Poligal, one of the leading biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film manufacturers in Europe, commenced production at its new BOPP film production plant in Poland in February 2018.
The company is part of the Barcelona-based Peralada Group and produces a wide range of films, which are used in packaging for consumer products, labels and lamination.
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The new plant involved an investment of €40m ($46.7m), and is expected to help Poligal to become competitive in product segments, including label films.
It also enables the company to strengthen its capabilities in film development for specialist applications.
Project background
The new plant was built as part of Poligal’s strategic plan 2012-2016, which emphasised growth, internalisation and technological development.
The company aims to grow in size and expand its geographical coverage by increasing its investments in fast-growing markets.
However, Poligal also intends to remain a medium-sized player with a primary focus on producing and delivering high-quality products and top-quality service, in addition to maintaining healthy relationships with clients.
Poligal’s BOPP film production plant location
The new plant is located in Skarbimierz, which is located 60km south of Wroclaw, the largest city in western Poland.
Skarbimierz was chosen as an ideal location as it is at the centre of the fast-growing flexible packaging market in Poland and is just two hours away from Germany.
By residing close to clients, the company aims to offer quick service, which is an essential consideration in the European markets.
BOPP plant details and production
The new plant features an 8.7m-wide, five-layer BOPP extrusion line supplied by Brückner Maschinenbau.
The facility has an initial production capacity of more than 40,000t/y of BOPP film.
It will adhere to European standards and Poligal policies regarding safety and environmental protection.
Poligal also plans to add metallisation capacity to the plant later in 2018.
Along with the existing plants in Spain and Portugal, the new plant will enable a strong backup production and therefore help the company to provide its European converters and end-users with a wide range of products.
Sustainability features of Poligal’s new plant
The entire lifecycle of the products at Poligal follow sustainable approaches, including the use of energy-efficient measures and raw materials, while minimising waste and emissions.
Electricity and useful heat is generated in the plant using cogeneration processes.
The heat is then used for the production processes, while the cold resulting from the process is used to condition the premises, thus helping to reduce the electricity consumption at the plant.
The plant has a recycling unit to reprocess the waste generated during the extrusion process.
Processed waste is subsequently reused to produce film grades for specific applications.
Features and applications of BOPP film
BOPP is a polypropylene film used in a variety of packaging applications.
It is characterised by low density and has good mechanical, optical and barrier properties as it is produced by stretching PP film in both the machine and cross directions.
BOPP films are available in different sizes and types, including films of 12µm to 60µm thickness, as well as plain, multi-layer, high-clarity, opaque and metallisable variants.
BOPP films offer excellent clarity, low electrostatic charge, good dimensional stability and flatness, as well as effective resistance against oil and grease, and barrier properties against water vapour.
They are also recyclable and offer puncture and crack resistance at a wide range of temperatures.
BOPP films are traditionally used for packing snacks, confectionaries, crisps and noodles.
Modern applications of the film also include wrap-arounds, shrinkable labels, synthetic paper and high-barrier films.
