various types of finished products.
3.1 Main Film Materials Characteristics The different characteristics of all these film materials permit them to be placed into three main groups: substrates, barrier and functional. The European demand for flexible substrates is estimated at 3 million tons in 2003, of which plastics is by far the largest tonnage. Aluminium foil (an estimated 600,000 tons) and paper (an estimated 600,000 tons) are also used as substrates in association with plastics in flexible materials. PE and PP films are the largest two categories for substrates. Plastic films continue to take market share from paper, which is declining by 5% per annum. The main multilayer film substrates are: •
Polyolefin films, including PE, PP, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate (ethylene-vinyl acetate, EVA) and derivatives, which are generally less expensive than polymers, used alone or forming the main body of a film, sometimes called substrates,
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
• • • •
PE-LD and PE-LLD are valued for toughness and sealability, PE-HD is preferred as a moisture barrier and for sealability, PP films are used for machinability plus strength and stiffness, Ethylene copolymers, such as EVA, are added to provide sealing properties.
Other large-volume films that can be used as substrates, or associated with specific performances, are PS and PVC films. The barrier films are used mainly in packaging, as they are able to provide a barrier to gases, essentially oxygen. The largest tonnage barrier materials are PVDC and EVOH. Yet there are many other barrier materials and solutions. Other plastics offer a number of properties required for many functional applications, such as exceptional strength, temperature resistance, stiffness, imparting a printable surface, and even helping as a barrier medium. The main films in this family are PET and nylon, but there also are a number of very specialised films, more used in applications other than packaging. 3.2 Polyethylene (PE) Types of Polyethylene Polyethylene films are the most widely used, representing some 75–80% of the total tonnage of plastic films. PE-LD has a linear molecular structure with long side-chain branching, which reduces the crystallinity. Copolymerisation with vinyl acetate and ethyl acrylate can reduce crystallinity even further. PE-LD combines toughness, high impact strength, low brittleness temperature, low permeability to water, film transparency and good processability. Density ranges from 0.910 to 0.955. Blown PE-LD film has a density of 0.921–0.925. It is transparent, and very high clarity can be achieved by reducing chain branching. Copolymers of allyl propylene and isobutylene may be added to make clear and thin PE-LD films. PE-LDs with a melt index of 6 are used in thin films, those with a melt index of 2 are considered as generalpurpose, and those with a melt index less than 1 are of higher impact strength. High molecular weight PE-LD has enhanced high gloss, clarity, toughness and heat sealability. PELD film is typically extruded and blown and there are also cast films. The PE film must be treated by flame or corona discharge, for processes such as laminating. Flexographic printing is the most usual. PE-LD has been the plastic of choice for decades for many commodity applications, for example heavy-duty sacks, refuse bags, films for agriculture and building construction, shrink and stretch films for pallet wrap and collating, and a host of other applications, mostly, but not only, in packaging, including diapers and medical supplies. PE-LD is also the dominant polyolefin for extrusion coating on films and paper. When used in multilayer materials, with special very smooth grades of PE, the PE-LD component is used not only as substrate, but more functionally as heat seal layer. It can be replaced by EVA or ionomers in this sealing function. PE-LD is often blended with PE-LLD to produce a film that better balances the properties of both materials. PE-LLD has a linear molecular structure with no long-chain branching. Density is determined by the type and amount of copolymer used – hexylene, butylene and octylene – and ranges from 0.915
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
to 0.935. The crystallinity of PE-LLD is higher than that of PE-LD, raising the melting point of the resin by 10–15°C. Improvements over PE-LD include higher physical strength (tear, tensile and impact), elongation, puncture resistance, improved resistance to environmental stress cracking, temperature resistance and low-temperature properties. These properties permit downgauging, getting a stronger package with less material. These enhanced properties are present at reduced gauges, even with coextrusions and blends containing as little as 25% of PE-LLD. However, PE-LLD is not as transparent as PE-LD. PE-LLD films can be blown or cast in the same way as PE-LD. But PE-LLD does not always meet the extrusion coating requirements, for instance melt viscosity. The melt viscosity of PE-LLD cannot be reduced by using high shear rates, and this causes processing difficulties. This is why PE-LLD will never be a full replacement for PE-LD. Most PE producers are actively working on new grades that make PE-LLD even more attractive, but even the newest resins still require blending with PE-LD for most applications. PE-LLD has a wide range of applications because of enhanced performance at lower price than more expensive low melt index copolymers such as EVA. PE-LLD/EVA coextrusions are replacing PVC and can double maximum shrinkage. PE-LLD is also used as a sealant in consumer packaging for meat, cheese and other perishables, and for chilled meal pouches. PE-LLD has partly replaced PE-LD in these applications in the past twenty years. Flexible packaging for food and textiles uses PE-LLD as an extruded monolayer or in composites with PVDC, EVA and other polyolefins. PE-LLD is coextruded with PE-LD and EVA for waste bags, shipping bags, and stretch and shrink films. PE-LLD continues to replace PE-LD in films, and has found increasing use in large retail unit packaging markets such as meat, cheese and poultry. PE-HD has a linear molecular structure with some short-chain branching. Typically 70% crystalline, with a density of 0.941–0.965, it has the best barrier and strength properties of all the polyethylenes. PE-HD is valued for its stiffness, tensile strength and high heat resistance. PE-HD is a very good insulator, with lower permeability to water and gases. Almost all PE-HD films are blown. These films have excellent stiffness and moisture barrier properties. PE-HD films will bear a much larger load than PE-LD films before the yield point is reached. Outstanding stiffness and opacity, combined with tear and puncture resistance, have allowed PE-HD films to penetrate into paper product markets, so much so that PE-HD films were called the ‘paper-like plastic’ in earlier days. PE-HD copolymers of ethylene with octylene, heylxene and butylene show reduced crystallinity and better environmental stress cracking resistance and impact strength. PE-HD is often coextruded with PE-LD in a 30/70 ratio, to obtain high-strength stretch wrap. PE-HD/EVA coextruded films have been used to replace glassine (a transparent paper) and waxcoated paper for the inside liner of cartons for dry groceries. PE-HD/EVA provides longer shelflife because of reduced water permeability. The film is also more durable and grease-resistant. PE-LD may be included in coextrusion with PE-HD for the liner film. The seal is made peelable because of the difference in melting point between the two polyethylenes. The heat seal is achieved by the inner surface of low density, and it does not fuse with the tough outer layer of PE-HD. PE-UHMW, or ultra high molecular weight PE, is a linear polymer with a molecular weight (MW) over 3,000,000, compared to a MW of less than 50,000 for PE-HD. Its density is 0.93, and crystallinity 45%. PE-UHMW offers the highest abrasivity and impact resistance of any thermoplastic, excellent corrosion and environmental stress cracking resistance, low surface
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
friction and a non-stick surface. Most of this material is produced via the slurry process. Extrusion of PE-UHMW requires water-cooled groove-fed screws. Using resins with a bimodal molecularweight distribution has been found to increase the processability of PE-UHMW. Metallocene polyethylene (PEm) is the most recent entrant in the widening range of the PE family. Metallocenes are termed ‘smart catalysts’ that permit precise manufacturing control of specific resin properties. The first entry of metallocenes was in the early 1990s, and at the beginning they were scarce, expensive and hard to process. Since 1997, the next generation of metallocenes has been greatly improved, so that metallocenes are changing the very concept of polyolefins and other plastics. The newer PEms feature density comparable to other PE, higher hot tack strength, extended heat seal range, low residuals, and better moisture and oxygen barrier properties than any other PE resin. It is possible to produce a wide range of densities and custom-designed resin properties to meet many requirements. PEms are now gaining a place in PE-LLD, in the same way that PE-LLD entered the PE-LD market twenty-five years ago. Still, most applications use PEm in a small proportion with other polyolefins, as a modifier used to adjust properties, be they optical or processing (seal temperatures). In films, PE-LD can be coextruded as a thin strength layer or blended with up to 70% PE-LLD, to produce a film with the enhanced properties of PEm. PEm can be cost-effective if the premium cost is offset by downgauging. There is always a balance to be calculated between higher cost and thinner gauge. As a rule, PE films are low-cost functional films and, because PE is so abundant and versatile, PE-LD and PE-LLD films are used in a wide range of volume applications that have developed over the years at various rates of growth. PE-HD films are stiffer and stronger, and have displaced some of the earlier applications of PE-LD. The most visible example is the part-replacement of socalled paper-like types of PE-HD films of 18–20 μm in supermarket bags. After the great success of PE-LD films, PE-HD was introduced in the 1960s, and then PE-LLD. PE-LLD grades were introduced with many obstacles at first, like narrow supply base, processability challenges, and the lack of experience and equipment to get the best out of the resins. At first, metallocene PEs were also priced at levels far exceeding those of conventional higher alpha-olefins, hexylene and octylene polyethylenes. Now, film extruders and converters have mastered the very diversified grades and types, which have been expanded to a wide and ever-increasing range with PE-LLD. Blends are also constantly designed, with all types of PE, from plain PE-LD to PE-HMW, and all the grades in between. Downgauging continues in the monolayer high-volume applications, like refuse bags, shipping sacks and bundle overwraps. However, even when it is theoretically possible, downgauging cannot continue for ever. For instance, paper towel overwrap, which is typically of 25 μm thickness in Europe, could use 15 μm film, but this would be at the expense of machinability and the body and touch aspects of the films. Once the minimum gauge is reached, and it has been in a number of markets, the next step is to search for enhancements like higher clarity, controlled breathability, easier and less costly handling and fabrication downstream, better seal strength, and faster winding and bag-making speed. The latest blown film equipment, from groove-fed extruders to dies, screws and winders, is designed to accommodate the new generations of PE-LLD. The groove-fed systems require 50% less energy, which makes the coextruded films more competitive versus monolayer alternatives.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Coextrusion often has advantages, since using the new PE-LLD in dedicated layers avoids blending compromises. Three-layer coextrusion permits the optimisation of the use of the higher-cost PE-LLD. All PE films need corona treatment before printing, whilst ink adhesion to other olefins like PP is good. PE Films Industry Structure The PE films industry in Europe, and in the rest of the world, is increasingly concentrated (Table 3.1). There is the need for economies of scale and the ability to serve a wider international market in order to be profitable. The arrival of metallocene polymers also demands increased investments in R&D, and capital equipment. Although there are still about 800 polyethylene film extruders in Europe, the largest groups represent a constantly growing share of the total, estimated at 66% at least. The smaller companies are still owned by the founding families and only serve very local markets. A minimum of 20,000 ton capacity is considered the threshold below which the smaller companies are bound to close in the next few years, and there are still hundreds of them. Table 3.1 Alphabetical list of PE film producers, estimated capacities (in thousands of tons) and comments Companies Base Capacity Comments, mergers and acquisitions AEP Packaging USA Alplast France 50 Sogeplast, also in Poland Aspla Armando Spain 180 Álvarez Autobar Flexible UK 130 Merlin, Blachon, Fayard & Ravel, Januel, Courtanne Barbier Group France 100 Independent, family company Bischof & Klein Germany 150 BPI UK 400 Largest, bought Wavin, Low & Bonar Cofira France 40 Deltalene France 15 Stemmed from Autobar in 2001, Deltatex, Idelene EPS France 40 Diversifying into coextrusion Eurosak Italy 50 Also in France, Qatar Exbanor France 30 Geiss’Plast France 30 Guérin France 20 Granger France 35 Leygatech France 20 Five-layer coextruded, mainly heavy-duty sacks Nordenia Germany 200 Nuova Pansac Italy Propyplast France 25 Rheinische RKW Germany ACE from Belgium, Rosenlew from UPMRenolit Kymmene Semo Group France 50 SP Metal France 50 Leygatech plant, 12,000 tons Trioplast Sweden 300 Several Scandinavian companies, FLS Unterland Hamburger Austria 100
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Altogether, in Europe, the estimated numbers of PE film producing companies are as follows: • • • • • • •
Italy Germany UK France Benelux Scandinavia Spain
275 150 185 120 70 80 100
There are 1,500 plastic film producers in Russia, and film production there is split as follows: • • •
60% for PE and PP films, essentially for food packaging, 30% of PVC films, 10% of other higher value films, essentially PET.
The PE raw material producers (BP, Atofina, DSM, etc.) that used to operate integrated film extrusion plants all have disinvested in the 1980s and 1990s. Another development is the emergence of new players in the Mediterranean area. Global players have started to emerge, driven by US companies, like AEP Packaging, ITW Mima, Tenneco, ACX and Sealed Air. In France, there is the geographic phenomenon of Sainte Sigolène, where there are over 30 PE film extruding companies. With the only exception of Autobar Flexible, subsidiary of the Kuwait Investment Office, all are independent companies founded by the current owning families. The Sainte Sigolène district is thus responsible for about half of the PE films produced in France – more than 400,000 tons in this small area in the Lyon region. Only Autobar and Barbier see Europe as their market – the other producers of Sainte Sigolène staying local for the moment. All these average-sized family companies have tried to diversify into niche markets with higher added value, and generally have not tried to add capacity beyond a limit of 20,000–30,000 tons, in order to stay more reactive, so it is thought. Among the top ten PE film producers in France, the large producers not in Sainte Sigolène are SP Metal, Semo Group and Cofira. In the USA, one of the leading producers of plastic grocery bags is Sonoco, which led the conversion of grocery bags from paper to principally plastic in that country, where paper bags prevailed for a long time. Plassein International Corp. went under in 2003, and sold four of its plants in the USA to Exopack. A T-shirt bag packaging unit was sold to the UK company EuroPackaging Plc. China is fast becoming the main production centre for PE films, with thousands of film makers, most of very small family size, very much like Europe and the USA in the 1950s. Of all the 100,000 and more plastics converters in that country, only 15,000, about the same number as the total in Europe, have annual sales of at least 500,000 euros. At the other end of the scale, the largest PE bag producer, Guangzhou Nanqiang Plastics, processes 160,000 tons of PE, mainly for bags, to feed the large exports to the rest of the world. Another large PE bag producer, Zhuhai Zhonghua Plastic Bag Works, produces 100,000 tons of PE bags, also mainly for export. Other areas of the world also have thriving activity in PE plastic films, as this is one of the very first local activities to develop in any emerging economy, but all the output is consumed on the domestic markets.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Consumption of PE Films PE films represent the largest tonnage of all plastic films. Low-density polyethylene (PE-LD) films were the first plastic films to come into use, back in the 1950s. Out of about 60 million tons of polyethylene consumed in the world in 2003, roughly half, or 30 million tons, are for PE films, of which an estimated 10 million tons are PE-LD, 12 million tons are PE-LLD, and 8 million tons are PE-HD (Table 3.2). Table 3.2 Estimated consumption of PE for films (in thousands of tons), 2003 World consumption of PE, grand total 60,000 World consumption of PE for films, total 30,000 of which, world consumption of PE-LD films 10,000 world consumption of PE-LLD films 12,000 world consumption of PE-HD films 8,000 European consumption of PE, total 15,000 European consumption of PE for films 6,000 US consumption of PE, total 15,000 US consumption of PE for films 6,000
Europe and the USA show very comparable tonnage figures, for PE consumption, as for most other plastics consumption. Together, the US and European PE film consumption amounts to 40% of the world total, or 12 million tons out of 30 million tons of PE films. China uses another 5 million tons of PE films, with the particular feature of large exports of PE bags to Europe and the USA, and of agricultural films to neighbouring Asian countries. The remaining 13 million tons of PE films are scattered all over the world, as this is one of the very first activities undertaken by any country’s plastics converting industry, however primitive. In Russia, a promising and fast-growing market given the delay gap, total PE film production is estimated at close to 1 million tons, split about equally between PE-LLD/LD and PE-HD. The European production of PE films, of all types, grew from 4.8 million tons in 1992 to 5.5 million tons in 1997, and remains stable, currently at about 6 million tons (Table 3.3). European PE film production is split into PE-LD and LLD, 85% of the total, shared about equally, and PE-HD, 15% of the total. To this total of virgin materials must be added more than 500,000 tons as secondary polymer. Table 3.3 Estimates of consumption of PE films in Europe, all types (in thousands of tons), 2003 Types of films Consumption Shrink films, collating and pallets 900 Stretch films, hand and machine 750 Film for automatic machine wrap 550 Other films for coating, lamination, multilayers 650 Heavy-duty bags 430 Other industrial bags, large bags, liners 420 Shopping, retail, household bags 700 Refuse bags 400 Films for agriculture 400 Films for building construction 300 All other films, diapers 500 Total estimated 6,000 Sources: Various, Pardos Marketing estimates, PE producers, films industry, PlastEuroFilm, etc.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Drastic changes are happening in the raw materials themselves. The metallocene grades have opened up new fields of applications and increasingly compete with existing products. The improved physical properties help to reduce film thickness, downgauging, to save material. In spite of downgauging, increasing environmental requirements and the greater use of recycled materials, the average annual growth rate of PE films ranges from 1% to 3% in the industrialised countries. In the rest of the world, the rate of growth is much higher, up to 10% a year. The largest applications of PE films in Europe are shrink and stretch films, which account for more than 1.5 million tons of PE, or 25% of the total PE film consumption. Stretch film is growing much faster than shrink film, 7% versus about zero. Stretch film represents more than 90% of PE-LLD, and thickness goes down to 80 μm. Conversely, shrink film containing 20–25% of PE-LLD, about 200 μm thick, remains stagnant. The metallocene and bimodal grades will further improve the performances of PE films and permit further decreases in thickness. In the agricultural sector, there is an increase in hot-house films and a decrease in silage and covering films. Shopping and carrier bags have been severely attacked on environmental grounds and are increasingly being imported from Asia. In general, the consumption of extruded PE films in Europe has remained stagnant at best, this being due to a number of reasons: • •
Decrease of thickness, up to 5% per annum, with increasing use of PE-LLD, Massive imports of low-priced finished products, such as shopping and retail bags.
3.3 Polypropylene (PP) Types of Polypropylene Propylene molecules linked together to form long polymer chains are known as polypropylene. There are several basic types of PP – homopolymers, copolymers, terpolymers and modified resins. Homopolymers consist only of PP molecules. Adding another monomer or polymerising two or more monomers together, usually 0.5–4% ethylene, results in a copolymer. The end-uses of the resin determine the proportions of the comonomers used. Polymerising three monomers, usually propylene, ethylene and butylene, results in a terpolymer. PP films are excellent moisture, odour and flavour barriers, and have excellent clarity and good heat seal properties. PP films are relatively low cost, lightweight (density 0.91, the lowest of all major plastics) and easily fabricated. Polypropylene films have been enjoying the fastest global growth in films, not only with the early replacement of the old cellophane (cello), but in the opening up of new film markets. There are two types of PP films, oriented and cast. Oriented PP Films Mono-oriented (OPP) and bi-oriented (BOPP) polypropylene film, whether oriented in just the machine direction, or in both the machine and transverse directions, is a flexible film derived from melting and orienting (stretching) PP. The physical properties, water vapour barrier, stiffness, dimensional stability and optics, are improved by stretching.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The production of oriented PP films (OPP and BOPP) is carried out by extrusion of the resin through a flat or circular die, and further stretching, to achieve orientation, of the cast thick film produced. Circular die extrusion, followed by bubble reheating and blowing, the so-called double-bubble process, is the older technology, still used by some OPP producers but obsolete when compared with more modern orientation techniques such as horizontal tenter frame stretching. Most OPP lines are a combination of the following unit processes: • • • •
Extrusion or 3–5-layer coextrusion of the polymer in a flat die, Cooling of the melt on a chill roll, Reheating and longitudinal orientation in a roll stack, Transverse orientation in a stretching frame, called tenter frame or orienter.
This bi-orientation can be achieved simultaneously or sequentially, first in the machine direction and then in the transverse direction. The sequential process is the most widely used; no more than 10% of oriented films are made by the simultaneous double-bubble process, the latter being little used for PP. Developments are continual. For instance, the PP resin grades are improved; metallocene catalysed isotactic PP (PP-mi) is used, which gives better performance to the resulting films, in terms of improved moisture barrier and processability. Metallocenes would enhance OPP film properties, but do not attract much interest because of the extra cost. The only manufacturer with a proprietary technique is UCB, which continues to use the blown film technique that the company, and ICI, developed in the 1970s. The only recent technique is that of the machine manufacturer Bruckner, namely the simultaneous stretching (LISIM) process, bought by Bimo, Italy. This orientation technique features simultaneous film stretching with linear motors. This simultaneous process eliminates the disadvantages of all other simultaneous stretching processes, and gives better film properties than the sequential process. This LISIM technique was originally developed by DuPont, then acquired by Bruckner, and is used for many oriented films. The contact free stretching of the LISIM yields a better surface and optical properties, as well as low sealing temperatures, as low as 70°C, and higher sealing strength. A further advantage of the LISIM process is the low inlet speed, 8–9 times lower than the outlet speed. This opens up new possibilities for in-line coating and in-line lamination processes. The LISIM technique enlarges and improves upon the variety of application fields for BOPP. The large BOPP film manufacturers often make a distinction between commodity and specialty PP films, from the concept of added value. The basic commodity film is coextruded, transparent, with three layers, sealable on the two sides. It can be printed, sealed into bags, and is used for chips, sweets and fresh produce under modified atmosphere. It is generally 30–40 μm, and its price is very competitive, with very little margin with which to play, when including other additives, adhesives, etc. The specialty films are those with many pluses, like metallised PP films and opaque soft films. They are faster growing, at least in Europe, than the standard, plain, commodity PP films. OPP films can be coated and coextruded. There are four main types of coating: • •
Acrylic, LTSC (low-temperature sealing coating), on acrylic base, a very fast cold sealing, as fast as heat sealing,
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
• •
Two-faced, one LTSC, and one PVDC, Two-faced, one PVOH, one acrylic.
Coatings are applied from water-based formulations after the OPP films have been oriented. Coatings bring a number of benefits, i.e. better gas and moisture barrier properties, better performance on packaging machines, and improved graphics with clearer printing. As a rule, when the total market grew 8–10%, the coated products grew only 3–4%. The reason for the early development of coated OPP was that, at the beginning, when OPP was fast replacing cello, coated OPP was the only product that could run on the machines with the right speed, stiffness and wide sealing temperature range. Then OPP almost fully replaced cello and the converting machines were designed for OPP only, which could be coextruded. OPP can be metallised to add light, oxygen and moisture barrier properties, lengthening the shelflife of the packaged products. There is a search to provide an aroma barrier. ExxonMobil has found that aromatic molecules are not the same size as gas molecules – they are larger. Therefore, a barrier may not perform so well for gases, but perform quite adequately for aromas. Acrylic coating is a barrier to aromas but not such a good barrier to gases. OPP Films Industry Structure There are more than 200 BOPP film producers worldwide, the ten largest accounting for 40% of the market. Total world production capacity of BOPP is about 4 million tons in 2004, with Asia accounting for about half of that total, and the fastest growing in China and other Asia (Tables 3.43.5). Total world capacity for BOPP film is to grow to 5,500,000 tons in 2007. European BOPP capacity will grow from 950,000 tons in 2002 to 1,200,000 tons in 2007. Table 3.4 Total world BOPP capacities (in thousands of tons), in 2004, rounded estimates Western Europe 1,000 Eastern Europe 100 North America 500 Central and South America 300 Japan 260 China 900 Other Asia–Pacific 800 Middle East and Africa 200 Total 4,060 Source: Pardos Marketing estimates compiled from various sources
Out of the estimated 4 million tons of total world capacity of BOPP films, 3 million tons, or 75%, could be identified in this study. The missing 25% are located in China, rest of Asia and Middle East, essentially because not all the local producers were identified. For instance, China alone operates a total BOPP capacity of 900,000 tons, of which only 255,000 tons were properly identified. This alone accounts for most of the missing, unknown figures. China plans to increase its current BOPP film production capacity of about 900,000 tons by another 400,000 tons. To observers who may worry about these capacity increases, first the increases will take some time to operate, and not all might do so, and in addition Chinese demand is growing at over 10% per annum and the domestic market should absorb most of the growth, the more so that China imported 200,000 tons of BOPP film in 2003.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Table 3.5 Producers of OPP films, estimated capacity (in thousands of tons) and comments Companies Base Capacity Comments, mergers and acquisitions, sites World, US, Europe players AET USA, 280 World second after ExxonMobil world ExxonMobil USA, 320 World largest; three plants in EU, three in USA, Asia world Bimo Italy 55 Atessa, Italy, technical links with Toray metallising Derprosa Spain 30 Alpala La Real, Spain Manuli Italy 90 Sessa Araunca, Italy Poligal Spain 25 Naron, Spain Polinas Turkey 100 Plant in Manias, seven lines, fifth largest in Europe Radici Italy 120 S Giorgio di Nogro, Italy, Biafoil of TVK, Hungary Toray Japan, 80 Tsuchiura, Japan, North Kingstown, RI, USA USA Treofan Germany 220 ex Shorko, Moplefan, Trespaphan, with Dor, Israel TVK Hungary 45 Links with ExxonMobil, bought Plastico, Romania UCB Films Belgium 80 Bought Courtaulds, ICI Vifan Vibac Italy 120 also in Canada Wipak Germany 30 Bought Walothen in 2003 USA 3M USA Amtopp USA 150 Part of Inteplast group BPX Films, ex Simpro USA 35 Simpro acquired by Bryce Corp. QPF USA 30 South America Biofilm Colombia 30 BOPP del Ecuador Ecuador 10 Poliderivados Brazil 10 Polo Brazil 10 Teleplastic Venezuela 10 Vitopel Brazil 70 30,000 tons in Argentina, 40,000 tons in Brazil Votorantim Brazil 40 Middle East AKPPC Al Khalej PP Oman 30 Asia–Pacific AKPI Argha Karia Prima Indonesia 90 Anhui Guofeng China 70 Hebei, Anhui, plans 30,000 ton addition in 2005 Cosmo Films India 60 Largest BOPP in India, four plants Foshan Plastics group China 40 Three plants FPNI Fatrapolindo Nusa Indonesia 40 Projects to develop in China Fushun Petrochemical China 25 Fushun, Liaoning, subsidiary of State PetroChina Jefflyne Golden Singapore 24 Bought two companies, in China and Indonesia Jiangsu Shuangliang China 120 Four BOPP Bruckner lines end 2004 Jindal Polyester Films India 45 Nasik, MA Max India India 20 Rail Majra, Punjab Nan Ya Plastics Corp Taiwan 135 Formosa Plastics, plans for 75,000 tons in China Nissho Iwai Japan 50 Plans for a 70,000 ton BOPP in Saahnxi, Yanlian, China Packages Group Pakistan 20 Joint venture for BOPP project in Sri Lanka Thai Films industries TFI Thailand 120 Plants in Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, with ExxonMobil Treofan Australia 20 ex Shorko Australia, in Wodonga, Dor in 2002 Trias Sentosa Indonesia 40 Tripack Films Pakistan 16 Vietnam BOPP Corp. Vietnam 8 Cooperative, 12,000 ton addition by 2006 Xpro India, XIL India 10 World total above, 3,000 rounded
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Recent increases in BOPP film capacity have been in China, with a proliferation of small plants, often for in-house manufacturing of capacitor films, tapes, labels and packaging. While the BOPP films industry is quite fragmented in China, there are a few larger-scale players emerging. In Eastern Europe, the other OPP film producers not listed in Table 3.5 are: • • •
Chemosvit, in Czech Republic and Hungary, Petrochemia Plock, Khimvolokno Mogilev, Belarus.
There are a few other producers in Europe, like Bolloré, in France, which specialise in OPP film for capacitors, of which the company is one of the world leaders. India has six BOPP producers, of which Cosmo Films is the largest and the only one actively looking at the international market, the USA, Europe and East Africa. Indonesia has nine BOPP film producers, with total capacity more than 120,000 tons, but local product demand is only 60,000 tons. Other names, without further information, not in the table, are: • • •
Indo Thai Film Polytama, Polydayaguna Perkasa, Indopoly Swakarsa.
In Japan, there are also, mainly for domestic supply: • • • • •
Futamara Sanasho, Honshu Paper, Tohcello, Toyobo, Tokuyama.
Consumption of OPP Films World demand for OPP films was estimated at 2.5 million tons in 1999, with global capacity then at 3,250,000 tons. The global consumption probably reached the 3 million ton mark in 2001, and 3.5 million tons in 2003. The European market for OPP film was 700,000 tons in 2000, and over 800,000 tons in 2003. Table 3.6 Global consumption of OPP films in 2003 by region Percentage of world Main world areas Thousands of tons consumption Europe 23 805 North America 29 1,015 Latin America 7 245 Asia–Pacific (including Japan 10% of total) 33 1,155 Rest of world 8 280 Total 100 3,500
The world market for BOPP film was 3 million tons in 2001, after an average annual growth of 10% through the 1990s. Overproduction of PET films in Asia has led to low prices and fierce competition with PET.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The global BOPP film demand is expected to grow by an average 7% per annum, the demand in Asia accounting for more than half of this global growth. World consumption of BOPP should reach 6 million tons by 2010, of which China will represent at least 1 million tons. Main Uses of OPP Films The main applications of OPP are as follows as percentages of total OPP consumption: • • • •
Food packaging Adhesive tapes Tobacco (going down) All other applications
70% 15% 3% 12%
BOPP films dominate snack food packaging and provide an effective barrier when layered with EVOH or metallised. Other important applications are chips, biscuits, confectionery, dry and fresh bread. In spite of strong growth in demand, the industry has tended to suffer from poor margins, as producers have sought to increase or protect their market share. Competition has been particularly active in Asia and South America, where overcapacity in PET film production has kept the price low with greater competition with BOPP films. As the packaging industry is becoming increasingly global, and major food producers want to deal with as few suppliers as possible that can operate on a worldwide basis, regional players will have to specialise or consolidate. Cast PP Films Cast PP film uses either an air knife or a soft box to pin the web to the chill roll immediately after it exits the die. Each component is suitable for a different range of web thicknesses and every cast polypropylene (CPP) line uses one or the other separately. An air knife expels air in a concentrated stream at high velocity. Its power makes it effective with webs of 30 μm or more. A soft box usually has a screened opening that expels a higher volume of air at lower velocity and over a wider area of the web than with an air knife. It works best with films that are less than 30 μm. Battenfeld Gloucester has developed a combination of air knife and soft box that handles a broad range of CPP film thicknesses with no trade-off in performance and reduction in downtime for changeover. The design features the air knife mounted on top of the soft box. The first air knife/soft box was installed on a Battenfeld Gloucester CPP line in China in 2003. The device can be used on new lines or for retrofit. Not all producers of BOPP films make cast PP films. A far from exhaustive list of manufacturers of cast PP films, among the largest known CPP film makers, are as follows: In Europe • • • •
Exbanor, France, Minigrip Flexico, France and Germany, Profol Kunststoffe, Germany, Treofan, the former Moplefan, purchased by Dor in 2001, 35,000 ton cast PP films.
19
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
In North America • • • • • • •
American Profol, American Renolit, Clopay, Consolidated Thermoplastic, Copol International, Printpack, Tredegar Films.
CPP films are a very large and growing market in China and Asia in general. The main use is for metallised and laminated food packaging. CPP use is also increasing in Europe and Latin America, also in food packaging laminates, while it is yet less developed in the USA. The world consumption of cast PP films is roughly estimated at 1 million tons worldwide, relatively smaller in Europe, where it is no more than 150,000 tons. One of the uses of cast PP films is for conversion, for instance converting an OPP film with a cast film, used as sealing agent, instead of PE. Traditionally, CPP is rather used for textile, blanket wrapping, flower and other wrapping, less demanding than food packaging. 3.4 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) One of the earliest plastics produced in quantity was PVC, and it is still an important film material, although fast decreasing. Various techniques can be used in the making of rigid PVC films, mostly calendering. In this process the PVC mixture is initially melted in the gap between two heated metal cylinders rotating in opposite directions. More cylinders arranged behind the initial cylinders ensure the homogenisation and correct thickness of the sheet/film end-product. This is a particular feature of PVC, in comparison with other plastics, as its low melting temperature enables energy-efficient processing. PVC permits high production speeds to be reached, with extreme accuracy of thickness, and sheet widths of over 2 m, meaning cost saving and consistent quality. During further processing, to produce end-products, rigid PVC films undergo a variety of processes under heat stress – swaging, welding, stamping – all helped by the relatively low processing temperature. As finished products, PVC features good mechanical strength, which permits thinner films, and heat resistance, which permits retention of imprints and shape changes even after long exposure to heat, important for smart cards. Other features favouring PVC rigid films are that PVC is a good printing medium without the need for energy-intensive pre-treatment. Also PVC has good shrink characteristics when used as bottle tops or sleeves. Unplasticised PVC film has been primarily used for pressure-sensitive tape substrate, and for thermoforming. Thicker sheets of rigid PVC can be produced by calendering, but the thinner films are extruded. Plasticised PVC or flexible PVC films feature the addition of a low-volatility ester plasticiser, in varying amounts, with the result of greatly helping extrusion. As plasticisers are a large part of the total price of the flexible PVC, there has been a continuing search for the best ratio of price and properties. The simpler phthalates have long been very popular, until vigorously attacked in recent years, for many reasons – volatility, easy migration into adjacent surfaces, and causing strong blocking in the films. Plasticisers thus have a very bad ecological image. The ideal plasticiser
20
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
would have strong solvent properties at extrusion temperatures, but be inert at room temperature. It would also be non-toxic and cheap. Any plasticiser has to resolve the conflicts between these needs. Migrating tendencies are reduced, at the cost of plasticising efficiency, by using polymers of low molecular weight, i.e. oligomers. The amount of plasticiser determines the softness of the film, which also depends upon the nature of the plasticiser. The purpose of changing the plasticiser content is to produce a range of films suitable for differing wrapping applications. Simple overwrapping uses a medium or low plasticiser content, with increasing proportions for cling wrapping vegetables and produce, and higher proportions to wrap meat, where it is beneficial to reduce the oxygen as much as possible. Thicker films, 100 μm and more, are used in a hard grade, 15% plasticisers, for thermoforming trays. The distinction between film and sheet is slightly blurred as there is a large category of thin rigid films that can be thermoformed, yet are thin enough to be called film. As a rule, for each of their products, suppliers offer a thickness range of 50–900 μm and over, making the distinction between film and sheet totally blurred and only applicable through detailed analysis of each of the very many applications. PVC Films Industry Structure One of the leading European suppliers is EVC Films, also the third largest world PVC producer, after Shin Etsu and Formosa Plastics. EVC is fully integrated downstream, and, over the years, has bought a number of PVC film/sheet producers, such as the former Mazzuchelli Vinyls, Savinil and VKW Staufen Folien. A split was made between EVC rigid films and EVC packaging films. The largest international producer of PVC film is AEP, in the USA and Europe, which purchased the PVC film business of the former Borden/Bordex, Resinite, and the Italian company FIAP. In Japan, there are nine producers of PVC film in a diminishing market. Mitsui Chemical Platech and Shin Etsu Polymer entered a PVC film alliance. PVC Film Consumption Back in 1993, Hoechst, the largest producer, estimated the European market at 350,000 tons, which has been down or at best stagnant ever since. This was due to industrial concentration and the disappearance of several players, ecological pressure, competition from other films, and the dynamism of the Italian producers versus Germans, but more in niche markets. The estimated European demand for PVC flexible film and thin sheet is given at slightly less than 400,000 tons, probably between 350,000 and 400,000 tons, and expected to continue stagnant or probably even decline, because of the active search for substitutes. Of this total, thin transparent films are down to about 50,000 tons, and still declining in the traditional application of meat wrapover trays. PVC has suffered from the bad image of this material, from the need for innovation, and from substitution of other systems for fresh meat tray wrapping, essentially modified-atmosphere packaging. The new developed solutions include high-clarity thermoplastic elastomers, based on olefin and styrenic monomers, and many others. The US consumption is estimated at less than 200,000 tons. Demand for PVC film in Japan has fallen from 85,000 tons in 1996 to 50,000 tons in 2003. Altogether, the world consumption of PVC film and thin sheet is less than 800,000 tons, and declining. These films are generally rigid and use has been declining over the years, due to competition from other films. There are a wide range of applications, such as blisters, labels, shrink film and sleeves, diskettes, credit cards, office items, and products for graphic arts.
21
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Flexible PVC films are used in very wide range of applications, besides packaging: • • • • •
Geomembranes, Agricultural and greenhouse films, in Asia, Construction film, Decorative and furniture films, Car interior dashboard thermoforming.
Flexible PVC films are used in medical applications, blood bags, infusion bags and body fluid bags. Traditionally, and continuing, the largest use of PVC films is in Europe. Arriving later, Asia has somehow by-passed the stage of using PVC films, which were at the beginning of the development of plastics, along with the other early comers, polyethylene films. In fact, ever since the 1970s, Japanese film manufacturers have been continuously working to find solutions other than PVC for wrap and cling films. PVC film has also been attacked on another of its hard core end-uses, the medical field. For instance, Dow offers a high-frequency weldable film as a direct alternative to PVC for medical collection and drainage bags. Rigid thin PVC films are used in a broad variety of applications, particularly food and medical, that have to be completely safe. Rigid PVC films are used in smart cards, bank cards, films for printing and decoration, for visual packaging, for decorative furniture surfaces, for shrink display and for office supplies. With technical applications such as furniture coverings, the safety aspect of fire resistance plays an important role, as the chlorine atom present in the PVC molecule is a built-in flame retardant. The split of thin PVC film applications in Europe, of about 400,000 tons total, is as follows: •
Packaging total (food, non-food, visual, display shrink, pharmaceutical blisters)
•
Adhesive tapes
•
Technical applications (print, stationery, furniture, cards, others)
70% 9% 21%
3.5 Polystyrene (PS) and Derivatives Biaxially oriented PS (BOPS) was first developed in the mid-1930s for use in electrical applications (capacitors), and it was the first polymer to use a biaxial orientation system. Then the primary use became packaging. Global oriented polystyrene (OPS) film production capacity is currently estimated at 500,000 tons, interestingly only in the USA and Asia, with Europe hardly present. Most BOPS is in sheet/film products, from 60 to 600 μm. The main characteristics are crystal clarity, stiffness, crisp feel, impact strength, relatively high vapour transmission rate, no taste or odour, adaptable to high-speed thermoforming machines, and 100% recyclable. BOPS sheet can be used in many applications, but its primary use is in packaging. The film/sheet is used for cookie (biscuits) and candy (sweets) trays, bakery product containers, salad containers and
22
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
cup lids. It is widely used for prepared fresh food containers, in supermarkets and delicatessens, as thin and transparent thermoformed containers. In comparison with competing plastics in these semi-rigid food applications, BOPS has the advantage of its lower specific gravity and strength-to-weight ratio. With a density of 1.05, BOPS weighs 25% less than PVC and 20% less than amorphous PET (PET-A). This means that the yield in square metres per kilogram is greater for OPS than for PVC or PET-A. Because of the strength and stiffness of BOPS, the sheet thickness for a given container can be reduced by 8% from PVC and by 30% from PP, further reducing the cost of the end-products. The reason why OPS never took off in Europe is the historical importance of PVC thin sheet for the same type of applications. Attempts have been made to displace PVC sheet in Europe, and to develop OPS sheet, but success is still limited. The thinner OPS film, which is no more than 15% of total OPS production, is also used where clarity and stiffness are important, like for envelope windows, transparencies and stationery items like covers and page protectors. Dow is the largest producer of PS thin films for envelopes and the like, with the Procite line. BOPS film can also be used in laminations, to add stiffness and a glossy appearance to a package. Polystyrene film has long been used in the USA for lettuce bags, an application little developed elsewhere. A secondary use, historically too, is for window envelopes. There were hopes in oriented polystyrene films, but the first European entrants, like Sidaplax, decided to leave the market, and there are only two producers left, Kama, now part of Alcoa (US company in the UK), and Glasspack. OPS films are also well developed in Japan and other Asia. 3.6 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) PET film is generally produced by the producers of resins and not by the plastics processing industry. From its origins in the 1940s, by Hoechst, it was one of the very first products to be very concentrated with world producers. In the past five years, there has also been development of polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) film, a material close to PET, but with higher performances, and thermal stability 20% higher. About new developments of PET films, Toray started marketing a new PET film in 2001, brand Lumirror, biaxially oriented, to get into the markets of PVC and some PE films. There is a dedicated plant in Gifu, in Japan. The new film, manufactured after a proprietary process, reputedly has better mouldability, meaning higher elongation and deformation. As the film is not copolymerised, and does not contain plasticisers and other additives, it is environmentally friendlier, and of course it is more transparent than the polyolefin films that have tried to replace PVC. All in all, the new PET film is said to be stronger than PVC film, with higher elasticity and better heat and solvent resistance. Back in 1997, ICI, now DuPont Teijin, made a major breakthrough with a new PET film, grade D888, a clear barrier film that contains no halogens or heavy metals, aimed at barriers, to replace PVDC with a slightly better oxygen barrier and chlorine-free. The film was intended to be used as part of PE and PP laminates, in the same way as PVDC-coated films are used, and at comparable cost. The film was made by conventional coating technique, not by a vacuum method. PET Film Capacity and Comments Polyester film is a global business, dominated by a small number of international producers which went through several major mergers and acquisitions in the past three years (Table 3.7). 23
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The largest world producer of PET film is DuPont Teijin, since the 50/50 merger between DuPont and Teijin, signed in 1999, completed in early 2000. Before that, in 1998, DuPont had already boosted its share with the purchase of PET films from ICI. The purchase of ICI gave DuPont a stronger position in Europe and in the USA, but it needed more presence in Asia. The DuPont Teijin joint venture is organised into seven legal entities, in the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, China, Japan and Indonesia. The combined film capacity is 340,000 tons, with a very wide range of grades and thicknesses, starting at 0.7 μm. In the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and China, the joint venture operates under the name DuPont Teijin Films. In Japan and Indonesia, it is called Teijin DuPont Films. The joint venture was cleared by the European Commission, in spite of the fact that this makes it the only PEN film supplier worldwide. Teijin also had a PEN operation in film that became part of the joint venture DuPont Teijin Films started in 2000.
Companies World producers DuPont Teijin Toray
Table 3.7 Main producers of PET films (in thousands of tons) Base Capacity Comments, mergers and acquisitions
Mitsubishi Polyester Europe Fapack Kohap Nitron Nuroll Radici Sibur Technoplast South America Mossi & Ghisolfi Asia AKPI Argha Karya Cheil Synthetics FET Far Eastern Textile Formosa Plastics group Garware Jindal Polyester Kolon Nan Ya Plastics Nippon Magphane Polyplex Raks Shinkong Synthetic SKC STC Toray Saehan Toyobo Trias Sentosa Unitika Total identified above
24
USA, Japan USA, EU, Japan Japan, EU, USA
340 300
Largest world producer Bought the former Rhône-Poulenc
200
Bought Hoechst Diafoil
Italy Korea, Germany Poland, Russia Italy Italy Russia Czech Rep.
15 25
Brazil Indonesia Korea Taiwan Taiwan India India Korea Taiwan Japan India Turkey Taiwan Korea Korea Korea Japan Indonesia
ex BASF Magnetics, LBO with partners
15 15 20 15 5 30 10 15 0 0 50 85 70 40 25 20 20 40 15 15 90 60 15 30 1,580
Part of Mossi & Ghisolfi More present in raw materials and nylon Part of Gazprom, more in raw materials
Bought from Rhodia Ster Several other film units Planning PET film plant Planning 32,000 tons in Vietnam Longest established in India Bought French metalliser Rexor Bought 30,000 ton plant from Kohap
Also 30,000 tons of PET film in Thailand Magnetic and other non-packaging PET films
Joint venture with Toray, 40/60 Also BOPP films and PVDC coatings
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The main PET film plants of DuPont Teijin are located at: • • • • • • • •
Circleville, OH, Cedar Creek, Florence, Hopewell Old Hickory, in the USA, Contern, Luxembourg, Dumfries, UK, a former ICI plant, one of the largest and fastest lines, 20,000 tons, Rozenburg, NL, Gifu, Osaka, Utsunomyia, in Japan, plus the former DuPont plant in Ibaraki (ex ICI), PT Indonesia Teijin Films, a Teijin joint venture set up in 1997, in Jakarta, Foshan, joint venture with Honji, in China, Ningbo, joint venture with Ningbo, in China, to be increased from 32,000 tons to 50,000 tons in 2005.
The Contern plant in Luxembourg is the world’s first production-scale simultaneous draw 5 m line with a stenter based on the linear motor technique, originally developed by DuPont, then licensed to Bruckner for marketing. This line has been designed to produce a new range of thin and ultrathin films for capacitors and thermal transfer ribbons. The second largest PET film producer is Toray, with a total worldwide production capacity of 300,000 tons, with five production plants worldwide, one of which is the 80,000 tons Miribel plant of the former Rhône-Poulenc in France. Other plants are in Gifu, Japan, Kumi, South Korea, Malaysia, the USA and Brazil. The Toray operations for PET film were restructured into three distinct business units, with the main applications/brands of Lumirror, Torayfan and PEF. Saehan Industries operates a capacity of 90,000 tons of PET film, which has been acquired 60% as a joint venture by Toray in 1999. The joint venture, Toray Saehan (TSI), started in 2000, when it also took over the polyester filament, and non-woven fabric operation of Saehan. Mitsubishi Polyester Films operates a total PET film capacity of 200,000 tons, in: • • • •
Japan, two plants, 40,000 tons, Germany, in Wiesbaden, the former Hoechst/Diafoil venture, fully purchased in 1998, 55,000 tons, USA, in Greer, SC, 75,000 tons, with the start of a new 20,000 ton line in 2003, Indonesia, West Java, 25,000 tons.
Mitsubishi Polyester Films operates some of the largest PET film lines in the world, in Germany and Indonesia. Mitsubishi is in a feasibility study for PET film production in China, to meet the demand from electrical/electronic manufacturers which are relocating their production facilities in that country. The search is concentrating on the production of downstream specialised products rather than general-purpose products. Besides the merchant producers, there are captive PET film producers, for their own use in photography and other applications – 3M, Fuji, Kodak and Agfa. Kodak makes its own PET film in Rochester, NY, its headquarters, and in Colorado, France and the UK. In Asia (India, Indonesia), quite a few companies have started producing PET films, exporting everywhere and particularly to Europe, with lower prices. There has been, in the past four years, a rapidly increasing activity of Asian producers importing into Europe, in spite of the very difficult logistics. In the last few years, European players have complained of overcapacity of PET film in Europe, and yet are still purchasing from Asia, Korea, India and Taiwan. In Russia, Sibur, the plastics subsidiary of the Gazprom Group, has a discontinuous plant at Tver for polyester granules for film and textile applications, with 28,000 tons polycondensation capacity,
25
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
started in 2002. The contractor is Zimmer, also completing a PET bottle plant at the same site for Sibur. In Germany, the former BASF Magnetics plant at Ludwigshafen, making integrated PET film for magnetic tape, was purchased in 1996 by the Korean company Kohap, cutting short earlier plans of BASF to sell to the Turkish group Raks. The new name for Kohap was Emtec Magnetics. Then, in 1998, the magnetic tape business changed hands again, in a leveraged buyout by London-based Legal and General Ventures Ltd, and Apax Partners of Munich. In Brazil, ICI built a PET film plant in Aratu, started in 1987, and closed down just four years later, in 1991, as a result of the then-poor market reaction. The Rhodia-Ster (of the M&G group) Terphane PET film plant has a film capacity of 25,000 tons at Cabo de San Agostinho, Pernambuco, to be raised to 38,000 tons in 2005. In Japan, besides the global producers, DuPont Teijin, Toray, and the integrated Fuji, there are Nippon Magphane, Toyobo and Unitika. In South Korea, Kohap has been approached by major world players to acquire its PET film business. Kohap has a 30,000 ton PET film plant at Ulsan. Kohap is fully integrated in the polyester chain, with a 1.5 million ton PTA plant, PX plants of 700,000 tons, 200,000 tons of bottle-grade PET, and about 800,000 tons of polyester and nylon for fibres. In September 2002, Kolon, another large PA producer, decided to buy the PA and PET film operations of Kohap. However, the Korean Fair Trade Commission decided that Kolon would have to disinvest one of its PA plants. PET Film Consumption The total consumption of PET film in the world was estimated at 1.9 million tons in 2003, up from 1.2 million in 1997, because of sustained growth in packaging applications. Out of this total consumption, the captive market is estimated at 250,000 tons, held by photographic, reprographic and magnetic tape making. The merchant market develops most of the growth, because of the very active demand in packaging. The outlook for the years 2004 to 2010 gives an average annual growth of 5%, led by new applications in packaging and the growing demand in Asia and less developed countries, and slowed down slightly by downgauging in packaging, by the sharp decline in magnetic tape, and by stagnation in other applications. The markets for PET film used in magnetic tapes for audio, video and data storage, which had been one of the most active applications, are now declining at a fast rate, close to 10% per annum, because of competition from other techniques for storage and delivery, essentially compact discs (CD, DVD) and the Internet. The tonnage of PET film for magnetic tapes peaked at an estimated 240,000 tons in 1997, and then started a slow, now accelerating, decline. The key country markets are Korea, about 35% of the world magnetic coating market, Europe 30%, the USA 20%, and Japan 11%. For instance, with the South Korean producer Kolon, packaging film currently makes up 70% of this segment, with videotape film contributing 23% and information technology (IT) materials 7%. Packaging film, which provides a good profit margin, will retain its 70% share, but videotape film, the market affected by the increasing popularity of DVDs, will see its share drop to 5–10% in 2005. The IT materials share will rise as that of videotape film falls. Kolon will stop production of videotape film completely in 2006.
