Packaging maker ERG (Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland; www.erg.com.pl) has reportedly invested an undisclosed sum in a new blown film line. The seven-layer line from manufacturer Hosokawa Alpine (Augsburg, Germany; www.hosokawa-alpine.com) works with the Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) technology, by means of which barrier properties, optics, or film thickness can be modified during the stretching process. The plant is set to increase production capacity in Dąbrowa Górnicza by 30% to more than 12,000 t/y.

ERG produces mono-material composites made of polyethylene, which are printed either directly or in the intermediate layer. “Our composite films based on MDO full PE films and a sealing layer of LDPE are 100% mechanically recyclable,” says Tomasz Gwizda, commercial manager of ERG, adding that their properties make them an alternative to conventional LDPE-LD composites with BOPET and BOPP films. ERG currently employs 180 people.

Germany-based machine and plant manufacturer Hosokawa Alpine, with its headquarters in Augsburg and a branch office in Leingarten, employs about 840 people and recently reported turnover of about EUR 230 mn. The export quota of the subsidiary of the Japanese Hosokawa Micron Corporation is said to be around 80%.