Company insight
FlexFilms has developed a factory in Nigeria, a country it sees as holding major economic potential because of young demographics and entrepreneurial spirit. ■
From Russia to Nigeria A prime example of this is in Russia. Although FlexFilms already commands a strong share of the market for films, it realised the need to strengthen its position, with more and more competitors beginning to evaluate the potential of the market. As a result, the company moved an entire production line from Dubai, where it is now focusing on more specialised film production and research centred around sustainable products, which are biodegradable.
biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) films
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biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films
cast poly propylene (CPP) films metallised films alox-coated films speciality films.
Back in Europe, FlexFilms has also expanded is capacity at its site near Wrzesnia, a town in western Poland. Here, the company had been routinely
“The [Covid-19] situation also required careful judgement regarding the pace of our growth activity. Some markets we’ve had to take slower, whereas others we’ve been able to act quickly in order to maximise our advantage there.”
“Dubai is not an ideal place for large- scale manufacturing operations to be based,” Chaturvedi says. “It continues to urbanise at an extraordinary rate, so we decided to convert our facility to an R&D hub with a one-of-a-kind CPP film line.” FlexFilms operates state-of-the-art film manufacturing facilities across the world, and its cumulative production capacity stands in excess of 381,000Mt per annum. It produces:
operating at 85% capacity, a status quo that triggered the requirement to invest in expansion in order to keep up with customer demand. The biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) films produced by the Wrzesnia facility are distributed across Europe, and will soon be joined by a brand new manufacturing hub in nearby Hungary. A landmark greenfield development, it will provide a crucial second foothold
Packaging & Converting Intelligence /
www.pci-mag.com
in Europe from which FlexFilms will be able to produce and market a wider range of films. The company’s FLEXOPP brand will be manufactured at the site, which sits around 45 minutes from Budapest – these are biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films that have a wide variety of uses, including packaging and conversion, photo albums, confectionery packaging thermal lamination and much more. This is a specialist-grade product, its key properties being mechanical strength, moisture resistance, optical clarity, heat sealable (on one or both sides), tear resistance and dimensional stability, among others.
But the Hungary site is not all about producing industry-leading films to sell to a European audience. Chaturvedi is determined to provide an enticing working environment for employees and make FlexFilms an employer of choice. He adds, “We are changing our traditional model of being away from cities with this site just outside of Budapest – it will provide a favourable arrangement for staff because it will be close to home and schools.” The location that, arguably, excites the Chaturvedi the most, however, is Africa. The company has already been operating out of Egypt for a decade, its site in 6 October City supplying a range
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