German plastics producer Covestro (Leverkusen; www.covestro.com) has started up additional production lines for polycarbonate speciality films at its Dormagen site in Germany, the construction for which had begun in May 2019 (see Plasteurope.com of 07.05.2019). The new coextrusion lines are part of the company’s global programme to expand film capacity, with an investment of over EUR 100m. Around 30 new jobs will be created to operate the new lines, which will mainly produce multilayer flat films that are used in medical technology, car interiors and ID cards.

“Our new production lines are equipped with state-of-the-art technology,” says Thorsten Dreier, global head of speciality films and thermoplastic polyurethanes business, and adds, “That’s why we can now supply our customers faster and with higher quality. We also want to improve our development work and bring new products to market even faster.”

In 2020, Covestro had launched a new manufacturing line for PC films in Map Ta Phut / Thailand, to meet the rising demand in Asia (see Plasteurope.com of 15.10.2020). The company had also converted a coextrusion film plant in Guangzhou, Guangdong / China and implemented efficiency and product quality improvements in South Deerfield, Massachusetts / USA. The German firm, with 33 production sites and 16,500 employees worldwide, reported sales of EUR 10.7 bn in 2020.