26
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Demand for thick industrial film in the reprographic and arts applications sectors is also slowing, as computer-based systems replace traditional processes. Demand is likely to remain stagnant, at best. The PET thin-film producers are trying hard to find other outlets in packaging and other applications to compensate for this announced drop in magnetic tape. The total PET thin-film market for packaging was estimated in 1995 at 245,000 tons (28% of total then), grew to 600,000 tons (40% of the total consumption) in 2000, and to 850,000 tons (45%) in 2003, which makes it the largest application for PET film. This of course is for thin oriented packaging film only, not the thicker film that is used in thermoforming cups and trays, and is counted with bottle-grade PET. The thin PET film continues to grow very actively in Asia, particularly India and Indonesia. For instance, the largest PET film producer in India, Jindal Polyester, estimates the Indian domestic demand for PET film to have reached 95,000 tons in 2003. The growth in packaging is slightly slower in the industrialised countries, yet kept up as a result of a number of niches and specific applications such as metallised films for packaging. The total US consumption of PET films, excluding semi-rigid films for trays, was estimated at 285,000 tons in 2003, up from 245,000 tons in 1999. 3.7 Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) PETG is a copolyester, actually of the same broad family as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), with different properties, particularly maintaining high clarity even in thick sections, which make it a choice material for some upmarket applications like cosmetics packaging. The term copolyester defines thermoplastic saturated polyesters whose synthesis uses more than one glycol and/or more than one dibasic acid. The main ones are PCTA copolyester and PETG copolyester. Unlike PCTA, which is acid-modified, PETG can be made by combining cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM) with TPA and ethylene glycol, resulting in a glycol-modified polyester. The only world producer is Eastman Chemical, under the two tradenames of Spectar (the grade for thick sheet) and Eastar (the general grade). This is the second-generation PETG introduced in 1994, after Eastman recognised the need for heavy-gauge sheet for a higher clarity resin to be less expensive than polycarbonate (PC), and significantly tougher than polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Eastman considers PETG as a sort of ‘plastic of the future’, without nitrogen, sulphur and halogen components, and without the need for stabilisers and plasticisers. PETG is produced by Eastman at Hartlepool in the UK, at Kingsport, TN, in the USA, and at Gebeng in Malaysia. The total figure for PETG capacity is lumped by Eastman into the total figure for PET and related products, at more than 1.6 million tons. PETG total capacity as such cannot be reasonably estimated. There are other types of copolyesters, thermoplastic elastomer copolyester, outside of the scope of this plastic film study, such as the former Lomod, more an elastomer used for the coating of airbags, that was sold to DSM by GE Plastics. This was to complete the existing Arnitel copolyester range of DSM. BASF started a new 30,000 ton plant, in Schwarzheide, Germany, for a biodegradable aliphatic– aromatic copolyester Ecoflex, first launched in 1998. In Europe, Eastman started up a new CHDM plant in San Roque, Spain, to a total 91,000 ton capacity. The output is used by Eastman as feedstock for its range of PETG copolyesters.
27
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
In India, Eastman and Reliance are getting together to develop the Indian market for two of the specialty polyesters of Eastman, the Spectar copolymer and the Eastar glycol-modified PETG. The aim of the venture is to build up sales of both plastics to 10,000 tons in 2004. Later, when the consumption builds up, a production plant for copolyester products operated by Reliance and licensed by Eastman is planned. In Malaysia, Eastman has produced the specialty PET and PETG in Gebeng/Kuantan in the Pahang state, since 1998, with 30,000 ton capacity. About 90% is exported in Asia, of which about half goes to Japan. Eastman has developed antistatic polymers for the packaging of electronic devices sensitive to electrostatic discharge. The EastaStat polymers are based on Eastman Eastar PETG 6763 packaging resins, with good clarity, chemical resistance, thermoforming and cleanliness properties, combined with inherently antistatic materials. In Japan, Kureha Chemicals announced plans, in the summer of 2003, to launch polyglycolic acid, a new type of PET resin, claimed to have better processability and transparency than conventional PET, plus high gas barrier properties and biodegradability. Kureha started testing the new material at Nishiki for PET bottle applications, and will decide whether or not to start a first capacity of 10,000 tons. SK Chemical, in Korea, produces a glycol-modified PET, under the tradename Skygreen, mainly sold in Japan. Worldwide demand for PETG is estimated at 110,000 tons, with North America accounting for 55,000 tons, Europe 35,000 tons, and Japan 17,000 tons. PETG is little used for films as such, except until recently – for instance, blown coextruded PETG film for candy twistwrap, launched by Péchiney Soplaril. Besides packaging, PETG is also used in thick sheets for various applications, particularly signs and displays, and for credit cards. According to Eastman, the trend to credit cards of PETG started in Europe, and now accounts for 75% of the credit cards in the world. Eastman considers that the demand for PETG credit cards should grow everywhere, for the environmental properties, durability and ease of use. In Europe and the USA, the recyclability of PETG is driving growth in applications such as credit and other transaction cards, pricing tags, packaging tubes and furniture laminates. Another promising development is that of shrink labels, with the Eastman Embrace process presenting a very strong challenge to the current use of PVC for shrink labels, especially around contoured containers. 3.8 Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN) The main producers of PEN films are the same as for PET films, namely DuPont Teijin, Toray, Mitsubishi Polyester, Toyobo, Kodak, Fuji and 3M. Teijin was the first to develop PEN film in the 1970s. Production started in 1989, filling a gap between PET and polyimide. PEN is qualitatively superior to PET in magnetic tapes. The videotape thickness is 8 μm. The global PEN film demand is estimated at 20,000 tons, of which one-third is for magnetic tapes.
28
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
3.9 Polyamide (PA, Nylon) Polyamide is widely used as one functional element in flexible food packaging and multilayer films, as a result of its unique combination of toughness, transparency and barrier properties. There are three categories of nylon films. Biaxially oriented polyamide (BOPA) and, representing less than 20% of the total, oriented polyamide (OPA) are often confused by observers. BOPA is used for lamination with PE, sometimes in multilayers with EVOH. Current European annual consumption is estimated at 20,000 tons, still growing at least 5% a year. The most often used OPA film is 15 μm, 17 grams per square metre, laminated with 50–60 μm PE. There are developments to 12 μm OPA, to compete with PET film. Cast polyamide films are used for lamination with PE, in medium barrier multilayer films, estimated at 18,000 tons, maybe as low as 15,000 tons, and stagnant. The non-oriented laminated PA is an entirely different product, generally thicker and used to thermoform shallow trays. There is a development of OPA/OPP, when a better resistance to fats is needed, or for higher temperature resistance. The PP layer is also more of a barrier to moisture than PE. PA6 resin is used for coextrusion with PE, generally, and is estimated at 60,000 tons and growing, yet more slowly than the BOPA films, at 3% per annum. The coextruded film is reportedly split between extrusion cast or blown (70% of total coextruded film), and extrusion coating (30% of coextruded film). Most markets have shifted to coextruded films, instead of cast laminates. Nylon film is not really threatened by other plastic films in its specific market niches. The oriented laminates are particularly appreciated for their good mechanical resistance, against puncture and tearing. A 15 μm OPA film has twice the puncture resistance of a 12 μm PET film. Other appreciated advantages of BOPA and OPA films are flexibility, low friction coefficient, and easy operation on machines. Lastly, oriented nylon film laminates provide a medium barrier protection to gases, better than PET film, and there is no need for coating. Laminated OPA films can be thinner than coextruded PA/PE films. The standard laminate thickness is 15 μm for OPA, versus a minimum of 20 μm for PA in coextruded multilayers. The total thickness of coextruded films can be hardly less than 70 μm, versus about 50 μm or less for laminates made with oriented PA. The main competing plastic is PET film. Nylon Films Industry Structure The production of oriented nylon films has long been, and still is, a fairly small club. There have long been licenses for the machinery produced by Kohjin and the former Soplaril that have limited the entry of new producers. Total world capacity of all PA films is estimated at over 220,000 tons, of which oriented nylon film is estimated at 125,000 tons in 2004, expected to grow to 135,000 tons in 2005 (Table 3.8). In Europe, CFP Flexible Packaging is the former Caffaro, also former SNIA/FIAT, and operates two plants at Ceriano Laghetto and at Pisticci. The Pisticci plant used to be owned and operated in a joint venture, Emblem, whose shares have varied over the years, with a number of former partners (Enichem, Unitika, Marubeni, etc.) entering and leaving. The process historically used is the double-bubble system from Kohjin. In 2002, private equity firm Bridgepoint bought the Caffaro flexible film business. Emblem/Unitika claims to be the largest world producer of BOPA film, with world capacity of 65,000 tons for Emblem nylon film, the first nylon film in the world to be produced by a simultaneous biaxial orientation technology, launched by Unitika. Unitika both sells the plain films
29
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
and, increasingly, converts them into barrier films by lamination. The main plants are at Uji, Japan, Pisticci, Italy, and Indonesia (9,000 tons). Unitika also has a nylon film joint venture in Indonesia, Emblem Asia (8,000 tons). Unitika plans a 5,000 ton nylon-6 film plant in Wuxi, China, in 2005, as a joint venture between Unitika and Mitsui. The plant will manufacture Emblem nylon film. Table 3.8 Alphabetical list of all world PA film producers (in thousands of tons) Companies Base Capacity Comments, mergers and acquisitions Amcor Australia 5 Plant in Denmark, formerly Danisco, in-house unit Bemis USA 15 ex Walki/UPM Kymmene Biaxis/Winpack Japan, 28 Nichimen group, plants in Finland and Canada Finland Caffaro Flexibles CFP Italy 25 Former SNIA FIAT Honeywell USA 22 Bought 7,500 tons in Korea, from Kolon ex Kohap Hyosung Korea 14 Two plants, in China and Korea Kolon Korea 10 Got from Kohap 8,000 tons, 2003, re-sold Honeywell MCK Japan 3 Mitsubishi/Kohjin Toray Saehan Japan 10 Toyobo Japan 15 Planning 6,000 ton plant in China in 2005 Unitika Emblem Japan, 65 Japan, Italy, Indonesia Italy Wipak Winpak Germany, 10 Bought Walothen, Wolff Walsrode, Gryspeert Canada Total world rounded 222
Bemis, the largest US group in flexible films, purchased Walki Films in August 2002, from the Finnish paper group UPM Kymmene. Walki Films had nylon film plants in Valkeakoski, Finland, and in Epernon, France. At the same time, Bemis had to disinvest its global pressure-sensitive materials business MACtac to UPM Kymmene. Wipak, of the Finnish Wihuri group, an independent family company, purchased the former Wolff Walsrode/Bayer Covexx film company from Bayer, in Walsrode, in 2001. The mono-oriented OPA film has a 5,000 ton production capacity, under the tradename Oxyshield. The sister company Winpak, with a nylon film plant in Winnipeg, Canada, is also part of the Wihuri group. Winpak has operated a biaxially oriented nylon film plant (5,000 tons) since 1998. Biaxis is part of Nichimen, a Japanese trading and investment firm, with European headquarters in Düsseldorf. There are two plants, one in Winnipeg, Canada, with 6,000 ton capacity, and one in Lahti, Finland, with 7,000 ton capacity, completed in summer 2003. The Wipak and Winpak companies are also partners in Biaxis in a joint venture with Nichimen. Amcor is an Australian packaging company that has bought a large number of independent flexible packaging converters in the past five years, and has become a major player in Europe in that industry. Converters thus purchased include Akerlund & Rausing, Ahlström, Sweden, Tobepal, Spain, and the prized one, Danisco, the former Otto Nielsen, which had already purchased a larger number of smaller converters in France and elsewhere. Besides a major activity in all types of flexible food packaging, the former Otto Nielsen also was an in-house producer of BOPA film, which was not supposed to sell the raw film to third parties. So, Amcor BOPA film capacity is 5,000 tons. This is the mono-oriented nylon film, always of PA6.
30
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
DuPont Canada produces Dartek R nylon cast film at its Enhance Packaging Technology (EPT) plant in Whitby, Ontario. There are only two cast nylon film producers in North America, and figures are kept confidential. Honeywell kept the former Allied oriented nylon film business when the nylon polymer division was sold to BASF in January 2003. Honeywell bought a 7,000 ton nylon film plant at Ulsan, Korea, from Kolon, which had to divest some of the activities obtained from Kohap. Following an agreement with Honeywell, Wipak produces and markets Oxyshield films on an exclusive basis in Europe, while Honeywell is responsible for these activities in America and also supplies the rest of the world. Kolon is the third largest world producer of BOPA nylon film in the world, behind Unitika and the former Caffaro. It has three nylon film plants, two in south Korea, and one in Indonesia. In June 2003, the US Honeywell bought the South Korean Dangjin plant with two lines, total capacity 7,400 tons. Kolon had bought the Korean plant from Kohap at the end of 2002. The Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) ruled that Kolon had to sell one of the two Kohap lines newly acquired, lest it would have a dominant 60% share of the Korean market. Toyobo plans to build a 6,000 ton nylon film unit in China to start in 2005. The group has a 15,000 ton unit at its site in Inuyama, Japan, and targets in China. Toyobo also operates a 3,000 ton chlorine-free nylon film facility at Aichi. Hyosung is starting up two new nylon film plants, 7,000 tons each, one in China and one in South Korea. Mitsubishi Chemical Kohjin (MCK) is a 50/50 joint venture between Mitsubishi Chemical and Kohjin, with two PA6 film plants at Tsukuba and Yatsushiro, Japan, with a total capacity of 3,000 tons. The film is a triple-layered nylon film for food packaging. The major suppliers of cast PA6 film, for further lamination, are the following: • • •
CFP, the former Caffaro, ex SNIA, Amcor, the former Danisco, Wipak, the former Wolff Walsrode/Bayer.
The users of PA resins for coextrusion are quite a few, as, over the past fifteen years, all the major multilayer film converters have gone into coextrusion. The main players in the nylon films industry, whether buying mono- or bi-oriented nylon film for lamination, or cast nylon film for lamination, or nylon resin for coextrusion, are now very few compared to fifteen years ago, after many mergers and acquisitions. Their list and details are discussed in the section on multilayer films in Chapter 5. Consumption of Nylon Films Consumption of nylon films of all types is estimated at 300,000 tons, split as follows: • • •
BOPA and OPA nylon-6 films, for lamination Non-oriented cast film, for lamination PA6 coextruded with other plastics
100,000 tons, 60,000 tons, 140,000 tons.
Altogether in Europe, nylon film amounts to close to 100,000 tons. Most of this is in packaging, over 90%, and most packaging for food, over 90%, the balance for some spot pharmaceutical and chemical packaging. All the nylon used for all types of films is PA6, except for an estimated 3,000 tons of PA11 and PA12.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
There are a relatively limited number of applications. The main uses are as follows as percentages of the total: • • • • • •
Hard cooked cheese Other cheese Coffee Processed meat, fish, smoked salmon, lidding Other food Non-food packaging
about 45% about 5% 5% 30% 5% 10%
The striking feature is the concentration of applications in two main outlets, cheese and processed meat and fish. The total world market for oriented PA film is growing at 10% a year, on average, with much faster growth in Asia. The demand for nylon film in Asia is growing by 15–20% a year. Current consumption of oriented nylon film in Asia is 25,000 tons, of which 10,000 tons is in China, growing at 30% a year. 3.10 Polycarbonate (PC) Polycarbonate is an amorphous engineering plastic, part of the saturated or linear polyester extended family. Commercial PC is based on bisphenol A, obtained from phenol and acetone (hence the ‘A’), reacted with carbonyl chloride in an interfacial process. The reaction is carried out under basic conditions in the presence of an aqueous or an organic phase. Polycarbonate film is often thicker than those made of other materials. The main markets are in automotive instruments, electrical and electronic construction, and signage, with not so much in packaging. 3.11 Cellophane (Cello) This material is considered closer to Nature than plastics. Indeed, as a result of its wood base, cello biodegrades in six weeks, and can be disposed of in landfills or composting, like paper. Cellophane has a set of properties different from those of plastic films. Its most important feature is its ability to breathe, allowing moisture to pass through its pores while excluding the entry of bacteria, which occurs when polymer films are perforated to allow them to breathe. Cello provides a natural barrier to oils and fats. However, cello is very moisture-sensitive. As a film, it has to be coated on both sides, using nitrocellulose or, more importantly, PVDC. The coating on both sides lengthens shelf-life, with more durability, and better moisture and gas barrier properties. Cellophane can also be metallised, but this is a minor market, considering the dwindling size of the cello markets. Cellophane can also be laminated to other materials (e.g. PE-LD, OPP and metallised PET) to enhance barrier properties and improve appearance. From the 1930s to the entry of OPP films, cellophane dominated the transparent flexible packaging materials. OPP film replaced cello within a fifteen-year span, 1970–1985, because of lower cost, source reduction, strength and higher barrier properties. This substitution took place in spite of the unique advantages of cello, such as deadfold (staying put when folded, without untwisting and unfolding – a plus for twistwrap), tear properties (as cello is very easy to tear without a tear notch or slit), machinability without sophisticated equipment, and high gloss clarity.
32
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Back in 1983, world cellophane consumption reached its maximum with a total world tonnage of 600,000 tons. From that date OPP films started to substitute, so that by 1990 the cello film total was down to 300,000 tons, to 200,000 tons in 1994, to 140,000 tons in 1997, of which 40,000 tons were in Europe and still 60,000 tons in Japan. Now the total world consumption has dwindled to less than 100,000 tons, a perfect case of the replacement of one material by another, as PP films have taken over all the cello markets, plus all the growth, leaving only a few niche applications, in the past twenty-five years. About 75% of cellophane is used in food packaging and the balance in non-food, cosmetics, medical and pharmaceutical packaging and pressure-sensitive tapes. When UCB Films bought Courtaulds’ British Cellophane in the UK, in 1996, and Flexel in the USA, in 1997, it became the world leader in cellulose films. There are smaller producers, particularly in Japan. 3.12 Disposable and Edible Films As a rule, in the relatively short history of plastics, the sales argument over traditional materials was to emphasise how plastics could be relied upon for their durability, strength and resistance to moisture, chemicals and decay, along with other interesting and durable properties. The main challenge of plastics in their early history was to strengthen their image, and to be positioned as strong and lasting, compared to the then prevailing traditional materials, and not to be seen as ersatz, poor-quality materials. However, as the plastics industry developed and single-use products (packaging and others) became quite a large volume, creating problems in the disposal of solid waste, there have been calls for degradable plastics that would disintegrate into natural, harmless components once their useful life was over. Degradable plastic products are generally made from natural renewable resources. They behave like traditional plastics, but they are completely biodegradable. Over the years, socalled biopolymers, made from non-oil-based materials, have been considered as a potential alternative to oil-based plastics. The first starch-based polymers, early attempts at biodegradable plastics, had problems. The starches were often too water-sensitive, causing the polymers to lose strength and to degrade prematurely. The starch-based products also tended to shred, rather than completely degrade, leaving small polymer pieces that remained unconsumed. Another feature of these products is the cyclical interest they have generated. They enjoyed great popularity in the early 1990s, then were almost shelved, to be strongly revived in the past few years. The whole issue had been dormant for years, because the materials themselves did not perform to meet the high expectations made earlier, and the better materials were too expensive. After these many attempts and announcements, hopes and praises, after 1991–1992, the whole issue was hardly mentioned any longer. The general economic slowdown at the time was not conducive to novelty development, and the worry about economic results took over from ecological issues. Besides, degradable plastics caused some suspicion as authorities feared that they could be interpreted as a licence to litter. Two types of biodegradable polymers are now commercialised, polylactic acid (PLA) polyester, and aliphatic–aromatic copolyesters. The advantage of copolyesters is that they can be produced in existing polyester facilities. Applications are mostly still under development, the most advanced being those like composting bags, shopping bags, diaper backsheets, film wrapping and cutlery. Although biodegradable plastics are now readily available, there are still no true signs of large volumes in the market. A major obstacle to development has long been the price, compared to conventional commodity
33
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
plastics, but the new PLA plants claim prices of $1–2 per kg, with a downward trend as the biodegradables establish themselves in just a few years. There are a number of film developers, particularly in Japan. Among the companies that have commercialised PLA in the form of films are Unitika, Mitsubishi Plastics, Pacific Dunlop and Mitsui. One application of interest for PLA films in Japan is film for packaging Sony mini-discs. In 1996, one of the pioneers, Montedison, sold its Novamont and Mater-Bi subsidiary to a group of banks. In 1996, Monsanto purchased Biopol from Zeneca ICI. At the end of 1998, Monsanto abandoned the development of the fermentation-based process for the biodegradable polymer Biopol, the polyhydroxy butyrate (BHP) and polyhydroxy valerate (BHV) copolymers that it had acquired from Zeneca in 1996. The research was reportedly discontinued as no strategic alliance or investment partner could be found to help support the project. The Biopol project, in its short life, had developed two biodegradable products, a credit card and liners for cups. Then, Monsanto dropped the project, which would require at least five years of further R&D, to get into other developments instead. The door is therefore not closed if and when commercial viability is better established. Despite considerable technological advances, the market prospects for a biodegradable plastic in the high-price segment turned out to be so unfavourable that Monsanto considered that further investment in its development could no longer be justified. However, a spokesman for Monsanto indicated that biodegradable plastics still had a market in the future. Monsanto hoped to sell a technology package of four parts to other companies researching prospects to produce plastics from plants. The package includes the fermentation and development research project purchased from Zeneca in 1996. But Monsanto feels no pressure to move quickly on any sales or licensing, already developed at Biopol, because the unit is no longer operated. Hence, it is striking to see that the pioneers of the late 1980s, ICI, Novamont and Werner-Lambert, all disinvested their degradables in 1995–1996. Further changes happened, just to indicate the fluid structure of this industry. In 1998, Novamont, resurrected from the earlier bank purchase, was set up again and purchased all the former patents held by Warner-Lambert on the Novon line, which had been fought over between Novon and Novamont a few years earlier. Hence, since 1998, all the fundamental patents for the starch-based materials have belonged to Novamont, with a 8,000 ton plant at Terni. The whole biodegradable plastics business has been characterised by patent disputes ever since it began in the late 1980s. Back in 1989, when Novamont belonged to Montedison, the company started research on biodegradable plastics, under the general name Mater-Bi. There has been a long dispute with the German company Biotec, and the Californian company E. Khashoggi Industries and affiliates, but this was finally settled in 2000, with various cross-licensing patent arrangements. Novamont thus acquired a worldwide exclusive license under Biotec in the films industry. Novamont has a patent portfolio in the field of starch-based materials that includes over 800 patents and patent applications. In 1998, Eastman started production of a biodegradable polyester, Easter Bio, at Kingsport. The composted copolyester reportedly breaks down to carbon dioxide, water and biomass at a rate comparable to newspapers. The biochemists at Metabolix have now succeeded in genetically modifying some useful plants (rape and flax) in such a way that they themselves can synthesise polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and polyhydroxy butyrate/valerate (PHBV), the same as Biopol. During fermentation, the microorganisms turn natural sugars from the plants into the desired polymers. If these plants were able to
34
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
store significant quantities of the desired polymer molecules, it would open up a very cheap method of synthesis. There would be no need for the roundabout route via fermentation, because, in theory, sunlight and water would be enough for the polymers to grow in the fields. It is, of course, not quite as easy as that. Even though PHA molecules have been detected in the genetically modified plants, the quantities are still very small. In any case, the synthesis must be made to take place in parts of the plant that can be easily harvested and processed, in the seeds or tubers. The method still seems to be a long way off commercial use, with Metabolix talking cautiously of a development period of 4–10 years, after which the polymeric product should be able to compete with present-day nondegradable plastics. Another producer is Cargill Dow Polymers (CDP), a 50/50 joint venture of Cargill Inc. and Dow Chemical, with several routes and processes. The US-based Cargill Dow finally announced an investment for a large-scale industrial plant of PLA under the name EcoPla. The more economic route arrived at by Cargill Dow uses an industrial-grade lactic acid to produce lactide, a cyclic dimer intermediate, which exists in three forms. By controlling the ratio of the forms, a family of polymers has been generated, competing with thermoplastics on both cost and performance basis. The Purac lactic acid joint venture came on-stream in 1998, with an initial capacity of 34,000 tons, to be increased as demand grows. Of course, at the moment, the demand for lactic acid by the plastics industry is still embryonic, and more than half of the world’s lactic acid is used in the food industry, but it could take off if and when PLA becomes successful, and then more than the traditional sources will be needed. Cargill Dow uses dextrose sugars derived from corn as the feedstock for the new polymer, due to its low cost and abundance. The corn is milled to separate starch from the raw material. Dextrose, from the starch, is fermented to give lactic acid, which is then converted using a condensation process to lactide, a cyclic dimer. This lactide is purified through vacuum distillation. Ring-opening polymerisation of the lactide is achieved with a solvent-free melt process. A wide range of products that vary in molecular weight and crystallinity can be produced, allowing Cargill Dow to modify PLA for a wide range of applications. When polymerising lactic acid, the Cargill Dow process can make homopolymers, block copolymers and random block copolymers. There is even the possibility to develop polymers with hard and soft units, to make polymers akin to spandex fibres. Using a revolutionary technique called Nature Works, Cargill Dow Polymers (CDP) started a 140,000 ton PLA plant in Blair, Nebraska, USA, in April 2002. The starting raw material is corn or maize. Other basic raw materials can be used – any plant that stores starch or sugar (wheat, sugar beet, rice, or any agricultural waste) can make PLA. Investigations have been on using sugar cane in Brazil and rice hulls in India. The plant at Blair should satisfy the initial global demand, actively promoted. Then Cargill Dow hopes to introduce a new plant every two years, first in Europe, where demand can be generated for natural packaging materials, and later on in Asia. The NatureWorks is hailed as the first time a polymer is made of 100% renewable resource, and marketed with a satisfactory cost/performance ratio. The technique allows one to harvest the carbon that plants remove from the air during photosynthesis. CDP first aims at packaging applications such as high-grade films, thermoformed food and drinks packs, and coatings for cardboard and paper. The PLA can also be used in fibre form, for the production of textiles, in garments, linen, etc. Cooperation agreements have reportedly been signed with a number of users, such as TetraPak, Autobar, Cascades, Constantia, Bimo Italia, Mitsubishi Plastics, Woolmark, etc. One of the first, short-lived applications was for a degradable yoghurt cup for Danone in Germany, at the end of
35
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
1999. McDonalds examined biodegradable cutlery for its restaurants in Europe. The wrapping of Dunlop golf balls has been one of the first uses of the film. Cargill Dow and Biocorp have also introduced clear, cold drinks cups, with properties comparable to those of conventional plastics, and fully compostable. The NatureWorks cups can be easily disposed of without any sorting. Biocorp, based in Redondo Beach, CA, is a developer and manufacturer of biodegradable products, including lawn and leaf bags, bin liners, and food service ware. It is in partnership with Cargill Dow to find applications for NatureWorks PLA. The Cargill Dow product is the first in Japan to carry the GreenPla designation meaning that it is biodegradable. Recent legislation in Japan indicates that recyclable materials may account for up to 20% of the Japanese market for plastics in the near future. Cargill got a grant in 2003, from the US DOE, to develop new chemical platforms based on oil seeds. DuPont has begun a pilot plant to make 1,3-propanediol (PDO) from corn, at a sugar producing plant, Tate & Lyle, in Illinois. In collaboration with Genencor, DuPont is working on producing PDO from sugar in a single-step fermentation process. By integrating PDO production into the corn chain, it is possible to gain a favourable feedstock price from the glucose. PDO is the feedstock for the first product, Sorona, from the new bio-based business of DuPont. The new polymerisation plant for Sorona uses petrochemical-derived PDO supplied by Degussa. DuPont sees Sorona, which can be spun into clothing-grade textile fibres, as one of the most significant new polymers of recent years. The bio-PDO could be the feedstock of choice for Sorona, if the economics of production can be improved. One condition is that the raw material feedstock networks are efficient, and the production plant is of the right size for economies of scale. A bio-PDO plant, using anaerobic fermentation and fully integrated back to corn processing, can only realistically have a capacity of up to 25,000 tons, because of the type of fermentation. DuPont says that it has developed a more efficient aerobic fermentation process that can operate a competitive plant up to 100,000 tons. Besides, the process can produce lactic acid with so-called left (laevo, L) and right (dextro, D) forms, so that the polymer properties can be controlled through controlled D/L concentrations. According to DuPont, a commercial-scale plant for bio-PDO will be in operation in 2004. In the meantime, in late 2001, DuPont has raised the Sorona capacity to 50,000 tons. In Japan, Mitsubishi Plastics makes a biodegradable film, Ecoloju, for the electronics companies NTT DoCoMo and Sony. Ecoloju is made from polylactic acid (PLA) extracted from corn and other plants. The film readily decomposes in the soil and can be handled in the same way as wood and paper waste. NTT plans to use the film, for instance, for the transparent window in envelopes, a market of the order of 100 tons. It will take many like this to support a 10,000 ton plant. Mitsubishi Plastics now produces about 500 tons, but a new factory should deliver several thousand tons by the end of 2004. Mitsui Chemicals started with a 500 ton PLA pilot plant, and Chronopol, a subsidiary of ACX Technologies, started in 1997 with two sites in Colorado, to develop a semi-commercial plant of 10,000 tons at the same time, when general interest in biodegradables was revived. The Mitsui process differs from that of Cargill Dow, as the former use a solid process whilst the Cargill Dow process is solvent-free, and reputedly simpler in operation and with a broader variety of grades. In early 2002, Cargill Dow teamed up with Codexis, part of Maxygen, to develop a novel synthesis for a key raw material for the PLA. Codexis is to apply its proprietary protein modification process to use a new natural-based process for the production of lactic acid.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
In the UK, in 2002, the PVAXX Corporation, part of Plastics2 Industry Ltd, which makes plastics semi-products for further machining, launched a new biodegradable PVA in solid form, which can be processed by injection moulding, profile extrusion and film blowing. As of 2004, the production of PLA is no more than 150,000 tons, still not enough to permit the drastic price reduction that is needed to make PLA enter the mass markets for packaging. The price is still about two or three times higher than plastics from oil. The concept of edible films is to develop water-soluble films made of maize, soy bean and wheat as a dip for fresh fruit and vegetables to extend their shelf-life. They have been developed by the US Department of Agriculture and some US universities, like the University of Nebraska. Corn protein/paper laminates might replace paper/PE wrap in fast foods, and be fully degradable. New wheat-based gluten films maintain their composition at normal temperatures. As long as the biodegradable plastics, whatever their origin, are more expensive than conventional plastics, they will have only very niche markets. Consumers at large will not pay more for biodegradable plastics made from renewables. There are two challenges to producers that want to develop biodegradable plastics successfully: •
Perfect the bio-processing to make it more efficient,
•
Ensure that the raw material delivery systems operate efficiently, overcoming the irregularities of all bio-based products – the industry expects that there should be sufficient lactic acid capacity to fulfil increased demand from biodegradable polymers and solvents.
In the first estimates, when the idea started to take shape, Cargill Dow forecast a world market likely to exceed 450,000 tons; the figure of 6.5 million tons was even given earlier. The actual figures, so far, are very sobering. Consumption of lactic acid in the USA for biodegradable polymers has been estimated at 2,000 tons in 1998, and grew to an estimated 15,000 tons in 2003. In the short term, polylactic resins have applications in textile fibres, food packaging and bedding. The US Federal Trade Commission has designated polylactide polymers as a new generic fibre, along with cotton, wood, silk, nylon, polyester, etc. Of course, biodegradable polymers are only a small part of the total lactic acid demand, but this part is likely to grow faster than all other uses. For many years, water-soluble and even edible films have been available, but limited to a few specialised applications, such as disposable laundry bags in hospitals or pouches for agricultural products to put into water. In addition to releasing dry materials safely and cleanly, solubility can be used as a trigger, a timer, and a means of sequential release. In the dry condition, these materials may also have high barrier properties. Companies like Enak have developed this concept for handling various toxic or hazardous products, like agrochemicals, dyes, pigments, and many other chemicals. Other companies active in the field of such disposable films are: • • • •
Aquafilm, the only European manufacturer of blown PVA films, used in hospitals and biohazard applications, Environmental Polymers entered the field in 1992, with a patented material partly organic, Aldo Churchill Technology in the USA, Chris Craft Greensol.
Most soluble films are based on forms of polyvinyl alcohol or methyl cellulose, but other formulations are possible, along with techniques to tailor the solubility for different temperatures and levels of pH. This makes it possible to engineer slow or fast release. 37
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Still new problems are damaging the biodegradable films market. In 2001, Cargill Dow had to cope with restrictions put on budding food packaging markets because the company could not guarantee that the feedstock for its PLA polymer was fully GM-free. This objection was put on NatureWorks by Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer (UK supermarket chains). There are as yet few converters for polylactic films. In Europe, Trespaphan, now Treofan, which produces BOPP, also produces biaxially oriented polylactic films under the name Biophan. A Canadian company, BioEnvelop, launched the concept of an edible envelope for fresh products and possibly fruit, to replace the wax coating that is sometimes used. The milk-derived envelope protects the product from moisture and oxygen. The coating could also permit the plastic liner bag inside cereal boxes to be done away with. The BioEnvelop can take several forms, either as a liquid that is vaporised or coated on the food, or as a film, used as a standard film, or even used for cups and trays. There are a few initial applications in biodegradable films. For instance, in the UK, a producer of degradable bags, Symphony Environmental, piloted a supply of degradable plastic carrier bags to the Co-op chain of supermarkets. The bags are made in the United Arab Emirates by using EPI patented TDPA® additives to allow time-controlled degradation of the plastic material. In Australia, Plantic supplies biodegradable packaging that dissolves in water. The material contains cornstarch but it has a plastic feel and can be used in carrier bags or moulded onto trays. The material has been developed by the Australian Cooperative Research Center for International Packaging from a high-amylase corn variety with a molecular structure suitable to make a plasticlike substance. 3.13 Film Substrates for Multilayer Films One distinct category is that of film substrates for multilayer films. The total European consumption of film substrates (films, paper and foil) was estimated at 2.4 million tons in 2000, 2.6 million tons in 2003 (Table 3.9), and to reach 2.75 million tons in 2005. The main substrate materials are PE and OPP, followed by paper and foil. Table 3.9 European flexible packaging film market (in thousands of tons) by substrate, in 2003 Substrate Consumption Percentage of total PE 935 36 OPP 545 21 Paper 360 14 Aluminium foil 320 12 CPP 100 4 PVC 100 4 Coextruded EVOH 80 3 PET 55 2 PA 55 2 Cellophane 25 1 OPA 25 1 Total, rounded 2600 100 3.14 Ethylene Copolymers Copolymerisation of ethylene with propylene, butylene, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, or methacrylic acid disturbs the ethylene chain structure and leads to segments of limited crystallinity. The
38
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
ethylene copolymers contain carboxyl groups distributed along the backbone and side-chains of the molecule. These carboxyl groups reduce polymer crystallinity, which improves transparency, lowers the temperature needed to heat seal, and adds functionality to provide adhesion to polar substrates. Many derivatives can thus be made by varying the comonomer contents and molecular weights. A range of products can be tailored to produce films, extrusion coatings, adhesives, or just plastics modifiers, on the borderline of structural polymers. Acid copolymers are also used as tie-layers, in flexible packaging that require inter-polymer adhesion between materials in a multilayer structure, for instance involving inter-contact between PE and EVOH as a barrier layer. Ethylene copolymers are similar to PE-LD, but they have higher melt strength at equivalent molecular weight, resulting from inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonding. The main ethylene copolymers (among many others) are as follows: • • • • • •
EVA, ethylene vinyl acetate, EAA, ethylene acrylic acid, EMAA, ethylene methacrylic acid, EEA, ethylene ethyl acrylate, EBA, ethylene butyl acrylate, EMA, ethylene methyl acrylate.
Ionomers are another type of ethylene copolymer (described in Section 3.16), as well as EVOH (Section 3.20). The largest volume of these ethylene copolymers, EVA, will be briefly discussed in Section 3.15). Most patents for ionomers and acid copolymers have expired since 2000, and competition is increasing with metallocene polyethylenes. Now, all that is necessary for a new producer to enter the markets is two high-pressure autoclave PE reactors in series with comonomer feed capability added. Total demand for all acid copolymers and ionomers is roughly estimated at 320,000 tons in 2003. In packaging film applications, metallocene polyethylenes could easily cut growth and market share of ionomers, unless the price of ionomers and acid copolymers falls below 2 euros per kilogram. Another ethylene variant is polymethylpentene (PMP), or TPX, the trademark of Mitsui, the only world producer of this material. PMP is a polymer of 4-methylpent-1-ene, similar to PP but with an isobutyl group in place of the methyl group on alternate C atoms. The characteristics are those of a high-performance plastic, with high transparency, rigidity, resistance to impact, and ability to withstand temperatures of up to 200°C. PMP is used for flasks, measuring cylinders and beakers. The only film uses that existed were many years ago, when the license belonged to ICI and PMP films were used in the UK to wrap roast chickens. 3.15 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) There are several grades, depending upon the vinyl acetate content of the copolymer: •
Basic EVA grades, with VA contents of 2–8%, are hardly considered as a distinct plastic material, but rather as a grade of polyethylene. The definition of high EVA copolymers starts with VA contents of 11% and higher.
39
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
•
High EVA copolymers of 11–16% contents of VA provide improved strength and barrier performance properties to PE-LD film applications, mainly, and they are positioned in the industry as high value-added PE-LD.
•
High EVA copolymers of 18–22% VA contents affect the crystallinity of the polymers, making them amorphous and more suitable for adhesive and sealant applications. This is the range in which EVA are the most used as distinct component of films, for coating on plastics, foil or paper, and in extrusion and coextrusion. The main use of EVA in the films industry is to act as modifiers and sealants.
•
Copolymers with VA contents over 22%, so-called high EVA, are used as specialty sealants and hot melts.
The value addition of vinyl acetate is in the reactor process and therefore all the added value is kept at the producer level. Total world EVA production is roughly estimated at close to 2 million tons, but this has little meaning, as most of it is of low VA content and an integral part of specific grades of PE. The very large world producers are DuPont, Dow, ExxonMobil, BP, Mitsui and Kuraray. Equistar, Huntsman and Westlake in the USA, and Acetex/AT Plastics in Canada are smaller producers of EVA. The higher grades of EVA might be estimated as of the order of magnitude of 600,000 tons worldwide. EVA production in Europe currently amounts to 800,000 tons, all grades. The main EVA producers in Europe are as follows: • • • • • • •
Exxon Mobil, the largest producer, with an estimated 500,000 ton capacity, all grades, BP has closed its 50,000 ton EVA plant at Köln in Germany and moved out of EVA production, DuPont, bought the Borealis copolymers, 50/50 joint venture with Specialty Polymers Antwerp, in 2000, Atofina, to shift its EVA production from Mont to Balan in 2005, Polimeri, Repsol, Leuna Polymers.
DuPont intends to develop its presence in ethylene copolymers in Europe, with capacity addition to Elvax EVA resins and Bynel adhesive resins. The additional production begins in 2004, with the conversion of a PE-LD tubular reactor at the Antwerp plant, added to the existing autoclave. In 2002, DuPont had also broadened its range of acrylate polymers with the launch of Elvaloy AC. There are many smaller producers, as the production of EVA is often associated with PE-LD plants, like the 60,000 ton plant of Tosoh at Yokkaichi in Japan, or Idemitsu also in Japan, or the Hanwha EVA plant in Ulsan, Korea. In Malaysia, Dairen Chemical Corp. has added a 30,000 ton EVA plant in Tanjung Langsat, Johor, to an existing plant of the same size. Dairen also has a 30,000 ton EVA plant in Yizhen, Yangzhou, China. In Taiwan, Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corp. (FCFC) has a swing plant in Mailiao that can produce a maximum of 200,000 tons of EVA or PE-LD. Production is said to run at around 70,000 tons of EVA, and to be growing to 100,000 tons. Asia Polymer Corp. (APC), part of USI Far East Group, has a swing line for 30,000 tons of EVA/PE-LD, to be expanded to 60,000 tons, in Kaohsiung. The joint venture of Nan Pao Resins and Dairen Chemicals operates a vinyl acetate monomer plant of 240,000 tons in Mailiao, Taiwan, to serve all South-East Asia markets, and plans a 30,000 ton EVA plant also in Mailiao.
40
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
In Thailand, Thai Petrochemical Industry (TPI) is one of the most active in EVA – actually for a long time the only EVA producer in South-East Asia, with technical assistance from ExxonMobil. The main applications of EVA (as a percentage of the total) are the following: •
Plastic films, all types, for agriculture and packaging
•
Hot melts
20%
•
Non-film applications, flexible injection moulding components, cables, shoe soles and foams
30%
around 50%
The broad variety of these products does not permit an average rate of growth to be ascertained. The volume copolymers used as part of PE-LD are not growing at more than 2% a year, whilst the higher contents copolymers, true specialty products, especially those associated with barrier films, such as tie-layers, may be growing at up to 6% or more for some of them. 3.16 Ionomers Ionomers is the generic name for polymers containing inter-chain ionic bonding. The major base material for ionomers is ethylene, so ionomers may be considered to be part of the broad family of polyethylenes. Carboxyl groups are added along the main chain by copolymerising with, for instance, acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. They form the anionic part of the ionic bond. Metal salts such as sodium methoxide, potassium methoxide, or magnesium acetate provide cations. The polar bonds suppress crystallisation and lead to physical cross-linking. The ionic cross-links occur randomly between the long-chain polymer molecules to produce solid-state properties normally associated with high molecular weight. In spite of the ionic bond, ionomers have all the characteristics of true thermoplastics, with particularly high transparency and high elasticity, and ease of processing as the ionic forces weaken enough when heated to permit normal processing. The largest producer of ionomers is DuPont, the origin of these polymers, first commercialised in 1964, under the tradename Surlyn. Other producers are as follows: • •
Exxon, with Iotek, Honeywell, with the former Aclyn, from Allied.
No capacity figures could be found or discussed. The original patents have expired and this opens a potential for new entrants in these products. Entry is relatively easy, as it only takes two high-pressure autoclave polyethylene reactors in series with comonomer feed capability added. DuPont used its Surlyn ionomer to improve the processability of EVOH, without affecting the barrier properties. A high ethylene content in EVOH is better for processing but worse for barrier properties, and conversely. An ionomer content of about 20% can reduce the ethylene content to about 30%. Ionomers are considered as the work-horse material for demanding sealing applications such as sealing through contamination, fats, low sealing temperature and high hot tack, where other sealants such as EVA or PE fail. However, the choice of sealants has expanded in recent years, with the entry of metallocene PEs. Ionomers retain their unique property of increased stiffness with increasing comonomer content and decreasing melting temperature.
41
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The performance of sealants is judged by their ability to melt at low temperatures and to form a more or less functional sealant even at low temperature when the seal is still hot. This property is called hot tack. The material must have a low melting temperature but also a high melt flow index, or low viscosity, to be in a position to quickly absorb the heat and transform the solid sealant into a molten one. In packaging, the main reason to use ionomers in multilayer films is their oil and grease resistance, which is very useful for sealing packages. In the packaging of greasy foods, such as meat, bacon, sausages, cheese, snacks and the like, ionomers are hardly replaceable because of the high-strength sealing achieved in spite of oily surfaces. Also the extreme toughness of ionomers leads to their use in skin packaging. The material can cover sharply pointed objects without risk of puncture. Many types of multilayers thus use ionomers, often coextruded in order to save costs, or used as a heat seal layer with laminates. Bold estimates put the total world market probably above 120,000 tons. Ionomers are facing increased competition from the expiration of patents, and from the development of metallocene polyethylenes. Expected growth for the next ten years is given at 4% annually, faster in the USA and Western Europe than in developing markets because of the important and still developing uses in massvolume sophisticated packaging films. 3.17 Cyclo-Olefin Copolymers (COC) This is a new type of plastic, one of the first to owe its existence to metallocenes. The process for producing cyclo-olefin copolymers was developed and patented by the Ticona predecessor, Hoechst. The process uses a metallocene catalyst to produce COC from ethylene and 2-norbornene, itself based on cyclopentadiene. COC reportedly features an interesting new combination of properties, including optical clarity, dielectric properties, biocompatibility, high moisture barrier, and good heat resistance. Properties can be varied over a wide range, allowing the COC to be tailored to a customer’s requirements. The only commercial producer is Ticona. The COC was launched at the end of 2000, under the tradename Topas. The name is an acronym for thermoplastic olefin polymer of amorphous structure. The production plant is located at Oberhausen, in Germany, with a 30,000 ton capacity. Ticona is also the largest producer of norbonene, with a 21,000 ton capacity. There is another pilot plant, of Nippon Zeon, at Takaoka, in Japan, with a 3,000 ton capacity, producing COC under the tradenames Zeonex and Zeonor, mainly for moulding applications. Another plant is in Mizushima, with capacity of 10,000 tons. The process for this COC is based on DCPD C5 monomer, and does not use metallocene catalysts. Zeonor costs up to 60% less than Zeonex, and the former fills a niche where high impact strength and heat resistance are necessary, but requirements for optical properties and purity are less stringent and lower cost is a strong incentive for specification. Initial commercial applications are back-light panels for liquid crystal displays in laptop computers and car navigation equipment. Mitsui also started in 1995 with a 3,000 ton pilot plant of COC, in Iwakuni, Japan. The Mitsui process uses an ethylene/tetracyclododecene copolymer, obtained by Ziegler–Natta catalysis. Mitsui has the license to this process, which was first associated with Hoechst. Hoechst was ready to market it under the name Apel, but then each company decided to go its own way. This was after an agreement between Mitsui and Hoechst at the time, according to which Mitsui would test the market in Asia, and Hoechst would test it in Europe and the USA. Then later, in 2001, there was another agreement by which the worldwide distribution was agreed between Ticona and Mitsui Chemicals. Mitsui is the exclusive distributor in Japan, and in the main countries in Asia.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Back in 1998, Japan Synthetic Rubber started a 2,000 ton plant to make a COC under the tradename Arton, obtained without metallocene catalysts. Ticona has announced that COC is one of the innovative new products that the company plans to develop over the next few years. The COC is to take its place alongside core products like POM, and growth products like PET/PBT, LCP, polyphenylene sulphide (PPS), long fibre reinforced thermoplastic (LFRT) and PA6,6, which are also to be expanded. Ticona is convinced that the development of COC will come from new applications rather than from substitutions. Topas film is increasingly being used in medical, cosmetics and optical applications, and as a replacement for glass in medical and diagnostic devices, and in drug packaging and delivery products. The properties of COC are of interest for medical, food packaging and optical applications, for capacitors, as well as in toner binder resins for laser printers. Topas has been approved by the US FDA, and Bayer is using it for blister packaging for aspirin and other moisture-sensitive drugs in tropical countries. There are also prospects in drug delivery systems, such as needle-free injection systems, and discardable titre plates in genetic research, where it could replace quartz glass. Used as a blend with PE or PP, a small quantity of COC could save money for medical laboratories. 3.18 Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Polyvinyl butyral is made from vinyl acetate monomer as the main raw material. PVB is essentially used in the form of thin films as an interlayer in glass panels. PVB is also used as a raw material in the paint and ink industries, but this is outside the scope of the present study topic. The main use, about 90% in the USA, but only 60% in Europe, is in the windshields of cars, for safety, to keep the glass windshield together after an impact. The other application is in window panes, for basically the same purpose of shatter-proofing, to prevent large glass panes from breaking into many pieces. This application is relatively more important in Europe. Total world capacity of PVB is not published but it is estimated to be slightly over 200,000 tons, including recent debottlenecking (Table 3.10). There are two main producers, Solutia and DuPont, both reluctant to reveal their capacity figures. It is estimated that Solutia controls 50% of the world supply of PVB, DuPont 30%, and the other 20% going to smaller players, Sekisui in Japan, and the former Hüls plant at Troisdorf. Table 3.10 List of world PVB film producers and their estimated capacities (in thousands of tons) Companies Base Capacity Comments DuPont USA 60 Estimated 30% of total world capacity, USA, Germany, Korea Formosa Chemicals & Taiwan 5 Fiber Corp. (FCFC) HIRL India 5 Kuraray Japan 16 Bought from Clariant in Germany, in 2002 Sekisui Japan 30 Plants in Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Thailand Solutia USA 100 Estimated 50% of total world capacity, USA, Brazil, Belgium Total estimated 216
43
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The main producer of PVB worldwide is Solutia, the former Monsanto, with trademark Saflex. Monsanto was at the origin of PVB for interlayer films in glass panes. Solutia was formed from the demerger from Monsanto, in September 1997. Solutia has plants at: • • • •
Trenton, MI, USA, Indian Orchard, Springfield, MA, USA, San Jose dos Campos, Brazil, Ghent, Belgium.
The capacity of the Springfield plant is being increased to meet the growing demand for windscreens with a shaded band. Solutia generates 65% of its total sales in the US market, and the company would like to balance sales better, by increasing its market throughout the world. Solutia also has an operation for PVB in Singapore, at Tuas, but this is just a finishing centre, not a production plant. The other large world producer is DuPont, with Butacite. DuPont has PVB plants in: • • •
Fayetteville, NC, USA, Hamm-Uentrop, Germany, Korea.
All of these have an expansion programme, to raise overall capacity to one third more. The plant in Germany was increased 30% in 2001. The supply is aimed at the growing demand for so-called jumbo-sized PVB interlayer sheets for architectural laminated glass. DuPont is considering a plant in India, where a new law requires the use of laminated glass in car windshields. Hotel chains also are increasingly interested in safety glass. DuPont cooperates with large glassmakers in India, such as Asahi India, Securit Saint Gobain and GSC, in marketing its laminated glass products. The third largest world producer is Sekisui, with an estimated total capacity of PVB for interlayer glass film of 30,000 tons, with plants in: • • •
Shiga Prefecture, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, capacity raised to 17,000 tons in the summer of 2003.
A new plant in Thailand opened in 2002, with a 3,000 ton capacity of PVB interlayer material. Clariant sold its polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl butyral (PVA/PVB) plant at Hochst/Sulzbach, near Frankfurt in Germany, with 16,000 ton capacity, to Kuraray, in 2002. Even though PVA/PVB is classed as a specialty activity because of its high R&D, Clariant considered it rather as a volume business because of its sensitivity to raw material costs. Besides, Kuraray is backward integrated in vinyl acetate monomer, whilst Clariant is not. The main reason for Clariant to disinvest was to focus on specialties and fine chemicals. PVB was considered as a commodity product, too dependent on the raw material (vinyl acetate) prices. In India, Hindustan Inks & Resins Ltd (HIRL), a very diversified chemical company, produces PVB resin and rosin ester. In Taiwan, Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corp. (FCFC) operates a PVB plant. In Thailand, Sekisui completed a 3,000 ton plant for PVB at the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate. Sekisui has developed a new specialty resin for car windshields that blocks out more heat
44
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
radiation than conventional materials, keeping the inside of cars cooler and reducing the need for air-conditioning. The new material is made of a thin sheet of PVB that incorporates an evenly dispersed powder of indium tin oxide. The thin layer of plastic is sandwiched between two sheets of glass to make laminated windshields that do not shatter on impact. The PVB sheet also acts as a heat insulator, keeping the car inside 10°C cooler than with conventional materials. Solutia launched a new PVB line, with the Vanceva PVB, which is designed to offer value-added solutions to OEMs. For instance, Vanceva Secure is a composite interlayer for laminated glass products that provides intrusion resistance, UV and accident protection for automotive glass. The Vanceva line is positioned as a still further advanced position for glass. As a rule, the unit used for measuring production and consumption is generally not tons, but square metres. The total world consumption of PVB films is estimated at about 200 million m2. PVB film is generally used in four main thicknesses, 0.38, 0.76, 1.14 and 1.52 mm, depending upon the level of protection required. The thickness of the finished glass panes ranges from 6–8 mm up to 28–35 mm, glass included. As a rule, the industry uses an average thickness of 0.76 mm, which, at a density of 1.05, represents an average 0.75 kg/m2. This allows one to estimate the 200 million m2 at a total world tonnage of 150,000 tons. Out of this total, there are 70,000 tons in the USA, 50,000 tons in Europe, and 40,000 tons in the rest of the world, mainly in Japan. Other estimates are not higher than 120,000 tons worldwide. Further demand for PVB depends on car and other vehicle production. PVB is expected to grow at an average 2–2.5% per annum in 2004–2007, probably slightly faster in Europe. Some observers, playing on the potential in window panes for buildings, forecast a much faster growth, of the order of 10–15%, a doubling in five years, not to last, but with quite a full market impact. Some competing materials have been tested for this key application of glass interlayer, essentially PET, also cast EVA, but these solutions do not perform as well as PVB. 3.19 Barrier Materials The concept of ‘barrier’ applies to protection against external agents that attack and deteriorate the contents of any product supposed to be protected by its plastic envelope or container. The barrier concept most frequently applies to packaging, to protect the product inside and lengthen its useful life, but it may also apply to other containers, such as gas (petrol) tanks in cars or other equipment such as pipes, outside of the films industry. The rise of new packaging materials is closely linked to barriers, and involves the search for lasting protection of a package’s contents against external agents, particularly gases (mainly oxygen and water vapour), water, fats, chemicals, odours, flavours and aromas, as well as preventing gases, water vapour and odours from escaping from the package. The search for packaging materials with improved barrier properties is driven by the pressure to beat the degradability process of foods, and to make their trade and distribution more efficient and cost-effective. This explains the interest in two major trends in food processing and packaging: • •
Rapidly growing use of modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems, Increasing needs to provide shelf-stable conditions for foods, or slightly extended life of chilled foods.
