Successful formula to achieve market leadership

Producers of plastics films are now reaping the benefits from innovations undertaken by global players in film production machinery. In this aspect, Brückner Maschinenbau has taken a leading role through its game-changing technologies. Reinhard Priller, Sales Director at Brückner Maschinenbau, shares how the Group has emerged from the challenges in the Asian market.

Brückner Maschinenbau has been known for its innovations in the area of film production systems, please tell us about these breakthrough technologies and their impact on the final products?

Mr. Priller: Brückner had a clear goal in mind right from the very start: to understand the needs the producers of oriented films are facing throughout the value chain and to support them in the optimisation of their day-to-day business. One example is the increase of speed and width: From line speeds of 350 m/min in the 1990s, 450 and 500 m/min at the beginning of this century, and finally today the worldwide fastest BO lines with speeds over 600m/min, Brückner was always in the forefront. We were also the first to offer BOPP lines with 10.4m working widths, successfully brought the 10+ metre technology on stream for BOPET, and exclusively offer BOPA lines with a working width of 6.6 metres and more – all this resulting in substantially increased output and productivity.

Mr. Reinhard Priller, Sales Director, Brückner Maschinenbau

What we also improved over the years is the quality of the film produced on our lines. To mention only two aspects: convenience is a major topic in food packaging. Consumers want packaging that makes their life easier: Re-closeable, microwaveable, easy to handle and with additional information. A second trend is hygiene and “food safety”. That means the packaging has to optimally protect the packed goods over an extended shelf lifetime – by getting thinner and lighter at the same time. The ongoing development of our film stretching technology enables our customers to fulfill such quality demands.

What are the benefits of Brückner film production systems to customers especially those in the Asian region? Please cite some instances or cases where Asian customers are involved and the solutions provided to them.

Mr. Priller: In the past, Asian film producers focused on a line’s width, speed and output for the best possible productive level. Those customers, who started with Brückner decades ago are now major players in the world – as some Chinese, Japanese and Indian film producers prove – or leading in South-East Asia such as AJ Plast (Thailand), Argha Karya, Indopoly and Trias Sentosa from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, our Asian customers are more and more heading for specialty films: for example, ultra-high barrier packaging films, BOPA simultaneous film and also technical solutions such as battery separator films, optical film grades, capacitor films or solar back sheets. In many of these fields, our Asian customers are worldwide leading. And we should not forget the fact that such film lines are running day and night for more than 25 years. This longevity is due not least to our strong and increasingly digital service offering in Asia.

What has been Brückner's major steps undertaken to achieve a circular economy and how do these impact the product portfolio provided?

Mr. Priller: Despite all necessary developments for the rapidly developing Circular Economy, Brückner Maschinenbau is keeping to its own ambitious objectives for a decreasing raw material usage and an increasingly minimal energy consumption during film production – because the challenge of climate change and the reduction of the carbon footprint throughout the entire packaging production chain must not be forgotten. In the fight against climate change, we will still also need plastic packaging that is produced in a resource-saving way. Brückner has contributed to this over the years through: R&D with bioplastics, resulting in new lines as well as modifying existing lines; downgauging of films while still achieving excellent film performance for a reduced raw material usage; and barrier films allowing packaging laminate simplification and reducing the number of further converting steps – saving both, energy and material.

Brückner Maschinenbau film stretching line helps customers improve productivity.

 
Our latest solutions for a Circular Economy are based on intense R&D work in Brückner’s own technology centre. They focus on mono-material film with superior mechanical and optical properties, which will be able to substitute previous multi-layer films made from different materials. These are ideal for use in new, single-origin packaging and guarantee good sortability in waste separation and optimal recycling. Some examples include new
line concepts for the manufacture of BOPE film; a new inline coater to manufacture extremely thin functional layers which don’t disrupt the sorting and recycling; BOPET films with an optimised sealability; special and dedicated stretching line concepts for low-density sleeves and polyolefin shrink films, which are the trend for a better sortability and recyclability of bottles and sleeve labels; and special sensors, e.g. a haze sensor, recognise and control the influence of the used recycled material content to the overall product properties.

What are Brückner's plans as far as the Asian market is concerned? Are there plans to expand in the region?

Mr. Priller: Our presence in Asia has always been strong. Since 40 years now Brueckner Far East Ltd. has offices in Hongkong and mainland China. Brueckner Group China Co., Ltd. was founded as early as 2004, in 2012, the company moved to its new headquarters in Suzhou. In India we also have local employees and South-East Asia has been successfully supported since many years by our representative office in Jakarta, Indonesia. The latest project – a brand-new, ultra-modern BOPP factory in Vietnam – testifies that the regional presence works.


Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
Tel: +49 8662630
E-mail: sales@brueckner.com
Website: www.brueckner.com