Flex Films, the global films business division of India-based Uflex Group, launched construction activities at the site of its proposed US greenfield facility at Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky, with a traditional Indian ceremony on October 28. The Honorable Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Steven Beshear, was the guest of honor at the ceremony at which many prominent local dignitaries and other guests were also present, including former Kentucky Senator Joe Prather, Secretary of the Cabinet for Economic Development for Kentucky Larry Hayes, and Elizabethtown Mayor Tim Walker.
Governor Beshear and Messrs. Hayes and Walker actively participated in the event and sat cross-legged on cushions while the hour-long ceremony was in progress after which they gathered on stage to address the gathering. Speaking on the occasion, the former Senator for the State of Kentucky Mr. Joe Prather said, “This is a real milestone for us in the Elizabethtown/Hardin County community”, while Mayor Walker remarked that, “It’s a win-win situation for both us, Flex Films and Elizabethtown.” Mr. Pradeep Tyle - CEO, Flex Films – and Mr. Anant Shree Chaturvedi – Director of Flex Films USA – also addressed the audience and emphasised the importance of this operation in the UFLEX scheme of things and to their core philosophy of locating themselves as close as possible to their customers to provide them freshly produced films just in time so that they could keep their money in their banks and not in their warehouses. The new plant will enable Flex Films to ship freshly made film supplies at 7 days’ notice to American film users.
The new plant will enable Flex Films to ship freshly made film supplies at seven days’ notice to American film users. Flex Films will invest around USD $90 million in each of two phases, the first of which will see the setting up of a 180,000 square foot facility that will house an 8.7 meter wide, 500 meters per minute biaxially oriented polyester (BOPET) film line, and a plasma-enhanced high-barrier metallizer that will be commissioned by the end of 2012. With an annual capacity of over 30,000 MT (about 67 million lbs) of film, this line will be larger than any other film line presently operating in the USA, says the company, and will create about 125 new jobs. Capacity will be doubled and 125 more new jobs created soon after the first line is started up.
Flex Films is a producer of packaging films (plain, coated and metallized BOPET/BOPP/CPP films and holographic materials) and is claimed to be the world’s largest supplier of polyester films for packaging applications. It has an extensive global footprint and its products are used in over 110 countries. It operates manufacturing facilities in India, Dubai, Mexico and Egypt. New facilities are being constructed in Poland and the USA, which will be commissioned in 2012. More international facilities are being planned and it expects to be operating out of at least 12 countries by 2020.
The Uflex Group is a global leader in flexible packaging with annual revenues of about USD $1.2 billion. A vertically integrated conglomerate in the flexible packaging business, its other products include packaging laminates, bags and pouches, PET resins, inks, coatings, adhesives, rotogravure cylinders, flexographic plates, packaging machinery and conversion equipment.
