At an investment cost of EUR 40m, Klöckner Pentaplast (Montabaur / Germany; www.kpfilms.com) has raised capacity at its plants in Montabaur / Germany and Santo Tirso / Portugal as planned. The move signifies the company’s strategy to adapt its range if PVC and PET rigid films at the two sites, explained Joachim Kogelnik, president and COO of Klöckner Pentaplast Europa, at a recent press conference. The group’s ultimate aim, he said, was to raise the plants’ capacity utilisation levels and to increase efficiency levels in the processes to manufacture shrink film, food contact film, thermoforming sheets and box film as well as adhesive and furniture film.

Altogether, Klöckner Pentaplast is raising by 50,000 t/y its capacity to produce mostly PET rigid film at the two sites. Some of the investment money also went towards refinement processes at the company’s site in Gendorf / Germany. The expansion has created 130 new jobs, Kogelnik said.

In a countermove to the expansion, Klöckner Pentaplast had earlier announced its intent to close its German facilities of Kempten and Graben-Neudorf, as well as its plant in Muri / Switzerland – see Plasteurope.com of 03.05.2010. All the measures are to be realised by summer this year.