Infiana Sites Ready Themselves for Global Expansion in Capacity
This recent announcement in early June made the experts in the sector listen up: Infiana is investing some 20 million euros in the expansion of its operations at their sites in Forchheim, Germany, and Malvern, Pennsylvania. The construction and commissioning of the two coating facilities is scheduled for the first half of 2017.
In Forchheim, the expert company for specialty films is investing in the manufacture of a state-of-the-art thermal coating system. Gernot Becker, General Manager EMEA is looking forward to the new opportunities that the new investment will provide. According to Mr. Becker: "This new technology will allow us to offer our customers more specialized products, which are optimally designed for their specific applications". He continues: "In thermal coating, the thickness of the film in relation to the high drying heat, by way of example, is currently a limiting factor. This new facility will allow us to significantly enlarge the process window and produce even thinner coated films in future. This is exactly the solution that the fast-growing market demands."
Preparations for the transformation are currently at full speed. Using the existing systems, employees are already being trained and prepared for the new features that are coming their way next year. Once the new coating facility is installed, they will undergo additional 14 days of practical training on the new system.
Vital preparations for the construction of the new printing and coating system are also in progress at the US site in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Robert Shumoski, General Manager in Malvern, describes the benefits of the new line: "Our US subsidiary will become more flexible in the future and will be able to benefit from the ability to serve a broader range of markets.” In the US, Infiana is already a market leader in the Building Construction sector. The new system in Malvern will allow the company to further diversify production and its local product portfolio and to reach customers in all markets. "By purchasing the printing and coating machine, we have laid the technological foundation in Malvern to further position ourselves as the leading provider of specialty films in North America in all of our core markets: Building Construction, Personal Care, Health Care, and Pressure Sensitive and Composites," explains Shumoski. This means that a series of intensive training sessions are on the agenda for employees in the coming months to familiarize them with the new system and the opportunities it offers. Part of the training will include gaining initial experience using a similar system at the Infiana plant in Germany.
Meeting customer needs faster, with products developed for their specific applications is one of the key objectives Infiana is pursuing with its investments and its premium brand strategy. In addition to higher capacity, which is obtained in the production process by using new equipment, Infiana also creates flexibility in production planning at the various sites. These measures allow the company to strengthen its positioning as a an expert in specialty films, thus setting new standards in the global market. Peter K. Wahsner, CEO Infiana Group, explains: "The investment will allow us to further develop our premium brand strategy and to offer our customers engineered and innovative film solutions."
About Infiana Group:
Infiana Group develops and produces engineered and innovative films for the consumer market and the industry. The Group employs about 800 people at its three sites located in Forchheim (Germany), Malvern (USA) and Samutsakorn (Thailand). Infiana serves the Personal Care (film products for packaging of hygiene items), Health Care (release films, process films and films for packaging), Building & Construction (release films and surface films), Composites (release films and process films) and the Pressure Sensitive Market (silicone-coated release films). In 2015, Infiana Group generated a turnover of 205 million euros. Further information is available online at www.infiana.com.
Company contact:
Infiana Germany GmbH & Co. KG
Tanja Biener
Zweibrückenstr. 15-25
91301 Forchheim
Germany
Tel: +49 9191 81-0
Fax: +49 9191 81-212
Mail: info.forchheim@infiana.com
