French wood plastic composite (WPC) specialist Oceplast (Aizenay; www.oceplast.fr) raised output late last year after having commissioned a new direct extrusion line from KraussMaffei Berstorff (Munich / Germany; www.kraussmaffeiberstorff.com). The new line includes a KMD 75-32/WPC twin-extruder capable of turning out 200 kg/h. Operated by a single-step process that allows for the direct metering of the wood and PVC components, the line also includes a calibration table, a haul-off/saw combination and a tilting table designed for processing extra wide profiles.

Founded in 2002, Oceplast specialises in PVC profile extrusion for applications such as roller shutter systems, fence profile strips, floor skirting boards, thermally insulated profiles and coextruded PVC-PMMA profiles. Its “Ocewood” trademark is sold throughout France and Europe. The French company said it expects demand for WPC terrace decking profiles and fence profile strips to rise significantly in Europe as efforts towards conserving resources increase. According to a report released by the Hackwell Group (Tunbridge Wells / UK; www.woodplasticcomposites.org) last year, European WPC production is forecast to grow by an average 13% annually up to 2015, reaching almost 360,000 t – see Plasteurope.com of 05.03.2012.