Packaging films manufacturer bpi.films (Leominster / UK; www.bpifilms.co.uk), one of six operating businesses within British Polythene Industries (Greenock, Scotland / UK; www.bpipoly.com), has invested GBP 10m in two five-layer cast film lines. The lines, installed in a new building that has increased the size of the Leominster factory’s footprint to 2,000 m², will raise production capacity for stretch, shrink and converter films by 40%. The company said it took two years to identify the production plant it needed and a further 14 months to assemble it and customise production to customers’ specifications. A new pre-stretch machine was also installed.

“The investment into our Leominster plant is great news for bpi.films and for the wider packaging industry,” said operations director Tony Solé. He said this will enable the company to meet growing demand for its existing range and will also augment its ability to produce new “downgauged” products such as the “Wrapsmartultra” stretch wrap. According to Solé, the film offers all the performance of 14mµ film from a profile half that thickness at 7mµ.

The new cast film lines complement a number of existing multi-layer lines at the site and strengthen bpi.films’ position as the only UK manufacturer of five-layer cast films. The lines incorporate robotics and a high degree of automation, and are said to be extremely energy efficient. The installation has created 12 new jobs.