ORLANDO, FLA. (April 3, 8:30 p.m. ET) — Copol International of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, will be installing its first five-layer cast film extrusion line, a Filmex model from Windmoeller & Hoelscher (Booth 733). The line will be fully commissioned by the end of October, Copol officials said in an April 3 telephone interview.
Copol was founded in 1992 with its sole focus on cast polypropylene (CPP) films. It has been involved in mono- and three-layer films up to this point.
David Sawler, Copol’s vice president of business development, said that consumer demands are changing and packaging is changing to meet those new demands. Copol is focusing on opportunities to produce more efficiently and effectively, especially to address the market needs for more demanding types of packaging.
“To be on the leading edge of the CPP film industry, we need to expand our manufacturing capabilities and focus on new, value-driven product development,” Sawler said. “We want to play a major role in shaping the direction of the industry and investing in this type of advanced equipment will allow us to do that.”
Separately, Bema Inc. of Elmhurst, Ill., has entered the blown film extrusion market with a purchase of an Optimex blown film line. The line is the first Optimex sold to a U.S. company, a spokeswoman with Windmoeller & Hoelscher said.
Bema is adding the three-layer co-extrusion blown film line to a new plant in St. Charles, Ill. The new 70,000-square-foot site also will accommodate film testing, labs and warehouse space.
Glen Galloway, owner of Bema, purchased the company in the late 1990s. Bema’s previous owner had been a pioneer in film extrusion.
“I had always planned to get the company back into extrusion when the time was right,” Galloway said in a news release. “We believe now is that time.”
