Quebec’s Polykar adds third W&H multi-layer co-extrusion line

Polykar, a Quebec-based manufacturer of flexible packaging, has installed its third Windmöeller & Höelscher (W&H) Optimex line for three-layer film production.

The line, which began production this week, represents a $3 million investment for Polykar, and is designed to support what the company calls “the consistent and increasing demand from customers for high quality and complex structures in the North American polyethylene film market.”

The additional line will also allow annual production of multilayered film to reach 22 million pounds, the company said, and will result in quicker product turnaround.

‘’We’re very excited to see our third Optimex line installed, not only for the much-needed increase in production, but also for the addition of half a dozen new technical positions in our co-extrusion department which will help us ramp up our share of the convertor film market,’’ Polykar president Amir Karim said.

Polykar’s first Optimex machine was installed in 2014, and was the one hundredth such line sold worldwide by W&H, which is headquartered in Germany, with North American headquarters in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Founded in 1987 in Saint-Laurent, Que., Polykar began as a family business, and currently supplies polyethylene film, certified compostable bags, garbage bags, and food and industrial packaging.

W&H manufactures machines for film extrusion, printing, and converting, with machines currently operating in over 130 countries by more than 5,000 customers.