On 18 March 2013, film manufacturers Bilcare Research (Allschwil / Switzerland; www.bilcare.com) and Alfatherm (Venegono Superiore / Italy; www.alfatherm.it) will swap their pharma and furniture business in a move aimed at focusing on their core activities. The relevant agreement was reached in February. Following the exchange, Bilcare Research will take over Alfatherm’s customer relations in the pharmaceutical films sector, while the Italian group will assume the former’s activities in the field of furniture films. A spokesperson for Bilcare Research told Plasteurope.com the swap would not affect plants or personnel.

Bilcare Research is comprised of the divisions Bilcare Solutions, Global Clinical Supplies and Bilcare Technologies. The company, specialised in the production of rigid PVC and PVC-PE films, as well as the extrusion of PET films, posted sales of EUR 317m in 2012. Its workforce of 1,300 is spread across sites in Germany, Italy, India, Singapore and the US, and it has an overall nameplate capacity of about 130,000 t/y of film.

Italy’s Alfatherm focuses on producing calendered rigid, semi-rigid and flexible PVC films for furniture and surface decoration, shrink films, food and non-food packaging, stationary and other applications. Its 430 employees, spread across three plants in Italy, posted sales of EUR 102m in 2012. The company says it exports about 60% of the 40,000 t of film it turns out each year.