German colour masterbatch manufacturer Lifocolor (Lichtenfels; www.lifocolor.com) is investing EUR 5m in the construction of a new, bigger plant in France. Its existing production facility in Bellignat / France has reached its capacity limits. Should the new plant in nearby Izernore come onstream in H2 2019 as planned, the French subsidiary will move to the new location, a spokeswoman told Plasteurope.com.

The new building complex on the 15,000 m² Izernore site will have a surface area of 5,300 m². In addition to a 2,500 t/y production capacity for masterbatches, there should also be enough space for future expansions. The company’s French subsidiary currently has 25 employees producing masterbatches for standard plastics and engineering thermoplastics, with a focus on packaging and injection moulding products made of engineering polymers.

Lifocolor has additional plants in the Czech Republic Germany and Poland. The company has a combined workforce of over 255 and a current masterbatch production capacity of 9,000 t/y.