Film specialist Polifilm Extrusion (Weißandt-Gölzau / Germany; www.polifilm.de) has acquired packaging manufacturer Saxa Packaging (Neukirchen/Pleiße / Germany; www.saxa-packaging.com). Saxa will be integrated into Polifilm’s packaging and performance films division. Division head Jens Kölble and Polifilm Extrusion’s MD Eckehard Betz will jointly assume the management of the packaging manufacturer, which will trade under the name of “Polifilm Neukirchen” in the future. All 37 jobs are to be retained; the purchase price, however, has not been disclosed.

According to Polifilm, the takeover will enable the company to expand its product portfolio of food and industrial packaging solutions – including polyethylene and polypropylene-based barrier films in widths of up to 3.3 m.

Saxa Packaging, founded in 2015, had opened a new production facility in Neukirchen in 2018, with one 3, 5 and 7-layer blown-film line each, made by Reifenhäuser Blown Film (Worms / Germany; www.reifenhauser-bf.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 06.09.2018. “The site will focus on high-functionality films,” said Betz, adding, “The plant in Saxony offers space to expand the machinery and a corresponding growth in capacity.” According to the managing director, the current capacity of 12,000 t/y in Neukirchen is at least to be doubled in the medium term.

Together with the protective film segment, Polifilm Protection and Polifilm Trading, Polifilm Extrusion forms the eponymous group that generated sales of EUR 548m in 2019 (2018: EUR 567m) at 11 plants, with a total of 1,600 employees at more than 20 sites worldwide.