With the exception of pinhole-free aluminium foil, all flexible packs have some level of permeability to oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapour. It is rarely economic to use a solid single film as a barrier, although there are a number of polymer barriers that provide suitable levels of
45
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
performance for particular situations. The barrier properties of the so-called barrier materials can be used in three main ways: • • •
Homogeneous layers, as single materials, mixtures or blends, Coextruded or laminated multilayer structures, Coated barrier on the surface of a substrate.
The first approach, single barrier material, is illustrated by PEN, which has a much better barrier performance than PET, and can be formulated in combination with this polymer to provide enhanced barrier performance. An advantage with this approach is that the single material can be recycled, within limited situations. Multilayer constructions, whether coextruded or laminated, are widely used, with PVDC, EVOH and PA MXD6, among the most cost-effective. The beauty of this approach is that the thickness of each layer can be precisely controlled and the film material can be converted on the filling line. A downside is that the trim, or waste, can only rarely be recycled, an economic as well as environmental handicap. Surface coating can be the most resource-effective method of all, with the important added benefit that the barrier coating often also provides a heat sealing function. The earliest coatings, nitrocellulose, PVDC (probably the most useful single material, now suffering from adverse reactions because of its chlorine content), acrylics and PVOH, all have this combination of properties. They can be applied to many kinds of substrates – paper, metal foils or plastic films – from solutions or other liquid dispersions, or extrusion coated as appropriate to each substrate. When the coating is very thin, the substrate may be regarded as a single-layer material. Another way of providing high barrier properties is to coat the surface with an ultra-thin layer of an impermeable inorganic material, such as a metal, metal oxide or silicon oxide. The only truly barrier materials are metals (tin plate and thick enough aluminium) and glass. The barrier concept really applies to plastics whose performances approach a total barrier but never quite achieve it. Barrier materials whose price is at least two or three times higher than that of traditional materials or of commodity plastics can be used, for economic reasons, only sparingly as a thin layer in association with cheaper plastics, in multilayer materials. Up to now, the new concept of barrier materials has been closely linked to the design of multilayers. The idea of a barrier packaging is thus the search for a precise balance between a barrier requirement, for a precise shelf-life of the contents, and an acceptable cost. The search for barrier materials is driven by performance improvements in films, diverse end-user requirements, packaging requirements and long-distance shipping. The very first barrier materials were aluminium foil, various coated papers and cellophane. The main polymer-based barrier materials are now: • • • • • • • • •
46
PVDC, EVOH, Oxide-coated films, Liquid crystal polymers (LCP), MXD6, Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), PET/PEN, Nano-films, Semi-barriers such as oriented PA6 OPA.
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The main two external agents most commonly to be kept out with barriers are moisture and gases. Achieving a good moisture barrier is relatively easy for plastics (Table 3.11). Most commodity plastics, simple polyolefins, provide a good barrier performance to water and moisture. Obtaining a barrier to gases is more difficult. Hence, the definition and measurement of barrier properties apply to gas (O2 and CO2) and odour transmission. The measurement of odour transmission is still quite empirical, and hence the barrier concept really means barrier to oxygen. Barriers are defined by a general measure of the amount of moisture or gases that the material lets through at a defined temperature and pressure, over a period of 24 hours. The standard measure is the oxygen transmission rate (OTR), expressed in cubic centimetres, at 20°C, for 1 μm thickness, per 1 m2, per 24 h, at atmospheric pressure, with measurement at 65% and 85% relative humidity (RH). The gas barrier is the most difficult to achieve, so that when referring to a barrier it generally means a gas barrier. With reference to this measure, the orders of magnitude of oxygen barriers (OTR) are: • • • • • • •
2.5 for PVOH, 4–60 for EVOH, 15–250 for PVDC, 250 for PA MXD6, 300 for PAN, 1,600 for PET, 53,000–178,000 for PE.
Table 3.11 Comparison of permeability levels of main polymer barriers Materials O2 H2O Rigid PVC, non-oriented 3,100 880 PE-LD 178,000 560 PE-HD 53,000 145 PP, cast 81,000 260 PP, oriented 44,000 160 PS, oriented 102,000 2,900 Cello 440 137,000 PET, oriented 1,600 800 Nylon-6 2,000 4,300 Nylon-6,6 2,000 1,500 Nylon-11 8,900 1,500 Nylon-12 28,000 25,000 PC 108,000 4,500 PCTFE 4,400 15 PAN 300 1,600 PVDC, coating 10–85 8–25 PVDC, film 40–200 15–80 EVOH 4–60 1,300–3,400 PVOH 3 750,000 PA MXD6 250 2,000 Amorphous nylons 1,000 1,100 Sources: Solvay and others These figures are based on the following specifications: • Water vapour ASTM E 96 • O2 ASTM D 3985-81 38°C / 90% RH / g / μm / m2 / day 23°C / 0% RH / cm3 / m2 / day / bar • Gases cm3 / μm / m2 / day • Water g / μm / m2 / day
47
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
For practical use for films, of say 25 μm, the barrier levels in Table 3.11 obviously must be divided by 25, since these measures apply to a theoretical 1 μm thickness of film. There are a number of barrier materials and processes designed to achieve the best balance of cost versus performance for the applications as selected. Each packaging solution is the result of fine tuning between cost, protection and acceptability to the consumer. The main materials and/or processes to achieve barriers are as follows: • • • • • •
Aluminium foil, the oldest barrier used in packaging, back to the 1930s, Polymeric systems, PVDC, EVOH, PVOH, PAN, MXD6, LCP, coated, laminated or coextruded, Metallised PET, Inorganic oxide coatings, alumina or silica, Nanocomposites, Plasma techniques.
In the narrower sense of a barrier to oxygen, the main plastics used in packaging can be arranged into three categories: • • •
Little or no barrier to oxygen – PS, PE, PP, Average barrier to oxygen – PVC, PA, PET, High barrier to oxygen – PVDC, EVOH, PAN, PA MXD6.
The first applications of barrier materials, whether in film or sheet, were for standard, long-known products. The coextruded barrier films, the dominant and still fastest-growing segment at the moment, are used in the following: • • • •
Bag in box for wine, fruit juice, milk, tomato paste, medical products, from 2 to 1,000 litres, Wrap for processed meat, delicatessen packaging, Packages for the keeping and ageing of cheese, Controlled-atmosphere flush packs for supermarket fresh meat cuts.
More generally, high barrier films are used for controlled-atmosphere packaging (CAP), for all kinds of longer shelf-life packaging under gas flush. A rapidly developing packaging market, started in France in the early 1990s, and now active in other countries, is that of longer shelf-life fresh vegetables, the so-called ‘fifth generation’ of cooked vegetables, with a shelf-life of 10–12 days. These prepared vegetables are put into pouches, under a controlled atmosphere. The relatively short life does not require a higher barrier than that provided by oriented PP film, alone or associated with PE. The moisture barrier is sufficient for the shelf-life of 10–12 days. Chilled fresh food distributors in the UK, for instance, use 400 μm PVC/100 μm PE, lidded by 15 μm OPP/30 μm PE. All the large film suppliers are actively interested in this large and still growing market, to propose better solutions than PE and PP, but a truly high barrier is not really required. Now for some history of this long development of barrier packaging. The coextruded barrier sheet was the first to develop, even before high barrier film in the 1970s. At the time, there were (and there still are) very few coextruded PVDC/PS sheet manufacturers licensed from Dow feedblock to use extrudable PVDC. They were Cobelplast, Metal Box, Nuova Sopla in Italy, Coexpan in Spain, and PLM in Sweden.
48
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
ONO wanted to develop a barrier material in the late 1970s and could not use PVDC, for Dow patent reasons. Therefore ONO looked for an alternative and first developed PS/PETG, for margarine tubs. The search for a well performing barrier material went on, and ONO found EVOH, which it was the first to introduce into Europe, as PE/EVOH semi-flexible sheet for bag in box, and soon after for shelf-stable dairy desserts, the ONO sheet essentially being exported to Italy. The first EVOH-based barrier sheet was also thermoformed by ONO, for small containers of shelfstable coffee cream. ONO wanted to thermoform the sheet as well, an unusual step in this company’s fabrication programme, as it seemed necessary to ensure perfect control of the operation up to the finished container, lest some awkward converting could have given a long-lasting poor image to the new barrier materials. Then, the new Bifidus fresh yogurts were introduced into the French market with very rapid success in the 1980s. It was soon found that this type of yogurt suffered from a 21-day shelf-life, in contrast to other standard yogurts. All the Bifidus (BA) yogurts were thus packed into PS/EVOH/PE barrier cups in 1986. The barrier sheet thus confirmed its performance and interest. Under-vacuum meat selling units use barrier sheet for the tray and barrier film for the overwrap. For controlled-atmosphere selling units, PVC/PE trays and PA/PE overwrap are considered sufficient, for the relatively short shelf-life of fresh meat cuts. The true success for barriers in the association of a shallow tray and a barrier lid film came from the tremendous success of prepared dishes, with the concept of single microwaveable portions. A number of segments have thus appeared, along these main lines: •
Shelf-stable, three months to one year, sterilised, high barrier plastics using PP/EVOH for microwaving and CPET/EVOH for dual ovenability. The search for dual ovenability is no longer a strong issue, as microwave ovens have become a very common appliance.
•
Chilled dishes, in trays of HDPE, PP and CPET, with or without a barrier.
•
Chilled dishes, either in pouches of high or medium barrier films, put into a carton, or in thermoformed trays. The chilled dishes, now the most popular presentation for prepared recipes, can be either pasteurised or vacuum cooked.
•
Under-vacuum cooking, ‘cuisson sous vide’, which originated in France, is essentially for restaurants and chains. As soon as they are cooked, the dishes must undergo immediate and fast refrigeration, be stored at less than 3°C, and be quickly reheated. The whole process must be of high professional level from beginning to end, with careful control. Regular tests and analyses have to be carried out.
The technique of under-vacuum cooking is simple. A recipe dish is normally prepared, then put into high barrier plastic pouches, and vacuum is obtained. Then the hermetically closed dish is slowly cooked in a moist steam oven, at low temperature, 60–100°C. It can then be eaten immediately or, more often, quickly cooled and stored for up to 21–42 days. Summary of the Barrier Story Aluminium foils are the oldest barrier, with excellent gas and water barrier properties, but they suffer from not being transparent, may be more expensive, and have been criticised by environmentalists. All polymeric systems rely on strong dipolar mechanisms to produce polymeric crystals that act as blocks to the transportation of gas molecules. The weak link in these polymeric systems is the transportation of gas molecules through the amorphous part of the polymer. Some polymeric systems such as EVOH are known to be water-sensitive, due to the ability of the polymer to
49
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
undertake hydrogen bonding with the diffusing water molecules. This water sensitivity can be overcome, however, by incorporating the barrier polymer between two layers of PE film. Some of these polymers are supplied by only a few sources. Metallised plastic films also give excellent gas barrier properties, with the additional benefit of using only a thin layer of aluminium. Like aluminium foils, metallised PET films are not transparent. The barrier properties result from single crystal layers of aluminium obtained by vacuum deposition techniques. Although it is possible to obtain the metallic look of aluminium by simple open air chemistry, it is not possible to reproduce the vital crystal growth needed to develop barrier properties. Inorganic oxide coatings have generated much literature, but not yet any major marketing impact, in spite of many niche developments, most of them in Japan. The main two routes are with SiOx and AlOx. The world consumption of these films is around 25,000–30,000 tons a year, essentially in Japan, simply because the incineration of the alternative PVDC barrier films is banned in Japan. Developments continue in spite of the films costing twice the price of PVDC barriers. There are new high-speed coating processes that could bring the cost down. Nanocomposites are the latest entrants in barriers. Nanocomposites involve adding specially treated nano-scale clay particles to a variety of plastics. The key component of nanocomposites is silicate nano-clay with many mica-like platelets of 1 nm thickness. They are chemically treated to make them organophilic, meaning that polymers will enter the space between the platelets. The clay then swells, with the plates spreading apart and the polymer accepted between them. The result is a nanocomposite polymer with significantly improved barrier and other properties. Plasma techniques, as developed early on by Sidel with the Actis process, are considered a major innovation in rigid packaging barriers, especially for blown containers, although they did not immediately fulfil their promise. TetraPak and Krones also offer similar techniques. So far little inroads have been made by the plasma techniques applied to films. The application to films is still under development, whilst all the advances have been made in bottles. When this process develops, it might bring into question all the multilayer processes and take away a major added value source from plastic converting. The challenge of the plasma technique is to take barrier packaging away from the plastic converters to the benefit of equipment manufacturers. In the long run, it is likely that end-users will be able to make standard bottles into barrier bottles, right at the bottling plants. This technique will also allow PET to replace all other materials for blown containers, unless PP develops. Sidel estimate that the conversion cost of a standard PET bottle into a gas and aroma barrier bottle is 0.006 euro. Moreover, the plasma technique respects the environment, because the thickness of the barrier layer is very thin, 0.1 μm, or 1/10,000th of the bottle weight, and it is an inert mineral. New research and experiments must now start with films. 3.20 Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) EVOH is a polyolefin. The lower the ethylene content, the better are the gas barrier properties. But the higher the ethylene content, the better is the processability. EVOH is one of the best polymer gas barriers available. This is especially important in all applications where oxygen deteriorates the quality of the packaged products and reduces their shelf-life. The greatest advantage of EVOH as seen by users is that it permits the thickness of the film and package to be reduced, whilst achieving the same or enhanced protection results, and thus is in line with the general search for lighter packaging. Thinner coextruded EVOH films compete with the medium barrier of PA and replace it in many applications. Films with EVOH can be designed with only 60% of the weight and thickness, and the same or better barrier properties.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
An often hailed advantage of EVOH is ecological, being both chlorine- and metal-free and, as an olefin, belonging to the same olefin family as the surrounding substrates and tie-layers, so that it behaves more or less like a single material for recycling purposes. Another feature of interest for EVOH, compared to aluminium foil and metallised films, is that it permits transparent high barrier packages, and not yellowish ones like PVDC may be. The major limitation that has plagued EVOH since the beginning of its already long practice is that the barrier performances are quite variable depending upon the moisture content around the package. The barrier properties drop dramatically as humidity rises, even though EVOH regains its original barrier level when moisture is eliminated. However, ways have been developed to cope with this problem, so that this is just a bad memory. Since high humidity causes very large loss of oxygen barrier properties, EVOH is usually shielded by a high moisture barrier polymer such as PE-LLD or PP. In general, EVOH is coextruded with these substrates, but there must be an intermediate adhesive tie-layer, otherwise the EVOH would not adhere well to the polyolefin substrates. This means that most coextruded films containing EVOH must have a minimum of five layers, often many more. However, EVOH does not need an adhesive tie-layer to stick to nylon films. EVOH can also be extrusion coated to a paperboard for juices to provide an aroma barrier. There was a very active interest in EVOH and all the barrier materials in 1989–1990, when forecasts were extremely rosy and a number of large plastics producers, DuPont de Nemours, in La Porte, TX, USA, Solvay, in Rosignano, Italy, and Quantum, had announced entry. This interest did not last, with the long recession in the early 1990s slowing down all progress, and the demand and supply only took off again in 1996–1997. New production plants have been built, but so far there have been only two world suppliers (Table 3.12), both Japanese, Kuraray/Mitsui and Nippon Gohsei, which, because of the growing and more balanced demand, now have capacity in each of the three main continents: •
Kuraray, and its subsidiary Eval, operate a total world capacity of 72,000 tons in 2004, after completion of the latest expansions in Europe,
•
The new project of Nippon Gohsei in Europe brought the total capacity to 35,000 tons in 2004, with plants in Japan and in Texas, USA.
Table 3.12 World capacity of EVOH (in thousands of tons) Producers Base Current Projected Date capacity capacity Evalca, Kuraray/Mitsui, Eval Pasadena, TX, USA 23 24 2005 Evalca, Kuraray/Mitsui Lisle, IL, USA 15 Kuraray, Eval Okayama, Japan 10 Kuraray Eval Europe Antwerp, Belgium 24 Nippon Gohsei, Soarnol Mizushima, Japan 12 Nippon Gohsei Saltend, Hull, UK 15 Nippon Gohsei/Mitsubishi, Noltex La Porte, TX, USA 18 15 – Total 117 39
In Belgium, Kuraray is doubling capacity from the former 12,000 tons to 24,000 tons in 2004. The EVOH plant in Antwerp was started in September 1999, as the first EVOH plant in Europe. Kuraray is a subsidiary of the Mitsui group, with EVOH brand name Eval. The company name is Eval Europe.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
In the UK, Nippon Gohsei, part of Nippon Synthetic Chemical (NSC), itself part of the Mitsubishi group, built its new European 15,000 ton EVOH plant adjacent to the site of BP at Saltend, near Hull. The availability of the vinyl acetate monomer at the site (250,000 tons), and ethylene from the newly completed Teeside complex to the Saltend pipeline, are the reasons mentioned for the choice of the location. In the USA, Eval Company of America, Evalca, part of Kuraray and Mitsui, operates a 23,000 ton capacity EVOH plant in Pasadena, TX. There also is a plant of 15,000 tons in Lisle, IL. Further expansions of either 12,000 or 24,000 tons are under study, all to meet rising global demand. Nippon Gohsei/Mitsubishi Chemical America, under the tradename Noltex, operates a 18,000 ton capacity EVOH plant in La Porte, TX. The plant was acquired from DuPont after it was mothballed in the early 1990s. It contained two parallel production lines, one of which was started in 1996, after converting key process technologies to Nippon Gohsei design. In Japan, Eval/Kuraray operates a 10,000 ton capacity EVOH plant at Okayama. Kuraray has designated Eval as a core business in its five-year medium-term business plan, to 2006. Nippon Gohsei has a total 35,000 ton capacity of EVOH, at three plants, Mizushima, in Japan (12,000 tons), in Texas (18,000 tons), and the plant in the UK. Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a biodegradable material combining corn starch and EVOH, to stop the material becoming soft or brittle in changing atmospheric conditions. By varying the ratio of the ethylene and vinyl alcohol components in the EVOH, properties ranging from non-biodegradable PE, to water-soluble biodegradable PVOH can be obtained. Eval Europe offers grades of EVOH with increased thermal stability. There also are new grades for coating onto PET films, and grades for deep or medium draw thermoforming applications. After several years of shortages because demand was growing faster than the new plant capacity under construction, the reverse is now true, and the opening of new capacity in 2004 will definitely ease the situation at least until 2006–2007. Originally, the main markets for EVOH were found in packaging, for barriers, mainly in flexible packaging, then in rigid packaging, and to some extent in blow moulded containers. The aroma barrier is used in toothpaste tubes. Besides the main use of EVOH in food packaging (particularly film and sheet for thermoforming), other end-uses are developing, mainly blow moulded PE-HD fuel tanks covered with a barrier layer of EVOH. The faster growing applications now seem to be outside of packaging and of films, which continue to grow however, in applications such as gas (petrol) tanks in cars and various pipes for industry. There also are refrigerator liners, to prevent refrigerant gases from moving through the ABS/PS housings and causing stress-cracking. Another large growing application is under-floor heating to prevent oxygen from dissolving into the circulating hot water and causing corrosion of the metal parts in the boiler system. World consumption of EVOH was 25,000 tons in 1995, 49,000 tons in 2000, and 65,000 tons in 2003, and is expected to reach 110,000 tons in 2007. The fast increasing demand, particularly in Europe (expected to be 15% per annum in the next five years), which has prompted recent expansions, is fuelled by new growth in Central and Eastern Europe, and for gas tanks in cars, besides further developments in the already well established packaging markets. Long-term growth
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
in the USA is given at 12%. Depending upon the areas and the years, demand grows between 10% and 15% a year (Table 3.13). Table 3.13 Current and expected world EVOH demand (in thousands of tons) Area 2000 2003 2005 Europe 15 20 30 The Americas 27 30 45 Japan and Asia 7 15 20 Total world 49 65 95
In packaging applications, the three main types of packaging with EVOH barriers are film (up to 300 μm), sheet (350 μm and over) and blow moulded containers, with film accounting for over 75% of the total. Packaging applications of EVOH are essentially for food packaging, with some medical and industrial packaging uses. Some of the fastest-growing applications are thin sheet, around 300–350 μm thick. The key idea is that EVOH coextruded semi-rigid films can replace OPA constructions that are thicker and heavier. A very popular application is for shallow trays of fresh pasta. The coextruded EVOH semi-rigid film for fresh pasta is a 300–350 μm thermoformable sheet of PP/EVOH/PP. Another example of a thin film featuring EVOH is for packaging the dough of French bread packed for long-distance shipping, in PET/tie/EVOH/tie/PET multilayers. The general approach for the use of some barriers is not so much to keep the packaged products for very long periods, and to compete with full barriers like cans, aluminium, or glass, but to ensure some safety protection in the chilled, fresh and shorter shelf-life plastics packages, lidded trays, sachets and pouches. Among applications not yet fulfilled, promising ones have been seen with the potential replacement of aluminium foil, particularly in the coffee industry. Coffee is a very large market in Europe: at least 2.5 million tons of green coffee, just for Western Europe, or 2 million tons of roasted coffee, making an estimated 5–6 billion unit packages of flexible material. Essentially these are the options with metallised film or foil: • •
Duplex of metallised PET/PE, or metallised OPA/PE, put into an outer bag (double bag) of printed paper or PE/paper, Triplex of 12 μm PET/7 μm aluminium foil/70–80 μm PE.
Or for packages without foil, and even without metallised film: •
Coextruded 30 μm OPP/1.5 μm EVOH/12 μm PET/40 μm PE.
Or, for larger coffee packages, for institutions: •
40 μm OPP, coated with EVOH/40 μm PE.
However, even if EVOH coextruded films were to replace all other material constructions, still a very theoretical assumption, the total demand for the large European coffee market might not be more than 2–3% in weight, or not more than 1,500 tons. This just illustrates how relatively small and fragmented the EVOH market can be, even taking the most optimistic outlook. There is sustained growth for EVOH in thicker films, for shallow thermoformed trays, associated with thinner peelable lidding, the film tray being 300 μm thick, with the EVOH thickness in one or two layers, between 6% and 10% of the total thickness.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Some players see EVOH as the true replacement for aluminium in flexible packaging. The best markets, faster growing and still promising, are in fresh foods with modified atmospheres protecting cheese, other dairy products, desserts, meat, fresh and processed prepared dishes, soups, etc. Among the new developments of interest, the French company Rexor, now part of Jindal Polyfilms from India, launched a range of PET films coated with EVOH, with a thickness of 1.5 μm, versus 6 μm in the case of coextruded films, and with an oxygen transmission rate of 0.5 cm3/m2/24 hours. The coating permits a lighter film to be made, hence giving faster output, higher machinability and less sensitivity to moisture. In non-food packaging applications, an example of a successful development is that of toothpaste tubes made of coextruded PE/EVOH film. The total thickness of the film is 360 μm, with a 20 μm EVOH layer between two tie-layers of 7 μm. The growing demand for EVOH stems from the fact that fully recyclable products are increasingly demanded and the presence of aluminium in former toothpaste tube composite constructions is no longer well accepted. The all-plastic tubes are seen as a good alternative. As there is a need for an aroma barrier, EVOH was found to be a good solution. Examples of EVOH Film Constructions For standard general barrier packaging applications: • •
Thin thermoformed cups and trays, PA/EVOH/PA/peelable sealing/PE or PP, Lidding, PET, OPA or PP, outside, printed, then PA/EVOH/PA/PE or PP.
For pouches, bags, non-printed, put into cartons: •
Standard five-layer PE/tie/EVOH/tie/PE barrier film, with many variants – thickness of EVOH layer is between 2 and 10 μm, rarely more.
For retortable sterilisable EVOH barrier films (fairly expensive construction), needed for hightemperature applications: • •
Total film thickness 110 μm, comprising 12 μm PET/15 μm PA/7 μm tie/15 μm EVOH/7 μm tie/54 μm PP, Total film thickness 111 μm, comprising 12 μm PET/30 μm PP/7 μm tie/15 μm EVOH/7 μm tie/40 μm PP.
For films used in flexible liquid packaging, bag in box, with improved flex-cracking resistance, the preference is to use lower ethylene/higher barrier EVOH. The preferred grades of EVOH are 32% and 38% ethylene. With these better grades of EVOH, EVOH coextruded films have made faster inroads into the metallised film laminates. There are also developments of EVOH coating, a very thin layer of EVOH, no more than 1 or 2 μm, sandwiched, as always, between other layers. 3.21 Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH) PVOH accounts for about 35% of the demand for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH, or PVA in the USA) is obtained by the full or partial hydrolysis, at 40°C, of polyvinyl acetate in alcohol solution, with acidic or basic catalysts. The reaction results in the replacement of some or all of the acetyl groups by hydroxyl groups. PVOH is obtained in the form of a crystalline thermoplastic powder that is soluble in water and alcohol. The reaction may be stopped before complete hydrolysis. The hydrolysis level can be tailored for applications ranging from insolubility to high solubility, providing packages, for
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
instance, that dissolve in water and are biodegradable. The final acetate content determines the solubility and other properties. The most specific property of PVOH is to be water-soluble and to provide high resistance to hydrocarbons and solvents. The idea of water-soluble films may be quite advantageous for a number of applications. For instance, powders and all sorts of chemicals that are hazardous to handle directly can be bagged in PVOH, in pre-weighed quantities and directly used in the various baths for their use. PVOH films, whether damp or dry, are poor barriers to water vapour but good barriers to oxygen and greases. The strength of the dry film is high because of the oxygen bonds that form between adjacent segments, but wet film has little strength. Total world capacity for PVOH is given at 900,000 tons in 2004, but the very largest part of this figure cannot be properly defined as a plastic for films in the sense of this study (Table 3.14). Table 3.14 Main world producers of PVOH and their capacities (in thousands of tons) Company Base Capacity Celanese, ex Air Products Calvert City, KY, USA 52 Celanese, ex Air Products Pasadena, TX, USA 36 Chang Chun Petrochemicals Miaoli City, Taiwan 80 Denki Kagaku Kogyo Japan 29 DuPont de Nemours La Porte, TX, USA 65 Erkol Tarragona, Spain 20 Kuraray, ex Clariant Frankfurt, Germany 50 Kuraray, Japan Two plants in Japan 145 Nippon Synthetic Chemical (NSC) Two plants in Japan 50 Oriental Chemical Chollabuck, Korea 25 Poval, Kuraray/NSC (50/50) Pulau Sakra, Jurong, Singapore 40 Solutia Springfield, MA, Trenton, MI, USA 23 Solutia Antwerp, Belgium 10 Unitika Chemical Plants in Japan 30 Other producers China 250 Total 905
The largest two producers of PVOH in the world are Kuraray and Celanese. Kuraray, already the leading producer, added the capacity of Clariant, and Celanese acquired Air Products in 2000. The objective of Celanese when buying Air Products was a natural extension to the large acetyl value chain of the company, to build up its strength in vinyl acetate, and be less exposed to cyclical markets as a more downstream product. Celanese is a leading global supplier of acetic acid and VAM. The total world consumption of PVOH is estimated at 550,000 tons, of which 150,000 tons is in Europe. More than half of the total PVOH is used in Asia, particularly in the textile industry. Total consumption in Japan is estimated at 250,000 tons. The PVOH market is estimated to grow at a 3–4% annual rate, but faster in Asia, and practically stagnant in Europe. However, at the moment, Asian growth is no more than 3–4%. End-uses are many, essentially in the paper industry, for textile sizing, as aids to polymerisation, adhesives, plaster and mortar agents, and mould release agents. At the moment, the end-uses do not make PVOH a true example of a plastic in the meaning retained for this study. However, in the past ten years, there have been developments in film extrusion to make waterdegradable fully soluble film for some packaging niche applications, like the wrapping of soiled 55
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
linen, which dissolves in the washing process. PVOH thus developed processing characteristics that permitted film extrusion and coextrusion. All the PVOH can dissolve in water in seconds, and can be totally assimilated by micro-organisms within months in the presence of moisture and common bacteria, degrading to water and carbon dioxide. Such companies as Air Products, Environmental Polymer Group (EPG), in the UK, launched the Depart PVOH film, with an extrusion capacity of 10,000 tons in Manchester. Depart reportedly does not decompose in the same way as standard PVOH, and it is particularly suitable for film processing. A subsidiary company was also established in Israel, Depart MDC Flexibles, to supply the market for agricultural film with biodegradable Depart. EPG is now engaged in an active programme of development partnerships. The products to be developed are compostable municipal waste bags, agricultural mulch, silage wraps, and hospital laundry bags. A new fast developing application is water-dissolving pouches for detergents. Barrier applications of PVOH for packaging have started to be developed by several Japanese film producers, such as Toray, Higashi for OPP film coating, and many others. PVOH is then used as a coating to obtain packaging film with higher barrier properties. For instance, a construction like cast PP coated with acrylic/PVOH is used to package dried fruit and nuts. A barrier practically as good as aluminium foil without pinholes can be obtained by combining a metallised PET film with a coating of 300–400 Å of PVOH. The barrier properties have not yet been completely explored and are still a very small percentage of total consumption. 3.22 Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVDC) PVDC was developed at the end of the 1930s, from the copolymerisation of asymmetric dichloroethylene (DC) and vinyl chloride. When the copolymer contains less than 30% of DC, it is not a plastic, but a product used in the paint industry. PVDC as defined here is a copolymer containing 80–90% of DC. The main property of PVDC is as a barrier to oxygen, 1 μm of PVDC offering a gas barrier superior to that of 1 mm of PE-LD. PVDC with high DC content may take various types: •
Coating with aqueous emulsions or PVDC latex was originally done on paper and cardboard supports, but PP and PET films have become much more important. The coating of cello film, which was a major outlet for PVDC, has practically disappeared. The interest in aqueous emulsions has been boosted by PVDC/acrylates in suspension, which are more expensive than emulsion PVDC, but can be processed at lower temperatures.
•
Solution PVDC used to be for cello film, integrated with cello producers, but they have almost all disappeared, with the exception of UCB Films.
•
Extrusion and coextrusion of PVDC films are carried out by a small number of converters, about a dozen in the world, among which are Sealed Air, the former Grace Cryovac, CFS, the former Dixie Union, Dow, with Saranex (a PVDC/PE), and Coloplast in Denmark.
•
Rigid sheets, extruded essentially by the subsidiaries of Solvin in Europe, and by Dow licensees.
PVDC Industry Structure PVDC is produced by Solvay, which associated with BASF in a joint venture in August 1999, under the name of Solvin. Solvay has 75% of Solvin shares. This joint venture combined the
56
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
petrochemical precursors of PVC and PVDC, and was generally aimed at boosting synergies. The former PVDC products of Solvay and BASF were brand-named Ixan and Diofan. At the time of the joint venture, the combined PVDC capacity of the two former competitors was 40,000 tons of PVDC. The production sites of PVDC for Solvin are in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Tavaux, France. The joint venture excludes the PVDC business of BASF in Japan. The other large world producer of PVDC is Dow, with its Saran brand. In 1999, Dow licensed the technique from Zeneca Resins, a long time ex ICI, and a subsidiary of Avecia Ltd. The former ICI PVDC had been used mainly in-house, at the time when ICI made cello and PET films. Zeneca Resins produce solvent-soluble PVDC used to coat cello and other films, particularly OPP. Then there are a number of producers of PVDC mainly for their own use, like Wolff, the former Bayer subsidiary, now part of the Wihuri group, Kureha, for Krahalon films, Asahi, Sealed Air, etc. Kureha has a 30,000 ton PVDC plant in Nishiki, in Japan, and also at Nantong, China. The latter plant is operated as a joint venture between Kureha, Toyoda Tsusho, and Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development. Initial capacity is 10,000 tons in 2005, to be later increased to 30,000 tons, mainly aimed at sausage packaging. In 2002, Asahi Kasei, the leading Asian PVDC producer, acquired the Kureha PVDC latex business. In China, Solvay signed an agreement with Shanghai Chlor Alkali Chemical (SCAC) in 1999 for a joint venture to make and market PVC and PVDC compounds. The PVDC part is to build up the development strategy of Solvay for this product in China. PVDC is mainly used as a barrier resin in food and pharmaceutical packaging. The use is limited to a small number of specialised companies. PVDC Consumption The worldwide market for PVDC was estimated at 145,000 tons in 2003. Out of this total, the European market is estimated at 37,000 tons, mainly for packaging applications in a broad sense, split as follows: • • •
Extrusion and coextrusion of films and sheet, Solution PVDC, Emulsion, dispersions, latices, in part for paper coating,
16,000 tons, 3,000 tons, 18,000 tons.
PVDC is generally seen as declining because of the earlier attacks, and the sin of its chlorine content, but it has recognisable advantages and cannot be declared dead. It has kept its niche markets. Over the past ten years, the total market volume has been affected by a continuous thinning of films and less use of PVDC on the surfaces as a protection. This effect of thinner layers is now ended. Very slow growth is expected, generally in the world, given the maturity of the product, the lack of new markets, and the competition of other barrier materials/processes. 3.23 Oxide-Coated Films The two main materials used for oxide coatings are aluminium oxide (Al2O3), probably more widespread in Europe, and silicon oxide (SiOx), more common in Japan and the USA. There has been work on magnesium oxide and some other materials, but only research so far. Silicon oxide
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
and aluminium oxide coatings have entered the transparent barrier film market. There are several processes for film coating with various oxides, the main processes being as follows: • • •
Electron beam (EB) evaporation, mainly with machines from Leybold and Galileo, Chemical plasma deposition (CPD), with Airco BOC machines, or General Vacuum QLF process, Sputtering, of no interest in packaging.
There are also a number of variants such as these: • • •
Thermal evaporation, Low-temperature plasma deposition, Coating.
The electrodeposition of AlOx is considered less expensive and gives slightly worse performance. Chemical plasma deposition is considered more expensive and with higher performance. In recent years, it has made more headlines and developments with barrier bottles, such as with the Actis process of Sidel, than with films. Comments are split about the respective advantages and limitations of the two main materials. Aluminium oxide and silicon oxide are found to be about equivalent in barrier properties. AlOx is loosely associated with the EB process, whilst SiOx is more associated with the CPD process. The relative price is not very relevant as the oxide coating represents a very small contribution to the total barrier film price. The main substrate everywhere is 12.0–12.5 μm PET film (17 g/m2), but 15 μm OPA film (17.25 g/m2) and OPP film might also be of interest. These coatings are hailed as optimum solutions in many respects, not the least of which is the environmental aspect. The coating adds just 0.2% to a substrate, while giving 100 times more protection, and less than 10% is added to the cost. The process gives a transparent coating, with high barrier against oxygen and moisture, mainly for food and pharmaceuticals. The coating process was first restricted to PET and OPA substrates, but the Swiss company Isco Jacques Schindler & Co. makes multilayers with a layer of PE treated with SiOx, deposited under vacuum at 500 Å thickness. The SiOx is a compromise between silicon monoxide and silicon dioxide. This process is more current in Japan. The demand for this barrier is based on the need to avoid the use of metals. However, the coating of SiOx must be protected and put between two substrates. The moisture, gas and aroma barrier properties are attractive. A typical paper-based multilayer can be 60 g paper/SiOx/30 μm PE. Also the PE/SiOx multilayers are better than foil on the fold lines where aluminium foil may break and part of its barrier may be lost. The evaporation process is similar to the metallisation process and can even be done with rebuilt metallisers, saving on first investment. However, because the evaporation process requires a higher vacuum, it often runs at lower speeds and results in a more brittle coating with less adhesion. The plasma deposition system, on the other hand, uses less vacuum and gives better adhesion to the substrate, making it easier to laminate. The claimed advantages of oxide coatings, in order of decreasing importance, are as follows: • • • • •
58
Replacing controversial barriers, aluminium foil, metallised films, PVDC, Easy recycling as single material because of the very thin coating, Equivalent or better barrier properties, except for aluminium foil, Better aroma barrier than all other materials, Transparency, reputedly a very important commercial advantage in many cases,
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
• •
Microwaveable and retortable, Possibility to detect metals in package contents, an important issue.
The environmental issue was at the origin of the development of oxide-coated barrier materials. The coated films combine the advantage of replacing controversial barriers, mainly PVDC and aluminium, and of being close to the long search for single barrier materials. Of course, the single material issue is artificial, since the coated films are laminated to other materials, PE mainly, into multilayer films for final packaging. The main limitation of oxide coatings most often mentioned is high price, but this too is artificial, since the relatively expensive barrier is just a small part of the total cost. The higher price of the finished barrier rather comes from the need for two converting stages, coating and then associating with other film for the finished multilayer film. Besides price, there is also some reluctance regarding the colour: not fully transparent, and slightly amber yellow for SiOx, and slightly grey for AlOx. The very thin barrier may also carry fears of the possible breakage of the barrier consistency. Coated films also are reputedly fragile, not easy to convert, and not easy to assemble. Alcan Packaging owns the Ceramis process. In Japan, the main players are Oike, Toppan Printing, Mitsubishi, and Toyobo. Silicon oxide, SiOx, coated barrier films had an estimated world demand of over 300 million m2 in 2003, of which Japan represented 200 million m2, and Europe 100 million m2. The USA used them very little, at first, because of high cost, and also the fact that Europe and Japan have selected the process of evaporation coating, whilst the USA preferred plasma coating. 3.24 Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) Liquid crystal polymers is a broad definition that includes three different groups of products: • • •
Lyotropic polymers, or aromatic polyamides available only as fibres, Thermotropic polymers, generally aromatic polyesters in the form of self-reinforced mouldings, that can be extruded as films, Functional polymers with unusual optical properties.
LCP were developed in the 1980s after at least ten years of research by most leading engineering plastics producers. When these materials are processed on injection moulding presses, the resultant parts show unusually high mechanical strength, depending upon the direction of the melt flow. Until then such property levels were achievable in plastics only through the use of reinforcements. The new materials obtained the results through special molecular configurations. Hence they were first referred to as self-reinforcing polymers. The extraordinary change in property values of these thermoplastics could be explained through the physical formation of liquid crystals in the melt. This is why the materials were referred to as liquid crystal polymers, the name that stuck. Actually, it means that the polymer retains a degree of order, crystallinity, during the melt phase. World capacity is illustrated in Table 3.15. Ticona, then Celanese, was the first to launch a commercial operation of LCP, Vectra at Summit, NJ, in 1986. Ticona has emphasised the packaging applications of LCP, with its Vectra grades. The Vectra LCP family consists of more than ten polymers with different molecular structures, made at Shelby, NC, in the USA, and Fuji City, in Japan. Ticona prided itself in having the broadest portfolio of LCP, until the acquisition of Eastman by DuPont. The Shelby plant capacity in the USA is to be increased to 8,500 tons in 2005.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Table 3.15 World estimated capacity for LCP (in thousands of tons) Base Current Projected capacity capacity DuPont de Nemours Chattanooga, TN, USA 8.2 DuPont de Nemours Utsunomyia, Japan 1.0 DuPont, ex Eastman Kingsport, TN, USA 3.0 Polyplastics, Daicel Ticona Fuji City, Japan 8.0 (55/45) Solvay, ex Amoco Augusta, GA, USA 3.2 Sumitomo Ehime, Japan 4.0 2.0 Ticona Shelby, NC, USA 6.0 2.5 Toray Nagoya, Japan 3.0 Ueno Fine Chemicals Sanda, Japan 2.5 Total 40.4 Producers
Date
2005 2005
The Vectran LCP grades are formulated as aromatic liquid crystal polymers specially developed for barrier packaging markets. They are designed to be co-processable with conventional packaging resins having overcome the very low melt viscosity of LCP. DuPont de Nemours has had an LCP capacity of 8,200 tons in Chattanooga, TN, since 1995, later increased in 2002. The DuPont Zenite brand, first introduced in the early 1990s, is also available for film and extruding applications. As of February 2003, DuPont acquired all the high-performance crystalline plastics business of Eastman, including LCP Titan, PCT Thermx, and the grades of Thermx EG, reinforced PET. The former Amoco, now Solvay, used to have LCP polymers, under the Xydar tradename, originally launched by Dartco in the mid-1980s, and purchased by Amoco in 1988, in partnership with Nippon Petrochemical, with 3,200 ton capacity, in Augusta, GA. Nippon Petrochemical has launched Xydar into the Chinese market. Well before Amoco was purchased by BP, in 1996, there had been an agreement with Hoechst Celanese, now Ticona, on the cross-marketing of the two LCP, Vectra and Xydar. Eastman, Specialty Division, created in 2001, split from the PET business, long marketed LCP under its tradename Titan. In 2001 a new plant with a capacity of 3,000 tons started, for Eastman to have its own capacity, at Kingsport, TN, in the USA. Eastman had taken part in the early development of LCP, twenty years ago, and the company used to outsource its production. The Eastman LCP business was sold to DuPont in 2003. Sumitomo increased its capacity of LCP, tradename Ekonol or Sumika Super, from 2,000 tons in 1998, to 4,000 tons, at Ehime, reportedly to meet increasing demand in connectors, relays and coil bobbins. As of July 2002, Sumitomo was reportedly studying the feasibility of setting up a plant for the downstream process of solid-phase polymerisation of its LCP in either China or Thailand. Toray operates a proprietary LCP, in Japan, mainly used for connectors. In 1997, it increased capacity, from the earlier pilot plant of 250 tons in Nagoya, to 1,000 tons, to respond to the demand of several large OEMs to use more higher-value and higher-performance materials for the electronics sector. Toray began marketing its Siveras LCP in Europe in 2000. The LCP was launched in Japan in 1997. The 1,500 ton capacity was doubled to 3,000 tons in 2003. Dainippon Ink & Chemical also reportedly produces LCP. Hence, there are five LCP producers in Japan, Dainippon Ink, Polyplastics, Sumitomo, Toray and Ueno.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
One of the pioneers to use LCP for its barrier properties was Superex Polymer in the USA, for semi-rigid containers, such as using an LCP layer sandwiched between two layers of conventional packaging sheet like PET or PP. In a humid environment, 10 μm of LCP reportedly provides the same barrier performance as 50 μm of EVOH. Superex had developed its own technique for coextrusion and thermoforming that permits orientation of LCP without the known problems of LCP’s tendency to orientate uniaxially with pinholes. Demand for LCP, for all uses, has risen very strongly in the past six years, through the growth of electronics products, and the development of many new applications. In the recent past, most of the growth originated from the electronics industry’s shift towards lead-free solvents that required higher soldering temperatures of about 300°C. Total world consumption of LCP was estimated at 14,000 tons in 2000, and at 15,000 tons in 2001, of which 8,000 tons are in Asia, and the remaining 7,000 tons in Europe and the USA. Total world demand for LCP was estimated at 22,000 tons in 2003. More than 80% is used in the electrical/electronics sector. According to DuPont, the demand for LCP has been growing at an average 20–30% per annum in the past four years, due to the growth of the global telectronics industry. Earlier forecasts made in the 1990s had announced up to 25,000 tons for 2000, and 225,000 tons later on when the price would reach $1 per kg. The current truth is that capacity additions in the past two years have resulted in excess capacity of about 60%. Demand could catch up with capacity only after five years, and provided that there is no further capacity increase and growth remains at an average 15% a year. In any case, the demand for LCP for barrier films is at the moment a very small part of total demand for this material. 3.25 Polyarylamide MXD6 (PA MXD6) Polyarylamide is obtained by polycondensation of m-xylene diamine and adipic acid, and abbreviated as PA MXD6. The main difference between this material and conventional nylons is the reduced water absorption, because of the phenylene groups in the chain. Contents of reinforcements may be high, up to 60% glass fibre, so keeping a good surface finish. Polyarylamide offers similarities in performance and in feel to metals. The main shortcoming is the difficult processing, with the requirement for hot tools, at 120°C, to allow the crystallinity to occur. The use of PA MXD6 as barrier layer in packaging is a very small percentage of the total consumption of this material. The main uses are in metal replacement and insert/outsert mouldings, since the material’s thermal expansion is very similar to that of metals, thus avoiding the stress of temperature variations. PA MXD6 is a semi-aromatic material that was first launched by Mitsubishi Gas, under the name Reny, and Solvay licensed the product. Those two companies are still the largest producers in the world. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical has a plant at Niigata, Japan, with 14,000 ton capacity, and is planning an MXD6 production unit in Richmond, VA, USA, for 10,000 tons in 2004. The plant will reportedly be used to meet growing US demand for PA MXD6, but part of the production is to be exported to Europe also. Mitsubishi expects demand for MXD6 to grow 20% in the next few years, and to compete with EVOH as a barrier packaging. Solvay produces Ixef at its 6,000 ton capacity plant at Rheinberg, Germany, and MXD6 is compounded with up to 60% glass fibre at Oudenaarde, Belgium.
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Amorphous PA has long been hailed as a possible substitute for EVOH. It is reportedly one of the best barriers to aromas. However, amorphous nylon cannot really be expected to substitute completely for EVOH. Although amorphous PA is a better barrier than EVOH in moisture conditions, when EVOH is properly kept dried, and when high barrier is needed, EVOH is always better than amorphous PA. The world suppliers of amorphous PA are Ems Grivory, Mitsubishi Kasei, and DuPont with Selar. The use of amorphous nylons for barriers is still small, about 4,000 tons in the USA, a little more than 1,000 tons in Europe, and 500 tons in Japan. The relatively large use in the USA is due to the Ems Grivory 21 grade having been FDA approved. Amorphous PA does not require tie-layers like EVOH does with polyolefins. Amorphous PA can be mixed with other PA (PA6) and with EVOH, which has proven to be an advantage when there were shortages of EVOH. This blending route is seen as a dead-end by most, being costly and unnecessarily complicated. PA and EVOH can be used in a broad range of applications, each with its specific advantages. 3.26 Nano-Barriers Nanocomposites, mixtures of polymers and low loadings of clay or of synthetic materials, are a hot new trend. There are very interesting developments with clay particles. While clay is one of the oldest materials processed by mankind, a new development is to blend specially treated nano-scale clay particles, minuscule amounts, with a variety of plastics, and to achieve amazingly enhanced properties, heat resistance, barrier, strength, stiffness and flame retardancy. The very concept of nanocomposites is to achieve much with little. A nanometer (nm) is a billionth of a metre (10–9 m), of the scale of a molecule or of a few atoms. This dimension is 1/1000th of the order of magnitude of standard fillers, which are of the order of 1 μm (10–6 m). Thus in nanocomposites there is a very high specific area of 750 m2/g, meaning a very high contact polymer–filler interface, which boosts the gain in mechanical properties. The first developments have been in moulded parts and bottles/containers. The key component of nanocomposites is silicate nano-clay with many mica-like platelets of 1 nm thickness. They are chemically treated to make them organophilic, meaning that polymers will enter the space between the platelets. The clay then swells, with the plates spreading apart and the polymer accepted between them. The result is a nanocomposite polymer with many improved properties. Over 100 companies, government agencies and academic institutions around the world are working in the field. The main companies involved in developing nanocomposites are Southern Clay and Nanocor, the main US producers of nano-clay. Nanocor is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMCOL International. In January 2003, Nanocor and PolyOne formed a strategic alliance to produce and market nanocomposites made from PE and PVC. Materials companies including Bayer, BASF, Rhodia, Degussa Hüls, Ube Industries, DSM and LG Chemicals are all developing nanocomposites, and a variety of universities and research groups are also involved in this development. Dow is working on applying nanocomposite and catalyst techniques to its rubber business. One of the first companies to offer nanocomposites was US compounder RTP, in mid-1999. RTP’s first product was a clay/PA nanocomposite, with a 3–5% loading of organically treated clay, to make lighter parts with good impact strength. The nanocomposite was made by melt processing rather than by synthesising it at the polymerisation stage.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The Voridian division of Eastman Chemical has granted intellectual property rights to the University of South Carolina (USC) to use nano-size particles of clay to improve the gas barrier properties of multilayer PET resin for beer and soft drinks bottles. USC plans to develop the technique and to market it as Imperm, through its NanoCenter, established in 2001 with state funding. Carbon Nano Technologies (CNT) has started work on ‘bucky tubes’. The process is the HiPco process, a high-pressure process using carbon monoxide as the feedstock to create high-purity ‘bucky tubes’, single-wall carbon nano-tubes that approach molecular perfection. These fullerene molecules are carbon cylinders one-billionth of a metre in diameter, which have the electrical conductivity of copper, the thermal conductivity of diamond, and a tensile strength 100 times that of steel. The process is gradually being scaled up for a pilot plant. CNT is developing the capability to produce bucky tubes in sufficient quantity for prototypes of industrial end-use applications and expects to have commercial production by 2005. At the moment, production capacity is about 1 kg/day, and forecasts indicate 70 tons in 2010. Potential applications for bucky tubes are flat panel displays, electromagnetic shielding enclosures for electronic equipment, conductive polymers, lithium ion batteries, high-strength fibres, solar energy converters, electronic and composite materials. Most applications to come are still left to the imagination, all part of the new nano-science. In fact, one of the main features of nanocomposites in the future is to cut across the material classes of thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers. The target applications for nano-barriers are many. They include food packaging, to lengthen the shelf-life of products, and car body panels, where nano-clays can boost the performance of polyolefins to match those of engineering plastics. According to various estimates, the world market for nanocomposites is to grow from just 1100 tons in 1999, to slightly over 100,000 tons in 2007. The largest growth is expected to be in building construction, to grow seven times between 2004 and 2009. The demand for the packaging and car industries will be quadrupled during the same period. Other forecasts put the total consumption of nanocomposites in the world at 600,000 tons in 2010. The first applications will not be in films, but rather in the following areas: • • • • •
Polyamides, where car parts will benefit from improved stiffness and where films will offer higher barrier properties, PP for car bumpers and consumer durables, PET, where improved barrier properties in beer bottles and small carbonated drinks bottles could be significant – for instance, as PET bottles offer very little barrier to gases, a minimal clay blending can reduce oxygen permeability up to 50 times, PC, for use in mobile phone casings as developed by Cornell University, reducing discolouration and boosting physical properties, In flame-retardant applications, as many consumer finished products such as foamed plastics, cushions and mattresses would benefit from such a mixture. Clay can make them less likely to catch fire, and, if burning, the products would generate less dangerous exhausts. Moreover, clay is very cheap, and clay polymer mixtures can be processed by existing machinery, with little or no adjustment.
