Transpaco Specialised Films recently installed and commissioned a seven-layer cast film line, worth R24 million, at its Ekandustria site, Bronkhorspruit. According to Ken Harris, managing director of the company, this confirms the company's position as the largest cast film manufacturer in SA, and has boosted its technological ability to compete against imported stretch films.
The new line, supplied by Italian company Dolci Extrusion, can produce 2000mm wide films at up to 1500kg an hour. The machine uses five extruders (1x180mm, 1x105mm and 3x65mm) to produce the seven layers. The FCL 7-2000 machine – from Dolci's Stratocast range – is designed for the production of multi-layer film structures, referred to as 'plywood' stretch films, and are exceptionally strong, confirms Harris.
The new seven-layer technology is the most advanced line in SA at the moment, according to Harris, based on five extruders with an advanced Clorien seven-layer feed block system allowing for ultra specific product formulations necessary for high performance applications.
The local demand for the more advanced LLDPE stretch wrap films, particularly for pallet- stabilisation applications, prompted this R24 million investment and is complimenting Transpaco's existing business infrastructure, says the MD. The three manufacturing facilities in Ekandustria are adjacent to one another enabling Transpaco to accommodate the dimensions and power requirements of the cast lines into a single manufacturing site, that's in a class of its own.
