Orafol Group – which specialises in the finishing of plastics – has announced it will spend €150 million to significantly expand its production headquarters and capabilities at Oranienburg in Brandenburg, Germany.
The company said it is making this significant investment in response to a global increase in demand and so it can manufacture more products for the graphics industry including retroreflective materials, industrial adhesive tapes and high-performance films.
The majority of the investment will be used to construct two new production halls by 2024 covering an area of 15,000 square metres. Building work on both halls is set to start later this year. The halls will be fitted out with plant technology and connected to a digital production planning system.
Dr Holger Loclair, Chairman & CEO of the Orafol Group said: “Over the past five years, Orafol has consolidated and become a large-scale enterprise. With our current investment cycle through 2024, we are laying the foundation for sustainable growth through diversification. In product development, we are equally high-performing in all divisions. It therefore makes sense to reproduce this in terms of production technology.”
Once completed, the production halls will feature five new production lines for lamination and coating.
Orafol says this will increase the capacity for manufacturing standard products plus open the door for new product development.
“In the future, Orafol will be able to produce self-adhesive laminates that are considerably wider than those currently available on the market,” the company said.
“At the same time, the future technology portfolio will allow new variants for the production of laminates with innovative functional layers. New production equipment for manufacturing adhesive fixing solutions means that the Adhesive Tape Systems (ATS) division can be expanded.
“With all technologies, Orafol is responding to requirements that are particularly important in the automotive sector and that also play a part in the company’s diversification strategy.”
Marcel Janßen, Senior Vice President Engineering & Technology said: “From the outset, all machines are integrated into a digital production planning system, which guarantees efficient processes and optimum use of raw materials.”
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