Perlen Packaging (Perlen / Switzerland; www.perlenpackaging.com), the packaging division of Chemie + Papier Holding (CPH, Perlen; www.cph.ch), has reported regionally differing development in the first half of 2021. In Western countries, demand for PVC blister foils has fallen, primarily because pharmaceutical manufacturers had already stocked up on these last year and have been hesitant to place new orders. The mandatory wearing of masks has also resulted in fewer viral infections like colds and flu, and thus reduced self-medication with prescription-free preparations.

CPH was, however, able to offset this decline in sales in Europe and North America through double-digit growth in Latin America and Asia, which pushed up sales 4.7% to CHF 90.8m (EUR 83.1m) for the packaging division. The sharp rise in transport costs and soaring PVC raw material prices meant the EBIT margin dropped to 9.3% in the first six months of 2021 – down from 15% in the same period the previous year. The company explained that the higher costs could only be passed on to the market with a time lag.

In future, CPH intends to focus more on expanding its overseas markets in the packaging sector. It is currently investing a Swiss franc sum in the “high single-digit millions” in the construction of a new coating plant for polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC) films with a capacity of 6,500 t/y (see Plasteurope.com of 16.09.2020). The facility is scheduled to come online in the second quarter of 2022. Perlen is expecting pharmaceutical markets in Latin America to grow by 6-9% each year until 2024.

While the CHP chemicals division (sales up 31% to CHF 47.5m) was also on track in addition to packaging, high raw material costs significantly depressed the result of the paper division – the group’s largest division with sales of CHF 105m (down 3.2%). CPH group, which was founded in 2001, has three divisions: chemicals, paper and packaging. The firm employs around 1,000 people at production sites in Switzerland, Bosnia, China, Germany, and the US.