Applications of nanocomposites in films for barriers are actively being studied. Barrier films need to balance high barrier properties with control of manufacturing costs, keeping the material used to a minimum. DuPont was one of the first to incorporate clay particles in a film to create a physically improved barrier, with the Selar process launched in the late 1980s.
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The former ICI also developed PET film incorporating inorganic platelets embedded in the resin matrix, to create a tortuous path. The barrier film reportedly outperforms PVDC as a water vapour barrier, and equals it as an oxygen barrier. The structure includes a top layer to protect the barrier from stress in processing, printing and lamination. Bayer also has been one of the first to produce a film with such a balance as early as 1998. The idea is to use nano-scale silicate additives in PA6 to make barrier films. The nylon is enriched with modified layer lattice silicate, which, during the manufacturing process, spreads out over the entire PA matrix, forming 1 nm thick, platelet-like layers oriented in the direction of flow of the film. These platelets are up to 1,000 nm long, and gas molecules have to move around the silicate particles to penetrate the film. Since the gas molecules must travel further, their speed across the film is lower, and the amount of oxygen diffusing through the film is reduced. The PA film thus treated retains all its properties, and it can be processed using conventional methods of flat and blown films, but it has twice the oxygen barrier with the same film thickness. Ube offers a range of PA called Nylon Clay Hybrid (NCH), various types of PA in which 1 nm thick platelets are dispersed, providing more than twice the barrier compared to standard PA6, PA6,6 and PA12, whilst the weight is only 2% more. Teijin DuPont films in Japan has invested in a unit for nano-coating PET film, to start in the summer of 2004. First applications will be in LCD displays. In 2003, Nanocor and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. finalised a strategic alliance to make and sell high barrier plastics that combine the Nanocor composite technique with the MDX6 family of semi-aromatic nylons of Mitsubishi. 3.27 Polyimides (PI) The following are the largest producers of thermoplastic PI films: • • • •
DuPont, with Kapton, produced at the world’s largest plant in Circleville, OH, Mitsui/Kaneka, with Apical, produced in Shiga Prefecture in Japan, Ube, with Upilex, produced in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, Wirex in Taiwan, film and laminate manufacturer, purchased in 1999 by DuPont.
Besides the older Circleville plant, and the Taiwan plant, DuPont also produces Kapton at Bayport, TX, and in Tokai, Japan, a joint venture with Toray, with 1,100 ton capacity. This plant is to be increased by 670 tons, to reach 1,770 ton capacity in 2005. The DuPont PI film capacity is estimated at 1,800 tons, and the second largest producer, Kaneka, with the sum of Shiga and a US subsidiary, amounts to 1,400 tons. The polyimide films market in the USA was 800 tons in 1999 and grew to 1,300 tons in 2003. The largest demand area for PI films, by far, is Japan, where industrial end-users are keen to take advantage of the much higher performances of PI film versus PET film, in spite of the very large price difference. PI film is mainly used in flexible circuits in cellular (mobile) phones, personal digital devices, digital cameras, computer applications and products that combine high performance and miniaturisation. For instance, typical applications are flexible printed circuits, pressure-sensitive tapes, bonding films, motor insulation, and composite vacuum bagging. Another very specialty film, to compete with PI in the electronics industries, for insulating films and printed circuit boards, is polyparaphenylene terephthalamide (PPTA). These films are non-
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halogenated and heat-resistant. The only producer is a joint venture between Teijin and Asahi, with a plant to start operating in 2006. Asahi has been producing these films since 1999. 3.28 Fluoropolymers Fluoropolymers for coating were first used in the textile industry to make waterproof fabrics, and were then extended to paper in the 1970s, for greaseproof properties. A very large use has been made in pet food packaging because of the very greasy products. The most used fluoropolymer in terms of barrier is polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE). It is the only high barrier material with high moisture barrier as well. The water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) is less than 0.03 for most structures that contain PCTFE. The PCTFE films are used to pack very moisture-sensitive pharmaceutical products. A typical application to enhance the properties of plastic films or paper is Scotchban from 3M, and more recently Foraperle from Atofina. There is also Synthron, a subsidiary of Protex. 3.29 Adhesives The market for hot melt adhesives for packaging is growing steadily, at 3–5% a year, as well as that for water-based products, both at the expense of solvent-based products. The water-based products have replaced the unacceptable solvent-based products in flexible film laminates, graphic arts, and pressure-sensitive markets. There are two main types of hot melts, EVA-based and thermoplastic rubber: • •
EVA hot melt adhesives are used for can and bottle labelling, case and carton sealing, Thermoplastic rubber adhesives are used for pressure-sensitive coatings, labels and tapes.
Hot melt and water-based adhesives are complementary products, their selection being dictated by the operating machinery and the circumstances in which they are used. For instance, more hot melts are used for wrap-around or labelling, and water-based products are used for patch labelling. The following is a list of the main adhesives suppliers: • • • • • •
Beardow Adams, National Starch, Sealock, Datac, Wey Adhesives, Power Adhesives.
3.30 Multilayer Films There are innumerable constructions for coextruded multilayers, many that seem practically custom-designed for their specific use. To put some order into the many types of multilayers, a description is often used to define the type of multilayers. The various layers are defined by letters, to describe the symmetrical or non-symmetrical type of construction. For instance, five layers will commonly be defined as ABCBD, like PE-LLD/tie/PA/tie/PE-LD, or another order of letters, showing asymmetrical structures.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Put simply, the basic structure of multilayer films has three basic types of components: • • •
An outer layer, to provide protection against abrasion and scratches during processing and packaging operations. It must be printable, direct or reverse, and resistant to temperatures required to melt the sealant. The middle layer provides the barrier to gas permeation. It may be EVOH or PVDC and others. In the case of EVOH, used with polyolefins, there must be a tie-layer between the polyolefins and EVOH. Tie-layers are not needed when EVOH is associated with PA. The inner layer provides a hermetic seal by melting at selected temperatures. The most used sealants are PE, EVA and ionomers.
The requirements for the selection of multilayers are unlimited. The key idea is that the price/performance ratio is better achieved with the synergy of the layers than with a single material. The range of requirements is vast, and includes: • • •
Aspect, Machinability, speed, strength, Functions, barrier, protection.
Some examples of popular multilayers, which can be produced on single blown film lines, are shown in Tables 3.16 and 3.17 (layers are listed from outside to inside, with thickness for each layer and total thickness in micrometres), along with some of their uses. There are many more multilayer laminates, almost custom made in many cases, which can also be coated.
PE-LD 15 PE-LD 30 PE-LD 12 PE-LD 47 PE-LD 25 PE-LLD 23 PE-LD 6 PE-LLD 21 PP 13 PA copo 20 PA copo 10 EVA 50 PA copo 23
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Tie 5 Tie 6 Tie 5 Tie 4 Tie 5 Tie 4 Tie 3 Tie 5 Tie 5 Tie 5 Tie 4 Tie 13 Tie 21
Table 3.16 Five-layer films – structures and uses EVOH Tie PE-LD Total Gas and aroma barrier, 5 5 20 50 food EVOH Tie PE-LD Total Gas and aroma barrier, 13 6 30 85 food EVOH Tie EVA Total Gas and aroma barrier, 10 5 18 50 food EVOH Tie EVA Total Gas and aroma barrier, 5 4 50 110 food EVOH Tie Ionomer Total Gas and aroma barrier, 5 5 20 60 food EVOH Tie PE-LLD Total Gas and aroma barrier, 12 4 12 55 food EVOH Tie PE-LD/PEm Total Laminate for sanitary, 3 3 10 25 detergents EVOH Tie PE-LD/PEm Total High barrier toothpaste 25 5 21 77 EVOH Tie PP Total Film for sterilisation 12 5 25 60 EVOH Tie EVA Total Lid film for trays 8 5 42 80 PA copo Tie PE-LD Total Lid film for trays 10 4 40 68 PA copo Tie PA copo Total Cover film for ham trays 20 12 30 125 PA copo Tie PE-LD Total Vacuum thermoformed 23 10 83 160 film
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
PE-LD 12 PE-LD 25
PE-LD white 16 Tie 10
PE-LLD 19
Tie 4
Table 3.17 Seven-layer films – structures and uses Total Tie PA Tie PE-LD PE-LD 100 /PEm 5 18 5 white 28 16 Total PA EVOH PA Tie PE-LD 145 20 8 20 10 /PEm 52 PA EVOH PA Tie EVA Total 14 5 14 4 30 90
Liquids
Cheese, fish, meat, lids Pouch film, meat, fish, nuts
3.31 Aluminium Foil Although aluminium foil/film is not a plastic, it is still associated with flexible films, and in particular increasingly competes with metallised films. However, aluminium foil was the very first barrier packaging material, appearing in the 1930s. The mechanical properties of aluminium foil make it suitable for use on high-speed packaging machinery. Research into alloys that give enhanced performance is constantly being carried out. Now in common use, for instance, there is the 8101 alloy, which contains controlled traces of other metals and silicon to give a tensile performance over 80% greater than that of the commercial purity 1201 alloy in common use for confectionery. The rolled foil is not perfect, being slightly damaged by the final rolling. Pinholes are present in any foil under 30 μm. There are more pinholes in foils under 18 μm, one or two per square metre, increasing to 200/m2 at 12 μm. Down to 7 μm, there are several thousand pinholes per square metre. However, a 9 μm foil can be compared as a barrier to a 25 μm PE film. Foil has poor tensile strength properties and can be easily torn, but these weaknesses can be masked by laminating to stronger plastic materials, and paper. The elasticity of the laminate stays low, but this permits one of the valuable functions of foil, the deadfold property, staying put when folded, without untwisting and unfolding. Thin foil cannot be deeply shaped by the equivalent of thermoforming, but it can be made into dished shapes by pleating, using the deadfold property. The total European consumption of aluminium foil, 65% used in packaging, is estimated at 600,000 tons. Of course, this total includes all foil from 200 μm down, hence including semi-rigid foil for trays. This total also includes 100,000 tons of unprinted foil sold for household use. The average thickness of the thin foil for packaging and converting went down from 9 μm in the 1980s, to 7 μm and even 6 μm now. Hence, the stagnant tonnage still means some growth in the total of square metres. The largest single outlet for aluminium foil in packaging is bricks for milk and other beverages or liquid food products, such as fruit juice and soups. The amount of foil used in bricks is about 45,000 tons per year, generally 6.35 μm thick, or less that 1.7 g per brick. The foil used for caps and lidding of fresh products is 35–37 μm thick, and represents 45,000 tons altogether. Other large markets for foil are coffee (about 10,000 tons), butter (about 5,000 tons) and chocolate wrap with unprinted foil. All the above figure are for Europe. The general impression in the foil industry for packaging is that the substitution by metallised films is now practically complete and that aluminium foil will keep the niches where it is still used. However, this is true for Europe and the USA, but not for the rest of the world, where there is no strong tradition for aluminium foil and the metal-look packaging demand is all for metallised films, with very little aluminium foil.
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3.32 Paper and Board Products Paper and board products are widely used in association with plastics, particularly in packaging, as liners, wraps, bricks and cartons. Higher value and functionality can be added to paper and board products by the use of coatings and treatments. The most often used paper and board coatings are of polyolefins, water-based emulsion coatings, PVDC or acrylic, and wax-based coatings, the last declining. Other polymers, PP and PET, are slowly competing with traditional coatings. Fluoropolymer coatings are also gaining ground. Since these coatings are suitable for direct food contact, this allows one to do without the inside liners in cartons.
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4 Processes for Films Films can be made via a number of converting processes: • • • • • •
Extrusion, Coextrusion, Casting, Extrusion coating, Extrusion laminating, Metallising.
In addition, there are secondary processes, such as adhesive laminating, splitting, printing, bag making, and production of labels, sleeves and tapes. 4.1 Film Extrusion Blown Extrusion Historically, the first process used for films was blown extrusion for polyethylene. The process can vary in direction, up, down, or horizontal, and in the method of flattening the film before wind-up. Various methods of bubble cooling also exist. Proper cooling is important to ensure good gauge uniformity. There may be a choice between gentle very cold air, or high-velocity cool air. Polyolefin films to be printed must undergo a corona discharge pre-treatment, following the lay-flat operation. This has to be well controlled so as not to affect the surface and weldability and risk of blocking. The advantages of blown film extrusion over flat extrusion include the ability to produce films with a more uniform strength in both the machine and transverse directions. In flat film extrusion, particularly at high rates, there is a relatively high orientation of the film in the machine direction, and a very low orientation in the transverse direction. In blown film extrusion, it is possible to balance the blow-up ratio against take-off rate, and thus to achieve physical properties that are nearly equal in both directions, resulting in a film with maximum toughness. Another advantage of blown film is in bag making, where the only seal necessary is at the bottom of the bag, whilst with flat film one or two longitudinal seals are needed. The main disadvantage of blown film is lower clarity, which can be improved with more efficient cooling. Blown film is often slit, after extrusion, and then wound up as flat film. Very large blown diameters can be obtained, and, once slit, the width of the resulting film can be much larger than any obtained by slot die flat extrusion. Such large widths are used for agriculture and building construction. Blown film lay-flat can be 12 m wide and more. In the past few years, as blown film manufacturers have seen their margins continuously reduced with commodity plastics, they have started to experiment with resins not previously associated with film blowing. The ability to process non-traditional films on existing blown film equipment has become important, as well as quick product turnaround to meet short delivery runs. Polymers other than olefins have regularly been obtained as cast or calendered films, but they provide orientation only in the machine direction. Film blowing, instead, gives better orientation balance, controlled by the blow-up ratio. Now, many resin producers and equipment manufacturers present ways to use non-conventional plastics on blown film lines. This is the case, for instance, for the following:
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• • • •
Eastman and Alpine Hosokawa, with PETG, Kiefel, with PS, PVC, Gloucester, with PS, PC, nylon, COC, Addex, with PUR.
Flat Die Extrusion Flat die extrusion requires the flat films extruded through slit dies to be cooled by chilled rolls. The film thickness may range from 15 to 200 μm. Films up to 3 m wide may have output of 120 m per minute. In the flat die extrusion process, the melt film contacts, as quickly as possible, vertically or from an angle, the first water-cooled highly polished, to 1 μm, chrome-plated roll. An air knife can be used. It is placed parallel to the die, making it possible to press the film smoothly onto the first cooling roll by means of a cold air stream. Advantages of the chill roll process over the blown film process include the possibility to obtain almost transparent films from crystalline resins, no risk of blocking, a simple crease-free wind-up, continuous film thickness control, high output, and relatively small space requirement. The pre-treatment for printing can be applied simultaneously to both sides of the film. The disadvantages are the limitation on maximum width of about 3 m, compared to 12 m and more with blown film, the loss through edge trimming, and only single axial orientation. 4.2 Stretching Stretching, or orienting, films, is used to enhance the properties of many films, and particularly polypropylene. There are various methods for film stretching. For instance, most of the world’s BOPP film, over 90%, is produced using the sequential stretching method, by which the film is stretched first in the machine direction and then in the transverse direction. The rest of the BOPP is stretched using simultaneous stretching, the double-bubble process, which is however less productive and flexible. The German company Bruckner has launched a simultaneous stretching technique using linear motors, called LISIM. The contact-free technique, offering better surface and optical properties, was originally developed by DuPont, but Bruckner acquired the rights in 1993. After the casting process, the film is held by clips on both side edges. The space between the clips is continuously increased in the machine direction in diverging rails, so that the film is stretched in both directions at the same time. The individual clips are propelled along the rails by linear motors using highspeed magnetic levitation techniques. The speed of the clip along the track is controlled by changing the frequency of the current supply fed to the stator coils mounted on the rails. The LISIM process can be used for all types of oriented films – PP, PET and PA. The simultaneous process also permits the use of coextruded films with very low sealing temperature. 4.3 Pre-treatment For a long time there have been developments to pre-treat films in order to cut processing times and cost. Converters can thus benefit from pre-treated films offering superior heat sealability, improved clarity and slip characteristics, abrasion, weather resistance, antistatic properties, and many others. 4.4 Processes for Multilayer Barrier Films The multilayer construction concept is applicable to flexible films (sealable into bags and pouches), to rigid sheet (thermoformable into trays, dishes and cups), and to blow moulded containers.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Multilayer constructions of films and sheet aim at combining a number of properties, each particular to the various layers used, to arrive at a set of performances that could not be obtained by any of the component materials used alone. Better barrier properties are ensured because of the interface between possible defects of each single layer. Better mechanical properties can also be obtained. The basic structure of multilayer constructions generally includes one or several layers performing one or more of the following three basic functions: • •
•
Supporting or base materials, for instance, paper, aluminium foil, cello, PP, PS, PET and PVC, Barrier materials, against gases, moisture, light, fats and aromas – the materials with the best gas barrier properties (imparting long shelf-life to the packaged products) have earlier been defined as PVDC, EVOH, PAN, and, to a lesser extent, metallised plastic foil, PVC, PET and PA, Sealing materials, for instance, PE, PP, EVA and other acid copolymers, ionomers, PVDC and, in many multilayer constructions, special adhesives (e.g. polyurethane, hot melts) acting as tie-layers.
Multilayer construction of films and sheet can be obtained by three main processes: • • •
Coextrusion, or extruding simultaneously two or more thermoplastic components of a multilayer material – the multilayer material thus obtained can either be used as such in its finished from, or it can be further laminated with other simple or multilayer materials, Extrusion lamination, or extruding a resin that then acts as a bond between two layers – this is a variant of the extrusion coating process, when resin extrusion is made on the surface of another supporting material, which may be paper or aluminium foil, as well as plastic films. Lamination, or adhesive lamination, or gluing together two or more finished films, plastics or not plastics, with various types of adhesives, with or without solvents.
4.5 Coextrusion Coextrusion is a process of extruding a multi-ply structure with several layers of resins in it, simultaneously through one die, so that all the different resins come together as a single integral structure. Coextrusion provides multiple molten layers, usually using one or more extruders, with melts going through one die, that are bonded together. This technique permits the use of melt heat to bond the various plastics, or using the centre layer as an adhesive. Coextrusion is an economic competitor to conventional laminating processes, as it reduces material handling costs, raw material costs and machine time costs. Pinholing is also reduced with coextrusion, even when it uses one extruder and divides the melt into a two-layer structure. Other advantages are the elimination of delaminating and air entrapment. There are two types of coextrusion, both for commodity plastics and for barrier films, flat die cast coextrusion and blown film coextrusion. Flat Die Cast Coextrusion In flat die cast coextrusion, there are two basic systems, multiple manifold or feedblock, and flat die or coat hanger. The choice of feedblock versus manifold is a secondary one, once cast coextrusion has been selected.
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Most flat die coextrusion is based on feedblocks, which can combine many individual polymer streams into a single-channel die, usually of streamlined coat hanger design, for better thin layer distribution. Feedblocks are said to offer the advantages of simplicity of operation and lower tooling cost. As in monolayer extrusion, only one gauge adjustment is required. However, the feedblock technique is limited to combining polymers that have similar flow characteristics, and basic adhesion towards each other. It takes adhesives, or tie-layers, to combine dissimilar materials like PA and PE. The feedblock does not perform as well when combining basically dissimilar materials like polyolefins, PA, PVDC and EVOH, which are the most actively growing barriers. This has led to more development of the manifold feeding system. Even though, historically, the flat die feedblock process has been preferred for its relative simplicity and cost-effectiveness, it has been widely superseded by blown coextrusion, so that flat die coextrusion is becoming obsolete. Blown Film Coextrusion The essential components of a blown film coextrusion line are extruders, die for combining the different layers, air cooling ring, haul-off and wind-up unit. This process permits a wide range of multilayer structures, from two layers with two components, to five layers and more. The advantages of blown coextrusion were paramount for this development, as blown film coextrusion ensures: • • •
Interlayer material versatility, Higher output for investment, Higher cooling speed due to greatly improved cooling efficiency, but slower extrusion speed.
The five-layer circular die technique has been the decisive factor for this move from flat die to blown coextrusion. Blown films proved to offer many process advantages over flat die films. Film widths can be changed without investing in an entirely new die, by means of a low cast circular die lip insert, or by decreasing blow-up ratios. Blown coextrusion generates less scrap than flat die coextrusion, where there may be a large amount of edge scrap. Scrap-free inside slitting also improves the economics. The total width of a blown film offers more flexibility altogether. The width can be adjusted to just what is needed, whereas the width of a flat die film is a given parameter that cannot be changed. The tubular blown film shape is also a decisive advantage for bag packages, of all types. However, it is not of so much importance for the many small snack bags and other pouches directly made on the horizontal packaging machines, from reels of continuous film. At the beginning of multilayer manufacture, a number of problems had to be overcome in the blown film coextrusion of five layers and more. For example, there will be differences in rheology from one layer to the next, resulting in an uneven distribution around the dies and too thin layers particularly for the barriers and tie adhesives. Some of the coextruded materials may take time to distribute around the dies, longer than with cast film, thus increasing thermal stresses. Thin barrier resins are quite sensitive to thermal degradation. This is particularly true for EVOH, which can stand higher temperatures than PVDC but has a narrow range of working temperature. The five and more layer dies must be versatile and able to extrude films with fewer layers, three or four, in order to ensure regular use of equipment that would otherwise be idle. As a rule, blown machines are cheaper than flat die machines, but their output may be slower. For instance, for a 40 μm polyolefin-based structure, the coextrusion line film may be 250 m/min for cast film, versus 100 m/min for blown film. This also means that blown film units may not be as
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
efficient as cast units for very large orders. Smaller orders are more interesting to handle with blown film than with cast film equipment. The head dies of the blown machines must be serviced every three or four days, and this may require a few hours. However, circular diverter blocks permit rapid transfer of resin layers to different positions in the coextruded structure, and allow multilayer blown film dies to make a variety of coextrusions without changing materials in the extruders. The operation is as fast as changeovers made on cast film lines equipped with a feedblock and selector plugs. Blown film may have problems with cooling. This means that the maximum thickness that can be obtained with blown films is no more than 170 μm. In some ways, the relatively unsatisfactory cooling of blown film can become an advantage with PE. Blown PE film achieves good mechanical strength precisely as a result of the crystallisation due to improper cooling. This high mechanical strength is a definite plus when sealing on fast packaging equipment. For instance, the coextruded blown tubular film can be directly sealed into bags. The Choice Between the Two Techniques As time has passed, blown film coextrusion has overcome its shortcomings compared to cast film. The blown coextruders have greatly increased their productivity with improved cooling efficiency, and advances in cooling techniques, such as dual lips and high-velocity air rings. Now the choice between the two techniques, cast and blown, rests only on the specific advantages that each process offers for producing multilayers, factors such as: how easily a line can be shifted over from one multilayer structure to a different one; the rate of scrap generated from mostly unrecyclable coextrusion materials; the ability to combine resins of different viscosities; the gauge accuracy of layer control with more expensive coextrusion resins. All these requirements have become more important than the line speed to be expected from a given investment. From the point of view of the industrial user, there are no great differences in running flexible multilayer materials on their packaging machines, whether they are coextruded or laminates. Any adjustments that may be required stem from materials, outer and inner, the sealing speed, gauge, and similar variables, rather than from the actual process by which the multilayer was obtained. From the point of view of the final consumer, there is no difference whatsoever between the various processes used to obtain multilayer materials, let alone the fact that the consumer does not have any idea of the nature and barrier performances of the material. The main aspect the user may be aware of is whether the package is difficult to open or not. Coextrusion of Commodity Plastic Films A historical distinction has long been made between the coextrusion of commodity plastic films (covered in this subsection) and the coextrusion of higher-performance specialty and barrier films (covered in the next subsection). The coextrusion of commodity plastic films, essentially non-barrier films, is mainly considered in terms of volume, and involves the following: • • • •
Coextruded PE film made of PE-LLD and high-molecular-weight PE-HD (PE-HMW), Coextruded biaxially oriented PP film, Coextruded PE-HD/EVA, for carton box lining of dry grocery foods such as breakfast cereals and snack foods, Coextruded PP/PE, for unit packaging of peelable packages.
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The coextrusion of film made of PE-LLD and PE-HMW permits the key properties of each resin to be combined, namely the heat sealability of PE-LLD and the toughness of PE-HMW, into a single film product. Extrusion blending has also been tried with these plastics, only to find that coextrusion gave much better results, with the synergistic improvement of film properties. Applications for these coextruded PE-LLD/PE-HMW are in refuse bags, liners, heavy-duty bags, and bulk dry food packaging. The coextrusion of commodity resins is thus a well-known and widespread technique. The coextrusion machines used for commodity films are generally designed for not more than three or four layers. In most cases, the structure is made up of two layers of the same, or closely similar, material and of similar thickness. Alternatively, it may be made up of one thick, recycled scrap layer, in the middle, sandwiched between two thinner layers of virgin material. Coextrusion of Specialty and Barrier Plastic Films The coextrusion of specialty and barrier plastic films is more recent, starting about twenty years ago. More recent coextrusion structures, developed in the early 1980s, are generally made up of a minimum of five layers. Most barrier materials require tie-layers to prevent delamination from olefinic outer layers, making a minimum of five layers a virtual necessity for large coextruded barrier film markets. The advantages of barrier coextrusion are to obtain a multilayer material in one operation and to use only a thin layer of expensive barrier material coextruded with cheaper supports and dry adhesives. The technique offers a broad range of potential, but in order to keep the total film price within acceptable levels, it is necessary to produce large amounts of one given multilayer combination. This means that there is a relatively more limited choice of coextruded layer materials offered to industrial customers than there may be when these materials are fabricated by lamination. The broader the application markets, the better these limitations are accepted. The paradox is that the multiplication of layers permits an almost custom-made adaptation of materials, but that the intrinsic higher productivity of the coextrusion equipment requires largevolume output of a few single types of multilayers. As time has passed since coextrusion began, this conflict has been reduced in favour of more coextrusion, as the film suppliers are fewer, more concentrated, and offer a more streamlined supply of multilayer combinations, adapted to many end-use markets. The three-layer coextrusion techniques developed a quarter of a century ago were not sufficient for the then-emerging barrier multilayers. Even with a traditional three-layer structure of the type PA/tie-layer/PE, there are three extruders and a non-symmetrical structure. The resulting material may have a curling problem on packaging machines. Yet this can also turn out to be an advantage, as unbalanced, non-symmetrical structures are quite acceptable when producing bags, because this curling effect makes them easier to open. There are other reasons for using more than three layers in many multilayer structures. When EVOH (quite sensitive to moisture) is used as a barrier, the material has to be covered to be protected and a five-layer structure cannot be avoided. Adhesive tie-layers are almost always needed with EVOH, which does not adhere to polyolefins. EVOH is only directly compatible with PA6. Of course, the five-layer symmetrical structure could use a three-layer extruding machine, but the PE inside must be at low temperature on the inner side, which means that there is always the need for a fourth extruder. Moreover, an advantage in many cases on packaging machines, a fivelayer symmetrical structure never curls. More layer structures have become very popular with the increased experience in multilayer coextrusion. A very current construction, for bag in box, for instance, is a seven-layer material built as PE/tie/3 μm EVOH/ionomer/3 μm EVOH/tie/PE. This type of structure provides more safety in
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barrier properties. It is better to have two 3 μm EVOH barriers rather than just one 7–8 μm layer that could become too brittle and fail more easily. 4.6 Lamination and Adhesive Lamination Lamination is a process that makes multilayers by taking and putting together different layers of materials with adhesives and possibly partial extrusion and coating. Historically, lamination was used long before coextrusion, which became a major film-making process only in the 1970s. For many years since, in Europe, for instance, in the late 1980s, lamination was still the major process to make barrier multilayer packaging films. Now coextrusion prevails, but lamination keeps its interest. The most often given reason for this continued use of lamination – besides the obvious one that lamination has been established for a longer time and is more traditional – is that laminated multilayer materials are well adapted to the European market demand that is still country fragmented, even with the growing importance of pan-European solutions and players. Lamination permits an almost unlimited range of multilayer structures, made of almost infinite combinations of different and incompatible materials, with almost complete freedom regarding thickness, as long as it is less than 400–500 μm. Laminates will continue, because they often offer better gas barriers than coextrusion. Moreover, lamination is the only process that can be used with non-plastic materials such as aluminium foil and paper. Coextrusion is of more interest for large quantities, larger than the needs of many industrial customers and packers. However, as soon as any specific market becomes large enough, coextrusion is a lower-cost process. Yet the dividing line, the quantitative threshold between lamination and coextrusion, is not a single line – it varies with many variables, specific markets, concentrated customers or not, plant size, nature of the materials in the multilayer, and average price. Sometimes, 1,000 tons/year is given as such a dividing line, in the choice between lamination and coextrusion, but it is too general to be relevant. It takes the full efficiency of any coextruded unit to become competitive with lamination. In other words, coextrusion can be profitable, and fully justified against lamination, only when the existing equipment capacity is 100% used. This is definitely why coextrusion is more commonly used for commodity plastics, PE and PP, than for lower-volume carefully designed barrier multilayer materials. Even this is not entirely true in the sense that multilayer materials often are obtained by two or more operations, like using a coextruded relatively commodity film of polyolefins, and then further laminating or coating it, expanding still further the range of possibilities. All in all, lamination remains strong in Europe in spite of the advances of coextrusion. In Europe, there is certainly (and this is said with a certain amount of smugness) more demand for sophisticated printing and graphics, supposedly better achieved with laminated materials. The coextrusion process only permits surface printing. Most multilayer film producers want to protect the printing, which is better protected by sandwich printing or reverse printing. Sandwich printing is also of much better and glossy appearance. Also, when there is waste, the waste is only on one side of a sandwich film, and surface printing is reputedly more expensive. This is to show that there are many parameters leading the choice between coextrusion and lamination. The choice involves materials, width, length, size and speed of the runs. Some of the arguments in favour of laminates for preference for sandwich printing are played down. In the case of thin thermoformed packages, the printing argument is less important, as only the top lid needs to be printed. In the case of bags, printing does not even exist, nor for bag in box, nor for dry bakery
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products. Finally, flexo printing on surfaces has made many advances, and is now very efficient, with greatly improved appearance, and with better inks. At the beginning of coextrusion, there was a widespread reluctance, particularly in Europe, to use coextrusion instead of the well-known lamination. This is no longer true, and has not been for many years, but there are still preferred markets for each process, and they are often combined to obtain the most sophisticated barrier materials. Polyethylene films are a very popular substrate in laminates, because of the ease with which they can be heat sealed. Sumitomo launched in 2000 the Non-Anchor lamination process that combines corona treatment of the base film and ozone treatment of the laminate melt to activate their respective surfaces for bonding. Using the corona–ozone combination, a line speed of about 250 m/min is possible, compared to 120–130 m/min for solvent-based processes. The Sumitomo process has been perfected up to a speed of 500 m/min. The results are said to be impressive for bonding PE and EVOH. The PE melt temperature can be 40–50°C lower than used in solvent processes. To conclude, there will always be a need for lamination and for coextrusion, and there will never be a complete replacement of lamination by coextrusion. 4.7 Coating This is another major process in the films industry, which is more versatile than coextrusion, and can be combined with coextrusion and lamination in the broad range of possible multilayer film constructions. In extrusion coating, an extruder forces melted plastics through a horizontal slot die onto a moving substrate or web of material. The rate of application controls the thickness of the continuous film deposited on the web. The melt stream, extruded in one layer or as coextruded layers, can be used as a coating or as an adhesive to laminate or sandwich two or more materials together, such as plastic film, foil or paper. The substrate, which is moving at a speed faster than the extruded film, draws the hot film to the required thickness, while the pressure between the chill roll and the pressure roll forces the film onto the substrate. Meanwhile, the molten film is cooled by the watercooled, chromium-plated chill roll. After leaving the chill roll, the coated material is drawn over a driven slitter roll, where the edges are trimmed to remove the uncoated edge. After trimming, the coated material is wound up on conventional wind-up equipment. It is not economic to coat narrow substrate widths, since the cost of equipment is high, so die widths are large, with a consequent need for large extruders. Higher temperatures are required for extrusion coating than for unsupported film extrusion. The weight of the coating deposited on the substrate is governed by the speed of the chill roll. For any given extrusion rate, the higher the chill roll speed, the greater is the drawdown, and hence the lower is the coating weight. PVDC coating is one of the oldest gas barriers, having first been used on cellophane many years ago. Coating is widely used on commodity films such as OPP. The coating process makes the basic OPP film (generally coextruded) transparent, with three layers, sealable on both sides, thus becoming a more specialty film. The coating of OPP film may be of three types: • • • •
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Acrylic, Low-temperature sealing coating (LTSC), on an acrylic base, Two-faced, one LTSC, one PVDC, Two-faced, one PVOH, one acrylic.
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
4.8 Metallisation Metallisation was initially a replacement technique offering a substitute for aluminium foil. A very thin layer of aluminium deposited on plastics or paper appeared attractive as the price of aluminium increased. Metallised films have a number of advantages over foil, such as overall cost, higher converting machine speeds, availability, flexibility and even brighter appearance. The main advantage of aluminium foil is its deadfold ability. Metallisation is just a coating, a metal powder deposit, but adhesion is more difficult to achieve than with inks. The preparation may vary with the type of film substrate. There are more plasma treatments, whether oxidant or ionisation, for PP films. Compared to unmetallised films, metallised films allow the following: • •
Cut in oxygen penetration values from 1600 to 70 cm3/m/24 h, Cut in moisture penetration from 5 to 0.7 g/m/24 h, on 30 μm coextruded films.
The latest techniques involving plasma, started in the mid-1990s, can take these figures down further still. The success of metallisation depends upon the quality of the film substrate. The film must be perfectly plain, free of all impurities, and well reeled, with gliding agents if needed, to avoid curling. As a rule, the prevailing thickness of metallised PET film is 12 μm, and that of metallised OPP film is 20 μm. There is some tendency to use thinner PET and thicker OPP films. The thickness range could become slightly more diversified for metallised OPP films, for various reasons, such as thicker and thus stiffer packages, or conversely thinner packages for environmental reasons. On the contrary, there is not much likelihood that the 12 μm thickness of the PET film might change soon, in general, as users and machines are used to it. Whatever limited interest there may be in thinner products, PET film is likely to remain in the minority for the foreseeable future. Some thinner films, down to 8 μm, may be of interest for some applications, like laminating with board, to improve the smooth appearance, and, at least in Germany, to ensure that, with paper, the finished laminate continues to be considered as paper. The standard width of the metallising machines used to be 1650 mm, with a market share of 55% for this width. Now the most frequent width is 2450 mm. This is for more productivity, a must for European metallisers if they want to compete on the world market. The main metallising equipment manufacturers worldwide are as follows: • • • •
General Vacuum Equipment, claimed world leader, with Quartz Like Film (QLF) technique, of BOC, Galileo Vacuum Tec, Leybold, Metaplast.
Structure of the Metallising Films Industry There are three categories of metallisers: • •
Raw film producers that offer metallised films, OPP mainly, and PET, whether they directly metallise or toll the metallisation to metallisers, Independent metallisers, tolling for raw film producers or for large film converters that buy their films raw and contract metallisation, or selling metallised films to smaller converters, or 77
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
•
making specific types of metallised films in smaller quantities – such independent metallisers may also do film conversion, either in the same plant or, more often, in another company within the same group, Film converters, mainly from the tradition of lamination rather than coextrusion, that may have integrated a metallising unit, only a small proportion (at most about 20%) of which is used to satisfy their own needs, and custom metallise for others when there is an opportunity.
Among these various profiles, the trend to metallise in-house was initiated by the OPP film producers, particularly the Italian OPP film producers, that either metallise directly or have a dedicated metallising company nearby. This trend is continuing for the large OPP film producers, like the investment of a metalliser by UCB, by Treofan, and by MetLux, a metalliser, dedicated to Mobil in Luxembourg, with the association of Mipa in Italy. Conversely, the PET film producers have not started such a trend, with the exception of Toray, metallising in Europe since 1999. Toray also metallises in Thailand, the USA and Japan, where it has 50% market share, and also metallises PP. DuPont made a joint venture with Rexam, in 1999, and with the Indian Jindal Polyfilms that bought the French metalliser Rexor, in 2003. Large converters, those buying a relatively high tonnage of metallised PET film, view the Toray move as of interest. They point out that it is much better to have one supplier, if only to make matters simpler when there is a problem and a claim. More routinely, large film converters appreciate the more rapid and smoother service by having the film production and the film metallisation at the same site. Deliveries are faster. One disadvantage, however, is that the large converters that used to buy the raw film and have the metallisation done on toll by independent metallisers will lose some control of the prices. On the other hand, having a single supplier, with whom prices can be negotiated for large quantities, is an advantage. There are many metallisers large and small, a few specialising in paper, most of them active in film metallising. The list is kept updated by the European Metallisers Association (EMA). The following are among the main metallisers in Europe: • • • • • •
Camvac Plus Mylar, created in 1999 from Rexam and DuPont metallised films, Henry & Leigh Slater metallising (HLS), acquired the Van Leer Caerphilly plant in 2000, Rexor, bought by the Indian Jindal, Technoplast in Czech Republic, with PET film production and metallisation, Toray, 6,000 tons metallised capacity since 1999, with 3.5 m wide reels, with ambition to be leader, Ultimet.
Metallised Flexible Material Consumption and Growth The total metallised films market was estimated at 20 billion square metres worldwide in 2003, or 400,000 tons of metallised films, paper and other materials, with at least 80% of plastic films in this total. A general estimate for a total 135,000–140,000 tons of metallised films in Western Europe has been mentioned in several comments, all fitting with the figures in Table 4.1. In 2003, the European PET market for packaging was 80,000 tons, of which 35,000 tons was metallised, of which in turn 30,000 tons was just for packaging.
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Table 4.1 Estimates for metallised films, all uses, essentially packaging (in thousands of tons) Metallised OPP 90 Metallised PET 35 Metallised OPA 3 Metallised PE 7 Metallised PVC 3 Total metallised films, Europe 138
The range of the main applications, those which together account for 80% of the total consumption of metallised films, is very narrow compared to the much broader variety of plain film applications. In the case of both metallised PET film and metallised OPP film, there are only three or four major applications, all in foods and beverages (labels), namely: • • • •
Metallised PET, for coffee, frozen foods, powder and dehydrated foods, Metallised OPP, for snacks, chips and confectionery, Metallised OPA, for fresh foods and processed fish, Metallised PVC, for sweet package twisting and decorative paper.
There are no real new applications. The growth of consumption has been fuelled both by the intrinsic growth of the products put into metallised films, and, more importantly, by the replacement of aluminium foil and other flexible materials. For instance, the main applications of metallised PET film in Europe are, in decreasing volume, coffee, snacks, lidding of fresh products, frozen products, ice cream, and labels for drinks. It is obvious that there are relatively few applications for metallised films, far fewer than the general end-uses of films for packaging. Metallised PET films are mostly used for barriers, combined with the marketing appeal of gloss, and metallised OPP is mostly used for marketing reasons. The outlook for growth of metallised films is definitely optimistic, and particularly for metallised PET films. The expected average annual growth ranges from 5% to 10%, in all cases faster than the general growth rate for flexible packaging and for PET film in general. The Italian OPP producers are particularly optimistic about the future continuing growth of OPP film and metallised OPP film. Some moderation in the general optimism is sometimes expressed, because of the fear that metallised films might be considered the same as foil, and be hit by environmentalists, always on the lookout for a new target. Replacement of Aluminium Foil Even though the attacks against aluminium have lessened, metallised films continue to replace aluminium foil. The attacks against aluminium as a problem in solid waste have generally ceased, but the awareness that aluminium consumes much more energy in its manufacture than most other materials still holds strong. There are a number of reasons behind this trend to replace foil by metallised films: • • •
Metallised films are cheaper than aluminium, Metallised films always make thinner constructions, which is considered to be a major advantage, Metallised films are wrinkle-free, and the deadfold advantage of foil is not considered important,
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• •
Aluminium foil is noisy, a disadvantage for some confectionery packaging, Even aluminium has its shortcomings as the perfect barrier, when it becomes too thin.
However, aluminium foil will not disappear entirely. Some estimates evaluate the foreseeable drop in aluminium to be at least 30% of its present markets. Still, a few niches will continue ten years from now or longer, for applications that truly justify aluminium, such as dehydrated and overall sensitive products, for long shipping, retortable packages, etc. In the longer run, over the next ten years, aluminium might gradually go the way of cellophane. With the drastic drop in prices, particularly of raw PET, the price comparison has become more favourable to metallised films, and also to PET versus metallised OPP. On a weight basis, for a given finished package, the prices of the two metallised materials are getting closer, for a 12 μm PET film and a 20 μm OPP film. However, fast changes in prices and price differentials should not be given too much importance in the short run. Once a packer has adapted machines to run a given type of film, it may not be worth the trouble to change the films, go through the testing process again, to take advantage of a price drop that could disappear in a few months. The price change has to be seen as lasting to justify a change of film. Moreover, there is relatively little overlap in the key applications of metallised OPP and metallised PET, thus no direct competition between these two materials. The following are some of the comparative advantages of these two main metallised films: • • •
The overall performance of metallised PET is considerably higher than that of OPP, i.e. higher heat resistance, strength, ease on machines, better handling – even all the OPP film producers readily admit these advantages of PET film over OPP film, The only shortcoming of metallised PET versus metallised OPP is that the PET is not sealable, The price advantage of metallised OPP versus PET has decreased.
The niche market for stamping foil, made of metallised films, essentially 12 μm PET, is traditionally small in Europe, between 5,000 and 10,000 tons. There is now very strong competition from imports from metallisers in China and Asia, where stamping foil metallisers are able to offer very cheap foil. Metallised Paper Paper metallising is also outside the direct scope of this study. The main applications of metallised paper are labels and cigarette package inner wrap, essentially in Germany and the Nordic States, the most ecologically inclined. In general, film and paper metallisers are different companies, although a few metallisers may work on all support materials. The largest paper metallisers reportedly in Europe are Van Leer (20% of total), Schoeller & Hoesch (about 20%), Rotoflex/Neograf (10%), Torras Papel (about 10%), and Tricon. The metallising machines can be designed either with the direct process (vacuum coating in a vacuum chamber) or the indirect transfer process. In general, in Europe, direct coating is more often used, about 90%, and on all the new machines. It is the reverse in Asia, where transfer coating is reportedly more used, supposedly because of the higher ambient humidity contents. Except for Van Leer, which prefers the transfer process, all paper metallisers prefer the direct process, so that, in theory, the same machines could be used for film and for paper, but with adjustments. Since metallised paper is used for decorative effect, a deposit of 300 Å is sufficient,
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Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
whilst a barrier protection requirement on PET or OPP film will need an aluminium coating of 500–600 Å. 4.9 Form–Fill–Seal (FFS) There are three main FFS sectors: thermoforming (for rigid packaging), and vertical and horizontal flow-wrapping (for flexible packaging). All are very different in terms of product application and finished pack types, but their overall benefits are identical. FFS is by definition a secondary process, and an operation integrated by the customers of film materials, the industrial users in the food and non-food industries. The FFS concept has many advantages, is more economic and occupies less plant space. Disadvantages are less freedom for shapes, which are much more standardised, and the FFS process being most appropriate for larger runs. This is in line with mass-produced, mass-distributed foods anyway. 4.10 Thermoforming Thicker films, from 75 to 300 μm, can be formed into shaped containers, more or less shallow, by thermoforming, particularly films of PVC, PP, PS, nylon and their laminates. However, since the final packages do not come under the general categories of films, and since it is a secondary process, thermoforming that results in semi-rigid or rigid packaging is not analysed in this report. The sheet is thinned by the thermoforming process, and its barrier properties may be reduced in inverse proportion to the square of the area increase. The thermoforming process can be adapted to continuous filling, lidding/sealing, and FFS. 4.11 Printing The main printing processes are flexo, digital, gravure, offset, and serigraphy. The two main processes for films are gravure and flexo. Gravure is most suited to long runs with high marketing requirements and strength, whereas flexo is rather better for shorter runs and flexibility, and is supposedly cheaper. Historically, PE is almost exclusively printed in flexo, as the best adapted to PE. For PE it is not satisfactory to alternate the drying and inking required by gravure. A new interesting development of interest is Phlxprint, a modification to flexo that allows a press to produce, print and convert laminates in line. 4.12 New Technical Developments in Films Many innovations have entered, and many are still needed. Innovations are continuously under way. Among them is the old search, now about solved, for what had been the crux of any flexible packaging, reclosability, linked with peelability. There is also the search for chilling and heating packs, which will remain niche markets, however. Teijin is developing ultra-multilayer films that feature a configuration reflecting only light of a specific wavelength. The films are made up of several tens to several hundred layers of PET films with different reflective indices that are laminated to give a light transmitting/reflecting function. The films were first sold for decorative applications but may eventually be used in displays. Microtechnology that has started to be marketed for surface modification of moulded products can also find applications in extruded films. Road signs that never need scrubbing, solar cells cleaned with rain water, and many other applications that need to avoid being soiled, all are likely to benefit from this technique.
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The development has been a joint effort between Degussa and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. The innovation is based on the lotus leaf principle that repels dirt and water. Emulating the roughness of a water lily leaf, an extruded film is given a surface with a regular microstructure that appears as a bed of nails and valleys under an electron microscope. Dirt can only rest loosely on this surface, and rain rolls off the hydrophobic finish, like drops of water on a hot stove plate, taking dirt away with it. An embossing method called micro-replication is used to create the extruded surface microstructure. The embossing system can be used on all thermoplastic films and the first applications are for a plastic-film-covered roof panel that inhibits dirt from sticking and limiting heating efficiency. 4.13 Alphabetical List of Machine Manufacturers for Films • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Alpine Hosokawa, Amplas, side and bottom weld servo-driven bag machines, Bandera, Barmag, Battenfeld Gloenco Gloucester, very wide range, cast, coextruded, bag making, etc., Bielloni, Davis Standard, Davis Standard ER WE PA, Dolci, Bruckner, bought the French Cellier, specialising in wide BOPP film lines, up to 10 m, Egan, Ghioldi, extrusion lines for blown and cast films, Hassia Verpackung, machines for FFS packaging, Kiefel, Macchi, Mamata machinery, India, wide range for barrier laminates, bags, actively exporting, Meccanica Alto Milanese (MAM), mainly PE extrusion, Nextrom, former Nokia Maillefer, Conex multilayer extrusion system replacing extruders with conical rotors/stator plates on single axis, Polytec, former Prandi, mainly cast film lines, Reifenhäuser, wide range, coextrusion up to seven layers, cast films, double bubble, Sencorp, SMS Folientechnik, blown and cast film and foam extrusion lines, Tecno Coating, Valmet, with four divisions, Atlas, Titan, Rotomec, General, Welex, Windmöller & Hölscher Germany.
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
5 Applications of Films Plastic films are utilised in a very broad range of end-uses and activities. The largest industrial use of plastic films is in packaging, and in decreasing order from the more commodity to more specialty, building construction, agriculture, consumer goods, automobile, medical and hygiene, electrical/electronics and many other industries of lesser volume importance. 5.1 Packaging – General Introduction Flexible packaging, or films, is growing faster than rigid packaging the world over, at about 5% average annual growth worldwide. Although flexible packaging is made up of three major materials, namely paper, aluminium and plastics, it is definitely the latter that is the fastest growing, the other two remaining stagnant at best. In fact, in the many emerging markets where mass packaging is also emerging, flexible packaging leapfrogs the old traditional materials like paper and aluminium foil so that plastic films are used almost exclusively. Moreover, it is in the emerging markets that flexible packaging solutions are most likely to replace rigid packages, with pouches to replace boxes, trays and even bottles. Of the huge flexible packaging market, Europe and the USA currently represent respectively 27% and 28% of the world total, but the total proportion will soon go under the 50% mark. The booming area for packaging films is Asia, where packaging films are a primary development and where plastic films do not compete with any other material. Flexible packaging is a major factor in the total industry of packaging. At least one-third of the total spent in Europe on packaging is for flexible packaging. The European flexible packaging market is estimated at close to $10 billion, the value growing at about 2% a year, and the volume by 4%. About 80% of flexible packaging is used for food products. This explains the importance of the major global and pan-European food product manufacturers in driving the changes in the structure and nature of the European flexible packaging industry. There are many packaging types and forms in which plastic films are used, and these are commented on below: • • • • • • • •
Stretch and shrink films, Bags and sacks, Heavy-duty sacks and big bags, Free-standing bags and similar products, Automatic packaging films, Multilayer films, Labels, sleeves and display films, Other packaging applications, e.g. lidding, strapping, bubble wrap and tapes.
5.2 Stretch and Shrink Films The functions of stretch and shrink films are pallet wrapping, bundle collation and display. The high tonnage is with the first two markets, whilst display films are a distinct category for market analysis. Whilst shrink film was the first development historically, it long remained limited to separate country markets. In contrast, stretch film immediately became an international business from its origins in the late 1970s. Yet it is not very technical, being a relatively easy process to master, compared with film lamination or printing, which are more operator-dependent. In stretch films, the key factors are volume and production efficiency.
