Mobil Chemical Co (3225 Gallows Road, Fairfax, VA 22037-0001, USA) has announced plans to expand its oriented PP film production at Kerkrade, the Netherlands, but is planning to sell off its European PE stretch film business to ITW (3600 W. Lake Ave, Glenview, Ill. 60005, USA).

The new orienter for Kerkrade is scheduled to be on stream by mid-1998 and will increase Mobil's annual OPP packaging and labeling film capacity by 15,000 t/y. The investment will give Mobil a global capacity of 230,000 t/y by the end of 1998, including material produced on its new Hicor line planned to be on stream later this year in Belgium. Mobil operates seven OPP film manufacturing facilities in Canada, the USA, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. It also has a joint venture facility in Thailand with Thai Film Industries Public Co Ltd.

In a separate announcement, Mobil Chemicals indicated its wholly owned subsidiary, Mobil Plastics Europe, Inc (Zoning-Latour, B-6761 Virton) has begun discussion for the sale of its polyethylene stretch films business to ITW. Mobil Chemical Co divested five other stretch films manufacturing facilities as part of the 1995 sale of its Plastics Division and the disposal would fit with its strategy to concentrate on the OPP market.