Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
November 11, 2014 01:00 AM

Barex closure fast tracks barrier film alternatives

Kate Tilley
Correspondent
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Amcor Ltd.
    Amcor Ltd. is securing a supply of Barex resin for its film needs while also pushing development of its own alternative.

    UPDATED — Australian packaging company Amcor Ltd. is developing its own films that do not use Barex resin in the wake of an announcement its Barex supplier will close its Lima, Ohio factory early next year.

    In the meantime, the Melbourne-based manufacturer is working on a deal with the supplier, Ineos Group, based in Rolle, Switzerland, for a continued source of Barex-brand polyacrylonitrile (PAN) resin to meet its customers' needs for the next three years.

    John Murray, Amcor executive general manager of corporate affairs, told Plastics News the priority is to secure sufficient Barex PAN to meet immediate needs. Amcor is working with its customers, Ineos and film converters on a technical, legal and commercial framework that will ensure supply until its replacement film is commercialized.

    Murray said they hope to finalize a deal “in the next week” but will not comment further until the deal is reached.

    He did not specifically respond to Plastics News' query on whether Amcor would consider buying the Ohio factory, nor would he say what quantity of resin was involved in the three-year supply, nor its cost.

    “Commercialization of Amcor's own films is being accelerated to ensure the fastest qualification well in advance of the end of the three-year supply of Barex,” Murray said. “Our films will provide the same inert properties as Barex, and have been developed to provide improved sealing properties, lower extractables and a more sustainable manufacturing process compared to Barex.”

    Colin Reed, global pharma marketing director at Amcor Flexibles Europe and Americas, said in a news release: “Ensuring global security of supply for our customers is Amcor's key priority. Due to the critical nature of pharmaceutical and medical applications, it is our responsibility to make sure business continuity is maintained.”

    He said the new film has already undergone favorable initial trials, and Amcor will give customers samples of the film and laminates before the end of the year so they can start the qualification process.

    Amcor uses Barex in manufacturing packaging for pharmaceutical, medical and food products. Murray said its inert chemical properties provide a superior barrier for sensitive and aggressive products, such as nicotine and analgesic patches, and animal health products.

    More Barex alternatives

    Meanwhile, two other barrier film companies announced that they have developed high-barrier materials that are alternatives to Barex.

    King of Prussia, Pa.-based Tekni-Films, a division of Tekni-Plex Inc., said it has commercialized a line of Barex-alternative specialty films, for thermoformable, heat-sealable packaging applications.

    “Many of these films were commercialized over the past year,” said David Andrulonis, vice president and general manager, in a news release.

    The films include polyethylene, polypropylene and Aclar polychlorotrifluoroethylene inner and outer layers, coupled with either ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer and/or cyclic olefin copolymer for enhanced barrier properties..

    Last week, Addison, Ill.-based Rollprint Packaging Products Inc. announced that it was expanding its Exponent-brand high-barrier structure film line to include a new material with a combination of the company's ClearFoil barrier-coated polyester and a coextruded non-crystalline polyester sealant.

    The company said potential applications for the new material include the transdermal patch, e-cigarette and diagnostics markets.

    Bemis Co. Inc. also is touting its experience in helping customers find alternatives to Barex.

    William Jackson, vice president and chief technology officer at the Neenah, Wis.-based film manufacturer, said that over the years Bemis has helped several customers transition to using polyester sealants as an alternative to Barex resin-based packaging.

    “Our product development team is now introducing a new sealant structure, CXB, which expands our family of Barex replacement products and is specifically designed for the health-care market,” he said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Plastics treaty must avoid climate mistakes, UNEP leader says
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    An 8,000-ton dream for Milacron, 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics
    2
    Auto suppliers plan for uncertainty amid UAW strike, shift to EVs
    3
    Some resin prices take a hike at the end of summer
    4
    Proposed tax on single-use virgin plastic resurfaces in Congress
    5
    Resin Prices
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
      • Podcasts
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Bioplastics Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • PFAS Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
      • Europe - Virgin
      • Europe - Recycled
      • Europe - Feedstock
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified