UFLEX unveils plans for major BOPET site in Poland

India’s UFLEX Group has unveiled plans to open its first European plant to manufacture biaxally orientated polyester (BOPET) in Poland as part of its strategy to tap into demand in the region and become a leading global player in the sector.

The company, formally known as the Flex Group, will initially invest between US$80-90m in setting up an 8.7 metre wide/500 metre per minute BOPET film line and a high-barrier plasma enhanced vacuum metallising plant near Poznan in central Poland.

The state-of-the-art plant, set up under the name Flex Film Europa Sp.z.o.o, will be one of the world’s largest film lines with a capacity of between 30-36,000 MT (up to 80 million lbs) of film annually. The site is due to start commercial production in mid-2012 and will “enable European users of BOPET films to obtain their requirements at short call,” said UFLEX.

"The demand for our products is increasing in Europe and Russia and new plant is intended to cater to that segment," group president RK Jain told Indian media.

The India company said it chose Poznan because of its location at the heart of Europe and the fact it is close to most user-markets. In choosing the Polish city over other potential spots, UFLEX signalled its intent to tap into not just western European markets but also those in Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia.

Global expansion

Last year, UFLEX announced a US$250m global expansion plan for its flexible packaging operations in a bid to double its €529m (US$656m) annual income by the end of 2013.

It confirmed that two more new 8.7 meter BOPET Film lines were currently under installation – one each at its Mexico and Egypt facilities, the latter with a capacity of 35,000 mt/a. A new 12,000 mt/a CPP film line is also being commissioned in the middle east country.

The three new lines would help it emerge as one of the world’s top three BOPET Film producers, said the firm. Almost all the group plants are certified as being compliant with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 specifications, with the Mexico facility recently accredited with ISO 9001:2008 certification, added UFLEX.

The company also outlined expansion in its native India is also an aim, with a US$60m cash injection planned by the end of Q1 2012.

"The Rs 15,000-crore (€2.6bn / US$3.2bn) domestic industry is growing at around 15 -18 per cent annually owing to the increased demand for flexible packaging products, especially in FMCG and food segments,” said company chairman and managing director Ashok Chaturvedi . “We want to become a preferred supplier of packaging materials not only in India but across the globe and are also eyeing a $1-billion turnover by the financial year 2013. That is not possible without increasing our presence and capacities in India and abroad."

Source: UFLEX Group