NEWS KAP sales fall in flex film


Diversified German engi- neering company KAP reported a decline in 2023 – due largely to lower sales in its flexible films business. Sales in the division fell


nearly 45% last year to around €98 million (US$106m). However, this was partly due to KAP selling off a portion of the business in April 2023. Excluding those companies, revenue fell by around 25%. The decline was mainly due to slow sell-off of its customers’ high inventories and a slowdown in the


construction industry, it said. However, it added that there were signs of a reversal with rising order volumes towards the end of 2023. Profitability (EBITDA) for the period halved to just under €10m (US$11m). Overall, the company


reported a 22% decline in sales to €317m (US$344m) across its four divisions, and a profitability (EBITDA) of nearly €17m (US$18m), a fall of 53%.


“Geopolitical tensions, rising energy costs and adverse economic factors


dominated 2023,” said Marten Julius, spokesman of the management board of KAP. “Although we have developed in line with our adjusted expectations, we cannot be satisfied with our earnings for the year.” He added that KAP has


made “adjustments” to make the group and its segments leaner and more efficient. “In light of measures


already largely implemented, we are optimistic about KAP’s development in the current financial year,” he added. � www.kap.de


Trinseo to close site in Germany


US-based polymer producer Trinseo said it plans to close its polycarbonate (PC) production site in Stade, Germany, and in future will obtain all the PC it needs for its downstream businesses through external purchases. The action is expected to increase annual profitability by $15m. “Unfortunately, we continue to see demand


soften, and price declines due to the oversupply caused by offshore produc- ers pushing material into the EMEA market,” said CEO, Frank Bozich. “We anticipate these conditions to continue in 2024 and beyond. Additionally, our fixed operating costs at Stade are significant, placing a further strain on our financial viability at this location.”


The company said it is


committed to the integration and application of modern recycling technologies, such as PC dissolution and depolymerisation, to help customers develop more sustainable product offerings and is exploring options for viable locations for recycling plants that meet customer needs. � www.trinseo.com


Jindal will shut plant


in Georgia Jindal Films Americas is to close a manufacturing facility in Georgia accord- ing to a notice filed with the state in March. The move, scheduled


to take place in mid-May, will lead to redundancy for 98 employees. The US division of the India-based company has North American locations in Oklahoma and the LaGrange location in Georgia – which includes a production facility. Jindal manufactures various types of film for flexible packaging and labelling and specialises in bioriented PE and PP (BOPE and BOPP).


Jindal bought the plant


from ExxonMobil in 2013 and invested around US$180 million in 2015 to expand BOPP and metallisation capacity. The company also has


production in Asia and Europe. � www.jindalfilms.com


Macchi to show five-layer line at NPE 2024


Macchi will show a five-layer POD Flex extrusion line at this year’s NPE show in the US. It is designed to produce speciality films with reduced thickness and good sealing, optical and mechanical properties. The line on display at NPE will show how simple it is to shift from high-capacity production for lamination films to recycled material produc- tion for industrial packaging. Feature of the line include: continuous-flow hydraulic screenchangers; a triple flow air ring with integrated automatic profile control system; a frost line scanner; a system to perform OEE monitoring, break- down analytics and predictive maintenance; and a web inspection system, to find film defects. � www.macchi.it


4 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | April 2024 www.filmandsheet.com


IMAGE: MACCHI


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