Following almost a year of development and over £6 million ($8.24 million) of machine and infrastructure investments, Coveris is finally set to complete its stretch films transformation project at its Winsford site, positioning the UK facility as a center of excellence for industrial, agri and recycled stretch products.
As the UK’s largest extruder of blown polyethylene films, the total investment boosts existing site capacity by over 25% to meet growing market requirements for recyclable, recycled performance films, according to Coveris.
Supported by the construction of a fourth new 825-square-meter film hall, the installation of four new co-extrusion lines, acquired from the former Total Polyfilms business, will position Coveris as a world leader in stretch films, alongside its Kufstein facility in Austria, according to the company.
With the Winsford facility having developed many leading brands and best-in-class solutions to date, including the latest 11-micron stretch film, thinnest 5-micron pre-stretch and hybrid cast replacement BLAST film, the business’ technical development capability is to be even further enhanced with the installation of next-generation assets and capabilities, according to Coveris.
According to Coveris, a new R&D facility – a state-of-the-art Film Science Lab – is set to open in the third quarter of 2021.
The facility, supported by the site’s net-zero waste program, promises to accelerate the development and scalable production of pioneering downgauged, recyclable, recycled performance films to meet new legislative requirements for global end markets, according to Coveris.
“Coveris has been at the forefront of innovative material development for over 25 years and to grow that position in an ever-more demanding sustainable environment, we’ve invested heavily in the next generation assets to deliver improved products, efficiencies and innovation to our customers for years to come," said Darren Dean, managing director of the Winsford site. "What’s more, this futureproof state will ensure that by the end of this year, our Winsford facility will become fully waste neutral, meaning all film produced at our site leaves the site as a sustainable, finished product, supporting our vision of NO WASTE across our operations, our packaging and the products we protect.”
Take a virtual tour of the new facility here.
