Outlook 2023: Megatrends unleash innovations for a circular economy

Circular economy, climate change and energy demand are global megatrends that will influence the worldwide plastics industry and the business of Brückner Maschinenbau's customers, mainly the film producers. “The protection of nature through the responsible use of resources and products has been a central goal of our family-owned business since its beginnings.  This is reflected in our developments such as our mono-material packaging solutions to close the cycle of plastic packaging. In addition to the necessary developments for the rapidly evolving circular economy, Brückner Maschinenbau is also sticking to its traditional goals of further decreasing raw material use and ever lower energy consumption in film production to meet the challenge of reducing the CO2 footprint within the entire value chain,” according to Mr. Reinhard Priller, Sales Director of Brückner Maschinenbau.

 Mr. Reinhard Priller, Sales Director of Brückner Maschinenbau

Special film lines from Siegsdorf are in demand worldwide, answering the needs of the rapidly growing e-mobility sector. In the area of battery separator films for lithium-ion batteries, Brückner Maschinenbau has earned a good name in the market with its successfully running lines at leading film manufacturers and is regarded as a technology leader in terms of output and film quality. “In the wake of e-mobility, the market for high-performance capacitors is also growing rapidly. Ultra-thin capacitor films made of BOPP are essential in these components, some of which are tiny. In particular, the patented simultaneous LISIM stretching process is ideally suited for the very efficient production of these films with the best properties.  Green energy solutions are supported by Brückner's special BOPET thick film lines, producing high performance solar backsheet used for photovoltaic panels,” Mr. Priller explains. 

The market for packaging as well as industrial films have grown very strongly in recent years – and, as a result, the demand for film stretching lines from Brückner Maschinenbau has increased significantly. Mr. Priller states: “This means a great deal of effort for us in 2023 and the following years in order to optimally handle the upcoming projects. We continue to keep our promise to film manufacturers worldwide, to optimise their business with highest reliability and line performance from day one and highest film quality. To meet the extremely increasing customer demand for battery separator film production lines, Brückner Maschinenbau will significantly expand the corresponding capacities in the coming years.” 

At K 2022 Brückner Maschinenbau presented new film stretching line concepts under the slogan “higher line efficiency for a sustainable film production” that aims to decrease use of raw materials, lower energy consumption and "zero waste" in film production. The new Brückner line concepts include the production of BOPP packaging film with an annual output of up to 90,000 tonnes – up from current benchmark of 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes/year. This means an approx. 12% lower energy consumption, based on 1 kg of film! Also launched is a new line for the production of BO films made of polyamide (BOPA) with up to 80% more output and production of battery separator films and capacitor films with increased width from 5.5m to over 6m and the associated output increases of over 20% to take place in stages. 

This year the Brückner Group Asia Pacific was officially opened. As Mr. Priller mentioned: “This new platform company in Thailand strengthens the presence of all Brückner Group companies in the Asia-Pacific region in the long run. Plastic film producers in the region benefit from the globally high standards, procedures and services, which are applied locally and are guaranteed the fastest and best possible support in all areas. Main focus of the Brückner Group Asia-Pacific at the moment is the support of installation and commissioning of film stretching lines as well as upgrades and on-site services. There is also a fully equipped centre for the reprocessing of clips and chains and a quality assurance system for the high-precision components. In 2023, we will further expand our range of services and also strengthen our staff at the Thailand premises.”