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Shrink Film Regardless of applications, all shrink packaging consists of blown or cast films wrapped around objects and passed through a heat tunnel or exposed to a hand-held heat gun. Once the films (which have previously been oriented, stretched and rapidly cooled) reach temperatures of 93–176°C, in the oven, they shrink to their original size and press the packaged goods together, holding them tight. Shrink film, which must be heat-treated to cling tightly to goods, has been challenged by stretch film, which does not require heating. Shrink films need a retraction oven. However, shrink films are making a comeback, with new polymer techniques, film fabrication processes and machinery improving the strength and toughness of shrink films. Apart from high puncture resistance, shrink film must possess defined shrinkage properties and high shrinkage tension in the cold. No holes must appear during the shrink process. PE-LD is used for monolayer films of 20–250 μm thickness. Blends of PE-LD/PE-LLD and blends of PE-LD/PE-MD are used to reduce hole formation. Three-layer films with PP as a separating layer may be used for pallet hoods. Stretch Film Stretching is used to orientate film in one (uniaxial) or two (biaxial) directions. In addition to high extension and high elasticity, the stretch film must combine high tensile strength and high resistance to tear propagation with high toughness and a high yield point. Stretch film is often made by the cast film process. Orientation can also be obtained from the double-bubble blown film technique, and by special film stretching lines. The main films used for shrink or stretch are PE, mostly PE-LD, the polymer of choice for wrapping palleted goods or unitising multiple bottles, cans or small consumer goods. There are various structures of stretch films, including mono-films with low pre-stretch value, and two- and three-layer coextruded structures with film thicknesses between 15 and 25 μm. Depending upon final requirements, PE-LLD of various grades (C4, C6, C8) are used, with cling additives (EVA, very low density PE (PE-VLD)) and various stabilisers (like UV stabilisers), if needed. PE films are available in monolayer or multilayer versions. For instance, BPI Stretch Films operates one of the largest five-layer cast coextruded stretch lines of PE-LL/LLD at Bridgwater, UK (US Battenfeld Gloucester, of 15,000 ton capacity). Five-layer films are more used in the USA than in Europe, where three-layer films are still more widespread. There is a trend to multilayer techniques, five layers, allowing downgauging and stronger films. New seven-layer films are appearing in the USA. Actually, the key to this choice is that the various layers can be tailored to an individual company’s needs. A customer can choose between downgauging, as most do, or extra stretch. There are two main systems for installing stretch film – hood and stretch wrap. There are three main methods for stretch pallet wrap – straight, spiral and air slip curtain. Three types of spiral or wound stretch film exist: • • •
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Hand stretch, 100% pre-stretched, Machine stretch, 200% pre-stretched, Power stretch, 300% pre-stretched.
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
The pre-stretched films have a number of advantages; the price is higher, but the final packaging price is lower as less film is needed. Structure of the Shrink/Stretch Films Industry Most of the large PE film producers supply shrink and stretch films as standard diversification, for instance: • • • • • •
BPI, Nordenia, Barbier, Manuli Packaging, 150,000 tons of stretch films, Mima Films, in Belgium and Ireland, 85,000 tons of pallet films, Trioplast.
Leading stretch film manufacturers in Asia are Thong Guan Industries, in Malaysia, with plants in Malaysia, Thailand and China, with 40,000 ton capacity, to reach 100,000 tons in 2005, and ambition to supply 15% of the Asian market. Tianjin Chemical Co. started production of stretch and wind films at the company’s PE plant in China. Demand for the product in China is estimated at 15,000 tons but growing very fast, at over 50% per annum. The following are the main machine manufacturers for stretch films: • • • • • • •
Bruckner, DMT, Haloila, Finland, MSK Covertech, Stretch Sleeve Hood systems, high-speed hooding for large products, appliances, Newtec, Nextrom of Ecublens, Switzerland, Thimon.
Consumption of Stretch and Shrink Films The market for shrink film in Europe is estimated at close to 1 million tons or slightly more, split as follows: • •
Heavy-duty shrink film, about half, of which 75% is PE-LD and 25% is PE-LLD, Fine shrink film, about half, of which 90% is PE-LD and 10% is PE-LLD.
The market for stretch film in Europe is estimated at 750,000 tons, almost all of which is PE-LLD. In contrast to the USA, shrink film is holding up better in Europe, which now uses 80% of the world’s shrink film, stretch film being the preferred type in the rest of the world. One reason is that there is more PE-LD in Europe than in other areas. Also the infrastructure exists, with shrinking ovens, to delay the switch to stretch pallet wrap. Shrink or stretch wrap packaging is now the most common form of outer packaging for many food packages. It is lighter and can represent as little as 20% of the cost of a corrugated carton.
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Current Asian demand for stretch films is estimated at 250–300,000 tons, expected to grow to at least 600,000 tons in 2008. The share of high-performance stretch film with higher pre-stretch values and reduced thickness is rising. The use of shrink and stretch films for pallet wrap and collating is continuing, and is gradually making inroads into corrugated board boxes. In fact, whatever the opinion on plastics, shrink/stretch film for pallets is one of the most extraordinary applications of plastics packaging, a few hundred grams of film able to store and carry several hundred bricks or other heavy load. 5.3 Bags and Sacks Types of Plastic Bags and Sacks There are various types of plastic bags, defined as follows. Carrier, shopper, or retail bags, most often simple, sometimes also called T-shirt bags, may or may not have the name of the supermarket or shop printed on them. The shopper/retail bags are normally distributed at the cash counter, when buying in the large supermarket chains. They are considered as the best solution, in spite of ecological attacks. Moreover, they may be ‘recycled’ twice. After their use for the convenience of supermarket customers, they are quite often used as kitchen refuse bags, and ultimately help to ignite refuse that is incinerated. Fruit and fresh produce bags, or self-service bags, presented in rolls or in bundles from which they are torn off, are just plain bags, with no print and no handles. Refuse bags, of a number of more or less standard sizes and contents, presented in rolls or folded, may be of various thicknesses, depending upon their size, ranging from thinner refuse bags for kitchen boxes to very thick bags for street refuse and for building construction and other industries. Heavy-duty sacks successfully compete with the older paper sacks for commodities such as fertilisers, flour, cattle feed, and a host of other uses. This application, one of the very first in the long history of polyethylene, is now stable and even declining, because of increasing preference for bulk shipping. However, there is also potential for innovation, and more markets, such as petfoods, sugar and salt, to replace the multi-wall paper bags still used in a number of applications. Fashion shopping bags, either with built-in flexible handles or sometimes with various types of sophisticated moulded handles, and with rich prints in original designs, are higher value items, with a marketing and advertising role as well as their carrying function. Re-usable bags of woven polypropylene are very common in Asia, but not produced in Europe, and are just imported in large sizes and generally used as light luggage by lower-income consumers in Europe. There might be a trend to recommend them for re-usable use as retail bags, to carry to supermarkets. Household bags, for kitchen use (freezer, sandwiches), represent a relatively small amount. Packaging bags, ready-made bags for a wide range of industries to be used at the packaging stage, are stagnant, even decreasing, because the food industry prefers the form–fill–seal function, starting from rolls of packaging films rather than using ready-made bags. Ready-made bags may still be used for small runs in specific industries, like for some dry breads, too fragile to stand the speed of FFS.
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Bag Markets and Applications The market for carrier bags is estimated at 800,000 tons in Europe, all-inclusive. More than half are made of PE-HD or blends of PE-MD/HD, mostly single layers, although some three-layer films using recycled PE also exist. Thicknesses are less than 30 μm, and reducing. The bulk of the tonnage is in the shopper/retail bags, self-service bags and refuse bags. The topic is very active and rapidly changing at the present time as the main players involved – plastic bag manufacturers and their associations, supermarket chains and other distributors, government and European regulators, and environmental organisations – do not yet have a clear vision of what is to be done with the two major problems plaguing this industry: • •
Large and increasing low-priced imports from Asia, particularly China, Environmental attacks against the all-too-visible pollution of litter created by plastic bags.
Some experts in the field are highly in favour of plastic bags, and it has been stated that: ‘Retail and shopper bags are technical marvels, fantastic. They are lighter than an egg shell and yet they can carry 2,000 times their weight, up to 10 kilos. Within the last thirty years, the bag weight has been reduced by 75%, unfortunately not enough publicity was made about this trend. Moreover, most people re-use the bags, as refuse bags or other uses. Then the bags are further valorised as fuel with high heating content, saving the equivalent of 540,000 tons of oil equivalent every year. PE bags burn without any toxic fumes. Their only problem is that some people throw the bags away, anywhere, and they are so light that they fly around.’ The main product is the shopper/retail bag, made of PE-HD. Today, PE-HD, or blends of PE-HD and PE-LLD, are by far the very best solution for self-service stores. They are the best for the environment, with bags that are no more than 5 g per unit, sometimes down to 2 g, and, as source reduction packaging, this is the best solution there is. They are the T-shirt bags, or retail bags, called ‘sortie de caisse’ in France and ‘carrier bags’ in the UK. In Europe, the total weight of shopping bags that are printed with the name of the chain is 375,000 tons. They are the most controversial bags, about which all the current discussions are made, on the grounds of high imports from Asia, and visual pollution. The actual production of these types of bags in Europe is only 200,000 tons, and all the rest are imports – actually there are over 300,000 tons of imports, according to plastic trade associations. Altogether, according to the estimates of the European Bag Federation, for the 15 European countries of the European Union, in 2003, there were 181,000 tons of shopper/retail bags, plus 210,000 tons of imports, or 390,000 tons for the 2003 estimate. For all bags, in 2003, the total was 400,000 tons, of which 350,000 tons have come from China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia (87% of total imports). China alone represents 180,000 tons, with a 26% growth from the year before. At 6 g per bag, and so 166 bags per kilogram, with a rounded 400,000 tons of such bags, this amounts to 66 billion bags. The average person’s consumption is one bag per day in Europe. Self-service bags, for fruit and vegetables, are another type, just a plain bag of PE or various blends, without handles, just taken from a roll or a stack. These bags also weigh less than 5 g, closer to 1–2 g. One old alternative, paper bags, had many disadvantages. Transportation is about eight or ten times more in weight, with all the inconveniences and pollution. Whatever is now actively said against these plastic bags, they still are the best solution today. These bags for fresh fruit and vegetables are estimated at 130,000 tons in Europe, of which only 38,000 tons are produced in Europe, all the difference, 100,000 tons, being imported from outside Europe. Imports of these products also mostly come from South-East Asia.
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The better bags, for textile shops, high fashion, often come from Italy, and to a lesser extent from Germany, the UK and, increasingly, from Turkey. They are bigger and thicker bags, with handles, either injection moulded for up-market bags, or just built-in, sometimes quite richly printed, with up to nine colours. Not enough is really known for the tonnage to be accurately estimated, but they are a considerably lower figure than the above. Fashion bags, like the many bags from clothes shops, book stores, pharmacies and do-it-yourself stores, have been less attacked on pollution grounds. The only bags really attacked are the T-shirt bags. This is strange since actually the visible litter is mainly made of refuse bags, blue or green, seen from afar, rather than the shopper/retail bags. The worst offenders are not so much the bags, but more the beer bottles and other metal cans. These issues are constantly being discussed at the European trade level. There are not very precise figures for refuse bags, as they have not been as keenly studied by the European Federation. As a rule, refuse bags are roughly estimated at the same order of magnitude, in tonnage, as the shopper/retail bags, but it varies from country to country. In some countries, like in France, there is a very strong tradition to use the shopper/retail bags as kitchen refuse box bags, whereas in other countries, customers may buy more of the special refuse bags, in rolls. Actually the consumption of plastic bags is very much linked to the large distribution chains in France, larger and more powerful than most other European chains. The success of plastic shopper/retail bags is linked to this French development, with Carrefour and Intermarché, installed in most European countries, where the practice of shopper/retail bags took hold. Bag Producers in Europe and Elsewhere Central and Eastern Europe used to be ‘the China of Europe’, with refuse bags coming from Romania twenty years ago. This is not the case any longer. Since the Central European countries are fast developing, they quickly absorb their home production. The problems that this may cause to the Western European bag industry are different. There are a number of French companies, for instance, that have installed plants there, like Alplast with plants in the Czech Republic and Poland, SP Metal, etc. The move is to supply these markets. As in Europe in the 1960s, there is a very rapid demand growth in these countries where supermarket chains, the big names from Western Europe, are at the development take-off. Now, Central Europe, getting into the European Union by May 2004, is considered practically like Europe. The reasons for the growing success of imports of PE bags and sacks from Asia are not the lower labour costs. Bag making is a continuous process and labour is only 15% of the total cost. The Asian bag companies operate high-performance and automated modern machines, from Western manufacturers. The main reason for the massive Asian imports is that the raw materials are exported to Asia, and China particularly, for almost nothing, with very small duties, or none at all, to make the Chinese plants work. South-East Asia is used as the world’s dumping ground for all excess polymers. When Basell or Borealis or any other plastics producer have too much tonnage, the immediate move is to send that to Asia. This slows down when commodity plastics are a little more expensive, but generally there is a price difference of 30–40% for PE between the European prices, artificially maintained fairly high, and the dumping ground for surpluses in Asia. The USA also does the same, and the Middle East. The European bag manufacturers that have plants in China, like BPI, and many others, make the bags in China. The T-shirt bags that are printed with the logo of the distributor are fully made in Asia, printing included. As raw plastics are exported to China on ships, the transportation costs for the raw plastics from Europe and the USA are almost nil, because Asia and China export a lot of goods to the West and the containers return empty, so it costs almost nothing to fill them with
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plastic granules. It is cheaper to deliver raw plastics from Rotterdam to China than from Rotterdam to Marseilles. The big buyers of bags, the supermarket chains, have purchasing centres in Singapore and other Asian locations, and they buy direct. There are also some importers to supply the smaller supermarkets, those which do not deal directly in Asia like the majors, such as Carrefour, Casino, etc., do. Most industrialised countries are very worried about the increasing Asian imports and are making various efforts to limit them. The most advanced in this move is the USA. The US plastic bag industry’s share of the domestic market for grocery and retail shopping bags had fallen from 80% in 2000 to 60% two years later. This fast drop led a coalition of US producers, the Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bag Committee (PRCBC), to file an antidumping complaint asking the US Government to limit imports. A preliminary International Trade Commission (ITC) decision was made in August 2003, the final decision in early 2004. In January 2004 the USA decided to impose an extra duty on Asian plastic bag imports. By February 2004, the ships that were at sea, carrying bags to the USA, were simply changing route and turning around to Europe, to the great dismay of European bag makers. The PRCBC represents Interplast Group Ltd, PCL Packaging Inc., Sonoco Products Co., Superbag Corp. and Vanguard Plastics Inc. Other companies complaining about the dumping of polyethylene bags included Omega Plastics Corp., Orange Plastics Inc., Trinity Packaging Corp. and Unistar Plastics LLC (from the USA) and Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd and Hymopack Ltd (from Canada). There are now at least 21 US plastic bag producers employing over 3,000 workers. Cheap, subsidised bags from China, Malaysia and Thailand are seen as the main culprit. But others see things differently. Companies that import on a large scale blame the industry problems on other factors, such as the rise of internet-based auctions operated by large retailers. One observer says US bag producers need to modernise equipment and cut costs to compete with extremely efficient producers in Asia. But the PRCBC says imports from China, Malaysia and Thailand are being imported at dumping margins. So, as of January 2004, the US Government has thus imposed temporary punitive tariffs ranging from less than 1% to 122.8% on plastic bags imported from China, Malaysia and Thailand, as a reactive move to a presumed dumping. The same defensive moves happened in Japan. Japanese imports of all types of PE plastic bags exceeded 340,000 tons in 2002. Imports from China rose 20% between 2002 and 2003. The European plastic bag manufacturers are worrying, of course, the few that are left. There has been a very high concentration in the structure of the PE film and bag industry in Europe. Some of the leading bag producers are more or less specialised in a type of product. The large companies in plastic bags in Europe are now outlined, by country. None is left in the UK, all retail bags being imported, and there are subsidiaries of large English groups, like BP. France is a large producing country, with the largest manufacturers being: • • • •
Barbier, large for retail bags, Ribeyron, smaller, but specialised, Alplast, ex Atofina, Pichon Plastiques is well established in fashion bags.
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In Italy, Pansac is the largest in all retail bags, and also in fashion bags, and there are many smaller bag makers. In Spain, this is developing, not so much the large Álvarez group films, but SP Metal, the subsidiary of SP Metal France, which bought BIEL in Spain, and became SP Metal also in Spain. SP Metal is the leader in refuse bags in Spain. There are more than 20 others in Spain, like Plasbell and Romero, four or five important and 20 smaller. In Germany, there are only a few bag makers, as imports are large, about 60,000–70,000 tons. Papier Mettler is a large importer with a small plant in France called TT Plast, which makes some bags, but mainly imports. Mettler is also into fashion bags, but there is also a strong competition from paper, very active in fashion bags. In Sweden there is Trioplast. There are not so many manufacturers in the making of fashion bags, more added value, sophisticated, much shorter runs, and, most of all, with the need for rapid reaction. The Asian and Chinese bag manufacturers are still negligible in the true luxury articles. The bigger PE film companies should be interested in fashion bags because there is some added value, better than retail bags, and yet fashion bags are not a way to make a fortune or even to move tonnage. On the other side, in Asia, there are a number of very active bag producers, not well identified in this study. National Laws and Actions Against Shopping Bags The problem with shopping bags is that they are all too visible when not properly handled at the end of life. Trade associations have been aware of this for years, and of the bad image it creates for the bags. In terms of the collected refuse, the shopper/counter bags are less than 0.5% in weight. The shopping bags each weigh about 5 g. There have been ecological pressures about litter. Some countries have decided to act against the retail bags. The first retail bag attacks were launched in Ireland. Plastics bags are now forbidden in Ireland, where supermarkets now complain that they are being robbed of the store baskets replacing the bags. Paper bags attempted to replace the plastics, with even more problems and pollution. The paper manufacturers were pleased just for a short while. As of today, in Ireland, the market for garbage bags has been multiplied by 5, as the garbage bags have developed since customers could no longer use the shopping bags as refuse bags. Now there is only 10% remaining of the business of shopping bag makers. In the UK, the Irish example was studied. Without banning shopping bags, a tax has been put on them. A consortium, the Carrier Bag Consortium (CBC), was created that groups the plastics producers (not the bag manufacturers, as there are none any more), the importers, and all the large distribution chains, Sainsbury’s and the like. They have worked with the UK Government already for more than a year. A similar plan was launched in Scotland, where the authorities wanted to ban shopping bags. Another move is to carry out studies on biodegradable bags, not a true solution either. In the case of litter, paper takes several months to degrade, the only advantage of a paper bag being that, once it is wet, it does not fly anywhere, while a biodegradable bag does. But the paper stays around for months before it turns back to organic matter. In France the situation is still not settled, except in Corsica, a tourist area where the local supermarkets have stopped distributing free disposable shopping bags, and replaced them by reusable woven PP bags imported from China, an entirely different product/function, with no tradition in Europe.
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According to a survey made in November 2003 by the French consultant IFOP, supermarket customers understand the problems of free bags and pollution, and they say they are ready, 82% of answers, to make some efforts to accept alternatives. But, according to the Fédération des Entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution (FCD, the Association of Food Distributors): ‘it is out of the question to ban the free bags right now, since these bags have more advantages than disadvantages indeed.’ Large supermarket chains like Auchan, Carrefour, Cora, Monoprix and Système U are making moves to reduce the number of bags given away at the cash counter (till). Carrefour hopes for a small drop of 5% in 2004. A life cycle analysis from Ecobilan, of PriceWaterHouseCoopers, evaluated the impact of five possible solutions, namely: • • • • •
Continuing with the free PE bags, Biodegradable bags, Paper bags, Flexible returnable bags, Rigid returnable containers.
There are also other ideas, such as fabric bags, as are sometimes found in Germany, and foldable containers. Paper bags are not likely to be selected, as it takes 47 kg of oil to make 1,000 paper bags, versus less than 30 kg of oil for plastics bags. All the supermarket chains intend to launch information campaigns to make their customers aware of the issues. Of course, since 80% of the supermarket customers re-use retail bags as kitchen refuse bags, the immediate result of any move away from free retail bags would be to increase the demand for refuse bags, in almost the same amount, as happened in Ireland. A number of experts who have looked into the problem through all its aspects may conclude that the current bags freely distributed by supermarkets might just be the least evil solution after all. The issue is still under active study in France, with no decision made. The Government preferred neither tax nor bar, just to enter discussions with the distribution chains and the plastics federation, a sort of goodwill gesture. Some engagements have been made. The requirement from the Government in these discussions is to aim towards reducing the number of retail bags. This is an irreversible trend. As of summer 2004 there is a pending law proposal to ban all free shopping bags in supermarkets. The distributors will not let the customers take the retail bags freely at will as they used to do. Supermarkets are also looking at alternatives, such as bags of larger size, with flexible built-in handles, that they try to convince the customers to buy instead – there is more promotion there. Spain has not moved yet, waiting to see what happens in France. In Central Europe, at the stage of entry into the consumer society, customers are spending with glee on such things as large supermarkets and free retail bags. They do not yet show the restrictive environment-conscious reserve of the higher-income Western European countries. But this is going to change fast. And the Central European countries might attack retail bags as the image is not that rewarding anyway. At this point no one knows how the Central Europeans are going to move on free retail bags. In Germany, there is not much problem, because retail bags are traditionally sold to the customers, either in plastics or in textile fabrics – this is an exception.
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In the rest of Europe, there are places or countries where the bags have to be paid for. In California, in 2003, the Film and Bag Federation, a business unit of the Society of the Plastics Industry, has formed a coalition to fight a bill that would levy a two-cent tax on every disposable plastic bag used by retailers in California. The bill, sponsored by the environmental group Californians Against Waste, would cover grocery, take-out, dry cleaning, and other retail bags as well as disposable plastic, paper and poly-coated paper cups. Retailers would be exempt only if bags contained at least 40% recycled content, could be re-used at least 1,000 times, or were used to contain an unpackaged product. In Taiwan, the current law imposes fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 on violators. Legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party and the main opposition parties have all suggested that the fines be dramatically reduced. Taiwan plastic-makers have opposed the ban, saying that the industry will suffer from the regulations. About 50% of the country’s total PE-LD production of 500,000 tons is used to make plastic bags and films. Strangely enough, in countries with a lower standard of living, retail bags have sometimes been stopped, for visual pollution reasons and irritation at retail bags flying everywhere. This is the case in Asian countries and lower income countries outside Europe. Interestingly, the issue of the growing number of shopping bags is also raging in emerging countries, where these bags cannot be considered as an immediate massive nuisance. India has introduced statutory registration for all plastic bag and container manufacturers with the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB), to curb pollution and to ensure that the products conform to stipulated specifications. This initiative was incorporated in the Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, in 2003. Under the amended rules, every company that produces carrier bags and containers, either from virgin polymer resins or from recycled plastic or both, would have to apply for registration within four months. The registration will be granted by SPCB within 30 days if an application is complete in all respects. It will be valid for three years. The ultra-thin and small bags are a ubiquitous part of all litter in the country. To overcome this public nuisance, the amended rules have specified a minimum size of bags. This, coupled with an existing specification for minimum thickness of bags, should make them heavier and thus less prone to flying in the air. The specifications relating to size and thickness of carrier bags would, however, not apply to export consignments. The plastic bag industry in Bangladesh has been negatively affected by the ban on the production and marketing of such products regardless of their size or thickness. The Environment Ministry implemented the ban in early 2002, due to the problem of used plastics bags choking rivers and lakes. The ban has impacted the manufacture of bags for domestic usage as well as firms that produce plastics bags for export to Europe. These firms have already set up local facilities for recycling production output or waste for the manufacture of plastics bags for local supplies. They now have substantial stockpiles of plastic wastes. The ban has significantly affected at least 25–30 big bag producers, with a number of those companies planning to close their production facilities. Only a hundred such companies are operating at present, compared to the over 800 bag manufacturers operating in 2001. The Tamil Nadu Plastic Manufacturers Association has alleged harassment by the officials of the State Government of Tamil Nadu as they are seizing plastic items from retailers, as part of the implementation of the Government directive to remove plastic litter from roadsides. The Government has referred its proposed Tamil Nadu Plastic Articles, Prohibition of Sale, Storage, Transport and Use Act, 2002, to a Select Committee and is yet to enact the legislation banning the manufacture and use of disposable plastic items. However, there are restrictions on the use of plastic carrier bags less than 20 μm in thickness. The Association has urged the Government to
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educate the public on proper disposal of plastic items and to ensure proper municipal solid waste management systems. It is interesting that authorities in the Indian subcontinent endeavour to make people aware of future major pollution still to come. The pollution story is a daily discussion. In conclusion, the word everywhere is to reduce the number of bags, but the final choices are not made. There are two visions: the associations that recommend no more bags, and the customers who have enjoyed free retail bags for years. About 80% of customers re-use the retail bags as kitchen refuse bags. Customers find that they pay enough for the food in the supermarket and they do not feel like buying refuse bags. Yet the trend is irreversible. The trend of the re-usable bag is a good thing and customers will get used to them. France is seen as a sort of case study for this whole issue in Europe. The problem now, for the Plastics Federation, is to evaluate what sort of bags are going to be selected, either PE bags, which are the products made by the members of the Federation, or other bags, like woven PP bags, which are foreign to the Federation members. The Federation is trying to promote PE bags. The woven bags of PP are not in the tradition of the supermarkets. So now the chains are engaged in many tests to cope with the new trends and forthcoming regulations. They are going to test the reaction of the customers. The sure thing is that there is a trend towards stamping down on retail bags, but it will take time, maybe years, notwithstanding the topic is quite hot and changing. Europeans would like to transpose the US story of the 122% tariff duty. Yet it is unlikely that Europeans will obtain a similar rule. Things are changing very fast. In all cases, supermarket chains make sure that their customers stop taking handfuls of free retail bags. There are a few examples of interest for the biodegradable routes: As long ago as 2001, Environmental Polymers Group (EPG) formed a joint venture with a leading Polish chemicals company, Anwil, to manufacture and distribute biodegradable plastic films, bags and heavy-duty sacks at the Anwil site in Wloclawek, Poland. These products were to be manufactured from biodegradable, water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resins, tradenamed Depart, produced by EPG in the UK. There is also the idea of controlled-life bags, studied by the Centre National d’Evaluation de Photo Protection (CNEP), at Clermont-Ferrand in France. This organisation was created in 1970, with investment of 33% from the regional administration (Auvergne), 33% from the State, and 33% from 50 large industrial groups. This technical Centre specialises in chemical ageing, among other activities, and works with 600 projects worldwide. As regards films, the Centre is carrying out a programme with French film producers to arrive at controlled fragmentation of the PE films used for bags by photo-oxidation and thermo-oxidation, using the combined action of various additives, to obtain a workable solution by September 2004. The ultimate aim is to control a four-week life for PE bags once disposed of. 5.4 Heavy-Duty Sacks and Big Bags This is one of the oldest applications of PE sacks. The most frequently used type of sacks are for packaging 10–30 kg of dry or semi-dry flowable products, such as cement, fertilisers, flour, and powdered milk. Another different market is that of the large pouches, or big bags, and of large container liners.
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Heavy-Duty Sacks Films for heavy-duty sacks must have good puncture and tear propagation resistance, high toughness, creep and stress cracking resistance, and be readily heat sealable. The traditional film structure is that of mono-films made of mixtures of PE-LD and PE-LLD, and of PE-MD, but there are also various coextruded three-layer solutions with PE-MD middle layers. Standard thicknesses range from 150 to 200 μm, with a trend to further reduction, because of increasing use of PEm/LLD (metallocene PE-LLD). Film producers have a wide range of choices among resins and processes, such as coextrusion, molecular orientation and lamination, from which to choose to fit the industry’s needs. The new generation metallocene-catalysed resins, high-molecular-weight PE-HD, and coextruded barrier webs as raw materials now offer the properties for heavy-duty sacks more economic than multiwall paper sacks. The main designs are FFS types with side gussets, or flat cushion bags, or valve bags of box type. The FFS solutions are displacing the traditional box-type valve bag. Paper shipping sacks typically consist of several kraft layers, sometimes incorporating a PE or PP layer for barrier. One strong advantage of plastic sacks against paper is that the plastic sacks, derived from flat or tubular roll stock as well as folded bags, allow the use of heat sealing, instead of the glue required for paper, in addition to increased operating rates and downgauging potential. There is also another type of sacks, the woven PP bags that are an almost complete replacement of the historical jute bags. Major markets are in Asia. The total European market for heavy-duty bags is estimated at 430,000 tons. This total is split as follows: • • •
PE-LD 60%, PE-LLD 30%, PE-MD/PE-HD 10%.
The demand has remained stagnant in industrialised countries, for various reasons: • • •
Competition between paper sacks and plastic sacks is almost over. The most obvious replacements still to happen in industrialised countries for paper sack replacement are in cement and pet-food packaging. There has been a continuous reduction in thickness of plastic heavy-duty bags. Bulk shipments tend to replace sack shipments, but this is compensated by continuing demand for sacks with the level of economic activity.
In emerging countries where there is no tradition of paper sacks, heavy-duty plastic sacks do not have any competition. Another niche of the woven PP bags, all visible, is large handbags/shopping bags, also used as light luggage, and very common in Asia, especially in China. Big Bags This is a distinct category, more formally called flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBC), which appeared with polypropylene in the 1960s. They are the main type of large package used for bulk handling. Big bags are flexible containers that cannot be carried by hand, with a capacity of
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3 m3 and taking weighs from 500 kg to 2 tons. Big bags are the best price/performance ratio for packaging. Just for the European market, the consumption of PP for big bags was 190,000 tons in 2003. The largest European producing countries are Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece. 5.5 Free-Standing Bags and Similar Products Free-Standing Bags or Stand-Up Pouches This is a promising area, still developing, as flexible and semi-flexible materials are a cost-effective option over cartons, with less material use, weight reduction, transport cost saving and easier disposability. One current construction for many pouches is a 12 μm PET film, reverse printed, seven colour gravure, and laminated to a 150 μm coextruded PE-LLD. Some stand-up pouches now incorporate valves, to allow the passage of gases, like in sauerkraut packaging, to let fermentation gases exhaust. The valve is similar to those currently used in coffee bags. The stand-up pouch concept offers very good product presentation, pack shape and base construction to meet many individual needs, excellent printing possibilities, up to 10 colours, minimum transport volume and weight, low transport and storage costs, and are easier to dispose of than any rigid package. Yet, many canners are reluctant to shift to stand-up pouches because of the slower speed of pouch filling/sealing compared to canning lines, which typically run at over 1,000 cans per minute, versus as slow as 80 pouches per minute. Another disadvantage, at the self-service level, is that pouches are not very easily stacked, leading to less than optimal use of shelf space. Finally, for the final consumer, there is poor practicality, definitely less than a bottle or a brick. There is a need for further innovative designs, closures and devices to ease the opening and pouring, through spouts, zips, dispensers and nozzles. Originally designed many years ago, as the pioneer of stand-up pouches, the Doypack incorporates a W or pleat fold in the bottom, sealed in a curved shape to create a round-bottomed, free-standing pack. The main players in stand-up pouches in Europe are Alcan Packaging Midsomer Norton, API Tenza, Frantschach Flexibles, Gualapack, and Parkside International. The French Prepac has 98% of its turnover outside France. An interesting development from Kohler in South Africa is to provide an alternative to the bag in box. The concept, called Boda Bag, has been reworked into Barrel Bag. The Barrel Bag allows source reduction because of the absence of the carton outer box, as well as savings in the filling cycle. The 3-litre bag can be made from metallised PET film or transparent silicon oxide-coated PET film, or even a combination of both with a clear window. It can be used for all still liquids. Self-standing bags are more popular outside Europe, except for the pouches for milk, in Switzerland and Scandinavia. The cost of a self-standing pouch for milk is 12 times lower than a glass bottle. Milk pouches are used in the USA and Canada. There are many outlets, including liquid detergents, swimming-pool chemicals, pet-foods, medical products, soups, juices, yoghurt, cooking sauces and many other semi-bulk food products for institutions and industry, ready meals for the Army, and all types of refills.
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Another development of interest is that of pouches for dry grocery products, like breakfast cereals. The standard package for breakfast cereals is that of a folding carton box with an inside sachet to keep the product crisp. Attempts have been made to do without the inside sachet, with a higher protective finish on the carton box. Another way is to replace the carton plus sachet with a stand up pouch of opaque BOPP and PE, zip-closed for re-opening, with a good protection and a large area for printing, like with the carton. The European market for stand-up pouches is estimated at about 9 billion units, of which about half have some sort of resealable spout system. The market is one of the fastest growing, at 15% a year, and resealable pouches should be up to 80% of the total by 2007. The main applications in Europe are in pet-foods (50% of total), various foods (20%), beverages (20%), and various non-food products. The market in the USA is less than in Europe, about 5 billion units, in large part because of the long-standing importance of cans. However, the advantages of stand-up pouches – lighter weight, logistics, cost reduction and reduced processing costs – will take market share from cans, with a strong growth expected in the beverage market. The fast growth for the next few years is due to the opening up of new markets, and substitution of existing packages – cartons, bottles, bricks and cans. According to various studies, stand-up pouches could amount to 30 billion units in the world by 2007. Pouches and Sachets These package forms are the more standard product, lining pouches inside cardboard packages. Plastics had competed slowly with the older glassine and vegetal parchment paper, with some success, only to be limited anew. A development that is quite negative with regard to pouches is that of very active research, and some launches, to do without the pouches of glassine paper or plastic lining the inside of folding cartons to pack various dry grocery products, such as breakfast cereals. This is a strong trend, with development of treated or coated cartons to avoid the use of the inside pouch. However, the right solution is not yet in sight, as many of these dry grocery products have high requirements to keep the products crisp. The major players are paper/cardboard producers like Enso, with its high barrier carton Ensobarr, coated with PE/EVOH/PE on one side and PE on the other side, or AssiDöman Frövi, Iggesund Paperboard, and most other paper producers. The other way around is to do without the folding carton and keep a high barrier flexible pouch only, associated with kraft paper or a light carton for the deadfold effect, and this is the definition of the very successful and promising stand-up pouches. Bag in Box Bag in Box (BiB) is a registered brand name of the French cardboard manufacturer Smurfit Socar that has become a generic name. The main manufacturers are, for the pouches, Kaysersberg of the British group David S. Smith, Scholle of the Netherlands, Smurfit Socar of France, Liqui-Box of the UK, and Zevathener from Germany. Interestingly the leading suppliers of bag in box film liners are paper and cardboard groups. This is a niche market, but with continuing good outlook. As an example, the French market is estimated at over 120 million litres, 70% of which is for wine for distribution and institutions, and the balance, all for institutions and industry, is for:
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• • • • •
Fruit juices (in Australia, the USA and Germany with Granini brand), Milk, Liquid eggs, Water (in Spain and Central Europe), Detergents (in the USA, Procter & Gamble).
5.6 Automatic Packaging Films In addition to good optical properties, gloss, transparency, low odour and taste levels, ready acceptance of print, good heat sealing and hot tack properties are required for high-speed automatic packaging machines. Most important too are very smooth surface slip and anti-blocking properties. In addition to mono-films made of PE-LD and blends of PE-LD and PE-LLD, coextruded twolayer films of PE-LD with PE-LLD, EVA and PEm ionomers are also used. The trend is towards coextruded films with the use of PE-LLD or blends rich in PE-LLD. Owing to good heat sealing and hot tack properties, the use of PEm-LLD and PEm-VLD is growing. Thicknesses range from 60 to 250 μm, depending upon the final use, either directly, or as substrates for multilayer laminates, of almost infinitely varying constructions. The market for automatic packaging film in Europe is estimated at 550,000–600,000 tons, 65% for PE-LD, 20% for PE-LLD and 15% for PE-MD/PE-HD, the fastest growing. 5.7 Multilayer Films Multilayer films span a wide range of many types of flexible packaging, as they can be used in many types of bags and sacks, and in automatic wrapping. As was said in Chapter 4 on processes, multilayer films (sometimes called complexes) are obtained by one or several processes, the main ones being lamination, coextrusion, coating and metallisation, and combinations of those. There may be up to 14 layers. The performances expected from multilayer films are many and their combination can be selected at will to create truly customised performances. The main requirement is a barrier that can be selective to oxygen, water vapour, moisture, aroma and ultraviolet light. Various treatments may make the multilayers antistatic, or conductive, or impart anti-mist properties. Multilayer films can be printed, gravure or flexo, up to ten colours. One of the major substrates is polyethylene film, for laminates, as PE plays two main roles, giving both full body and sealing function to the finished multilayer. The PE films for laminations, whether blown mono-films or coextruded blown films, range from 50 to 80 μm in thickness. The specific PE film used as substrate in laminates has an estimated total market of 400,000 tons in Europe, mostly PE-LD, with PE-LLD developing. The largest outlet for multilayer films is the food industry, with many applications, e.g. labels, lidding and flexible packages. The most often used packaging technique is form–fill–seal, from multilayer film reels. The applications range from dry groceries to chilled and frozen foods. One of the most active end-use markets, and still rapidly growing, is that of chilled prepared fresh foods, including recipe dishes, soups and pasta (over 1,500,000 tons in Europe), in packages of average weight 500 g or at least 3 billion units. Another strong end-use market is that of frozen foods, for the same types of prepared foods, but the type of packaging material is slightly less demanding as to barrier performance, as the freezing process offers more protection than for chilled products. The European consumption of frozen ready meals is estimated at 1.2 million tons of cooked products, or also close to 3 billion units.
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No precise figures can be given, only rough orders of magnitude, as any attempt to arrive at more precise figures would be greatly outside the scope of this study, and would be uncertain, at best. As a summary, for Europe, some estimates of the order of magnitude of the film tonnage used in a number of large end-use markets are shown in Table 5.1. Table 5.1 Main end-uses for multilayer films of all types (in thousands of tons), in Europe in 2004 Bakery products 220 Snack foods 125 Confectionery, sweets and chocolate 100 Medical and pharmaceutical 65 Dried foods 50 Fresh meat and poultry 45 Modified-atmosphere systems 40 Coffee, tea and herbs 20 Total above 665 Source: Pardos Marketing, various industry estimates 5.8 Labels, Sleeves and Display Films The role of all these packaging forms is multiple and has expanded over the years. There was the original function of labels, to identify the packaged products, essentially applied on rigid packages, bottles, containers, cans and boxes. Then the role of labels changed, as they are no longer a simple information carrier, but an integral part of the marketing strategy for the product. Increasingly, these two functions, protection and information, have given rise to new forms of labelling and new types of packaging, enlarging the former roles of labels, and introducing new functions (grouping, protection and display) and new forms of packaging (sleeves and display films). Thus the former role of labels has been enhanced and entirely new industries have been generated, with sleeves and display films all blurring into one another, and making the precise definitions more difficult. All these products, whether labels or the many derivative products, essentially use flexible films. Traditional and Changing Labels Because of the somewhat blurred definitions, only approximate figures and orders of magnitude could be arrived at, short of an extensive specialised label study, which is outside the scope of this report. As a rule of thumb, and to help with calculations, to convert from square metres to tons: • •
Paper labels, 65 g per 1 m2, Plastic labels (60 μm), roughly 60 g per 1 m2 for various plastics.
Estimates for total world label consumption indicate 27 billion square metres of labels, of all types, in the world, to rise to 35 billion square metres by 2007. This is an average global annual growth of 7% between 2003 and 2007. The fastest growth is expected in Asia and other emerging countries that are already 30% of the world total. Estimated total area (billion m2) for labels of all types, in 2003, are as follows: • • • • •
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Europe North America Asia Rest of world Total world
7 7 9 4 27
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
Everywhere, self-adhesive labels are already a large part of the total, and are expected to reach half of the world market by 2007. Plastic labels will get close to 30% of the total world market by 2007, even more in Asia, replacing paper labels. In fact, everywhere, most of the growth is with plastic labels. According to the European Label Federation, the world market for self-adhesive labels is estimated at 10 billion m2, of which Europe is about 3.5 billion m2. European estimates indicate 7 billion m2 for labels in Europe, 51% of which is for self-adhesive, 38% for wet glue, 4% for sleeves, and 2.5% for films. Other types of labels (gummed, IML, heat seal) are 5% of the market altogether. Table 5.2 illustrates the consumption of label substrates in Europe. Table 5.2 Consumption of label substrates in Europe (in millions of square metres) Type of label substrate 1996 2003 (estimated) Glue applied 2,380 2,400 Self-adhesive 2,800 3,600 Gummed 185 150 Shrink/stretch sleeve 183 400 In-mould 93 200 Heat seal 15 50 Reel-fed film 84 200 Total 5,740 7,000
The total label market in the USA is estimated to be about equivalent to the European market, at 6–7 billion m2 in 2003. The trends of the various substrates are similar to those of Europe. The only declining labels are the gummed papers and the heat-sensitive, while the fast growing are the self-adhesive labels. Wet glue labelling has traditionally been associated with glass bottles and jars and food cans, declining in favour of plastics containers using pressure-sensitive labels. Similarly, gummed paper labels, formerly used for boxes, cases and corrugated containers, have been overtaken by the electronic generation and printing of bar codes, using either direct printing methods or self-adhesive laser, thermal or thermal transfer labels. As a rule, the growth of paper labels is less than 2% a year, whereas the growth of film labels is over 10%. As an illustrative example, in France, the total area of plastic labels is about 75 million m2, versus 400 million m2 for paper labels, or, at 60 g/m2, about 250,000 tons of paper just for labels. Table 5.3 gives European market figures for different label types. Table 5.3 European market figures (in millions of square metres) for labels, compiled by EPSMA Federation, partial figures, 2001 Types of labels Area Percentage of total Paper-based reels 2946 73 Plastic-based reels 715 18 Paper sheets 273 7 Film sheets 95 2 Total 4029 100 Source: EPSMA
An increasingly essential function of labels is to display all the legal and marketing information needed on the products. The following are the main trends in labels:
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• • •
Development of self-adhesive labels, often of 80 μm PE, down from 100–120 μm, used for many years, Electronic labels, launched in 1995, radio-frequency identification (RFID), Development of ‘new look’ labels, with better print quality than direct printing onto the package.
Shrink label films are used for full-body shrink sleeve labels, bottle capsules, cap seals, and tamper-evident bands. Transverse direction oriented (TDO) films are typically printed for highly decorated labels that provide food and consumer products with 360° graphics. RFID labels are part of the general concept of electronic article surveillance (EAS). RFID labels ensure full traceability of the package: extensive information, general whereabouts, and the state of the product stocks. The aim is eventually to replace the bar code. It is still a way off, but processes are developing rapidly, including the standardisation of the information to be exchanged, electronic product code (EPC), with all details on the product, and the reading protocol such as the rule in the USA for the Intellitag. As of early 2004, the world market for RFID is estimated at $1 billion, with 150 million labels, to triple by 2007. At that time RFID will have become the norm for mail packs and pallets, but it will be a long time before it replaces the bar code on unit consumer packaging. Price is the main limiting factor. In 2004, the price of an RFID label averages 0.5 euro, and is expected to go down to 0.15 euro within three years. More massive adoption of RFID labels will not happen before the average price goes down to 0.05 euro, at best. Flexography is the dominant printing process, at the expense of letterpress and other processes. The quality levels and the structure of the labels have changed over recent years. The UV flexo has become the prevailing printing method. Narrow web flexo is the predominant method of printing labels, and water-based flexo has prompted printers to adopt UV flexo as well. The most frequently used paper for labels is one-side-coated paper. The other side may stay rough to take the adhesive better, or be smoothed by calendering to receive special adhesives. Plastic Labels The following polymers are used for plastic labels: • • • • • •
PE is still the most common material, for its flexibility, stretchability and squeezability, but its aspect is too milky and its resistance to high temperature is insufficient, PP is less stretchable, but with higher dimensional stability and clarity than PE, Cast PVC is still liked for lower cost and the ability to better adapt to curved surfaces, PET is selected for higher mechanical and temperature resistance, and clarity, although it has a higher price, PS is used for safety labels that can break and thus be tamper-evident, There also are intermediate solutions like coextruded PE/OPP that combine the performances of each material.
The average thickness for labels is 85 μm for PE and 60 μm for OPP. The advantage of singlematerial labels is that they can be of the same material as the support package, thus helping recyclability. Wet glue labels continue to dominate the high-volume, high-speed labelling of cans for foodstuffs, pet-foods, paints and canned beverages.
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Self-adhesive labels are the only label technique that can cope with the requirement for labels to pass through thermal, laser, ink jet, bar code, impact and dot matrix printers. A typical construction of adhesive labels is: 50 μm label material, printed front/20 μm adhesive/0.5 μm silicone coat/58 μm backing. The growing interest for adhesive labels is due to the fact that no glue is needed to put the labels on. In-mould labelling (IML) is a fast growing niche, with growth for round pots for various food or non-food products. Products that used to be packed in thermoformed containers with a sleeve are increasingly presented in IML alternatives. For instance, the IML technique is used for large rectangular tubs for do-it-yourself products. The main advantage of IML is that, because the label is an integral part of the container, it cannot peel off. This advantage has been most attractive to the first development of IML with ice-cream tubs. Another advantage is that the labels can be printed, gravure, flexo, litho and even digitally, always with very detailed, colourful and intricate graphics that cannot be achieved by printing directly on the container. A complete wrap-around effect can also be created. Whilst IML has long been used in the UK, it is still less frequent in the rest of Europe, with the exception of some players, like Plysu in Belgium and Alpla in Austria. Probably one of the reasons why IML did not take off so much in Europe is the very large volumes with few variants needed to justify this process. Film Labels, New-Look Labels and Plastic Sleeves Film labels are developing at the expense of paper, particularly for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, and for glass and plastic bottles. Resistance to moisture and to scuffing, and improved stiffness, are the performances of film labels that are better than paper. BOPP is the material of choice, because low critical thickness (30 μm) and density mean less raw material than other plastics like PE or PVC. Film labels have also been developed for fruit labels, for use on fruit with inedible skins like melons and oranges. Another area for film labels is in frozen and chilled foods, because paper labels are more susceptible to the effects of moisture. The price ratios of the various labels, based on 100 scale index, are as follows: • • • •
Paper labels, 30–80, sold by thousand units, and paper is half the cost, IML labels, 120–150, Self-adhesive labels, 100–1000+, Plastic sleeves, 90–350.
Heat shrink sleeve labels (described in the ‘Sleeves’ subsection below) represent an estimated 300 million m2 in Europe, and stretch sleeves represent 100 million m2, both still a small part of the 7 billion m2 total for all labels. New developments of interest are integrated circuit (IC) tags, to replace bar code labels that display product information. The IC tag material is likely to be PET film. According to industry estimates, if the major food and distribution companies started using IC tags, the total global demand could reach 1,000 billion units within six years. The structure of the label industry is very fragmented. As an example, in France, there are about 300 label companies, of which none is over 5% of the total market, and only about ten produce more than 5 million m2 of labels, among which the largest are Avery Dennison, Luck, Techmay, Agipa, Seec Bopack France and Sopano.
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Sleeves Sleeve packaging consists of a tubular structure obtained by a thermo-retractable plastic film, obtained by stretching, printing and welding to make the tubular shape. The plastics used may be PVC, PET and OPP. There are no substantial differences from the application point of view, only after tradition and choice. The most usual thickness is 50–75 μm. OPS, relatively less developed in Europe, offers PVC substitution qualities, for export, and a higher shrink potential, 70% versus 60% for PVC, equivalent to PET, but the latter is more difficult to shrink. Fuji Seal and Smurfit Labels reportedly are the most active in OPS. Sleeve packaging can be supplied neutral, transparent or in rotogravure printing up to nine colours, to apply ads, trademarks, descriptions, labels, warnings, etc. The printing is on the inner side of the sleeve, for protection from the outside. In Europe, after the earlier developments in Japan, the sleeve began in 1975, as a combination product/machine, by the French company Sleever. The development of shrink sleeves started in the mid-1990s, mainly at the initiative of Fuji Seal, which had developed the system first in Japan. The shrink sleeve process permits more freedom in decoration and functions of the sleeves. As many of the materials shrink by up to 50%, they can conform to the most complex contours. For instance, shrink sleeves provide much better effects on long-necked bottles: the printing is better, on the inside of the label, with greater print area, and scuff-free. The development of shrink sleeves is helped by the search for more complex shaped containers – a strong marketing trend. Shrink sleeves permit printing to reach shapes and displays where labels cannot be used, on glass or plastic containers. There are three functions for sleeves – labelling, tamper-evident protection and grouping – and the best paradox is to achieve a product that is not seen as such. Also, sometimes, when used on glass bottles, sleeves permit the use of lighter weight glass and the sleeve thus becomes part of the structure. One of the most active developments in recent years is that of the shrink label market, which consist of standard wrap-around labels or, newer, full-body or sleeve labels. The full body shrink labels, part of the sleeve concept, fully surround the package and can fit complex shapes. They are processed via cast extrusion with transverse direction orientation, then printed, seamed and shipped. End-users, in general bottlers, run them through shrink tunnels where heat obtained by steam or infrared rays causes the labels to shrink to the contours of the package. The tunnels follow the filling spot if the labels also serve as tamper-evident seals. The wrap-around shrink labels are machine direction oriented instead, generally of OPP films. They are roll-fed and they only shrink to 5–25%, so their use is more like a standard label and they are limited to conventional container shapes. For comparison, the growth of general label types about parallels general economic growth, the inmould labels are about double that level, and the full-body shrink labels are growing at about 20% a year. The dominant material for shrink labels started as PVC, and use of this polymer continues because of lower price, but the trend is to replace PVC by PETG and by OPS, particularly in the USA and Japan. Europe is behind at the moment for the full-body shrink labels. There is a lot that it is possible to play around with in terms of decoration and combining two or more of the functions. Sleeves also leave more space for increased labelling information. Another
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driver is the desire to reduce packaging. All in all, compared to boxes, for small objects like cosmetics, the sleeve has the added advantages of tamper evidence and promotional opportunities. Now sleeves are seen as the labels for the 21st century. Shrink sleeves can reach 300 per minute on bottles, which are all of the same standard sizes and easily differentiated by the sleeves. The milk and dairy food markets are targets for large shrink sleeves. As a rule, all bottle and beverage markets are the main outlet for shrink sleeves. One essential driving force in the development of all sleeves was the need for tamper evidence. Then the marketing teams appreciated the great visual appeal that sleeves could create, and labels morphed into sleeves. This is the case of up-market new drinks, like Actimel, Mars Bar and Nesquick. Guinness also uses sleeves on the bottled brew, in order to hide the ‘widget’. This concept of the all-plastic jacket around bottles is one of the most market successful in recent years, particularly in spirits. When the sleeves act as up-market labels, the preferred printing is gravure, better than offset or flexo. Gravure permits a brighter, picture-like look. This adds new dimensions to sleeves, as it is possible to print all around the sleeve and yet to see the product through it. The selection of plastics is also very important in the current sleeve developments. Polyolefin films are not widely used for all-around container sleeves, as they do not provide enough shrinkage. Stretch sleeves use more of PE-LD/PE-LLD. The difference in the degree of shrinkage required from the base to the neck of spirits bottles means that PET is the best material for this purpose. The shrinkage properties of PET are 70% versus 60% for PVC, with the steam shrinking technique, instead of electric tunnels. Steam is the emerging method to achieve shrinkage, reducing the risk of hot spots on the container, providing better penetration of heat into the gap between the all-around label and the container, and being more acceptable to heat-sensitive products than the standard electric tunnel. Labelling speeds also average out at 300 units per minute, with the search for increasing line speeds and reducing costs. According to raw material suppliers, PVC had 95% of the shrink labels five years ago. Now, the global market of shrink labels is estimated at 75,000 tons, of which: • • •
PVC OPS PETG
40%, 33%, 27%.
