news


EU awards €25m to PEF project


The European Union has awarded €25m a consor- tium of 11 companies, which is working to establish a value chain of chemicals based on polyethylene furanoate (PEF). The 11 partners of


PEFerence include co-ordinator Synvina – which is owned by BASF and Avantium – as well as Alpla Werke, Croda and Nova Institute. The final aim is to build a


50,000 tonnes/year plant making furane dicarboxylic acid (FDCA), the main chem- ical building block for PEF. PEF is a polyester that is


suitable for applications including packaging film – where it is expected to have higher mechanical strength and better barrier proper- ties than PET. ❙ www.synvina.com


Jindal Films expands in polyester film in USA


Jindal Films is to expand in North America by building a polyester film plant in the USA. The plant, at its Americas headquarters in LaGrange, Georgia, is expected to start production in 2019 with a capacity of 65,000 tonnes/year of film. The likely investment at is $120m. Jindal expects to offer two lines at the plant, allowing it to produce both thin and thick speciality films. “We are excited to expand


our capabilities into polyester film in the Americas,” said


Marcelo Passos, executive vice president and CEO of Jindal Films Americas. Jindal recently invested in a


new metalliser at LaGrange, which should come online in early 2018 – and double metallisation capacity there. At the same time, it will add


10,000 tonnes/year in metal- lisation capacity at its Brindisi plant in Italy – with start-up expected later this year. “Aligning with the new 10.5


m extrusion line currently being installed, this additional capability will provide a


superior service and quality, and the highest level of manufacturing efficiency,” said Alessandro Fontanarosa, operations director at the plant. l Jindal is looking to acquire the European operations of DuPont Teijin Films, according to news reports. If successful, the move would make Jindal the world’s largest supplier of polyester film. A report in India’s Economic


Times said that Jindal would pay around $300m for the business. ❙ www.jindalfilms.com


Eastman adds film capacity in Virginia


Eastman is to expand produc- tion of high performance automotive and architectural films at its plant in Virginia, USA, to boost its Llumar and Suntek brands. The company


says that this will be its largest film expansion to date. “This expansion positions


Eastman to meet the growth in demand for window and paint protection films we’re seeing


from our customers around the world,” said Travis Smith, vice president and general manager of Eastman’s performance films business. ❙ www.eastman.com


Plastic water vest carries away top DuPont prize


A water-carrying ‘vest’ for the developing world is the overall winner of this year’s DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation. The Fritz Water Vest, made by US-based Solutions Inc at a cost of $5, is a hygienic and ergonomic way of transporting up to 20lbs (9kg) of water


The multi-layer nylon structure is


robust enough for multiple uses in dry, rugged environments. The proprietary lamination uses several layers for functional protection and can be heat-sealed quickly during manufacturing. An anti-microbial


6


additive in the material prevents the growth of mould, mildew and odours. Other finalists for the Diamond


award included: the ‘Pizza Pod’ from Zume Pizza – a biodegradable plastic alternative to cardboard pizza boxes; Cryovac’s OptiDure Abuse Bag, a vacuum bag with advanced sealing integrity that promises to reduce the number of ‘leakers’ by 1%; and Kuraray’s new high-barrier, renew- able packaging material, called Plantic R – which is used in combina- tion with PET to create high barrier packaging. ❙ www.dupont.com


FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | June 2017


The Fritz Water Vest is a more hygienic and ergonomic way of transporting water


www.filmandsheet.com


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