Extrusion International 3-2018

12 Extrusion International 3/2018 INDUSTRY NEWS First VAREX II Nine-Layer Extrusion Line conquers Colombia The Plastilene Group from Latin America has recently been serving the demanding market for barrier and protective films with a VAREX II nine-layer extrusion line measuring 2,600 in width fromWindmöller & Hölscher. The Plastilene Group is one of the leading manufacturers of flexible packaging in the Latin American market. With pro- duction facilities in Colombia, Guatemala, and Ecuador, the group employs more than 800 people and has total revenues estimated at USD 150 million. Ever since 2005, this Latin American group has relied on technology and expertise from German machine manufacturer, Windmöller & Hölscher, for its production operations. The Plastilene Group has put a to- tal of 19W&H lines into operation in the thirteen years of this cooperation. The group’s latest investment, a VAREX II nine-layer blown film line, has now been commissioned at Plastilene subsid- iary Novalene, based close to Bogotá in Colombia. From there, Novalene principally supplies markets with films for high-tech barrier structures and technical films. “We have high expectations of our machines, as we only produce excel- lent products designed to set standards internationally,” said Gabriel Jaramillo, Technical Director of the Plastilene Group. “The VAREX II is the first W&H nine-layer extrusion line in all of Latin America measuring 2,600 mm in width. This is the ideal film width for the markets we serve.” The VAREX II has been installed in combination with a W&H MIRAFLEX AM8 flexographic printing press and a CORE- MATIC non-stop roll handling system for the printing press rewind. The entire installation has been specifically adapted to Novalene’s needs and is highly specialized for the manu- facture and printing of films for the food industry. WINDMÖLLER & HÖLSCHER KG www.wuh-group.com ahead–NewDigital CustomerMagazine The KraussMaffei Group has gone online with its customer magazine “ahead”. Until now, the ahead magazine of the three brands KraussMaffei, KraussMaffei Berstorff and Net- stal has been available only as a printed version. Now, the elaborately designed magazine will be published digitally – as a multi-media online portal, as well as an app for Android and iOS. The new online portal provides interesting insights into the world of injection molding, reaction process machinery and extrusion in the KraussMaffei Group. Current news, reports and specialist articles complement the portal, which also in- cludes photo galleries, live streams, videos and animations. The new online portal is available in German and English, and can be found on the following links: https://ahead.kraussmaffei.com https://ahead.kraussmaffeiberstorff.com https://ahead.netstal.com LIFE™ antimicrobials effectively eliminate bacteria and odour and are available as powder, liquid and masterbatch (Photo: © Life Material Technologies Limited) KraussMaffei Group GmbH www.kraussmaffeigroup.com VAREX II nine-layer extrusion line at Novalene in Colombia