Roughly, the price spread is that PETG is 1.5 times the price of PVC, and OPS is 1.3 times the price of PVC. The preferred material in Japan and Asia is OPS, followed by PETG. In Europe, PVC is still dominant (Table 5.4). Table 5.4 Western European shrink label sleeve market estimates (in tons), in 2003 PVC 11,000 PETG 5,000 OPS 2,000 OPP 300 Total, all substrates 18,300 Sources: various, Pardos Marketing, industry, PIRA
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The market for shrink sleeves is currently growing at 20% per annum. It is estimated at 1 billion euros worldwide, roughly split between 50% in the food industries, 30% in cosmetics and toiletries, and 20% in household maintenance products. The sleeve industry is much more concentrated than the label industry. There are only about a dozen main suppliers, essentially in shrink sleeves. The three largest players, supplying close to 60% of the sleeve market, are Fuji Seal, Decorative Sleeves and Sleever International. ITW Auto Sleeve, specialised in stretch sleeves, bought Decorative Sleeves, in 2000, more in shrink sleeves. Stretch sleeves are a much smaller market, led by two main companies, Autobar Flexible Neoplast and Décomatic, mainly of PE films. The main players, providing materials and systems, are Euraf, Dypro, PDC Scheidegger, Fuji Seal, Sleever, Graham Labeling Systems, ITW Auto Sleeve, and Turpins Packaging Systems. There are also Alcoa, CPC Packaging, Decorative Seal, Flight Flexible, Giraud Conditionnement, Haendler & Natermann, Kobush Sengewald, Parkside Flexibles, and Viscose Closures. Display Films This term describes the films that cling around a number of products, as individual sales units, to permit a better presentation and protection. In contrast to sleeves, they do not start from a tube to be stretched or shrunk around a package – rather, they start from an open film, with a seam or weld at the less visible bottom of the package. Display films are generally used to neatly wrap single products, like a book, a game box, and similar types of package, for better presentation. The products thus presented are many (mostly non-food), such as stationery, books, wallpaper rolls, toys and games, disks, cassettes, CDs, framing, cosmetics, toiletries, and a number of food products. PVC shrink films have been used for overwrapping foods or other goods when high clarity and gloss are required, but they are not as strong as PE. Reynolds Metal, which was bought by Alcoa in 2000, claims to have invented the concept with Reynolon PVC film, back in 1958. Among the largest worldwide producers of PVC shrink display films are Bemis, the former DuPont, Clysar, Sealed Air, and Reynolds Metal Reynolon. Also involved are Delta Plastics in Newark, NJ, USA, which pioneered downgauging, the Israeli company Syfan Dor, and the French Bolloré, Bolphane, with 5,000 ton capacity, launched in 1996, getting 30% of the French market and 15% of the world market. The latest development in shrink display films substitutes PVC with PE-LLD, containing 80% of LLD and 20% of LD, while the reverse proportion applies to shrink PE film. Pioneer grades in this development were those of Montell (now Basell), HP-LLDPE, for high performance, which contains dispersed spherical particles of PE copolymers. The new PE-LLD films can be downgauged from 80 to 40 μm thickness, with equivalent mechanical properties. Metallocene grades can also impact on shrink films. The goal is to create a pure PE-LLD polymer that can duplicate the performances of PE-LD shrink film grades without blending. The use of display films is very fragmented, as even small companies may have a filming machine for non-continuous use. There are thousands of such filming machines in Europe. Even the largest users, very few, buy no more than 100 tons of display films per annum, most no more than 10–50 tons.
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Altogether, the European consumption of display films as defined here is estimated at 50,000 tons, of which: • • •
PVC, 30,000 tons, still dominant but stagnant, PP, 12,000 tons, fast growing, PE-LLD, 8,000 tons, fast growing, as third generation.
5.9 Other Packaging Applications Lidding This is a very important and high-value application for films, as it plays a key role in maintaining the protection of food in cups and trays, ensuring better barrier properties, and imparting longer shelf-life to modified-atmosphere packaged products, from meats to fresh dairy products, and many other foods. Ever since the first trays were launched in the 1960s, when the lidding was of aluminium foil, many solutions have appeared. The challenges have been many, such as: complete smoothness on the surface of the package, easy and thorough peeling, perfect protection of the packed product (at least as high as the main package), search for transparency and anti-misting (essential on self-service shelves), reclosability for cold meats, etc. In the past few years, one of the most active challenges has been to find the best material for peelability plus reclosability. This requires various technical solutions, blending different resins to achieve a proper balance between sealability and ease of opening. Peelability can be obtained with a peelable film, with a peelable extrusion coating, or with a coating. Some films, like PVC, are intrinsically peelable. Extrusion coating permits all the film surface to have a sealing layer. The lower layer, in contact with the package, stays sealed, and the upper layer can be manually peeled off. The coating method limits the coated area to the sealing area, and saves on product quantity. Strapping The term ‘strapping’ refers to the strong reinforced plastic tapes that have replaced the long disappeared steel bands, for a broad variety of packages, e.g. mail, heavy-duty wraps, and the like. The main materials used are PP and PET. The total tonnage is not known, but has been roughly estimated at 100,000 tons worldwide. Bubble Films and Wrap This type of film is used for protective packaging, in shipping and for storage. The main world producers of bubble films are: • •
Sealed Air, world leader, with about 50% of bubble film market in Europe, Aircal, subsidiary of the US company Tenneco Packaging.
More local producers that were identified are Sapronit in France, which makes thin PE foam for superficial protection and thick foam for cushioning, and decided to diversify into bubble film, which has similar applications, and Charpentier, with a range of cushioning materials. Tear Tapes The world leader in this type of product is PP Payne, in the UK and the USA. The company has perfected easy opening and had Supastrip adopted as the world standard. The tape bonds to the
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wrapping film on contact, to ensure trouble-free application, while specially formulated pressuresensitive adhesive ensures a wrinkle-free appearance on the finished pack. Large outlets are in the food and tobacco industries. More than one-third of the output is now printed, positioning the functional tear tape as an effective branding and communication medium on consumer packaging, in spite of the narrow strip. Twistwrap This is the typical package for single unit candy or sweet, using materials with deadfold properties. Deadfold is the ability of a material to hold a crease, fold or twist, without springing back. Most plastic films have ‘elastic memory’, so that when they are deformed, by creasing or twisting, they attempt to regain their original shape when the stress is removed. Deadfold properties are best with the traditional flexible materials (paper, foil and cello), not with plastic films, unless associated with one of the traditional materials. This is why the long preferred transparent film for candy twist has been cellophane. UCB, one of the very few remaining cellophane producers in the world, launched a special cello grade designed only for twistwrap, Star-Twist, now widely used by sweet producers in Europe. CelloPlus is another cello-based material, a laminate of PVDC barrier-coated cello, with a central core of BOPP, and a single-side release coating. The cello/PVDC part provides a barrier to gases and aroma, while the BOPP acts as a barrier to moisture. CelloPlus is used for dried fruit, biscuits and air fresheners. The deadfold property is also used for sheet paper and bunch wrap in gift wraps. In recent years, plastics have tried to enter the deadfold property products, with limited success. Aluminium foil has very good deadfold properties and has been used for chocolate since the 1920s, as the industry standard, whether bare, printed or not, for inside wrap, or lacquered and printed, or associated with paper, glassine and plastics. Adhesive Tapes Plastic films are used for adhesive tape support. Adhesive-coated tapes can carry watermoistenable adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive. The former is in relative decline, as it adheres effectively only to paper, and it was often coated on a kraft paper backing. For adhesion to most surfaces, a permanently tacky adhesive coating is more convenient, as it does not require additional treatment and it is not specific to any kind of surface. The choice of the backing film depends upon the strength required in the product. Film supports range from cello (now finished) to nonplasticised PVC, oriented PP and PET. The preferred tape backing material continues to be PP film, taking market share from paper and PVC. There also is a shift in the product mix towards heavier, higher-performance products such as double-coated structural bonding tapes. The pressure-sensitive tape market worldwide was estimated at about 500,000 tons in 2003, which is close to 25 billion m2. The trend is for continuing use of such tapes, replacing other joining and bonding systems for assembly, in industry and packaging. Plastics, both commodity and specialty, have replaced cloth, rubber and paper tapes and carton sealing with glues. Weaving Tapes Uniaxial tapes similar to the above adhesive tapes can be made and slit to very narrow widths, 1–5 mm, for further converting. The most often used material is PP homopolymer, with PE-HD used to a lesser extent. The largest OPP film tapes can be obtained through the sheet process. Film is extruded at about 500 μm film/sheet, and chilled quickly in a water bath. It is then slit into 1 cm tapes and these tapes are either stretched over a machine direction (MD) orienter as for film, or
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individually between godets. Stretching provides a reduction in width as well as in thickness, and an oriented tape is obtained. A very wide range of products are made, such as twisted raffia and cords, and woven bags or carpet backing, both as a jute replacement. As a fabric, woven tape has found large niches as replacement of the old jute hessian. Even though the natural crop is sometimes cheaper than polyolefins, prices may change sharply from one year to the next, and hence the preference for polyolefins is likely to continue. Polyolefin tapes can be woven on conventional looms to obtain thin and strong fabrics, with a few niche markets. The main markets are carpet backing, for tufted and non-woven carpets, and many types of heavy-duty sacks. A very popular and visible bag is the type that is used as luggage and shopping bags all over Asia, but which is not produced in Europe. 5.10 Building Construction Building construction is one of the largest-scale human activities, probably the largest. Plastics of the cheapest type are now used extensively because of the volume of the demand and the simple functions required. The protection required is often just as a barrier against rain water and damp. Films used for a protective role are of 100–200 μm PE-LD, a very traditional and long-time application. When concrete floors are laid, a layer of 100–150 μm placed below the floor can act as a barrier to liquid water that might rise by capillary action from the soil below. Similarly, a thicker layer, up to 500 μm of PE-LD, is used as a damp-proof membrane to prevent damp rising through the bricks and mortar, and leaving efflorescence on higher levels. In both cases, the PE-LD films are completely covered and there is little risk of degradation. Water reservoirs and house swimming pools can be lined with films more cheaply than with sealed concrete or tiles. Shallow reservoirs can be excavated by bulldozer, and lined with wide sheets of pigmented PE-LD laid from machines. The edges are folded when they overlap, and are held down until the water is put in. PE-LD film is adequate for temporary structures, but it degrades rapidly when exposed to light. PVC films are better for longer-lasting structures, but in this case the PVC sheet is not considered as part of the film definition. The films used for construction and public works are sometimes difficult to distinguish fully from agricultural films and geomembranes (see below) in some applications, and so may not be recorded appropriately. Window films include several applications, as follows: • • •
Safety and security films of PVB are used for laminated glass and films of PET for protection to regular glass. Solar control films for windows are tinted or variously treated to restrict light transmission. Safety films for window glazing, for resistance to fire, impact, shattering, entry and vandalism, are generally of PET, crystal clear, in plain or solar versions, with UV inhibitors and protected by scratch-resistant coating. They may contain high-strength nylon filaments.
Geosynthetics are sheets of polymeric material used in civil engineering for separation, reinforcement, drainage, filtration, containment of liquids and as anti-gas barriers. The largest use (about 65% of this total market) is geo-textiles, which are permeable and usually made of PP and polyester. Geomembranes are flexible films with low permeability, originally made of PVC and increasingly of polyethylene. Geogrilles are panels made from thick films, with holes at regular intervals. They are made of PE, more seldom of PP. Roofing membranes are increasingly used as the best material to substitute for the formerly used classic bitumen. Van Besouw Kunststoffen was one of the first companies in the sector to recognise the major advantage of plastic membranes over classic bitumen. Plastic membranes last longer, they are 100% waterproof, frost-resistant, easy to process, maintenance-free, with minimal errors
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when repositioning, and available in various colours. Alkor Draka, a subsidiary of Solvay, is one of the largest product range suppliers. Stretched ceilings, most often of PVC, are an actively developing market, especially for renovation in old buildings. The main suppliers in Europe are Barrisol (reportedly the largest), Clipso (different, in that they use polyester fibres and polyurethane), Newmat, and Simplex. Another promising use for high-value films is in the treatment of water, with a strong development of reverse osmosis, an inverted form of dialysis, where dirty water is fed under pressure, and purified water can escape through a semi-permeable membrane, while the impurities remain on the other side. The same principle applies to desalination plants for seawater. There will undoubtedly be large applications in this field in the future. 5.11 Agriculture The PE films for agriculture generally feature high toughness at low film thickness. Various additives such as UV stabilisers, anti-condensation agents, and formulas to filter sunlight are included in the film construction. The bulk of agricultural PE film is mono-film of PE-LD or blends of PE-LD and PE-LLD. Increasingly, two- or three-layer coextruded films made of various grades and types of PE, PE-VLD and EVA are used. PE-LLD is used in coextrusion to enhance mechanical properties. Besides reground polymers, PEm-LLD is more used. There are developments of barrier films as multilayer structures to help crops and protect from pesticides. There are strict (and ever more) regulations about the use of toxic methyl bromide CH3Br gas as a pesticide, which not only kills soil organisms but is a threat to humans in high concentration, and also contributes to ozone depletion. About 75,000 tons of this chemical are used worldwide annually. Since the gas is to be eliminated by 2005–2015, an alternative solution may be the use of barrier film, instead of the monolayer PE-HD film used to cover the ground for a few days to keep the gas in. Using a (virtually impermeable) specially coextruded multilayer gas barrier film, farmers can greatly reduce emission levels if the entire field is covered, and kept on for 20 days. The Italian machine manufacturer Bandera sells lines for the production of such agricultural barrier films mainly in Israel and Italy. The three-layer web structures, of the A/B/A type, generally have 13 μm inner and outer layers of octylene or hexylene PE-LLD/PE-LD blends, optimised to raise tear resistance to prevent film damage during laying. The B core layer is generally a 5–6 μm nylon-6. For proper adhesion between the PE and nylon layers, processors usually blend in about 20% adhesive layers into the skin layers. Multilayers featuring EVOH inside, instead of nylon, are also used. The market for agricultural film in Europe is estimated at 600,000 tons of PE, split about 75% of PE-LD and 25% of PE-LLD. The world consumption of films for agriculture is estimated at over 2 million tons, because of the very fast development in Asia, particularly in India. There are many uses of plastics in agriculture, but the following are the main film applications: • • • •
Silage, Mulching, Tunnels and food protection, Greenhouses.
Silage films are simple low-cost PE-LD draped over hay or straw or other bales and heaps of agricultural products, for rough protection from the environment. In fact, PE-LD films have replaced the long-used tarpaulins that were made of coated cloth. PE-LD films are cheaper, lighter and easy to dispose of through collected waste.
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Mulching is done by covering an area of soil with black pigmented PE-LD film of 50 μm and more, and planting seeds or seedlings through regularly spaced holes. The film is held down against the wind simply by the edges being buried in a furrow of earth. The layer of film keeps the soil by the seed warm, by reducing evaporative cooling, while it deprives unwanted weeds of the light needed for their growth. Seedlings are protected from most pests, except slugs. At the end of the season, the mulch can be rolled up for a second use, or collected for recycled waste. Tunnels or cloches have a similar function, put over early crops, and provide warmth and water retention. Oxygen consumption is low at the small plant stage, and sufficient aeration is provided by leakage until the plants get bigger. By that time it is usually warmer and more air can be admitted. The simpler constructions use an arch-shaped tunnel formed from a flattened tubular film held in shape by wire hoops alternately above and below the web. Greenhouses are almost as old as history, with some precursors in the Roman Empire, with mica or crystallised gypsum for protection. The first known greenhouses in modern history, with glass and brick, were used for the protection of orange trees. In the 20th century, greenhouses became bigger, more numerous, and with improvements such as all-glass walls and roof, heating stoves and other systems – ventilation, watering, temperature regulation, and direct use of solar energy. There are two main types of greenhouse: professional greenhouses, which are a true investment, and greenhouses in the gardens of the general public. In all cases greenhouses must let the light in and keep the cold out, while protecting the plants, all with a reasonable durability of the investment. Over the years, transparent plastic films have become an interesting competitor to glass, which is heavy, breakable, relatively expensive, and prone to fogging. Transparent plastics are cheaper, but also have their limitations. The most popular material for greenhouses is PE-LD film, with many variants depending upon the crops, climate, environment, and invested capital potential. 5.12 Consumer Goods There is a very wide variety of applications for plastic films in the extensive range of consumer goods. Some of them are briefly reviewed here. Garbage Bags The market for garbage bags is estimated at between 400,000 and 500,000 tons in Europe, split between 50% PE-LD, 20% PE-LLD and 30% various blends. The total and split figures are hard to estimate since there is a growing proportion of reground PE used in the making of garbage bags. Generally the films are mono-films, with requirements for high toughness and puncture resistance that are not always achieved. The thickness ranges from 20 to 80 μm depending on whether the use is for kitchen box garbage, or for heavier-duty street box garbage bags. Household Films Household films is a broad term that covers trash can liner bags, stretch films, freezer bags, aluminium foil reels and trays. Plastics are over 85% in tonnage, less in value. Household refuse bags are the liner bags to put into kitchen garbage boxes. Often, customers prefer to re-use supermarket shopping bags, but the market is likely to continue, even to grow, as disposable supermarket bags are no longer freely distributed. Other household bags and films are generally sold in rolls, together with aluminium foil and various disposable papers. The main suppliers in Europe are SP Metal (formerly Jet’Sac) for refuse bags, and the common brands Albal, Handybag and Melitta. All the brand names experience strong competition from
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supermarket brands, supplied by the main industrial suppliers, which also have their own brands. The main two suppliers and distributors of household films are Melitta and Dowbrands (Albal brand), which joined forces in 1996. The group mainly supplies to distributor brands throughout Europe. The former Melitta plants are in Germany, Austria and France (five plants total). The former Dowbrands has two plants, in Germany and Italy. Disposable Diapers and Related Products At the borderline between consumer goods and medical applications, there are the breathable films used for disposable non-woven hygiene supplies and diapers. The market for hygiene films of PE is estimated at 300,000 tons in Europe. It includes films for baby and adult diapers, female hygiene products, protection of hospital beds, and packaging of these articles. All the hygiene films are generally flexible, elastic, embossed, and exhibit high toughness and tear propagation resistance. About half of diaper films and the like is three-layer cast film, using PE-LD, PE-LLD and EVA. The other half is blown film, produced as mono-films, from blends of PE-LD and PE-LLD. PE-VLD is increasingly used in coextrusion for the production of soft diapers. The thickness of the backsheet for these disposable protective hygiene films is 20–25 μm. There is a trend to breathable films and PE-LD-coated PP non-wovens. The producers rely on breathable webs made by embossing the backsheet prior to winding. Embossed pores allow air circulation to the body, preventing skin irritation and bacterial growth, while letting body fluids escape. An alternative is microporous breathable films first produced in Asia in the mid-1990s. Now, more than 75% of diapers sold use backsheets based on microporous structures. These structures account for practically 100% of all diapers and other medical disposables. Equipment manufacturers, like SML Extrusion Technology of Austria, offer the possibility to make films that are both breathable and waterproof. A cast film line features a vented extruder to process films of PP or PE blends, filled with various amounts of calcium carbonate. By integrating a multistage uniaxial stretcher, following the 500 kg/h capacity cast line, the equipment can obtain the required film properties when stretching, since the calcium carbonate does not elongate but perforates the film to produce the microporous effect when stretched. The number and size of micropores are adjustable through the stretching ratio, temperature and compound composition. The final film width is between 1,600 and 2,000 mm. Other machine manufacturers active in breathable films are Reifenhäuser and Pegas. Reifenhäuser uses BBA non-wovens for the Vaporweb process, which involves three components: in-line production of a non-woven fleece, extrusion coating of the film/non-woven, and biaxial stretching of the film/non-woven composite. This technique produces thinner, more permeable, film and uses a non-contact electrostatic method to attach the film to the non-woven. Pegas, which claims to be the largest non-woven producer in Central and Eastern Europe, also uses the Reifenhäuser extrusion coating process with ready-made compounds, and a single screw extruder, electrostatic pinning and uniaxial stretching. The cost savings for this type of direct extrusion are down to 50%, for a typical filled compound of about 1 euro per kg, in spite of the high content of low-cost filler. Altogether, the size of the market for breathable films, mostly PE-LLD, with growing PP, is estimated at 90,000 tons in Europe and 60,000 tons in the USA. Credit Cards In 2001, there was an agreement between Klöckner Pentaplast (the leading producer of rigid films) and Lohman (a coating specialist), in Germany, for worldwide cooperation in production and
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coating of films for the credit card industry. The project is aimed at meeting the demands of global card producers, which want to find local availability for high-performance films. Tarpaulins Tarpaulins made of coated fabrics, a long time product used for many applications (in camping, leisure equipment, covers for cars, boats and trailers, and many other kinds of protection), have generally been replaced by PE-LD films of various thicknesses, from 100 μm upwards. Reinforcement is sometimes provided by sealing a scrim fabric between two films of PE-LD. 5.13 Medical Applications The main medical applications using plastic films include blood bags, infusion bags and pouches for waste fluids. As a rule, the preferred material continues to be plasticised PVC, in spite of the many attacks. However, production in industrialised countries has gradually shifted to countries with lower labour costs. For instance, in Europe, production that was originally in Scandinavia, Denmark and Ireland went to Italy in the 1970s, then to Malta, and finally to Asian countries. A major application in medical and pharmaceutical fields is barrier packaging films for blister packs, widely used for pharmaceutical packaging. The standard material is a range of composites of PVC/PVDC, of various constructions, from the simplest to the more elaborate: • • • •
200–250 μm PVC/40–60 μm PVDC, 200–250 μm PVC/30 μm PE/60–90 μm PVDC, 100 μm PVC/30 μm PE/180 μm PVDC/30 μm PE/100 μm PVC, total 440 μm for thermoforming, 100–200 μm PVC/40 μm PVDC/40 μm PE.
5.14 Automobile Industry A new development that seems quite promising is the use of film overmouldings on some exterior parts of the car, to replace paint. This very concept opens up ideas for the future, like eventually replacing paint by an in-mould film finish. Such a replacement for the painting process could reduce the car finishing cost by a factor of 10, and lead to longer life. Plastic Omnium has already had success for large external parts, like a bumper for the new VW Beetle car. The concept might be a little more difficult for fenders, in order to match the exact hue of the rest of the car body, but in general no such challenges have proven to be impossible. Plastic Omnium also developed a new concept in 2001 – the overmoulding of films in various inside parts – applied by Renault on the Laguna model. This is a long time use for films, like it is for furniture. The novelty is to use the concept for outside parts that are exposed to UV, rain, hail, small stones and the like. Rexam brought in a solution for fascias and grilles, with a multilayer film in which the décor is sandwiched between an ABS substrate, which ensures cohesion with the receiving part, and a surface layer made of a blend of PVDF and PMMA. This gives the required finish, whether bright, matt, or any other, and can withstand any scratches. The thermoformed thin film is put inside the mould at run time, with up to, say, 1,400 parts per day possible for the moulding of the fascias. 5.15 Electrical/Electronics Industries The main applications of plastic films in the electrical and electronics industries mainly cover the following:
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• •
PET and thin PP films for capacitors (condensers), Specialty films, like polyimide and competing materials, for electronics and flexible printed circuits.
Plastic films are poor conductors of electricity and this characteristic is useful in electrical equipment. Power generation demands coils of conductors rotating in magnetic fields, and the smaller the coils can be made, the more the field can be concentrated. The single wire insulation is often enhanced by lining the slots with a channel section preformed from plastic films. The properties required are high resistivity and high melting temperature. Heat is generated by the flow of current in the coils and the current has to be restricted to a level at which the heat generated will not soften the slot liners. Electrical insulators are usually poor conductors of heat as well, and tolerance of higher temperatures enables smaller generators to be made. Capacitors (electrical condensers) are devices for storing electrical charge. A capacitor consists of two metal plates separated by a non-conducting layer called the dielectric. Capacitors are thus used to control and correct phase retardation of driven machinery. One of the world’s largest suppliers of thin films for capacitors is the French company Bolloré. Currently capacitors are essentially made of metallised films, mainly PET, PP and polycarbonate. PP is the preferred material because of price and satisfactory properties of high breakdown voltage and very low loss angle when well purified. Plastic films, essentially PET, are still extensively used as magnetic tapes for audio, video and computer data. This application is declining with the CD and DVD markets increasing. There is a growing demand for diffuser films, used in television screens, personal digital assistants, computer monitors, personal computers, cell (mobile) phones, car LCDs, cameras, portable DVDs, etc. Diffuser films are generally coated PET films. A General Electric division, GE Advanced Materials, has launched optical display films of polycarbonate (PC), with optical properties that are built into the film formulation and/or moulded into the film surface. The new GE PC film Illuminex builds in optical performance through the resin and surface technique, eliminating the need for coating. The film also reportedly provides high anti-dust and handling performances during assembly operations. GE is very optimistic about the development of the Illuminex film range, particularly in Asia, which is the most active production area for LCD applications in the world. PC films could definitely replace coated PET films in these fast growing markets. Membrane touch switches consist of a screen printed graphics layer beneath which there are two membranes screen printed with conductive silver ink circuitry separated by a spacer membrane with die-cut holes. Contact between the circuits is achieved by finger pressure over the die-cut holes. Conductive films, including films for static dissipative packaging and films used in electronic component manufacture, are a growing application for higher-value plastic films. Films used to make flexible printed circuits are fast growing, with cellular phones, pagers, PDAs, notebook computers, and many portable devices being renewed with every new technical generation after one or two years. The preferred material is PET film, but polyimide films are increasingly popular in Asia, particularly in Japan, in spite of higher price, because of much better performances. High demand for flat panel displays is also driving the film demand in these devices. The films have long been limited to the small size displays of the cellular phone type, but they are now expanding with the yet untapped growth of flat panels to replace the cathode ray tubes for the much larger markets of PC desktop monitors and TV flat screens.
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5.16 Synthetic Paper Developments in synthetic paper, mainly based on PP, have been greater in Asia than in the older industrialised countries. For instance, many call cards in Asian countries have been printed on PP for years. In Europe and the USA, synthetic papers are still limited to very niche markets, like road maps for use in outside worksites. One large European supplier is Arjo Wiggins. A Japanese supplier has entered this market in Europe. Yupo is a joint venture of Oji Paper and Mitsubishi, which has been present in synthetic opaque paper labels since 1977. Yupo produces 40,000 tons with plants in Japan and the USA. Biaxial stretching permits good dimensional stability and a smooth surface for printing. The label stock is reportedly well adapted for in-blow labelling. There are self-adhesive versions. Thickness ranges from 60 to 300 μm. For many years, DuPont had Tyvek, a spun bonded material with exceptional strength. It can be made sterile to meet the needs of the medical industry. It is also used for electronics packaging, security envelopes and bulk packaging for fine powders. Tyvek is made from long heat-fused filaments of PE-HD, extruded through a perforated die in an alternating pattern and compressed on rolls. DuPont Tyvek has a plant in Luxembourg at Contern Hesperange, and a larger plant in the USA. Production capacity was given as 60,000 tons ten years ago, and estimates now indicate 100,000 tons. 5.17 All Other End-Uses There are many other end-uses for plastic films, not listed in the broadly defined end-uses above, such as, for instance, in industrial applications and graphic arts. Releasing films benefit from some specific film properties. Plastic films have a smooth glossy surface in general, and their frequent difficulty to secure adhesion is used as an advantage in the case of releasing films. For instance, this is the case for films used for temporary protection in the manufacture of glass-reinforced unsaturated polyester panels. Originally, the film used for this temporary protection was cello, which does not adhere to many resins, especially when damp. Now cello has been replaced by polyester film. The PET film can be thicker than the 19–35 μm of cello, in order to be re-used several times before being discarded. Before cutting, the PET release films are peeled off. The PET is wound up, and re-used several times until damaged. The cello film used to be peeled off and was cheap enough to be left on just as a temporary scratch protection. PET film was found to have higher mechanical resistance, no holes, no plasticisers and longer storage. However, the protective films of PET must be removed before the reinforced sheet is still hot and, of course, before it is cut. The PET release films impart a high gloss, but special matt PET films can be selected. Air must be excluded while the resin hardens by cross-linking, so a relative oxygen barrier like PET performs several functions – carrier, oxygen barrier and surface glazer. Some types of films, like those of fluoropolymers such as polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), have such good performance, like weather resistance for 25 years, that they can be left on building panels as a permanent protective covering. Graphic arts use plastic film carriers as a substitute for paper because of their higher dimensional stability. Paper can change dimensions by 2–3% with changes of humidity in the drawing office, and this may cause problems in fine drawing, such as maps. The transparency of plastic films is an advantage in tracing and making prints. Films can be used as a base for reproduction by diazo printing. The preferred film for graphic arts applications is PET film.
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There are niche markets, such as weather and various high-altitude balloon envelopes. More modestly, the same type of balloon concept for children and advertisement also uses metallised PET films. The list and analysis of the many other niche applications of plastic films would go much beyond the scope of this study.
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6 Film Consumption Summary 6.1 Total World Plastic Film Consumption The total world consumption of plastics that take concrete shape (exclusive of polymers in liquid form for paints, adhesives and binders) was estimated at 165 million tons in 2003. Films are a very large segment of that (about 40 million tons), dominated by commodity plastics, essentially PE and PP (together about 34 million tons). A tentative summary of the estimates for global film consumption arrived at in this report is given in Table 6.1. Table 6.1 World consumption of plastic films (in thousands of tons), in 2003 Polyethylene, total of which, PE-LD films PE-LLD films PE-HD films Polypropylene, total of which, OPP/BOPP films cast PP films PVC PS PET, PETG, PEN Polyamides, OPA Polyamides, cast and coextruded Cellophane Aluminium foil Multilayer films EVA, higher grades Ionomers EVOH PVDC Biodegradable films Polyvinyl butyral Grand total, rounded
30,000 10,000 12,000 8,000 4,400 3,500 900 800 500 1,900 100 200 80 1,500 7,000 600 120 65 145 70 150 48,000
Out of the rounded grand total given in Table 6.1, aluminium foil and multilayers, which are double-counted and include materials that are not plastics, like papers, should be subtracted. Therefore, the total world plastic films consumption arrived at is slightly more than 40 million tons, which is by far the largest end-use in the total world plastics market of 165 million tons, or almost one-quarter of the total. This very high film proportion in the total is heavily weighted by polyolefin films, and particularly PE. Conversely, films are the major use of PE of all types (about half of these plastics), and polyethylenes are the largest plastics in the world total, representing 65 million tons out of 165 million tons. 6.2 Geographic/Economic Consumption Split Out of these totals, the consumption split between the major geographic/economic areas of the world closely follows that of the plastics total, in the same proportions, for the main commodities. These relative proportions are blurring, because reels are easy to carry, and more and more films are transported overseas for international trade. Film consumption as a rule means where the raw materials are extruded, and not where they end up for use by industrial or distribution customers. 115
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As a very general rule of thumb, film consumption in Europe and North America are about equivalent, and together account for about 60% of total world consumption. The relative consumption of North America and Europe is more important for the higher-value materials and films – multilayers, barriers, metallised – as most of the rest of the world is less sophisticated and diversified, but it is catching up very fast. 6.3 Main Film End-Uses In general, for most films, the main end-use industry is packaging. However, other end-uses may be quite important for some films, like the following: • • •
Magnetics, optics and telectronics for PET, Consumer goods and medical for PVC, Automobile and construction for PVB.
Table 6.2 Relative split of film consumption, packaging and other uses Plastic films Thousands Percentage Other end-uses, comments of tons packaging Polyethylene 30,000 75 Refuse, agriculture, building, disposables Polypropylene 4,400 100 PVC 800 50 Medical, furniture, membranes, agriculture, stationery PS 500 80 Stationery, envelopes PET 1,900 45 Magnetic tapes, reprography, telectronics Polyamides 300 95 Cellophane 80 95 Multilayer films 7,000 95 Ionomers 120 80 EVOH 65 80 Development in pipes, fuel tanks PVDC 145 95 Biodegradable 70 95 PVB 150 0 Car glass, window protection
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7 Film Supply Structure, Concentration and Strategies The films industry structure has been through continuing changes over the past thirty years, and the trend has accelerated in the past five years. This is true both for the raw material film production and for film conversion and multilayer films, although with different trends. 7.1 Raw Film Production In raw film production, essentially polyolefins, the first entrants in the 1960s and 1970s were often the raw materials producers, which wanted to move tonnage fast. Many of the large players in PE and OPP films were subsidiaries of polyolefin producers. This was true in those days for ICI, Hercules, BP, Atofina, Mobil, Hoechst, Bayer, DuPont, Basell, and many others. In the past twenty years, the large plastics producers have disinvested their film and other plastics processing activities, such as pipes, in order to concentrate more on their polymer and petrochemical businesses, their mergers and acquisitions programmes, whilst a few of them have completely left the polymer business to focus on life sciences or upstream activities. Only very few large plastics producers have kept their subsidiaries in films and other plastics products. Such examples exist in the PVC film/sheet industry, with Solvay and its large subsidiary Alkor Draka, and with the large European PVC producer EVC. However, this first tradition for raw plastic materials producers to be present in film production is still valid in the more recently emerging countries, like in China, India or Brazil. On the other hand, the presence of the raw material producers remains very strong in PET films, with the largest producers being DuPont Teijin, Toray and Mitsubishi Polyester, the world leaders by far. The non-PET resin producers that make PET films are considerably smaller, their capacities being in the tens of thousands of tons, versus 200,000–300,000 tons total in the case of the larger players. 7.2 Converted Film Production In converted film production, the past twenty-five years have been a continuous story of restructuring and acquisition by the larger groups in the films industry. The flexible film producers used to be small and medium-sized companies, often family-owned. Many were created in the 1960s, and they have now become huge international groups. Historically, the converted films industry originated from the paper, metal, cellophane and plastics industries. Many medium-sized and large printers diversified into laminating paper, foil, cellophane and, later, plastic films, in the 1960s. At the same time, large paper, metal and plastics companies became interested in the higher added value of converted flexible packaging materials. Then, starting in the mid-1970s, there was a wave of concentrations, most profitable medium size converters being taken over by larger groups. In the early 1980s, the coextrusion technique for multilayers created a new wave of entrants, mostly originating directly from the plastics films industry, companies both large and small. Also, at that time, the various material origins became blurred, but there were still several large metal packaging groups that diversified into flexible films (plastics and sometimes paper as well), occasionally keeping their dominance in foil, for instance, Alusuisse (which joined with Lawson Mardon), Hoogovens, VAW, Viatech, Reynolds Aluminium, Péchiney, and CarnaudMetalbox (CMB), originally in tin plate.
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There remain very large paper groups present in the flexible packaging industry, particularly in Finland (Wihuri-Wipak, Ahlström, United Paper Mills), in the Netherlands (the former BuhrmanTetterode, then KNP BT), in Switzerland (several paper groups), and in Austria (Frantschag). 7.3 Recent Developments Then from the mid-1990s up to the present day, changes have taken another turn, as the largest groups began merging and acquisition between themselves, and increasingly on a global basis. To make things even more complex, and introducing a newer scenario, many of these groups changed name altogether, as if to draw an entirely new structure by the turn of the century. This history of the past four decades needed to be briefly mentioned. The scene is now entirely new, at least for Europe and North America. Other sea changes are now starting, with the emergence of soon very large players from the rest of the world. The entry of the large Australian player Amcor is already well established. The South African group Nampak entered with bottles first; Chinese bag producers have practically chased local European markets; Israel, with Dor and Syfan, has been present in Europe for many years; Indian companies look out for acquisitions in the Western markets, like Jindal Poly Films with the French Rexor; and other players, from everywhere, are at the gates of the richer markets. The general concentration/globalisation movement is driven by the parallel concentration and globalisation of the major film users, in the food industry, supermarket food distribution, and even medical, cosmetic, hygiene and all non-food consumer goods. Today, of all the flexible packaging used in Europe, at least half is being specified and sourced by customers with pan-European products and manufacturing. And, of this half, at least half, or 25–30% of the total film and growing, is supplied by pan-European suppliers. These proportions are still increasing, and they are becoming worldwide. Industry concentration should finally help the flexible film converters to develop the strength to face their large concentrated customers and demand reasonable prices, allowing enough margins for further development and rewarding their continuous innovations. However, there is no longer any competitive advantage for films in Europe, given globalisation and the ease of transporting film reels, which are very compact and not expensive to ship, over long distances. The story of shopping bags is an example. The European/US converters should not rest too confidently either on their know-how in higher-value films, highly engineered products, such as tie-layer-free coextruded films, monolayer films with blends, solvent-free laminates and the like. Machines and know-how are available worldwide, and there are many players outside Europe ready and able to launch and operate very sophisticated products for innovative applications. The sophisticated packaging markets, high barriers for long keeping, single consumer units, and extensive development of self-service demand, are not yet very large in many emerging countries, but the strategy of worldwide exports already prevails with the most dynamic converting companies in the so-called rest of the world.
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8 Main Film Groups, Mergers and Acquisitions Table 8.1 Summary of mergers and acquisitions of the main film groups Groups Mergers and acquisitions ACX, USA Britton Group in 1998 AEP, USA, Europe Borden in 1996; FIAP in 1996 AET, USA BOPP film of Hercules in 1994; PP of AEP in 1999; OPP of Hood QPF LLC in 2001 Alcan, Canada Lawson Mardon Al Group in 2000; Rotopack, Turkey, in 2001; VAW Flexible Packaging, FlexPac in April 2003; Péchiney/Soplaril/Novacel in October 2003 Alcoa, USA Reynolds Aluminium in 2000; Kama, Ivex, in 2002 Alkor Draka Solvay subsidiary, Ellay, in 1999; 50% of Pannonplast in 2002 Amcor Flexibles Albertazzi, Schroeder & Wagner, Tobepal, Tobefil, Rexam Flexibles, and UCB Films, before 2000; Danisco (Raakman, Nielssen, CMB, Shupbach, Sidlaw, Ahlström, and Akerlund & Rausing) in 2001 API Foil Former Whiley Foils metallizer, Astor Universal, from Markem in 1998 Armando Álvarez Former Asplal, from 1977 onwards, Reyde, Reyenvas, Silvalac, Castells, Vangardia, Rafia Industrial, Solplast, Sotrafa, Macresac, and Poliplastic Autobar Flexible Bought several smaller PE film makers in France, Neoplast, Firminy, in the UK and the Netherlands; mainly in rigid packaging, up for sale in April 2004 Bemis Clysar, from DuPont de Nemours; Viskase, Walki Wisa of UPM in 2002; sold back MACTac to UPM Bischof & Klein Solem in Luxemburg, Napiag in Austria, Huecopack in Spain, Pont-Audemer in France, Cofinec in Hungary; co-owner with Frantschach, owned 70% by South African Mondi group BPI, UK Low & Bonar, Wavin films, and Spectrum in 1997; disinvested Alida and Bibby bags in 1997, as too much competition from Chinese imports Charpentier Caisimex, Cellutec, in the 1990s Clondalkin Vaasen Flexible Packaging, Spiralkote part of Fleming, in 2003 Cofira Sepso and Charfa Plastiques in 2002 Matti, and Dixie Union Kempten in 2001; earlier, Kramer & Grebe, Convenience Wolfking, Koppens, Aquarius, Tiromat; mostly in rigid packaging, except for Foods Systems the former Dixie Union (CFS) Danapak Flexibles Founded in August 2002, merger of Danapak Flexibel, Corona and Teich that owns 60%; Teich is part of Constantia Verpackung EVC Films Subsidiary of EVC, PVC producer, more in rigid packaging; bought VKW in Germany, Mazzuchelli in Italy, Caprihans in India Gualapack Bought 75% of Safta, multilayer film maker Huhtamaki More in rigid packaging; Sealright in 1998; Van Leer in 1999; industrial division sold back in 2001; 4P Ronsberg, Göttingen Coatings Jindal Poly Films Rexor in 2003, for entry in Europe Klöckner Sold to Cinven in 2001; bought Kalle from Hoechst in 1990, Aerni Leuch in Pentaplast 1998, Stäger in 1999, British Stanley Smith in 1999, Roxan in 1999, PVDC barrier of VAW in 2001, Neoplastica in 2002 LinPac Group Mostly in rigid packaging; Aquafilm in 1992 Orbita Afex Folien in 1996 Pactiv Former Tenneco; bought KNP BT in 1997, with PSG Pillo Pack, Jiffy Packaging, Airpack, Kobusch Folien, Sengewald, Nordwest, Ambassador, Delyn, Sentinel, Zote Foams Parkside Flexibles MBO from BPI in 2000; bought part of BP films in 2002 Pliant Former Huntsman films; mainly PVC Powerpack Former Fardis; bought CEISA in 2001, Sofilma and Apack
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Groups Printpack Renolit RKW
Mergers and acquisitions Flexpack in 1993, James River in 1996 BP Plastec in 2002, and, before 2000, bought ACE (Belgium), Rosenlew (Finland), Rémy Saint Frères (France), Guial (France), Iter (Spain) Sealed Air Cryovac in 1998, which had bought Schurpack International of Schur in 1994; Dolphin in 2000 Sopal PKL PKL in 2003 Südpack Picciotti in 2002 Treofan Subsidiary of Dor/Bain, 50/50, merged from ex Trespaphan, Moplefan, Shorko, originally from Courtaulds, Hoechst, Celanese, Basell, after many changes of hands Trioplast Ekmans Jönköping, Bengt Lundin, Sifab, Nyborg, in 1994–1999; FLS Plast, SMS, Silvallac, in 1999 Tyco Plastics McFarlane Films in 2001; closing plants in 2003 UCB Films ICI Films in 1998 (UK, Belgium, Australia); converted films sold to Amcor in (sold in July 2004) 1999; British Cellophane, Flexel, in 1997 United Flexibles Alliance of four medium-sized German multilayer film producers, Hueck Folien, PKL (now Sopal), Reuther Verpackung, and Pawag Verpackung Unterland Fepla Hirsch in 1988; taken over by TVK in 1999; bought by Capital Management Partners at end 2003 Wihuri group Including Wipak in Europe and Winpak in America; Gryspeert in 1985; Wolf Walsrode, ex Bayer, in 2001; Walothen in 2003
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9 Profiles of Selected Film Producers and Converters 9.1 Alphabetical Listing ACX Technologies [USA] 16000 Table Mountain Parkway Golden CO 80403 USA Tel: +1 303 271 7000 Fax: +1 303 271 7009 ACX is a holding company, originally part of the Coors Beer Corp. The Coors family still owns 45% of the holding company. ACX itself was split off from Coors Beer in 1992, taking with it all the company non-beer business, including ceramics manufacturing and packaging. Coors Ceramics, which became CoorsTek, is the largest independently owned manufacturer of ceramics in the USA, having diversified into high-tech ceramics for electricity/electronics. CoorsTek’s major competitor is Kyocera, a Japanese-based company with extensive operations in the USA. ACX acquired the UK Britton Group in 1998, with its two divisions, cartons and plastics. Then the plastics division was acquired by CVC Capital Partners, a private equity provider, as a management buy-out of the plastics division of Britton Group. The Britton Group is now one of the largest manufacturers of PE-LD film and other packaging materials. Britton Group is a leading supplier of PE film and converted products. The company was created in the early 1990s by two directors with the express aim of building a leading packaging group through acquisition. Today it has four extrusion companies in the UK with a combined total capacity of around 80,000 tons, with converting and printing operations. Also in 1998, ACX made a move into biodegradable polymers, with Chronopol. Hence, ACX Technologies makes flexible packaging, laminated films and folding cartons. It is also developing polylactide biodegradable resins. AEP Industries [USA, Europe] 125 Phillips Avenue South Hackensack NJ 07606 USA Tel: +1 201 541 6600 Fax: +1 201 807 2567 www.aepinc.com AEP Industries is a PE and PVC film manufacturer with five plants, with facilities capable of producing over 200,000 tons of film per annum. AEP manufactures a wide range of PE-LD film products using both blown and cast techniques: • • • • • • •
Agricultural films FLXTITE, Shrink films, Industrial films, Institutional products, PROformance coextruded films, Resinite PVC films, Stretch films.
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Altogether, AEP produces over 15,000 types of multi-purpose and flexible packaging PE films, at 27 manufacturing units worldwide, and processes 450,000 tons of films at eleven plants in North America, seven in Europe and nine in Asia. The company continues to look for acquisitions in its core flexible packaging market. AEP acquired Borden in 1996, making AEP the largest stretch film producer in the world. The Borden acquisition moved AEP into PP film and PVC stretch film, as well as rigid packaging. AEP also acquired the Italian FIAP that was part of Borden since 1989, a specialist in PVC film. FIAP (Fabbrica Italiana Articoli Plastici) was purchased in 1996. FIAP has been a major producer in Europe of sophisticated PVC film used for twistwraps for candies and candles, the covers of batteries, labels and laminated coatings for credit cards. In Italy, it makes PVC food wrap and converted and printed films. At its French site at Barbézieux, the former FIAP makes coextruded PAN Barex film. AEP has increased the Griffin, GA, USA, plant, already the largest production site, to install an extrusion line specific to the unique twistwrap and lamination film. AET, Applied Extrusion Technologies [USA ] AET Films 15 Read’s Way New Castle Wilmington DE 19720 USA Tel: +1 302 326 5500 www.aetnets.com AET Films manufactures OPP film in the USA and Canada. The three production sites are in Terre Haute, IN, Covington, VA, and Varennes, Canada. Through its technological innovations, AET Films is the leader in the North American OPP film market. AET has the broadest product line in the industry and the largest capacity of any North American producer. AET was launched in 1986. The US company has grown by acquisitions, starting with the BOPP films business of Hercules in 1994, when it established AET Films. Then, in 1999, AET purchased the PP assets of AEP/Borden. In 2001, AET purchased certain assets of QPF LLC, Hood Companies OPP films business. In 1996–1999, AET pioneered the new 8 m tenter and 10 m tenter. AET Films is the only worldwide film supplier using both tenter and tubular techniques to make a wide array of biaxially OPP films for the flexible packaging market. OPP films are used as labels and packaging for a vast array of consumer products such as snack foods, candy, soft drinks, aerosol cans and bakery goods. These films are complex, usually multilayer structures, developed to meet the requirements of endusers, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, Hershey and Nabisco.
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Alcan [Canada] 1188-T Sherbrooke Street West Montreal Quebec H3A 3G2 Canada Tel: +1 514 848 8000 Fax: +1 514 848 8115 www.alcan.com Historically, Alcan is the world’s largest producer of aluminium and downstream products (sheet, foil), having diversified into many industries and flexible packaging. With about 88,000 employees in more than 60 countries, Alcan has leading positions in raw materials, primary metals, fabricated products and packaging. Alcan Flexible Packaging [USA] 5303 St. Charles Road Bellwood IL 60104 USA Tel: +1 708 544 1600 Fax: +1 708 649 3888 www.alcan.com www.lawsonmardon.com Now Alcan Aluminium is a leading world supplier of flexible materials for packaging, with a focus still on aluminium, with 90 plants, 53,000 employees and $4 billion revenues. The flexible packaging portfolio includes a full range of printed and coated plastics, cellulose films, papers, and aluminium foil. Coatings include cold seal, heat seal, hot melt, many lacquers and varnishes, including some compounded for specific applications. Film, paper and foil laminates are produced by adhesive, wax and extrusion lamination. There also are mono- and coextruded plastic films for specialist applications and metallised plastic films in-house. In addition to plain foils, many products are laminated, lacquered, extrusion coated, or printed. The large flexible packaging group grew mainly by acquisitions, the main ones being Lawson Mardon and Alusuisse, having bought the Algroup in October 2000. The Algroup Lawson Mardon Group, a division of Alusuisse Lonza, had sales of over 2 billion Swiss francs, in 1998, and 30 production plants in Europe and North America in the field of flexible food and tobacco packaging. The acquisition also included the Ceramis business, a 0.1 μm, 0.2 g/m2 high-barrier material containing aluminium oxide deposit, hailed as the best transparent barrier to gases, aromas and water vapour. Alcan took control of VAW Flexible Packaging in April 2003, after E.ON had decided to sell all the packaging activities of the former Viag, including VAW Flexible Packaging, which was part of VAW Aluminium. VAW Aluminium was acquired by Norsk Hydro, which called the film division FlexPac. FlexPac has 14 flexible packaging plants in eight countries and 5,400 employees. FlexPac produces high-quality flexible packaging products for a wide variety of end-use customers and manufacturers of consumer goods, in the food, dairy and pharmaceutical industries. The product and market portfolios are complementary to the existing Alcan packaging businesses. In recent years FlexPac had been expanding in developing markets, Turkey and China. Strongpack, from Thailand, which used to be part of VAW Flexible, was acquired by Alcan. This allows Alcan to participate more effectively in Eastern Europe and Asia.
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In October 2003, Alcan acquired the French Péchiney aluminium group, for 4 billion euros, including all the aluminium operations, from bauxite to smelters, and the flexible film business of the French Soplaril, itself the result of many acquisitions in the previous twenty years. The Péchiney purchase made Alcan the largest European packaging supplier. In 2002, Péchiney had acquired Novacel, the leading custom flexible packaging manufacturer in Mexico, primarily for food markets, with 1,000 people at two manufacturing sites and $110 million sales in 2002. Altogether, Péchiney packaging operates with 5,000 people in 38 plants in North America, Europe, South America and Australasia. Alcoa [USA] Corporate Headquarters Alcoa Building 201 Isabella Street Pittsburgh PA 15212 USA Tel: +1 412 553 4545 Fax: +1 412 553 4498 www.alcoa.com Alcoa is the second largest, after Alcan, world producer of primary aluminium, fabricated aluminium, and alumina, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Altogether, Alcoa employs 120,000 people in 41 countries. Alcoa Flexible Packaging, based in Richmond, VA, manufactures a variety of packaging materials including extrusion and adhesive-laminated pouch materials, overwraps and linerstock, blister lidding foil, thermoformed trays, cable wrap, plastic shrink sleeve body labels, shrink film and laminated foil. These packaging materials are used in the pharmaceutical, medical, food, beverage, and industrial markets. Among the main product/brands are the following: • • • • • • • •
Printed, laminated light gauge foils, Printed film shrink sleeves for bottled beverages and other complex-shaped product containers, Multilayered laminated and printed pouch rollstock for unit dose tablets, towelettes, patches, Laminated foil lidding for pharmaceutical blister packages, Foil and film lidding for easy-open food and healthcare products containers, ReyShield cable wrap, Reynolon shrink films as display films for toys and games, computer software, textiles, Custom thermoformed packaging.
Alcoa became involved in numerous plastics businesses, mainly for packaging, through its acquisition of Reynolds Aluminium in 2000. In 2002, Alcoa acquired Ivex Packaging Corp., a US specialty packaging company, with 18 plants in the USA and 11 in Europe. Alcoa had also acquired Kama, the world’s leading producer of oriented polystyrene (OPS) thin sheet.
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Alkor Draka [Belgium] Industriepark De Bruwaan 9 9700 Oudenaarde Belgium Tel: +32 (0)55 339711 Fax: +32 (0)55 319650 Alkor Draka is one of the subsidiaries of the Solvay Group. Solvay Headquarters Rue du Prince Albert/Prins Albertstraat 44 1050 Brussel/Bruxelles Belgium Tel: +32 (0)2 509 6111 Fax: +32 (0)2 509 6748 www.solvay.com Solvay has developed a wide range of PVC, PP and PE films, sheets and panels. They are prepared for the industrial market by means of calendering, extrusion or coating processes. These films and sheet products have many applications, in the furniture trade and the audiovisual sector, and for household appliances, paper and leather goods, clothing, construction, civil engineering, packaging and medical applications. Alkor Draka is one of the largest European producers of synthetic single-ply waterproofing membranes for roofing. The activities commenced in 1972 and since then more than 200 million m2 of membranes have been produced. These materials have been installed on roofs, in swimming pools, garden ponds, tunnels and civil engineering projects. The waterproofing membranes are produced in three different factories: Oudenaarde (Belgium), Sant Celoni (Spain) and Liancourt (France). Although the main activity is with rigid and semi-rigid products, there is a supply of semi-flexible and flexible films, associated with the rigid containers, for labels and lidding. Medical solutions and medicines require tailor-made packaging. The Solmed product line consists of a variety of medical-grade plastics featuring PVC, EVA, PP, PE, mono-or coextruded combinations. Solmed films and tubing are the basic materials for the manufacture of bags and administration systems used for blood, intravenous solutions, medicines, dialysis solutions, nutrition and cell culturing. Among films, Alkor Draka makes a wide range of PVC blends and alloys, PP, PVC and PE-HD films for applications to protect and group goods for transport, transparent and/or sealable bioriented PP film to protect and enhance rigid packaging, cardboard boxes, cassettes, CDs, etc., as meat wrap, packaging for frozen foods, and display films. In 1999, Alkor Draka/Solvay acquired the Californian company Ellay, maker of a wide range of films, sheets, laminates and compounds. Ellay has been calendering and extruding a wide range of PVC films, sheet, laminates and compounds since the 1950s. Ellay makes glazing for convertibles and motor boats, and viewing windows for protective suits. This acquisition has expanded Solvay’s presence in the US market for medical supply films, blood pouches and the like. All the existing activities of Alkor Draka based at Laporte, Indiana, have been transferred to Ellay’s location at Commerce, near Los Angeles. At the end of 2002, Alkor Draka bought back its 50% share in films from the Hungarian company Pannonplast.
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Allflex [Germany] Allflex Folienveredlung GmbH & Co. KG Kellershaustrasse 22 52078 Aachen Germany Tel: +49 (0)241 928890 Fax: +49 (0)241 922193 www.allflex.de Allflex is a German family-owned company specialising in the converting of small orders, narrow web prints and laminations. Allflex was created in 1986, and now operates two plants, in Aachen and Aschersleben, with 135 employees. The main finished film applications are for the printed mono- and multilayer films for confectionery, long-life bakery products, ice cream, beverages, fresh meat and processed meat. The company management aims to generate further double-digit sales growth, partly by increasing exports. Alpha Packaging Films [UK] Triumph Trading Park Speke Hall Road Speke Liverpool L24 9GQ UK Tel: +44 (0)151 486 4300 Fax: +44 (0)151 486 3335 www.alphapackagingfilms.co.uk The product range includes the following: • • • • • •
Paper replacement films, Extra-strong films for security applications, Peelable seal films for food packaging, Lamination films for silicone coating, Aerocell for food packaging, Medium-density film for mail order.
There is also a niche range of three-layer co-extruded films, Crystal Clear metallocene coextrusion, that is claimed to be the strongest film in the world and ideal for safety applications. Alpha Films also has its Satinex blown coextruded film of PE-HD, with a wide range of applications from cereal bags to luggage labels.
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Aluflexpack, AFP [Croatia] CR-23000 Zadar Croatia Tel: +385 52 703 348 Fax: +385 52 741 217 www.afp.hr AFP is the largest film converter in Croatia, and carries out lacquering, lamination and printing in two plants, in Zadar and Uamg, with 415 employees. Over half of the output is exported. Applications are in the food and pharmaceutical industries, laminates for biscuits, chocolate, dairy products, labels and lidding. Amcor Flexibles Europe, AFE [Europe] Brighouse Court Barnwood Gloucester GL4 3RT UK Tel: +44 (0)1452 634100 Fax: +44 (0)1452 634150 Amcor Flexibles Europe is a subsidiary of the large Australian group, Amcor. Corporate Head Office: 679 Victoria Street Abbotsford Victoria 3067 Australia Postal address: GPO Box 1643N Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia Tel: +61 3 9226 9000 Fax: +61 3 9226 9050 www.amcor.com.au Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, Amcor has manufacturing sites in 42 countries, and derives about 80% of its earnings from outside Australasia. Amcor has approximately 30,000 employees. The company has substantial packaging businesses in five geographic areas: Australasia, North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In Australasia, Amcor offers a wide range of packaging and packaging-related services, including: corrugated boxes, cartons, aluminium and steel cans, flexible plastic packaging, PET plastic bottles and jars, closures, and multi-wall sacks. Internationally, the company is focused on four key market segments: PET plastic bottles and jars, closures and specialty packaging, flexible plastic packaging, and specialty printed cartons.
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In April 2000, Amcor demerged its printing papers business, enabling the company to focus on growing its global packaging operations. Amcor’s 45% interest in Kimberly-Clark Australia, a market leader in tissue and personal care products, was divested in June 2002. In July 2002 Amcor acquired the PET and Closures businesses of Schmalbach-Lubeca, a global leader in its markets, headquartered in Ratingen, Germany. This acquisition made Amcor the largest PET manufacturer globally and a market leader in its chosen sectors. Amcor Flexibles Europe is headquartered in the UK and operates 49 manufacturing plants throughout the world. With plants in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, Latin America and Asia, the business is Europe’s leading manufacturer of flexible packaging, offers a vast range of packaging solutions, and supplies a wide range of pharmaceutical, food and beverage markets. This includes confectionery, coffee, fresh food and dairy, as well as high value-added medical applications. Amcor Flexibles Europe operates many films converting processes, gravure and flexographic printing, coating, extrusion, adhesive laminations, monolayer and coextruded films, metallising, paper and foil laminations, microperforation, film, vented and header bags, pouches, die-cut lids and labels. The Australian company was created by acquisitions, with Danisco and Akerlund & Rausing of Ahlstrom group, in 2001, the prized larger companies. These purchases made Amcor Flexibles the leader in Europe, ahead of Alcan Packaging, Sealed Air, VAW and Péchiney, except that Alcan took first rank with the acquisition of VAW and Péchiney Flexibles at the end 2003. The objective of Amcor is still to capture 20% of the European flexible film market. Older acquisitions in the film business were those of Albertazzi (Italy), Shupbach (Switzerland), Venthenat (France), Schroeder & Wagner (Germany), Tobepal and Tobefil (Spain), Rexam Flexibles (UK) and UCB Films (Belgium).
API Foils [UK] Astor Road Eccles New Road Salford Greater Manchester M5 2DA UK Tel: +44 (0)161 7898131 Fax: +44 (0)161 7075315 www.api-foils.co.uk API is an international holding company with businesses located in the UK, continental Europe, the USA and Asia–Pacific. The group manufactures specialised packaging and security products, which are used throughout the tobacco, drinks, food, luxury and consumer goods sectors. This metalliser is the former Whiley Foils, one of the European leaders for stamping foils. Back in 1998, the US company Markem sold off its Astor Universal printing and metallising company to API. Learoyd Packaging has been acquired in a management buy-out from API Group in February 2004. API Foils, as a long experienced metalliser, has developed a know-how in holograms for decorative effects. A fast expanding marketplace for the use of holograms is in labelling. API’s dieless technique works with an inkjet print engine allowing the application of metallic foils without the need for heated dies, make-ready materials or printing plates. The PC-driven technique addresses
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the need for a digitally printed metallic effect that is easily integrated into traditional sheet- or webfed print. A new product is Atalfa, a material that is a combination of barrier and metallised materials, designed for high-performance barrier cartons, flow wraps, and wraps for edible fats. This product is developed with the US company Proman Coatings. Aquafilm [USA] and Aquafilm Ltd [UK] 7401 Adamo Drive Tampa FL 33619 USA Tel: +1 800 633 2611 Oak Drive Hartlebury Trading Estates Hartlebury Worcestershire DY10 4JB UK Tel: +44 (0)1299 251335 Fax: +44 (0)1299 251601 www.aquafilmuk.com Aquafilm was created in 1986, and joined the Linpac Group of companies in 1992. The company exports to 40 different countries, with 125 employees. There are two operations: in the USA (Florida), for edible films and in the UK, for water-soluble films. The product line includes edible films for oral care, breath freshening and confection strips, consumer packaging applications for detergent and household cleaning products, innovative industrial packaging films, and water-soluble laundry bags for infection control purposes in the healthcare industry. Aquafilm started in 2000 as a leading producer of films used for drug delivery, in a new plant in Tampa. In Europe, the main activity of Aquafilm is the manufacture of polyvinyl alcohol water-soluble blown films for packing dishwasher and laundry detergents and agrochemicals. Aquafilm is the leading supplier of such water-soluble film technology. Armando Álvarez Group [Spain] Avda. Pablo Garnica 20 39300 Torrelavega Cantabria Spain Tel: +34 942 846100 Fax: +34 942 893831 www.ArmandoAlvarez.com The Armando Álvarez Group of companies is Spain’s largest polyethylene plastic converter, with 200,000 tons of PE films. Originally called Aspla, Plasticos Espanoles, the group bought many companies, starting in 1977, including Reyde, Reyenvas, Silvalac, Industrias Gráficas Castells, Plásticos Vanguardia, Rafia Industrial, Solplast, Sotrafa, Macresac, and Poliplastic.
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Autobar Flexible [UK] 41–42 Kew Bridge Road Brentford Middlesex TW8 0DY UK Tel: +44 (0)20 8326 8000 Fax: +44 (0)20 8326 8001 www.autobar.com www.autobar-flexible.com Autobar Flexible is part of the large Autobar Group, held by Kuwaiti capital. Over the years the large Autobar Group has specialised in rigid thermoformed and moulded containers, mainly for the dairy industry, with acquisitions of large companies such as Monoplast in France, Mono containers in the UK, Zach Verpackungen in Germany, Vacuplas and Nudesa in Spain, Sofiaplast in Bulgaria, etc. Autobar Flexible was also made from mergers and acquisitions of nine of the larger companies in PE film production and conversion, in France, the UK and the Netherlands. It is divided into two divisions, agricultural films and flexible packaging. Autobar Flexible Packaging processes around 120,000 tons, predominantly PE, at four sites, two in France, and one each in the UK and the Netherlands. The division claims to be the number one player in France for PE film with sales of around 170 million euros and 800 employees. Autobar Flexible Neoplast specialises in sleeves and in-mould labelling. The other divisions of Autobar Flexible, Veriplast and Mono, specialise in rigid disposable containers for catering. As of April 2004, Autobar Packaging was reportedly up for sale, with the Bunzl group interested. Balcan Plastics [Canada] Saint Leonard Quebec Canada www.balcan.com Only limited information could be obtained. Balcan Plastics extrudes polyethylene films, which it prints and converts into a multitude of bags. The Canadian company also makes shrink films and bags and sheets on rolls. There is a large activity in agricultural films. Balcan Plastics claims to be amongst the North American leaders in flexible packaging and lamination films. This leadership is due to a broad and integrated production capability, distributed across three distinct manufacturing sites.
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Barbier Group [France] La Guide BP 39 43602 Sainte Sigolene France Tel: +33 (0)4 71 75 11 11 Fax: +33 (0)4 71 66 15 01 www.barbiergroup.com This is the largest French still family-owned maker of PE films, with about 100,000 tons of PE films, for the widest range of uses, agriculture, shrink, stretch, irrigation, building, technical, bags and sacks, totalling 5 billion units. Bemis [USA, Europe] 222 South Ninth Street Suite 2300 Minneapolis MN 55402-4099 USA Tel: +1 612 376 3000 www.bemis.com www.upm-kymmene.com Bemis is a major worldwide supplier of flexible packaging and pressure-sensitive materials, with 12,000 employees in 50 plants. It is the leading manufacturer of flexible packaging, 60% of which is printed film, with global sales of $2.3 billion. Bemis was originally a bag factory created in 1858. The mergers and acquisitions programme started in the 1970s, and Bemis disinvested its old textile mills to focus on flexible materials. In the early 1990s, Bemis developed a seven-layer thermoforming web film known as ICE Film. Initially developed for the meat and cheese packaging markets, ICE Film was further engineered to be used in other markets to reduce the weight and improve the performance of Bemis packaging products. Then Bemis diversified into the medical industry packaging, and into overwrap films for meat and cheese. Several acquisitions have taken place in the past three years. Bemis has acquired Clysar display films (formerly part of DuPont), Viskase, and Walki (from UPM Kymmene). The last was the major prize, in 2002. The acquired business is the largest component of Bemis’s European packaging operations and specialises in high-barrier vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging for meat and other fresh foods. Walki Wisa production takes place at two plants in Finland, two in Germany, one in the UK, one in Sweden, one in France, at Epernon, specialising in high-barrier vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging, one in the USA, and one in China. The total annual film capacity is 300,000 tons, and annual turnover is $300 million, with 1,000 employees. The Walki film business is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of vacuum and modifiedatmosphere packaging films, supplying products such as PE/PA multilayers to the meat and cheese packaging industries. At the same time as its acquisition of Walki, Bemis sold its global pressure-sensitive material business, MACtac, to the Finnish group UPM Kymmene, a major player in paper products.
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Bemis Swansea, formerly known as Curwood Packaging, is part of the Curwood group business that specialises in the production of multilayer, coextruded, coated and laminated film structures. The Swansea plant uses high-barrier technique in its film processes and is one of a number of Bemis factories across Europe that complements the parent company operations in the Americas. Bischof & Klein [Germany] Rahestrasse 47 49525 Lengerich Germany Tel: +49 (0)54 819 200 Fax: +49 (0)54 819 205 41 www.bischof-und-klein.de Originally, in 1892, Bischof & Klein was in the book and art printing business. Then there were industrial developments in paper products, bags and sacks. Plastic films and products were launched in the 1960s. Now, the output of PE plastics and other films is over 150,000 tons. Through the 1990s, Bischof & Klein acquired participations into Solem in Luxemburg, Napiag in Austria, Huecopack in Spain, and Sacheries de Pont Audemer in France. Bischof & Klein also organised joint ventures in Saudi Arabia and in Poland. In 1993, the large Frantschach group became co-owner. The Austrian packaging producer Frantschach has a 40% holding in Bischof & Klein via Frantschach Packaging Deutschland GmbH, Karlstadt. The remaining 60% of shares are in the possession of family members, who hold onethird each. The South African Mondi Group owns 70% of the shares in Frantschach AG. Frantschach Packaging acquired the Cofinec packaging group, in Luxemburg and Hungary, which produces folding boxes and flexible packaging. Cofinec focuses on Central and Eastern Europe, with total sales of 110 million euros. Frantschach intends to become one of Europe’s leading suppliers of flexible consumer packaging. The product range is the widest for all types of PE film packaging: films for agriculture and industry, for building, for medical and for hygiene. Bolloré [France] Tour Bolloré 31–32 Quai de Dion-Bouton 92811 Puteaux France Tel: +33 (0)1 46 96 44 33 Fax: +33 (0)1 46 96 44 22 www.bollore.com Bolloré was created in 1822, in the paper industries. It became a world leader for cigarette paper. A family company, quoted on the Stock Exchange, the continuing policy is diversification, strongly in special plastic films in the past twenty years. It has 34,000 employees worldwide, and turnover of 5.5 billion euros. The Bolloré Group is the world’s leading producer of thin (3 μm) PP film for capacitors. Since 1990, the Bolloré Group has developed a range of display shrink-wrap packaging films for boxes, books, games, CDs, etc., that are ultra-thin and highly resistant. The latest developments are pioneering innovations outside films. The R&D Department has been working for the past ten years on developing long-lasting lithium batteries to give electric cars
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adequate power and range. In parallel, research teams are developing super-capacitors, able to furnish considerable power for a relatively short duration. In November 2001, the Bolloré Group set up a subsidiary BatScap to develop these two product lines. BP Films [UK] BP left the film business in early 2001, selling to various companies. The enterprise had included five German sites, the Plastec subsidiary, the Darton PE film plant in the UK, and Arjobex, which makes synthetic paper in Clacton. Altogether BP had 100,000 ton capacity in PE films. BP Films divested all its plastics fabrication operations, including the sale of Alplast and Prosyn Polyane by TotalFinaElf. British Polythene Industries, BPI [UK] 96 Port Glasgow Road Greenock Renfrewshire PA15 2RP UK Tel: +44 (0)1475 501000 Fax: +44 (0)1475 743143 www.bpipoly.com This is the largest European manufacturer of polyethylene film, sacks and bags for the retail, consumer, industrial, healthcare, building, agricultural and horticultural markets. BPI is also the UK’s largest recycler of PE film, and manufactures a wide range of recycled products. Altogether, the output is 400,000 tons. The product range is very wide, with standard end-uses and applications for all industries. The types of films include the following: • • •
shrink and stretch, printed and unprinted, general film printed up to eight colours, 1100 mm wide, heavy-duty polyethylene packaging products.
British Polythene focuses on the fastest-growing demand, stretch and shrink films. The volume of PE products increased by 1.5% in 2003, mainly from growth in the markets for stretch film and refuse sacks following more favourable exchange rates against the euro. Expansion of the Chinese plant at Xinhui, in operation for nearly nine years, is planned during 2004, to increase volumes and diversify the product range. No significant closures or disposals are expected in UK operations during the year, but further efficiency improvements are planned to follow increased investment. BPI said some short-term margin difficulties are likely in the coming months due to the need to pass on polymer price increases to customers. In 2002, BPI sold the BPI Packaging Service Automotive, which makes protective film products for the motor industry, to TVIP Ltd, Corby, for an undisclosed sum. The business, which employs 22 people at a plant in Leominster and will now be known as Automotive Packaging Services, was regarded as a non-core operation by BPI, which has been undertaking a disposal programme to sell off such activities. British Polythene Industries sold its non-core consumer paper bag business, Welton Bibby & Baron (WBB), to a management buyout, finalised in early 2004, and also disinvested the retail bag business of Alida, both because of too strong competition from Chinese imports.
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In 1997, BPI made a major acquisition, with the film extrusion operations of Low & Bonar Plc, while Britton Group had gone to ACX in the USA. Also in 1997, BPI acquired the PE film operations of Wavin. The Wavin film operations were renamed Flexipac and Indupac. Again in 1997, BPI bought the PE film extruder Spectrum Packaging, which makes plain and printed PE packaging products. Buergofol [Germany] Jahnstrasse 10–14 93444 Siegenburg Germany Tel: +49 (0)9444 97910 Fax: +49 (0)9444 979166 www.buergofol.de Buergofol is an independent film and film products manufacturer, producing 12,000 tons of films, with 110 employees, and claims to be market leader in Europe for seven- and fourteen-layer coextruded films and laminates, high-barrier blown film as replacement for PVC (to pack plasma and blood), and multilayers for coffee without a laminated aluminium layer (also barrier alternatives to EVOH). The main processes and products are as follows: • • • •
Coextrusion (three, five, seven, ten and fourteen layers), at widths from 75 up to 2200 mm, Multilayers PA/PE, PE/PA/PE, PA/PA/PE, PE/PA/EVOH/PA/PE, PA/EVOH/PA/PE, Laminating, bag making, printing, Wide range of applications, in food and non-food products.
Ergofilms LLC, headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, was founded in 2001 as a joint venture between NOW Plastics Inc. and Buergofol GmbH with the objective of developing a wide range of high- and medium-barrier film products for the North American meat industry. Ergofilms has diversified into a wide range of multilayer barrier films for the North American markets. Bunzl [UK, USA] 110 Park Street London W1K 6NX UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7495 4950 Fax: +44 (0)20 7495 4953 www.bunzl.com Originally a paper company in the 1880s, Bunzl developed a worldwide group of companies in the paper industries. Then, in the 1980s, Bunzl acquired Jersey Paper and oriented its strategy in the USA, with distribution of paper and packaging to supermarkets and airlines, with a wide range of disposables, from internal growth and acquisitions. In 1998, Bunzl became the largest distributor of disposable paper and plastic packaging supplies to the supermarket industry, with the purchase of the $240 million Grocery Supply Systems division (GSS), and other related US grocery supply business of Unisource Worldwide Inc. Bunzl also acquired the grocery supply business of International Paper XPEDX division, with $10 million sales for disposable products in the USA. In 2000, Bunzl purchased Koch Supplies, one of the nation’s leading suppliers to the meat and food processing industry, providing everything from packaging materials to work and safety apparel.
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The second activity of the Bunzl group is Filtrona, the world’s largest producer of cigarette filters. Caffaro Flexible Packaging, CFP [Italy] Via Friuli 55 20031 Cesano Maderno (MI) Italy Tel: +39 (0)362 5141 Fax: +39 (0)362 514700 CFP, the former SNIA FIAT nylon film producer, was sold to Bridgepoint Capital Ltd in 2002. This is one of the leading producers of bi-oriented PA films in Europe. SNIA group had signed a cooperation agreement with the Japanese group Toppan to launch a range of packaging films for foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in Europe. These are polyester barrier and biaxially oriented films coated with transparent inorganic oxides with high oxygen barrier properties, to replace aluminium foil or conventional PVDC-coated films. CEISA [France] Zone Industrielle La Malouve BP 462 27304 Bernay France Tel: +33 (0)2 32 46 77 00 Fax: +33 (0)2 32 43 12 91 www.ceisafr.com CEISA traditionally makes films (standard, coextruded multilayer, bright, and several specialised products such as sleeves), for marketing, decoration, protection and grouping, and also pallet tubes and labels: • • •
Main film used for sleeves is PVC/PET/OPS, Labels are printed on PET and OPP films, All printing is with flexography.
CEISA has changed hands many times in the past two decades, from SACHET, in 1981, to Perrier, in 1985, and was finally bought by the Belgian group Fardis, now Powerpack, in 2000. Ceplastik [Spain] Poligono Industrial de Jundiz Calle Jundiz s/n 01010 Vitoria Spain Tel: +34 945 290372 Fax: +34 945 290348 www.ceplastik.com Created in the 1960s, Ceplastik mainly produces PVC films (20,000 tons), of various materials and finishes.
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Chamberlain Plastics [UK] North End Higham Ferrers Rushden Northamptonshire NN10 8JD UK Tel: +44 (0)1933 353875 Fax: +44 (0)1933 410206 www.chamberlain-plastics.co.uk Chamberlain Plastics are specialists in the coating, lamination, and conversion of plastic films and other substrates, sold worldwide under the Metalon brand. Charpentier [France] 26 Route d’Isdes BP 2 45600 Sully-sur-Loire France Tel: +33 (0)2 38 36 27 54 Fax: +33 (0)2 38 36 30 24 www.charpentier.fr Charpentier is one of the leaders in bubble film, under the name Airbul. Over the years Charpentier has acquired several film companies, mainly in France (Caisimex, Cellutec). Chemosvit [Slovakia] Chemosvit Fibrochem a.s. Sturova 101 059 21 Svit Slovak Republic Tel: +42 1 52 715 3511 Fax: +42 1 52 715 3516 www.chemosvit.sk Chemosvit is the leading Slovakian producer of flexible packaging materials, with 70 years of experience in films, supplying OPP, PE-LD, barrier cast films, PE/PA, and cello, printed in tencolour rotogravure and eight-colour flexography. Clondalkin [Ireland] Monastery Road Clondalkin Dublin 22 Ireland Tel: +353 (0)1 459 1559 Fax: +353 (0)1 459 1550 www.clondalkin-group.com In March 2004, Clondalkin changed hands when the financial group Candover House sold its majority stake in Clondalkin to Warburg Pincus. This Irish group includes Vaasen Flexible
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Packaging (VPF), Dutch producer of multicolour gravure laminates for various flexible packaging products. In 2003, Clondalkin bought Spiralkote, a division of Peoria based Fleming Packaging Corporation. Spiralkote is the largest North American supplier of flexo-printed spiral labels for composite canisters and a leading producer of die-cut lids for the food and beverage markets. The Clondalkin group operates 40 separate manufacturing locations throughout Europe and the USA, with a combined turnover of 700 million euros. Clondalkin has an extensive product range that includes paper and film packaging, with folding cartons, labels, dairy product packaging, agricultural and industrial wraps, sacks, paper bags, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical packaging. Basic films are extruded and cast, and there are also coating, laminating and printing operations. Among the company’s niche products, there is its unique heat-sealable Safety Susceptors laminate for microwaveable frozen snacks. This consists of a metallised PET film with a pattern of small star-shaped holes, laminated to paper. This laminate can be printed with up to ten colours and produced on all standard Flowpack machines; the pack is suitable for wraps for pizzas and various baked items. Clopay Plastic Products [USA] 8585 Duke Boulevard Mason OH 45040-3101 USA Tel: +1 513 770 4800 www.clopayplastics.com Clopay is part of the Griffon Corporation, with four business segments: garage doors, and installation services; specialty plastic films, for disposable diapers and medical products; advanced information and communications systems; radar and air traffic control. Clopay has pioneered the design of thin gauge extruded films, and the company is a leader in the development and production of embossed and laminated specialty plastic films used in a variety of hygiene, healthcare, and industrial markets. Clopay Plastic Products develops and produces a wide variety of polyethylene, polypropylene and elastomeric covers and packaging. Clopay Graphic Arts Films develops and manufactures precision cast extruded films for use as pressure-sensitive and inmould labels for container decoration. Total sales of the group are about $1 billion, of which films are about one-third. Coburn [USA] 1650 Corporate Road West Lakewood NJ 08701-5974 USA Tel: +1 732 367 5511 Fax: +1 732 367 2908 www.coburn.com Coburn makes pressure-sensitive, special effects plastic films, decorative and functional films, based on PVC, acrylic and polycarbonate. All the converting operations for custom-made films are carried out. Coburn is the only company that manufactures diffraction-grade films.
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Coexpan [Spain] Zona Industrial Carretera M-300 Km. 29,500 28802 Alcalá de Henares Madrid Spain Tel: +34 91 877 5900 Fax: +34 91 881 6114 www.coexpan-net.com Coexpan is one of the largest groups producing PS sheet for FFS for use in the dairy industry, and has been making packaging for yoghurt since 1974. Coexpan Net has diversified into flexible films, for lidding, wrap-around for FFS cups, label stock and flexible packaging, with plain and coextruded barrier films, metallised films and paper for food and cosmetic products. Plastics for films include PE, PET, PP, PA, cello and foil. Cofira [France] 13106 Rousset Cedex France Tel: +33 (0)4 42 53 85 15 Fax: +33 (0)4 42 53 85 16 www.cofira.com Cofira is a PE film extruder, with basic products, heavy-duty bags, and stretch and shrink films, a total output of 40,000 tons, and 160 employees. Cofira acquired Sepso, a specialist in coextruded plastic bags, in 2002, and Charfa Plastiques. The strategy is to develop in European and world markets. Colines [Italy] Via Buonarroti 27/29 28060 San Pietro Mosezzo Fraz. Nibbia (NO) Italy Tel: +39 (0)321 486311 Fax: +39 (0)321 486355 www.colinesppp.it www.colines.it This Italian group of seven companies makes welding machinery, blown and cast film lines, and blown and cast film mainly for food, medical and pharmaceutical packaging applications. There is a wide range: plants for coextruded barrier films of up to five layers, cast stretch, PP film, air bubble lines, and sheet extrusion lines for refrigerators, all from the original business of machinery. The group’s main plant is B-Pack based at San Pietro Mosezzo near Novara, making coextruded multilayer film, mostly high barrier. B-Pack Due is the second largest cast PP film producer in Italy (20,000 tons).
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Coloplast [Denmark] Møllevej 11–15 2990 Nivå Denmark Tel: +45 4911 1213 Fax: +45 4911 1212 www.coloplast.com This is one of the largest groups in disposable medical supplies, including the widest range, mainly based on films extruded in-house. Coloplast was created in the early 1950s, by a nurse, and developed into a large group with 5,000 employees. Plants are in Denmark and exports are worldwide, some 97% of the output being exported. Convenience Food Systems, CFS [the Netherlands] Beekakker 11 PB 1 5761 EN Bakel The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)492 349349 Fax: +31 (0)492 343969 www.cfs.com CFS acquired Matti AG in 2001, which changed its name to CFS Switzerland, and integrated the former Dixie Union, Kempten, one of the most active multilayer film makers in Germany. CFS Switzerland is at: Römerweg 2 5600 Lenzburg Switzerland CFS has 2,500 employees worldwide, and Dixie had 500 employees. The CFS group supplies machinery, packaging materials and all-in solutions for the food sector. The acquisition of Dixie Union, strongly specialised in barrier films, is quite complementary to CFS’s activities. CFS originated from various acquired companies: • • • • • • • • • •
Wolfking in Slagelse, Denmark, Krämer & Grebe in Wallau, Germany, Wolfking Scanio in Aalborg, Denmark, Wolfking Belam in Uden, the Netherlands, Koppens in Bakel, the Netherlands, Aquarius in Weert, the Netherlands, Dixie Union in Kempten, Germany, Tiromat in Wallau, Germany, Palazzolo, Italy, TiroPak in Kempten, Germany.
The former Dixie, which is the branch in flexible films, had long worked with know-how from Dow Chemical. It is a traditional user of PVDC for barriers, and produces a wide range of bags for meat vacuum packing and for cheese ripening.
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Crest Packaging [UK] Courteney Road Gillingham Kent ME8 0RX UK Tel: +44 (0)1634 234444 Fax: +44 (0)1634 320424 www.crest.co.uk Crest Packaging, a manufacturer of cartons and flexible films, has been supplying packaging solutions to multinational manufacturers in the consumer, industrial and medical markets for over 40 years. The company went bankrupt in March 2003, although it had £50 million sales and 500 employees. Its final fate is uncertain. Danapak Flexibles [Denmark] Sivlandvænget 27 B 5260 Odense S Denmark Tel: +45 6611 4600 Fax: +45 6614 3782 www.danapak-flexibles.com www.constantia-industrie.com Danapak of Denmark and Teich of the Constantia group in Austria have merged their flexible film operations. Teich owns 60% of the new company, headquartered in Odense, Denmark. Teich AG is the lead company of Constantia Verpackungen AG, in Austria, for flexible packaging and, as the third biggest European company in this market segment, has sales of 335 million euros. Danapak is a subsidiary of the dairy group Arla Foods, market leader in Scandinavia. Danapak Flexibles was founded in August 2002 as a northern European joint venture within flexible packaging by merging Danapak Flexibel A/S, Teich Flexibles Ltd and Corona Packaging A/S. Teich owns 60% of Danapak Flexibles, with 105 million euros turnover. Danapak Flexibles has 570 employees, mostly in Denmark. The product range includes plain, printed and multilayer films for food and non-food markets. Deltalene Adelpro [France] Z.I. Le Peychier 43600 Sainte Sigolene France Tel: +33 (0)4 71 75 15 80 www.deltalene.com Deltalene stemmed from Autobar Flexible, dropped the silage films, which were not profitable, to concentrate on higher-value products, like technical films for horticulture and greenhouses, as well as biodegradable films for mulching, some 20,000 tons of films altogether.
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Dubai Poly Film [UAE] Dubai Poly Film, which started in 1999, is one of the leading BOPP film makers in the Middle East, with 30,000 ton capacity, and has ambitions to be a supplier to the whole Middle East area, India, and the US market. Eiffel [Italy] Via Provinciale Ghiara 35 43012 Fontanellato (Parma) Italy Tel: +39 (0)521 8297 11 Fax: +39 (0)521 8297 77 www.eiffel.it This is a large PE film extruder, only standard and plain films, mainly for agriculture, building construction, bags and sacks, and special applications like for sports areas. There is an increasing range of higher-value films, treated for UV resistance. Etimex [Germany] Martin-Adolff-Strasse 44 89165 Dietenheim Germany Tel: +49 (0)7347 670 Fax: +49 (0)7347 67369 www.etimex-pp.com This is the former specialty film business of BP Plas Tec, after a management buy-out in 2002, financed by Barclays Private Equity. The former primary film packaging changed its name to Etimex Primary Packaging, and the Etimex name was kept only for the moulded plastics parts, in the USA and Germany. The range of Etimex Primary Packaging includes sheets, extruded and cast films, and containers for the food, pharmaceutical and photovoltaics industries. EVC Films [Europe] Ir Rocourstraat 28 6245AD Eijsden The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)43 409 9191 Fax: +31 (0)43 409 9198 www.evc-int.com This company is at the borderline of the film study definition, as it is essentially involved with rigid PVC film and sheet. However, there are a number of thinner gauge products that could be considered part of the film category, like PVC/PVDC and PVC/PCTFE multilayers for pharmaceutical blister packaging and lidding. EVC Films is one of the largest manufacturers of calendered and extruded rigid PVC films, and is also in metallising and coating, of a wide thickness range. It is the result of several mergers in its fifty-year life, mainly the large companies, Vereinigte Kunstoffwerke (VKW) in Germany, and Mazzucchelli in Italy. In 1997 EVC bought 51% of
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Caprihans India Ltd, that country’s leader in rigid, flexible and extruded PVC films. EVC Films is in five locations, Bötzingen, Weissandt-Gölzau and Staufen, (Germany), and Castiglione Olana and Cagliari (Italy). Film applications are in pharmaceutical packaging, food packaging, cards and various other nonfood applications, such as furniture and industry. Exbanor [France] Z.I. de Beuvillers 14100 Lisieux France Tel: +33 (0)2 31 48 57 57 Fax: +33 (0)2 31 31 03 03 www.exbanor.com Exbanor was founded in 1937, and now offers a range of films mainly of PP. The main products are cast PP films, PP bags, stretch films for pallets, cling films, and closure ties for horticulture. ExxonMobil Films [USA, world] www.oppfilms.com This is a leading world producer in BOPP films, although its market share had gone down from 12.5% in 1990 to 7% by 2004. The main ExxonMobil plants are in: • • • • • • •
Virton, Belgium, Brindisi, Italy, Kerkrade, the Netherlands, Shownee, OK, USA, La Grange, GA, USA, Stratford, CT, USA, Belleville, ON, Canada.
Flexico Minigrip [France] BP 70429 Meru Cedex France Tel: +33 (0)3 44 49 49 86 Fax: +33 (0)3 44 49 38 79 www.flexico.fr Founded in 1950, the Flexico group has become a European leader in the field of flexible resealable packaging, for food and non-food markets. Developments have been stronger in zip designs for reclosable bags. There are 700 employees, in the main countries of Europe.
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Frantschach [Austria] Kelsenstrasse 7 Postfach 41 1032 Wien Austria Tel: +43 (0)1 795230 Fax: +43 (0)1 79523964 www.frantschach.com The Frantschach Group is a global provider of packaging solutions and high-performance materials, originally, and still mostly, a wide range of paper products and sacks. The total turnover of the group is 2 billion euros. The Austrian paper company bought the Swedish paper company AssiDomän in 2000, and continued developing by acquisitions in flexible films, diversifying from the original paper and board, with Anger in Austria and Cofinec in Hungary. Frantschach also acquired Wheatley Packaging, Neoplex, and Novasac. The Flexible Division is only a part of the larger paper group. The Flexibles & Release Division offers many types of films, based on paper, laminates, stand-up pouches, consumer bags, siliconecoated release liners, for all packaging markets, in 12 production sites throughout Europe, with extrusion, coextrusion, coating, and laminating. All plants are equipped with rotogravure and flexo printing, up to ten colours. The total turnover of the Flexibles Division is 130 million euros, with 760 employees. Garware Polyester [India] 50-A Swami Nityanand Marg Western Express Highway Vile Parle (East) Mumbai 400 057 India Tel: +91 22 5698 8000 Fax: +91 22 2824 8155, +91 22 2824 8199 www.garwarepoly.com Garware is the largest PET film producer in India and the first, having started in the 1980s. The applications range of the PET film includes packaging, solar protection, reprographic, etc. Garware also metallises PET and other films. Gatex [Germany] Werk Süd Industriestrasse 1 92442 Wackersdorf/Opf. Germany Tel: +49 (0)9431 6350 Fax: +49 (0)9431 635310 www.gatex.de Gatex specialises in high-value non-packaging applications for laminated films, in the electrical industry, energy production, power distribution, general mechanical engineering, textile machines, printing machines, chemical plant construction, traffic engineering, medical equipment, automobile, defence, aviation, and optical industries.
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Gellis [Israel] Industrial Area Mishmar Hasharon PO Box 889 Ramat Gan 52108 Israel Tel: +972 (0)9 894 7272 Fax: +972 (0)9 894 8088 www.gellis.co.il The company was established at 1874 in Hungary and moved to Israel in 1949. Turnover is $15 million, with 70 employees. The range of products is multilayer films (made by lamination, triplex, and solvent-less processes), stand-up pouches, and reels for packaging, with printing (rotogravure ten colours, and flexo eight colours). Materials used for multilayers are paper, aluminium foil, polypropylene, polyester, cellophane, nylon and coextruded films. Glenroy [USA] W158 N9332 Nor-X-Way Avenue PO Box 534 Menomonee Falls WI 53052-0534 USA Tel: +1 262 255 4422 Fax: +1 262 255 4260 www.glenroy.com Glenroy was created in 1965. It is a manufacturer of thermal laminated films, printed flexible packaging materials to 50 inch widths, and extrusion-coated and printed balloon film. Capabilities include eight-colour flexo printing, extrusion laminating, five-layer coextrusion coating, and pouch fabrication. Glory Polyfilms [India] 01 Vintage Pearl 29th Road Bandra (W) Mumbai 400 050 India Tel: +91 (0)22 6514 810/11 Fax: +91 (0)22 6514 812 www.glorypolyfilms.com Glory Polyfilms was created in 1999, and grew fast to become one of the largest multilayer laminates producers in India, with 150 employees in three plants. Glory Polyfilms is one of the largest users of coextruded PA/EVOH films. The laminating capacity is 3,000 tons, mainly for dairy markets. Glory also supplies multilayer films for edible oil, printed for FFS applications, and also for food and shampoo. Films made by Glory are further converted and printed by many smaller local packaging companies. There is a range of non-packaging applications, electrode packaging, and cable wraps.
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The coextruded films are made by Tristar Industries and Trishul Industries, both part of the Kela Group of Industries, which has over twenty years of experience in the manufacture of coextruded multilayer films. Goglio [Italy] Via dell’Industria 7 21020 Daverio (VA) Italy Tel: +39 (0)332 940111 Fax: +39 (0)332 940201 www.goglio.it Goglio was founded in 1850, and for more than forty years it has been one of the largest and most active manufacturers of multilayer films in Italy. There are 1250 employees, and sales are split 60% in Europe and 30% in the USA. Goglio is present in flexible packaging, rigid plastic accessories (such as valves and spouts), and packaging machines. The integration of all these elements is under the trademark Fres-co System, aiming to be a complete solution for all packaging needs to enhance product presentation and preservation. Goglio was first known and still is a leader for coffee packaging. The range of Goglio packaging solutions for food is mainly in coffee, tuna fish, tomato sauce, catering, hot filled bags up to 10 litres, aseptic food packages up to 1,000 litres, rice, sterilised and frozen foodstuffs, and bakery products. Gualapack, Safta [Italy] Strada Alessandria-Acqui 2/A 15073 Castellazzo Bormida (AL) Italy Tel: +39 (0)131 293811 Fax: +39 (0)131 293812 www.gualapack.it Gualapack bought 75% of Safta, one of the oldest and best-established multilayer film makers in Italy. Safta is at the following: Via Arda 11 29100 Piacenza (PC) Italy Tel: +39 (0)523 5981 Fax: +39 (0)523 578136 www.safta.it Gualapack is part of the Guala Group, packaging since 1955. Gualapack makes standard multilayer film structures, with PET, OPA, PE, PP, and foil. Among the most active products, there are threelayer PET/OPA/PE and four-layer PET/OPA/EVOH/PE transparent laminates, designed for drinks packaging. Also produced are sterilisable laminates, for dairy products and medical uses (enteral nutrition), and also laminates for cosmetics.
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Hueck Folien [Germany] Pirkmühle 14–16 92712 Pirk Germany Tel: +49 (0)961 870 Fax: +49 (0)961 87190 www.hueck-folien.de Hueck Folien is part of a company group, United Flexibles: United Flexibles GmbH Rurstrasse 58 52441 Linnich Tel: +49 (0)24 6279 2419 Fax: +49 (0)24 6279 2494 www.united-flexibles.com Hueck Folien offers a wide range of multilayer films for many applications. Specialties are the following: • • • • • •
Holographic film for labels, Gift wrap, metallised films, Smart cards, tags and labels, Car seat heating elements based on polymer films vapour-deposited with copper, Flexible flat cables, Decorative films (metallised, laminated, weather-resistant) for the construction industry.
The company group, United Flexibles, includes four medium-sized multilayer film producers, Reuther Verpackung, Pawag, Sopal PKL, and Hueck Folien. The purpose of this alliance is to join forces to offer a pan-European range of film products, as an alternative to merger and acquisition. Huhtamaki [Finland] Länsituulentie 7 02100 Espoo Finland Tel: +358 (0)9 686 881 Fax: +358 (0)9 660 622 www.huhtamaki.com Huhtamaki is one of the world’s largest packaging companies and one of the few truly global players. It started in the 1920s, as a candy-making family company, and developed and diversified over the years, to become a conglomerate of unrelated companies in the 1980s. Then packaging became a separate division, focusing on rigid packaging up to the present, whilst less core businesses were disinvested. Many large acquisitions have built up the rigid packaging, from Polar Pack, in the 1960s. Between 1997 and 2001, Huhtamaki acquired seven packaging companies, including the major US company Sealright in 1998 and the Dutch packaging giant Van Leer in 1999, until the industrial packaging division of Van Leer was sold back in 2001. In flexible materials, the first acquisition was 4P Ronsberg, a paper company created in 1585. The film division was completed by the acquisitions of Forchheim and Huhtamaki Göttingen-Coatings in 1996, one of the major producers of polyolefin films in Europe and an important converter of
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films, papers and other web-form materials. Now the film range includes the production, conversion, lamination, and printing of PP, PE, OPP and PET films. Huhtamaki has thus evolved from a multi-industry company into a consumer packaging specialist, through a series of almost 200 company acquisitions and divestments since 1980. However, the core activity is more in rigid containers than in flexible films. Sales in 2003 amounted to 2.3 billion euros, essentially in rigid containers. Imprisac [France] Z.I. Sud Rue Marc Seguin 41100 Vendôme France Tel: +33 (0)2 54 73 54 00 Fax: +33 (0)2 54 73 54 29 www.imprisac.com Imprisac makes bags and tubular sacks, and films for thermoforming, of standard and nylon-based barrier films, and five-layer coextrusion. Jason Plastics [UK] Prettywood Bury New Road Heap Bridge Bury Lancashire BL9 7HZ UK Tel: +44 (0)161 7638000 Fax: +44 (0)161 7638051 www.jasonplastics.com Jason Plastics is a relatively small extruder of PE films and products, sacks, pallet, shrink films, and agricultural special films, using PE, EVA, and coextrusion of base films. Jindal Poly Films, JPFL [India] 56 Hanuman Road New Delhi 110 001 India Tel: +91 11 2374 8208 Fax: +91 11 2374 8246 www.jindalpolyester.com Jindal Polyester Ltd (JPL) changed its name to Jindal Poly Films Ltd (JPFL). The new name is to better reflect its profile as a diversified producer of plastic films. The company bought the French metalliser Rexor, in 2003, to help the export of its oriented PET film and BOPP base films to large film converters in Europe. JPFL has been in the polyester business since 1984, making PET resin, PET film and yarn. Turnover is $100 million with about 1,000 employees. The main products are as follows:
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•
PET film, 36,000 tons, plus a new 25,000 ton line, total 60,000 tons of PET film,
•
BOPP film, 15,000 tons, plus a new metallisation line, 10,000 tons, and all the film converting processes – one of the metallising lines, from Valmet, was the first plasma treatment facility in India, and a five-layer coextrusion line, Bruckner, has a multilayer film capacity of 32,000 tons.
The BOPP unit is at Nasik in Maharashtra. By the end of 2004, JPFL will have a total capacity of 45,000 tons of BOPP. Rexor, the French metalliser bought in 2003, produces a wide range of metallised products, including metallic yarns, hot-stamping foils, security threads, siliconised films, and tear-tapes. Rexor is the last industrial producer of metallic yarns, and the sole French producer of hotstamping foils. JPFL also plans to set up a special coating plant with the help of Rexor, to produce coated PET and BOPP in India. The plant will also produce higher-value barrier materials such as PVDC. Kangaroo Plastics [UAE] PO Box 50912 Dubai United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 2660588 Fax: +971 4 2692658 www.kangarooplastics.com Kangaroo was created in 1976, and developed into an international film converter, with a very wide range of film products (commodity and specialised), covering large-volume applications in packaging, agriculture, building and industry, stretch films and labels, and higher-value barrier films, stand-up pouches for food packaging, and plastics associated with aluminium foil and paper. Klöckner Pentaplast [Germany] PO Box 11 65 56401 Montabaur Germany Tel: +49 (0)2602 915 145 Fax: +49 (0)2602 915 125 www.kpfilms.com With 13 sites, in Europe, North and South America, the group has 3,000 employees and turnover of 900 million euros; 60% of the output is in packaging, and 40% in technical applications. PVC films are traditionally 66% of the output, but also PP, PET, ABS and COC are produced. Klöckner Pentaplast went through many acquisitions, from the large Kalle PVC film specialty manufacturer that used to be a subsidiary of Hoechst, to the Swiss Aerni Leuch, in 1998, then Stäger (also part of Aerni Leuch), the British Stanley Smith, the Irish Barlo, and Roxan, a specialist in furniture PVC films, all acquired before 2000. In 2001, Klöckner Pentaplast, a specialist in rigid films, acquired the PVDC-coated plastic barrier film business of VAW Aluminium. The business was integrated in the Swiss subsidiary of Pentaplast, Aerni Leuch. Klöckner Pentaplast is a leader in pharmaceutical film, under the name Pentapharm.
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Neoplastica, a Portuguese film converter, was purchased by Klöckner Pentaplast in 2002. Neoplastica has four production sites, in Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands, with an extrusion capacity of 50,000 tons for multilayer films based on PET. In 2001, Klöckner Pentaplast was sold to a private equity group, Cinven. Kohler Plastics [South Africa] Kohler House 4 Pybus Road Sandton 2146 South Africa Tel: +27 (0)11 883 5485 www.kohler.co.za/plastics Kohler Plastics is owned by Malbak, which merged with Nampak. It is the largest packaging group in South Africa, with an annual turnover of 1.7 billion rand (205 million euros) and 15 manufacturing sites. Kohler manufactures plastic packaging for the food, cosmetics and healthcare industries. Products include flexible packaging, rigid plastic, foamed polystyrene trays and containers, plastic films and tubes. Kohler Flexible manufactures gravure or flexographically printed reels, pouches and bags for the food, pharmaceutical and medical packaging markets. Kohler Flexpak produces a wide range of extruded, coextruded, and laminated films, including printed shrink film for beverages, coextruded cereal liner films, milk sachet films, stand-up pouches, confectionery packaging, stretch film, gusseted bags for diapers and sanitary products, and many other specialties. Krehalon [Japan, Europe] Krehalon Industrie Londonstraat 19 7418 EE Deventer The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)570 624 333 Fax: +31 (0)570 634 852 www.krehalon.nl Krehalon is a subsidiary of Kureha of Japan. In Europe, Krehalon operates several plants with specialties in sausage casings, bags, tubes and films, all of high barrier, using PVDC and other barrier materials. Krehalon produces two main types of casings, of PVDC and of nylon, the latter of two types, either monolayer or multilayer. Krehalon supplies about half of the total polymer sausage casings in Europe, at least 500 million metres.
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Latinplast [Venezuela] Calle Motatan – Qta. B&B – El Marques Caracas, Mi Venezuela 1070 Tel: +58 14 277 3617 Fax: +58 2 235 8757 www.latinplast.com Latinplast is one of the largest film makers and converters in Venezuela. The company manufactures plastic flexible films and all kinds of bags, of PE and PP, coextruded and laminated with OPP, PET, EVA, nylon, aluminium foil and paper, printed up to six colours with flexographic machines, all for use in automatic and manual packaging machines for industrial food. Latinplast also produces stretch and shrink films, films for agriculture, PP raffia and bags. Lawson Mardon [UK] PO Box 3 Midsomer Norton Bath BA3 4AA UK Tel: +44 (0)1761 418761 Fax: +44 (0)1761 413949 www.lawsonmardon.com The company has become part of Alcan Flexible Packaging. Linpac [UK] A1 Business Park Knottingley West Yorkshire WF11 0BL UK Tel: +44 (0)1977 671111 Fax: +44 (0)1977 670670 www.linpac-plastics.co.uk Linpac is a privately owned global business employing over 12,000 people. Linpac was sold to Montagu Equity Partners, ex HSBC, in 2003. Linpac has 26 production plants, in Europe, the USA, the Americas, and South Africa. Although primarily a rigid packaging producer, Linpac also has a flexible film division, very active in barrier materials. It acquired Viskase in 1999.
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Lofo High Tech Film [Germany] High Tech Film GmbH Weidstrasse 2 79576 Weil am Rhein Germany Tel: +49 (0)7621 7030 Fax: +49 (0)7621 703255 www.lofo.de Lofo makes solvent-cast films from CTA and PC, for electrical, optical and electronic applications, such as polarisers for LCD screens, CD protection film, electrical insulation film, photographic film base, and special films for clean-room optical applications. Films from other polymers are also possible, as well as PP laminating film for print finishing. Lofo is among the world leaders in PC cast films. Lofo is 100% owned by the Swiss chemicals group Lonza. Total output is 4,000 tons of films, of which 2,000 tons is high-tech cast films. Turnover of Lofo is 45 million euros, of which 80% is from exports, with 120 employees. Manuli Packaging [Italy] S.C. da Cellole a Piedimonte loc. Quintola 81037 Sessa Aurunca (CE) Italy Tel: +39 (0)823 605001 Fax: +39 (0)823 703444 www.manulipackaging.com Manuli claims to be the leading Italian and world manufacturer of industrial stretch film for packaging and silage for the agriculture market. Manuli extrudes LDPE and BOPP. The product range includes stretch film, agricultural film, and tapes. There are plants in Europe and in Argentina. Mapal Plastics Products [Israel] Tel: +972 (0)4 676 4555 www.flic.co.il Mapal Plastics Products, created in 1986, produces PP film and designs plastics products, household stationery and office supplies, under the brand name FLIC. In 2001, it opened offices in Berlin, for exports to Europe.
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Megaplast [Greece] Industrial Area Road A/D PO Box 1252 71001 Heraklion Crete Greece Tel: +30 2810 381412 Fax: +30 2810 381413 www.megaplast.gr Megaplast makes pre-stretched film of PE-LLD for pallet and collating, exporting worldwide. MF Folien [Germany] Porschestrasse 26 87437 Kempten Germany Tel: +49 (0)831 574540 www.mf-folien.de MF Folien is one of the largest producers in Europe of cast nylon film for use in vacuum food packaging, laminates for the aviation industry, bagging film for SMC manufacturing, release film, and film for construction and industrial applications. Also manufactured are PBT films for medical packaging. MF Folien produces nylon film on chill-roll extrusion machines, with thicknesses from 18 up to 200 μm, at widths from 400 to 3000 mm. Mianyang Longhua Chemical Co. [China] Hongxing Industrial Development Zone Mianyang 621006 China Tel: +86 816 2566443 Fax: +86 816 2566223 www.membrane-china.com This is the only Chinese PC film producer, with average annual growth of 50% since 1997, exporting to Asia, and soon to world markets. Mianyang Longhua developments also include MD-shrunk PET, antistatic PET, PETG for cards, PC/PE sheets to replace printing-grade PVC, hotmelt EVA and V0-grade flame-retardant PP films and sheet materials. MM Behrens Packaging [Germany] This company in Alfeld, Germany, is part of MM International, producing over 100 million square metres of flexible packaging and 30,000 tons of cardboard.
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MO.CEL [Italy] Via Gombion 15A 37050 Belfiore (VR) Italy Tel: +39 (0)45 6150184 Fax: +39 (0)45 6150366 MO.CEL makes high-end single or laminated films for tailor-made applications, printed by gravure and flexo printing, PP laminates and cellophane, and special structures for vacuum and modifiedatmosphere packaging. NeoGraf [Italy] Via Pietro Calandri 4 12033 Moretta (CN) Italy Tel: +39 (0)17 294003 Fax: +39 (0)17 294007 With a turnover of 16 million euros, and 180 employees, NeoGraf is a metalliser, started in 1980, handling 20,000 tons of films per annum, divided into a 40/60 ratio between own-use and toll. NeoGraf also laminates on off-line equipment. NeoGraf has a subsidiary in Poland. Nordenia [Germany] Nordenia International AG Airport Center am FMO 48268 Greven Germany Tel: +49 (0)2571 919140 Fax: +49 (0)2571 919191 www.nordenia.com Nordenia was created in 1966, and it is now present worldwide, in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Russia, Poland, the USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Malaysia, Morocco, and Australia, altogether twenty plants, eight in Germany, six in the rest of Europe, and six in the rest of the world. The main film plant is in Gronau. In 1997, a joint venture was launched with the Dalian Shengdao Group, one of China’s leading packaging companies. The core business is basic films of PE, shrink films, stretch films, and flexible bulk containers, as well as the following: • • • • • • • • •
Printed, unprinted, and siliconised films for automatic packaging systems, Films for labels, Surface protection films, Tube laminate films, Lamination films, Barrier films, Shrink and stretch sleeves, Stand up pouches, Twist films.
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Applications are for food and cosmetics, self-adhesive labels, products for hygiene, toothpaste tubes, and protection of sensitive surfaces. The business is structured into the Industrial Films, Industrial Packaging, and Consumer Packaging divisions. Nuova Pansac [Italy] Viale Restelli 5 20124 Milano (MI) Italy Tel: +39 (0)2 6957 XXX Fax: +39 (0)2 606254 www.nuovapansac.com At its seven plants in Italy, Nuova Pansac mainly makes plain PE films and bags, but has diversified into breathable hygiene film, laminating roll films, films with ionomers, multilayers like PE/EVOH/PE, shrink, pallet, automatic packaging, special films for adhesives, labels, and siliconecoated films. Nuroll, M&G Polymers [Italy] Centro Direzionale Milanofiori Strada 4 Palazzo A6 20090 Assago (MI) Italy Tel: +39 (0)2 57510440 Fax: +39 (0)2 57510405 www.mgpolymers.com Nuroll is part of the large PET group Mossi & Ghisolfi, mainly in PET bottles. The Nuroll subsidiary produces and converts PET films, with 20,000 ton production lines, both 4 and 6 m, and a coating line. Also undertaken is metallisation for PET films, 8 to 50 μm. Orbita [Germany] Köthener Strasse 11 06369 Weissandt-Gölzau Germany Tel: +49 (0)34978 270 Fax: +49 (0)34978 27376 www.orbita-film.de Orbita-Film was established in 1991 when it became part of the Poli-Film Group. Orbita is thus a former East German State-owned company that became a leading cast film manufacturer, claiming the largest cast stretch film in Europe. Back in the 1990s, Orbita purchased the Swiss film producer Afex Folien. Total film output is 150,000 tons, in a wide range, including agriculture, packaging and stretch films for pallet wrapping, seen as one of the fastest growing markets in Central Europe. Total turnover is 100 million euros, with 360 employees.
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Pactiv [USA] 1900-T West Field Court Lake Forest IL 60045 USA Tel: +1 847 482 2000 Fax: +1 847 482 4738 www.pactiv.com Pactiv was spun off from Tenneco Inc. at the end of 1999. The Pactiv name was launched from the former Tenneco, which split and became a car component manufacturer, Pactiv taking all the packaging and films activities. The two companies, Pactiv in packaging and Tenneco in automotive, are both part of the Tenneco holding. Total turnover is over $3.1 billion, with 75 plants in 15 countries. Tenneco made its first entry into Europe when it acquired the large Dutch packaging group KNP BT in 1997. The Dutch group KNP BT included PSG Pillo Pack, Jiffy Packaging, Airpack, Kobusch Folien Sengewald, Nordwest Verpackungen, and Ambassador Packaging. The strategy of Tenneco included acquisitions, like the plastics division of the then Mobil, in 1995, which gave them a leading place in stretch film with a capacity of over 100,000 tons. Tenneco also acquired Delyn Packaging in 1995. Tenneco also was a major player in PE foams, with Sentinel and Zote Foams. The main activities of Pactiv are in many sectors of the packaging industry: consumer products (with the Hefty brand), food service/food packaging, protective and flexible packaging. With one of the broadest product lines in the specialty packaging industry, Pactiv claims to derive more than 80% of its sales from market sectors in which it holds the number one or number two market share position. Pactiv supplies barrier flexible packaging in Europe through its Kobusch Sengewald unit, in Halle, Germany, specialising in primary and secondary medical packaging. Pactiv has a joint venture with Rollprint Packaging Products, of Addison, IL, USA. The two companies joined with Acme Packaging, based in Singapore, in 2002. Acme is a leading SouthEast Asia supplier, specialising in printed roll stock, formable bottom webs, inner wraps, Tyvek lidstock and premade flexible pouches. Parkside Flexibles [UK] Tyler Close Normanton Wakefield Yorkshire WF6 1RL UK Tel: +44 (0)1924 898074 Fax: +44 (0)1924 893236 www.parksideflexibles.com Parkside was formed in 2000 from a management buyout of British Polythene Industries. Then Parkside International acquired Performance Films from BP, in 2002, and doubled its size. The sale included manufacturing plants at Darton, UK, and Zlotow, Poland, which produce flexible polymer packaging for the European food and hygiene consumer markets. Total turnover is 110 million euros, with three plants in the UK, and one in Poland.
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The former BP plastic films company in Germany, Plastec, was sold to the German RKW. The former BP Darton plant has 350 employees and produces PE films for a wide variety of applications, with processing capacity of some 18,000 tons. The Zlotow site (now Parkside Poland), with a workforce of 85, produces a wide range of flexible packaging using several substrates for the Polish and northern European markets, with an annual capacity of 3,000 tons. The Stoke plant was closed in 2003. The Parkside Flexibles Normanton plant produces PE films, laminates, OPP shrink sleeves, standup pouches, and wrap labels of PE for PET bottles, with all the gravure and flexo printing processes. Péchiney Soplaril Flexible Europe, PSFE [France] Tour Norwich 1 Rue de Union TSA 1103 92843 Rueil Malmaison France Tel: +33 (0)1 55 94 70 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 55 94 70 70 www.pechineyplasticpackaging.com This division of Péchiney and the Péchiney aluminium business was acquired by Alcan at the end of 2003. Originally Péchiney was more in rigid packaging, with subsidiaries like Techpak and Cebal. Péchiney plastics were essentially in the USA, and the company was considered too large for a niche strategy and not big enough to play a major role in the industry concentrations taking place. Then, in 2001, Péchiney took over the largest French film converter, Soplaril, from Atofina, which wanted to focus on its core chemicals business. The Péchiney flexible division became Péchiney Soplaril Flexible Europe (PSFE). Thus, PSFE was the European business unit of Péchiney Plastic Packaging Division, also including the Flexible Packaging Americas (790 million euros in 2001) and Plastic Bottles (190 million euros) business units. Péchiney Soplaril claims to be the fifth largest European flexible film packaging producer, with 2,000 employees and 13 plants. The Péchiney Group’s Packaging Sector, to which Soplaril Flexible Europe belongs, had sales of 2.4 billion euros in 2001, in 18 countries, with 16,000 employees at 95 production units. Péchiney packaging was thus a global company in high value-added specialty packaging for food (with flexible packaging, plastic barrier bottles, capsules and over-capping) and cosmetics (with flexible tubes, aluminium aerosol cans, and luxury plastic containers). Phoenix Packaging [USA] Phoenix Films Inc. PO Box 3816 Clearwater FL 33767 USA Tel: +1 727 446 0300 www.phoenixfilms.com Phoenix is primarily a US distributor of films. Phoenix is involved in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and sale of raw plastic films and aluminium foils. Manufacturing is performed by affiliated plastic film and foil plants located in North America, Asia and Western
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Europe. Marketing and sales are directed towards food packaging, electronic, industrial, and graphic arts customers, located throughout the world. In the USA, the most active developments are in microwave packaging based on susceptor techniques. Phoenix has the Wave Wrap Crisping Wrapper, and has been present in the production of microwaveable packaging for over twenty years, in microwaved popcorn. Phoenix supplies 60% of all microwave popcorn bags in the USA. Plasto-Sac [Israel] Shidlovski Street North Industrial Area PO Box 175 Yavne 81101 Israel Tel: +972 (0)8 942 0175 Fax: +972 (0)8 942 0185 www.plasto-sac.co.il Plasto-Sac Ltd was founded in 1982 by the merger of two smaller companies. Plasto-Sac manufactures tailor-made monolayer and coextruded polyolefin films for industrial applications. The main products are heavy-duty sacks, films for FFS, release films, etc. Pliant [USA] 1475 Woodfield Road Suite 700 Schaumburg IL 60173 USA Tel: +1 847 969 3300 Fax: +1 847 969 3338 www.pliantcorp.com Pliant Corporation is one of North America’s largest producers of value-added plastic film and flexible packaging, with applications in food, personal care, medical, converter, agricultural, stretch, industrial and reclosable technologies. Sales are worth $900 million, with 3,500 employees worldwide, at 24 production plants and R&D facilities. Pliant US is a diverse group of businesses that produce value-added films and flexible packaging for everything from breathable films for personal care and medical products, to sealant films for converter applications, to stretch and shrink films for pallet wrap and case overwrap, and barrier films of EVOH and nylon. In Europe, Pliant is the former Huntsman films, in Philippsburg, Germany, one of the largest producers of PVC films in Europe. Films are sold to supermarkets, processors of red meat and poultry, and produce packers. They are also in PVC shrink films.
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Poligal [Spain] Pol. Ind. de La Gándara Parcela 114–118 Narón 15407 Ferrol A Coruña Spain Tel: +34 981 320505 Fax: +34 981 328707 www.poligal.com Poligal is part of the Peralada group, and has produced BOPP film since 1991. Poligal has two production lines, with a capacity of 22,000 tons of BOPP film. Of this total, the metallising capacity is 6,500 tons. Polinas [Turkey] Organize Sanayi Bolgesi 45030 Manisa Turkey Tel: +90 236 233 04 70 (PBX) Fax: +90 236 233 25 25 www.polinas.com.tr Polinas Plastik is based in Manias, western Turkey, with seven lines, and is the fifth largest BOPP supplier in Europe. Originally, in 1985, Polinas started as a producer of PP film, and diversified over the years with the supply of all types of films and processes except for printing. The producing capacity of OPP has recently been increased to 100,000 tons, plus a CPP line, and coextruded multilayer films with 5,000 tons altogether. Polinas is also the largest metalliser in Turkey, with a capacity of 12,000 tons for film and 2,000 tons for metallised paper. There is a 5,000 ton plant available for sophisticated coatings, including PVDC, acrylics, primers and silicone-coated substrates. Poly Products [Nigeria] Poly House Ikorodu Road Lagos Nigeria Tel: +234 1 496 3221 Fax: +234 1 61 3195 www.mbendi.co.za/orgs/ce6k.htm This company was established in 1965 and is involved in the manufacturing of plastic products, PE bags and sheeting.
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Poly Towers [Malaysia] Mezzanine Floor 8A Jalan Sri Semantan Satu Damansara Heights 50490 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel: +60 (0)3 2094 1888 Fax: +60 (0)3 2094 7673 The company has 57 plastic extrusion machines producing 25,000 tons of plastic products. Poly Towers manufactures customised shopping bags, specialty shopping bags, garbage disposal bags, and biodegradable bags, apart from construction and agriculture films. The company is planning to launch new products like agricultural mulch films, industrial packaging films, bin liners, building industry films and landfill covers using degradable plastic additives in the near future. Polyclear [UK] First Avenue Millbrook Trading Estate Southampton SO15 0LG UK Tel: +44 (0)2380 701158 Fax: +44 (0)2380 771044 www.polyclear.co.uk Polyclear is a family-owned medium-sized extruder of PE films and maker of bags and other film products. In 2004, Polyclear doubled its size and diversified with the purchase of Amberdale, a printer and converter of PE films, to reach a turnover of 14 million euros. Positive Packaging Industries [India] 98 Jolly Maker Chambers No. 2 225 Nariman Point Mumbai 400 021 India www.positivepackaging.com Positive Packaging is a division of Enpac (India) Pvt. Ltd and part of The Enpee Group, an international conglomerate having diverse manufacturing activities in India and Nigeria, and offices in London and Abidjan. Total turnover is $25 million, and it is considered as India’s number one in high-scale multilayer films. The company extrudes PE films, and converts them into bags, sacks and the whole range of products, and also makes multilayer barrier films, by lamination and metallisation, printed with several processes. Some of its most dynamic innovations include the following: • • • • • • •
Semi-rigid cartons with holographic film laminated to board, Soap wrapper laminates with paper sandwiched between plastic layers, 100% transparent plastic laminate for soap wrappers, ‘Paper-like tear’ achieved with PE as a sealant layer in plastic and foil-based laminates, Four-ply aluminium foil-based laminate for aggressive face creams/lotions, Deep-freeze PE sealant layer developed for seafood, Peelable polymer for ease of pack opening.
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Powerpack [Belgium] Powerpack NV Toekomstlaan 18 B-2340 Beerse Belgium Tel: +32 (0)14 600 740 Fax: +32 (0)14 600 750 www.powerpack.be Powerpack is the former Fardis, which started as a family company in 1965, and was bought by DSM, until it became independent again in 1996. Powerpack started as such at the end of 2003, with 45 employees and 3 million euro turnover, to be increased fast. The former Fardis had a turnover of 100 million euros in 2001. Fardis bought the French film producer CEISA in 2001, and a smaller French OPP plant, Sofilma, and the German Apack, making biodegradable trays. PP Payne [UK] Giltway Giltbrook Nottingham NG16 2GT UK Tel: +44 (0)115 975 9000 Fax: +44 (0)115 975 9001 www.pppayne.com Established in 1911, the company has expanded from its UK base to factories and sales locations in Germany, the USA, Brazil, Singapore, India and Indonesia. PP Payne is part of the Bunzl group of companies. PP Payne is the world’s leading manufacturer of pressure-sensitive tear tape for easy-opening, branding and communication, and product/brand security, supplying to producers of consumer products. Prepac [Thailand] www.prepac.co.th Prepac is considered as the leading producer of multilayer films in Thailand, with $10 million turnover and 100 employees, and an annual output of 7,000 tons. Originally it was a joint venture with the French Prepac and Patkol, dissolved in 1990, but the name was kept. The main product continues to be pasteurised milk FFS pouches. Prepac supplies 80% of the film for milk pouches, and also films for food packaging, bread bags, industrial packaging, and heavyduty bags for plastics. Prepac also makes laminates of PE-LLD/OPA, PE-LLD/OPP, PE-LLD/LD, three-layer films, films for vacuum packaging, packaging for rice and frozen food, and black garbage bags.
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Printpack [USA] 4335 Wendell Drive Atlanta GA 30336 USA Tel: +1 404 691 5830 www.printpack.com Printpack, a family business created in 1956, is one of the largest flexible packaging converters in the USA. Printpack became a major actor in flexible films after purchasing Flexpack in the UK in 1993, and James River in the USA in 1996. Turnover is $1 billion, with 4,000 employees, only in the USA and the UK. Printpack extrudes single-layer and multilayer films (coextruded and cast, three to eight layers), with coating, extrusion and adhesive lamination, flexo and gravure printing, holography, metallising, thermoforming, and making stand-up pouches. Radici [Italy] Via Provinciale 1331 24020 Villa d’Ogna (BG) Italy Tel: +39 (0)346 22453 Fax: +39 (0)346 23730 www.radiciplastics.com The Radici Group, founded in 1946 as a home furnishings textile manufacturer, is a specialist in the chemicals, plastics, fibres and fabrics sectors. The Radici Group is present in 15 countries worldwide, with over 50 production plants and 7,000 employees. The film activity is only a part of this, with BOPP, PET and OPA films. Radici reached 95,000 ton capacity for BOPP in 2001 with the acquisition of the Hungarian company Biafoil from TVK. BOPP has the fastest growth in Central Europe, with growth rates of 12–14%. Radici purchased Biafoil because the latter had a five-layer film line from Bruckner, a technique that Radici did not have in Italy. This was to enable Radici to compete in multilayer barrier films and wrap-around labels throughout Europe, up to Russia. Reef Industries [USA] PO Box 750250 Houston TX 77275-0250 USA Tel: +1 800 275 1070 Fax: +1 713 507 4295 www.reefindustries.com The company was created in 1957, and now has 300 employees, with sales worldwide. Production capabilities include coextrusion of films, multi-ply laminates and composite structures. Through coating and lamination operations, films are converted into laminates with a wide range of characteristics, from a standard three-ply structure to five- or seven-layer structure, with four-
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colour flexo printing. Reef operates six divisions, Griffolyn, Permalon, Armorlon, TerraTape, Bannerguard and Roll-A. Applications are many, in a wide range of industries. Renolit RKW [Germany] Horchheimer Strasse 50 67547 Worms Germany Tel: +49 (0)6241 3030 Fax: +49 (0)6241 38058 www.renolit-werke.de www.rkw-folien.de www.kiefel.de As of January 2003, the holding company Renolit AG was dissolved, and each of the three business divisions became independent: Renolit AG, RKW AG Rheinische Kunststoffwerke, and Kiefel AG. All the companies remain entirely in family ownership. Renolit is one of the biggest German plastics engineering groups, with total turnover of 1 billion euros, some 5,400 employees worldwide, processing 400,000 tons of plastics. Regarding plastic films, the main activities are PVC and PE films for furniture, window frames, office supplies, and self-adhesive applications. There are four sites in Germany, (Worms, Frankenthal, Salzgitter, and Waldkraiburg), and ten international subsidiary companies in Europe, the USA and South Africa. Wasserburg and Nordhorn produce polyolefin films for hygiene and medical applications, along with specialty industrial and packaging films. Gronau manufactures non-wovens and laminates with non-wovens for hygiene and industrial uses. Michelstadt specialises in agricultural films and nets. In 2002, RKW acquired several plants from BP Plastec for film production. The deal with BP also included BP’s US business Aptra, based on PP breathable film for industrial applications. Earlier, RKW had acquired the Belgian PE film company ACE, the PE film and sack business Rosenlew from UPM Kymmene (in Finland and France), the former Rémy Saint Frères, which exited plastic films, Guial in France and Iter in Spain. The total raw film capacity is 300,000 tons, making RKW the number two in the European market for PE film behind the British giant BPI. For PE films, the workforce is 2,300, and turnover 500 million euros. Roland Emballages [France] 101 Avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier BP 15 59217 Cattenières France Tel: +33 (0)3 27 72 53 00 Fax: +33 (0)3 27 78 76 38 www.roland-emballages.com Originally this company was in paper, converting and printing films, but now it is more in films and premade multilayer bags for fragile foods, rusks, etc.
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Romar Packaging [UK] New Market Lane Leeds LS9 0SH UK Tel: +44 (0)113 249 4543 Fax: +44 (0)113 249 1803 www.romar-packaging.co.uk This is a small family-owned printer and converter of plastic films and, originally, paper. Romar also extrudes PE film and further converts into bags and other film products. Rotoflex [Lebanon] This is reportedly the leading Lebanese film converter, established in 1975, with modern rotogravure and flexo printing, and laminating, of all flexible packaging materials, of which 50% is exported. Rubafilm [France] 21 Rue de Verdun Z.I. du Moulin 69490 Pontcharra/Turdine France Tel: +33 (0)4 74 05 98 98 Fax: +33 (0)4 74 05 98 99 www.rubafilm.com Rubafilm is a family business created in 1955, with 12 million euros turnover and 50 employees. Rubafilm produces specialised films, of narrow width, for all industries, and has strongly diversified into stretch films, microperforated films for fresh foods, and biodegradable watersoluble films. Sealed Air [US, Europe] Park 80 East Saddle Brook NJ 07663-5291 USA Tel: +1 201 791 7600 Fax: +1 201 712 7019 www.sealedair.com Sealed Air and Cryovac, formerly part of W.R. Grace, created a very large packaging film group in 1998 by merging their activities. Sealed Air is present in most European countries. W.R. Grace had four plants in Europe, and earlier bought other converters, such as the German Schurpack Multiflex from the Danish group Schur International in 1994. Total turnover is 3.5 billion euros, with 15,000 employees, and total PE film consumption is about 40,000 tons for converting. Film making and processing is predominant, from bubble films for protective packaging, of which Sealed Air is world leader, to the many high value, high performance films for fresh foods that were the specialty of Grace Cryovac. The whole range of films offered by the group includes air cellular cushioning materials (bubble wraps, etc.), barrier shrink bags and films, fresh food
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packaging products and systems, inflatable packaging, foam-in-place packaging systems, suspension and retention packaging, oxygen scavengers, PE foam protective products, protective mailers, shrink films and systems, and medical products. In 2000, Sealed Air bought Dolphin, a UK producer of specialty plastic film packaging, for modified atmospheres, and centrally prepared meals, mainly in rigid containers. The latest development in April 2004 is the entry into Hungary with a new plant with 70 employees. Sopal PKL [France, Germany] Sopal BP 78 1 Rue Louis Blanc 40102 Dax France Tel: +33 (0)5 58 56 60 60 Fax: +33 (0)5 58 56 60 12 PKL Rurstrasse 58 52441 Linnich Germany Tel: +49 (0)2462 792419 Fax: +49 (0)2462 792494 www.groupe-gascogne.fr Since July 2003, the new company called Sopal PKL has included the paper-coating activities of the French Sopal, a large user of PVDC for paper coating, and the barrier multilayer film activities of the German PKL Flexible. The new company is part of the French paper group Gascogne. PKL had first been divested from the SIG group. Total Gascogne turnover is 600 million euros, the biggest part in paper products. The total number of employees of the two flexible businesses of Sopal PKL is estimated at 300–400. Star Polybag [Cyprus] PO Box 21812 Nicosia Cyprus Tel: +357 (0)2 717100 Fax: +357 (0)2 347976 www.laiko.com.cy/english/starpolybag.htm Star is reportedly the leading Cypriot film producer and converter, established in 1976 as a subsidiary of Laiko People Coffee, now selling all types of flexible packaging to third parties.
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Südpack [Germany] Südpack Memminger Strasse 88416 Ochsenhausen Germany Tel: +49 (0)73 529 2501 www.suedpack.com Südpack Europe AG Blegistrasse 7 6342 Baar Switzerland Tel: +41 41 767 31 11 Fax: +41 41 767 31 10 Südpack was founded in 1964, as a family company, and now has a number of subsidiaries and offices in Europe and the USA. Total group turnover is 150 million euros, with 500 employees. The main production is flexible plastic laminates, vacuum bags and rigid films. In 2002, Südpack took over the majority share of another laminate producer, Piciotti in Switzerland, with sales of 30 million euros, and 150 employees. Syfan [Israel] Kibbutz Saad M.P. Hanegev 85140 Israel Tel: +972 (0)8 680 0424/5 Fax: +972 (0)8 680 0434 www.saad.org.il/syfan/index.html Syfan makes multilayer cross-linked shrink films for food contact applications and for non-food display and other packaging. Tekni-Plex [USA] World Headquarters 201 Industrial Parkway Somerville NJ 08876 USA Tel: +1 908 722 4800 Fax: +1 908 722 4967 www.tekni-plex.com This is the former Colorite, now part of the large diversified group Tekni-Plex. The films and plastics products include a wide range, such as closure liners, egg cartons, pharmaceutical flexible packaging, and various specialty packaging.
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Tredegar Films [USA] 1100 Boulders Parkway Richmond VA 23225 USA www.tredegar.com Tredegar Film Products is a major supplier of embossed, perforated, breathable, elastomeric, and non-woven laminate films for healthcare and hygiene markets. There are also specialty films for landscaping, industrial, filtration and packaging applications. Tredegar extruded the first PE film in the USA, initially for the military, during World War II, then commercially under the VisQueen brand, from ICI. Tredegar invented the blown film coextrusion process, embossed film technology, heat-activated elastomers, vacuum apertured films, stretch and breathable laminates, advanced microporous breathable films, and the compression-rolled orientation process. The main end-uses of the Tredegar films are for baby and hygiene disposables. Also important are adhesive films used in a variety of applications from automotive headliners to in-mould labels for packaging. Tredegar cast PP films are used in a variety of applications such as food pouches, diaper tapes, labels, medical sterilisation pouches, twistlock candy wrap, and a variety of laminations. Total film production and conversion is 150,000 tons, in all world areas, with a turnover of $738 million in 2003. Treofan [Germany] Am Prime Parc 10 65479 Raunheim Germany Tel: +49 (0)6142 2000 Fax: +49 (0)6142 200 3299 www.treofan.com Treofan is 50% owned by Dor Chemicals. Dor Film PO Box 711 Carmiel 21616 Israel Tel: +972 (0)4 995 4444 Fax: +972 (0)4 955 3555 www.dorchemicals.com The Treofan group was made from various acquisitions and the merger in 2003 with the Israeli group Dor Chemicals. Trespaphan was purchased from German company Celanese in 2002, and has sites in Germany, Mexico, South Africa and France. Moplefan was bought in 2001 from the Netherlands-based Basell, with locations in Italy and Belgium. And Shorko, a former Basell company, was an Australian producer. Treofan is 50/50 owned by Dor Chemicals and by the private equity group Bain Capital. Treofan has a global PP film capacity, extruded and cast, of 285,000 tons, Treofan has sales of more than 500 million euros, and 2400 employees. There is also is a production of polylactic films starting.
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Trioplast [Sweden] Box 143 333 23 Smålandsstenar Sweden Tel: +46 371 345 10 Fax: +46 371 345 91 www.trioplast.se Trioplast was created in 1965, to make PE film, and grew mainly by acquisitions, to become among the five largest PE film producers in Europe. Starting in 1994, Trioplast acquired Ekmans Jönköping, Bengt Lundin, Sifab, and Nyborg. As of 1999, Trioplast was the second largest European film producer, with 200,000 tons of PE film, after BPI (British Polythene Industries). Trioplast bought the Danish FLS Plast and its shares in the two French PE film producers, SMS (Pouancé, Maine et Loire), and Silvallac (at Wittenheim). Total turnover is 400 million euros, with 1,500 employees. The range of PE films and products is quite wide: packaging, medical, agricultural, building, refuse and heavy sacks. Tyco Plastics [USA] 1401 West 94th Street Minneapolis MN 55431 USA Tel: +1 800 873 3941 www.tycoplastics.com Although Tyco is mainly involved in the electrical component business, the group acquired a whole range of film businesses from the Scottish group MacFarlane in 2001. MacFarlane had tried to get BPI films, failed, and then decided to get out of film activity altogether. Tyco was reportedly interested in any large film business at the time. Tyco Plastics thus became one of the largest manufacturers of plastic films products in the USA, reportedly the leading producer of PE films, with 15 US plants for flexible packaging and barrier packaging with the acquisition of the World Class Film Group, Barrier Films, Northwest Films, and Flemington Films. The main products are plastic bags, shrink wrap and stretch film, to supply the agricultural, horticultural, institutional, packaging and retail markets. According to news in November 2003, Tyco Plastics has plans to close 30 plastics and adhesives facilities, and to lay off 1,900 employees of the Tyco Plastics & Adhesives section.
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UCB Films [Belgium] Surface Specialties UCB UCB Center Allée de la Recherche 60 Researchdreef 60 1070 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32 (0)2 559 9689 Fax: +32 (0)2 559 9810 www.films.ucb-group.com The former UCB Films has been renamed Surface Specialties UCB, following the acquisition by UCB of Solutia’s resins, additives and adhesives activity, in February 2003. Then in July 2004 UCB sold its film business to a consolidation led by Dennis Matthewman and Condover Partners Ltd. The main film activities are BOPP and cellophane, for which UCB is the world leader. UCB acquired cello film maker Flexel in 1997. Total cello capacity is 60,000 tons. UCB aims its cellulose film products at specialty markets such as candy and dried fruit wrap, condiment laminations and industrial uses such as membranes in nickel–cadmium batteries and mould releases for rubber and plastics composites processing. Surface Specialties has strong positions in high-end resins and films and is represented globally, with 62% of the revenues coming from Europe, 27% from the Americas and 11% from Asia– Pacific. This new business has a total turnover in excess of 1.5 billion euros, with approximately 4,700 employees worldwide All the converting operations are processed – coating, metallising, printing – for a huge range of products and markets – packaging, industry (battery separators, adhesive tapes, release substrates), and magnetic media films. Also produced are biodegradable and compostable films, anti-mist and cavitated films, high-barrier and lamination films. Surface Specialties is expanding its range of high-performance packaging films for fresh produce. There are grades such as high-gloss BOPP supplied with integral anti-mist properties. Anti-mist is essential when packing greens, for better visual effect. The PFAM OPP film is available in 30 and 35 μm thickness. This development is part of a new range of breathable BOPP films for fruit and vegetables. The aim is to allow gas exchange without the need for perforating the pack, maintaining a natural modified internal atmosphere. United Flexible Packaging [Dubai] PO Box 17032 Dubai 17032 United Arab Emirates www.unitedflexible.com United Flexible Packaging Co. Ltd (Dubai) is a leading company with state-of-the-art equipment from Schiavi, Flexo Technica, Nordmeccanica, Comexi, and DCM. The manufacturing facility has three rotogravure printing presses as well as a flexo press. Capabilities include solvent-less, solvent-based, and water-based laminations, hot melt/wax coating, high-speed slitting, pouch making, bag making, eyeletting, spout sealing, and lid punching.
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United Flexibles [Germany] United Flexibles is a cooperative of medium-sized German packaging manufacturers that was founded in 2002. The following are members of the group: • • • •
Hueck Folien, Weiden, PKL Flexible Verpackung, Linnich, Reuther Verpackung, Neuwied, Pawag Verpackung, Wolfurt, Austria.
The group has a combined turnover of 300 million euros, and 1,800 employees. Unterland [Austria] Kufsteiner Strasse 2 6336 Langkampfen Austria Tel: +43 (0)5372 601XXX Fax: +43 (0)5372 601401 www.unterland.at Unterland was created in 1959. In 1988, Fepla Hirsch was taken over. In 1999, 74% of W. Hamburger Unterland Plc was taken by TVK (Tiszai Vegyi Kombinát), Hungary’s largest petrochemical company. Production capacity is 70,000 tons, with a wide range of products and applications, for industry and for consumer packaging, with all grades of PE, PP and EVA, essentially commodity films. Total sales are worth 115 million euros, with 390 employees. At the end of 2003, Unterland was acquired by private equity group Capital Management Partners (CMP), Berlin, a spin-off of German consultant Roland Berger, regarded as a specialist in restructuring and rehabilitating troubled companies. Valeron Strength Films [USA] 9505-T Bamboo Road Houston TX 77041 USA Tel: +1 713 462 6111 Fax: +1 713 690 2746 www.valeron.com Valeron Strength Films officially changed its name from Van Leer Flexibles in 2003. Originally, Van Leer films had been acquired by the Finnish group Huhtamaki, which disinvested it to Illinois Tools Works (ITW) in 2001. The two business units employ a total of 350 people and are leading suppliers of high-performance plastic strength films such as Valeron (PE-HD-based, with a smooth surface and high printability) and Valcross (PE-LD-based, with a corrugated structure). These cross-laminated films are used in agriculture, the construction industry, and the chemical and printing industries.
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Vifan Vibac [Europe, Canada] Vibac Spa Strada Ticineto Salita S. Salvatore 15040 Ticineto (AL) Italy Tel: +39 (0)142 413 200 Fax: +39 (0)142 413 275 Vifan Canada 12250 Boulevard Industriel Montreal Quebec H1B 5M5 Canada Tel: +1 514 640 1599 Fax: +1 514 640 1577 www.vibacgroup.com Over the past quarter-century, through several additions of capacity at existing operations, combined with the building of grass-roots facilities in new geographic areas, the Vibac Group has gone from being a largely domestic one-dimensional tape manufacturer to one of the world’s largest suppliers of pressure-sensitive tapes and BOPP films for today’s packaging and packagingrelated industry. Today, the group has eight production units located in Italy, the USA and Canada, employing over 1,000 people. Vifan Vibac operates two divisions: the Film Division is dedicated to the production of clear, metallised and white opaque biaxially oriented polypropylene films; the Tape Division is involved in the manufacture of pressure-sensitive tapes for carton sealing and other purposes. Wihuri, Wipak, Winpak [Finland] Wihuri Oy Wipak Wipaktie 2 PO Box 45 15561 Nastola Finland Tel: +358 3 468 311 Fax: +358 3 468 3300 www.wihuri.com Wipak in Europe, and its sister company Winpak in Canada, belong to the Wihuri Group, one of Finland’s leading international enterprises. It consists of four divisions, Daily Goods, Packaging, Technical Trade and Specialty Products and Services. Wihuri is one of the largest family-owned enterprises in Finland. In 2001, turnover was 1.5 billion euros, with 6,000 employees. Packaging is Wihuri’s most international business group. Wipak in Europe and Winpak in North America are leading manufacturers of special packaging materials and packaging systems for the food and healthcare sectors.
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Over the years, Wihuri has bought several plastics films producers: • • •
Gryspeert, France, bought in 1985, 200 employees, Walsrode, Germany, the former Bayer subsidiary, 600 employees, Walothen, Germany, bought in late 2003, formerly part of the Bayer group.
Wipak Gryspeert S.A. B.P. 6 59166 Bousbecque France Tel: +33 (0)3 20 11 56 56 Fax: +33 (0)3 20 11 56 70 Wipak Gryspeert, in France, built a new plant in 1998, with total capacity of 10,000 tons of converted films, to be doubled by 2005, and 185 employees. Wipak supplies the food industry and claims 25% of the French production of barrier films and very thin films. There are four coextrusion lines, two from Egan and Brampton and two from Battenfeld Gloucester, a laminating plant, flexo printing up to eight colours, and gravure printing up to nine colours. Wipak Walsrode GmbH & Co. KG Postfach 1661 29656 Walsrode Germany Tel: +49 (0)5161 443903 Fax: +49 (0)5161 44143903 Wolff Walsrode, bought in 2001, was the largest prize. Wolff was originally launched with cellophane in the 1920s. There are two divisions: Films, with PUR and Combitherm films, 15,000 tons of multilayers based on PA, including converting, laminating, coating, slitting, and sausage casings; and the Chemical division. Walothen GmbH Postfach 1501 29655 Walsrode Germany Tel: +49 (0)5161 3006 Fax: +49 (0)5161 3800 www.walothen.de Walothen is the specialised division for OPP films, specialising in very thin gauges, 15–16 μm, for cigarettes. There is also an association with Nichimen, Japan, for oriented PA films: Biaxis Oy Ltd Teknikonkatu 2 15520 Lahti Finland Tel: +358 3 468 312 Fax: +358 3 468 3700 www.biaxis.com
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Winpak is part of the global Wihuri packaging group, operating ten production facilities in Canada and the USA. The alliance with Wipak and Wihuri was made in 1975. Winpak Ltd 100 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg Manitoba R3J 3T3 Canada Tel: +1 204 889 1015 Fax: +1 204 888 7806 www.winpak.com Winpak extrudes a broad range of specialty blown, PE-LD and -HD films. Some 60% of the monolayer film sales are to packaging converters, which print, laminate and/or make bags for the food, textiles and agricultural industries. Winpak also specialises in sophisticated multilayered blown film structures. The materials used include various combinations of EVOH, nylon, Surlyn and PE substrates. The coextruded films are produced on a variety of production lines ranging from three to seven layers. Winpak participate directly in a number of end-use markets where specialty polyethylene films are required. These diverse markets include bedding, foam pouring, field fumigation and bulk bags. Another market is protective overwrap film for textiles, magazines, furniture and cased canned goods. Other specialty markets include moisture barrier film for multi-wall paper bags and films specifically designed for use in medical operating rooms. Wipf [Switzerland] Industriestrasse 29 8604 Volketswil Switzerland Tel: +41 1 947 2211 Fax: +41 1 947 2289 Wipf was created in 1960. Turnover is 55 million euros, with 270 employees. Wipf specialises in the development and manufacture of high-barrier packaging laminates made of plastics with aluminium foil or other barrier layers for the food and pharmaceutical industries, and for other products, in construction, agriculture and household chemicals. Wipf supplies most composite films in reels. There also is a high-performance pouching division with a wide range of premade bags and pouches. 9.2 Other Film Companies and Countries – Not Detailed AKPPC (Al Khaleej Polypropylene Products), Oman, produces 26,000 tons of BOPP and 4,000 tons of CPP in the Sohar Industrial Estate. Argha Karya Prima Industry (AKPI) is the main film company in Indonesia, with PET and PP films. The BOPP film capacity is 90,000 tons and the cast PP film is 5,000 tons. AKPI also has a 9,000 ton PET film plant and a 5,000 ton PVC film plant, all in Citeureup, West Java.
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BAK Ambalaj Sanaji vi Ticaret, in Izmir, Turkey, established in 1973, is an international film converter, serving 200 customers worldwide, making 700 million square metres of packaging films, in a wide range of mono- and multilayer films. Blitz-Flex, Kiev, Ukraine. Canguru Embalagens, Brazil, is active in blown film, printing and lamination, for a wide range of film applications: 40% in absorbent hygiene films, 40% in film and packaging for pet foods, and 10% in film packaging for food. Some 50,000 tons of films are produced at three production plants. There is a joint venture with ITW for PET labels in Brazil (3,000 tons) with ten colour printing. China Flexible Packaging Holdings. Convex, in New Zealand, makes 3,000 tons of film laminates, multilayers, bags and shrink wrap. Cosmo Films is the largest BOPP film producer in India, with 60,000 ton capacity, at four plants in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The company bought Gujarat Propack in late 2001. Cosmoplast Industrial Co. WLL, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, makes PE films of all types, for heavy-duty bags, construction, agriculture, shrink films, carrier bags, refuse bags, household goods, and liners. Film making is part of a wider range of plastics converting activities, including PVC and PE pipes, moulding, blow moulding, crates, bottles, and the full range of basic plastics products. Dubai Polyfilms is part of the Al Ghurair Industrial Group, one of the largest plastic film and flexible packaging manufacturers in the Middle East. The range of products is quite wide, including metallisation. Fatrapolindo Nusa Industri (FPNI), has a 40,000 ton OPP film plant in Tangerang, Banten province, Indonesia, and is planning to acquire existing OPP companies in China. Fatrapolindo is owned by Soros Capital Sit/Kim International and the Batavia Investment Fund. Intertape Polymer Group Tesa (www.intertapepolymer.com) produce masking tape and duct tape. Headquarters are in Canada, with 2,600 employees, and there are 13 plants in the USA and one in Europe. Jefflyne Golden Holdings, in Singapore, has purchased the BOPP business of Holdiko Perkasa, with a plant in Indonesia, making 12,000 tons of BOPP, and a plant in China (Yunnan Kunlene) with a 12,000 ton capacity of BOPP. Jiangsu Shuangliang, in China, installed four Bruckner BOPP production lines at its plant in Jianying near Shanghai, at the end of 2004, reportedly the largest single investment in BOPP, with two lines of 8.2 m width twin-screw technique. Total production capacity is to be 120,000 tons. JIS Grande, in Kyoto, Japan, is a leader in ice cream packaging Maine Poly, Green, ME, USA, specialises in frozen food packaging. Max India Ltd (MIL) makes a wide range of base BOPP films, as well as metallised and other converted films, in Punjab. Mega Printing and Packaging, in Malacca, Malaysia, manufactures a wide range of multilayer films and carries out extrusion lamination. Nahhai Nantang Packing (NNP), in Guangdong, China, is one of the leading converters in China, specialising in converted films for foods, pharmaceuticals and beverages.
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Nan Ya Plastics Corp., a subsidiary of Formosa Plastics Group, from Taiwan, plans to establish BOPP film capacity, two lines, each 33,000 tons, in Huizhou, Guangdong, and Nantong, Jiangsu, by the end of 2004. Feedstock for the film plant will be imported from the PP plants in Taiwan. Nan Ya Plastics has a total BOPP capacity of 135,000 tons, with eight lines, in Chiayi. Napco Group is the film division at Dammam, Saudi Arabia, with plants in Lebanon and Brazil, nine plants in total, with 5,000 employees, and 80,000 ton capacity. There is a full range of blown and cast films, shrink and stretch films, liners, FFS packaging, multilayer barrier films, extrusion coating, and laminating. Not much activity is evident in single packs in the Middle East. Napco started out with paper packaging in 1955. It has a strategy of world presence. Next Generation Films, Lexington, OH, USA, supplies furniture overwrap and special food packaging. Nissho Iwai, from Japan, has been talking with Shaanxi Yanlian to build a 70,000 ton BOPP film plant in Shaanxi. Packages Group, from Pakistan, has a joint venture in Sri Lanka, with Phoenix Ventures of Colombo, for a BOPP film plant and derivatives. The investment comes from Tripack films, itself a joint venture between the Packages Group and Mitsubishi. Sied Emballage, Tunis, Tunisia, created by the Austrian Constantia in 1980, produces laminates, bags and sacks Slavnika, in Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Russia, is a large converter established in 1994, making all types of flexible packaging materials for major Russian food producers. Sonoco Products Co. has sold (December 2003) all its PE-HD film business, five plants in the USA, Hiley Poly Co. LLC and DCH Investment Holdings. Thai Films Industries (TFI), at Sumutprakarn, is the largest OPP film producer in Thailand, with more than 120,000 ton capacity, and production plants also in Bangladesh, China and Vietnam, and an alliance with ExxonMobil. Toyo Seikan, Japan, is a major player in raw films. Trias Sentosa, in Sidoardjo, East Java, has capacities of 40,000 tons of BOPP, plus 12,000 tons of PET films and 5,000 tons of PVDC coatings. Tripack Films, in Pakistan, has a 11,000 ton capacity of BOPP, to be raised to 16,000 tons in 2004. Turkey has rarely been thought of as a major flex-pack nation. However, flex-pack production there is estimated to be $400 million – larger than France and Italy, and equal to the total production of Spain and the Netherlands. There is a strong converter base in Turkey, plus a wellestablished OPP industry growing at about 12% annually. Exporting to a wide range of markets, Turkish converters are particularly strong in the CIS and Ukrainian markets, in addition to a growing domestic market. Flex-pack converters in Turkey include Pak Ambalaj San Vetic AS (Istanbul), which produces a wide variety of printed laminates, and Irfan Etiket (Izmir), a largescale producer of decorated labels with a branch in Istanbul and a wide range of multi-national customers. Korozo Packaging (Istanbul) manufactures both rotogravure and flexo-printed laminates. It produces a wide variety of carrier bags and a full range of zipper constructions and exports heavily to the CIS. United Arab Emirates have seven flex-pack converters, and there are another 13 in neighbouring Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Saudi Arabia is a hub of Middle Eastern flex-pack activity itself, 174
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with eight converters, so altogether there are about 30 converters in the Middle East area and growing fast. Flex-pack converting activity in the UAE began about 1985. Prior to that, printed laminates were imported from Europe and South-East Asia. Kangaroo Plastics began manufacturing in the late 1980s, with Arabian Packaging, United Flexible, and Roto Packaging soon following. Estimated at $40 million, UAE flex-pack products are exported to the Middle East, Africa, CIS countries and even to the USA. Vietnam BOPP Corp., in Vietnam, is building the first BOPP plant in the country in Binh Duong Province, of 8,000 tons, to be increased to 20,000 tons by 2006. The project is justified by the 20,000 tons of BOPP imported into the country in 2002. Vietnam BOPP Corp. is a cooperative of nine Vietnamese plastics converters. Xpro India Ltd (XIL) has bought the BOPP film unit of the large Supreme Industries (SIL), a small unit of 2,500 tons in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, to add to the 4,600 ton unit of XIL in Barjora, West Bengal.
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10 Sources 10.1 Packaging Federations Europe European Aluminium Association (EAA) European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) European Metallizers Association (EMA), www.eurometallizers.org Fedes Countries Brazil, Brazilian Flexible Plastic Packaging Industry Association (ABIEF) France, Fédération de la Plasturgie Italy, Giflex Turkey, ASD UK, Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), Packaging and Industrial Films Association (PIFA), www.pifa.co.uk USA, Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL) 10.2 Publications, Literature and Databases Trade Magazines Modern Plastics International European Plastics News Plastics and Rubber Weekly European Chemical News Kunststoffe Plastiques Modernes et Elastomères Paper Film Foil Converter, http://pffc-online.com Converting Today Packaging Today Databases and Similar Sources Polymer Library, Rapra Technology Ltd., www.polymerlibrary.com Plastics Information Europe (PIE), Plast Europe, www.plasteurope.com Chemicals News Intelligence (CNI), Reed Plastics Search, Emap group Pliscoll financial data For information on Asia: www.alibaba.com/companies/230607/Films.html To find exporters from China: www.manufacturers.com.tw/plastic-rubber-products.htm For information on Africa: www.mbendi.com/ On plastics companies in South Africa: www.mbendi.co.za/a_sndmsg/org_list.asp?P=0&C=1&M=0&R=0 Books D. V. Rosato, Plastics Processing Data Handbook, Kluwer, 1997.
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Abbreviations and Acronyms Here are a few selected current abbreviations for polymers mentioned in this study. They are the accepted abbreviations worldwide, with one exception, for the polyethylene product range. Abbreviations for polyethylenes are given as PE-LD, PE-LL and PE-HD, rather than the conventional way of putting the PE at the end, in order to respect the alphabetical order and put all the polyethylenes together. ABS AL Al2O3 BHP BHV BiB BOPA BOPP BOPS CA CAP CBC CDP cello CHDM CNEP CNT COC CPD CPET CPP CS CTA DC DOE EAA EAS EATP EB EBA EC EEA EMA EMAA EPC EPG EPSMA EPT EVA EVOH FCFC FDA FFS FIBC FP HIRL HP
polyacrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene aluminium aluminium oxide polyhydroxy butyrate polyhydroxy valerate bag in box biaxially oriented polyamide biaxially oriented polypropylene biaxially oriented polystyrene cellulose acetate controlled atmosphere packaging Carrier Bag Consortium Cargill Dow Polymers cellophane cyclohexane di-methanol Centre National d’Evaluation de Photo Protection Carbon Nano Technologies cyclo-olefin copolymer chemical plasma deposition crystallised polyethylene terephthalate cast polypropylene casein cellulose triacetate dichloroethylene Department of the Environment ethylene acrylic acid electronic article surveillance European Association for Textile Polyolefins electron beam ethylene butyl acrylate European Commission ethylene ethyl acrylate ethylene methyl acrylate ethylene methacrylic acid electronic product coding Environmental Polymers Group European Pressure Sensitive Manufacturers’ Association Enhanced Packaging Technology ethylene vinyl acetate ethylene vinyl alcohol Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corp. Food and Drug Administration form-fill-seal flexible intermediate bulk containers fluoropolymers Hindustan Inks & Resins Ltd. high performance
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IC IML IO ITC LCP LFRT LTSC MAP MD mil MW NCH NSC OPA OPP OPS OTR PA PA MXD6 PAN PC PCTFE PDO PE PE-HD PE-LD PE-LLD PE-MD PE-UHMW PE-VLD PEm PEN PET PET PET-A PET-C PETG PHA PHBV PI PLA PMMA PMP PMP POM PP PPS PPTA PRCBC PS PUR PVA PVB PVC PVDC
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integrated circuit in-mould labelling ionomers International Trade Committee liquid crystal polymer long fibre reinforced thermoplastics low temperature sealing coating modified-atmosphere packaging machine direction one thousandth of an inch molecular weight nylon clay hybrid Nippon Synthetic Chemical oriented polyamide oriented polypropylene oriented polystyrene oxygen transmission rate polyamide polyarylamide polyacrylonitrile polycarbonate polychlorotrifluoroethylene 1,3-propanediol polyethylene high density polyethylene low density polyethylene linear low density polyethylene medium density polyethylene ultra high molecular weight polyethylene very low density polyethylene metallocene polyethylene polyethylene naphthalate polyester unsaturated polyethylene terephthalate amorphous polyethylene terephthalate crystallised polyethylene terephthalate polyethylene terephthalate glycol polyhydroxyalkanoate polyhydroxy butyrate/valerate polyimide polylactic acid polymethyl methacrylate polymethylpentene poly-4-methylpentene polyoxymethylene polypropylene polyphenylene sulphide polyparaphenylene terephthalamide Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bag Committee polystyrene polyurethane polyvinyl alcohol polyvinyl butyral polyvinyl chloride polyvinylidene chloride
Plastic Films – Situation and Outlook
PVF PVOH QLF RFID RH SI SiOx SPCB TDO TPA TPI VA VAM WVTR
polyvinyl fluoride polyvinyl alcohol quartz like film radio frequency identification relative humidity silicone silicon oxide State Pollution Control Boards (India) transverse direction oriented vinyl acetate Thai Petrochemical Industry vinyl acetate vinyl acetate monomer water vapour transmission rate
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RAPRA MARKET REPORT ISBN: 1-85957-480-7
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