With its latest investment at the Steinfurt site, Walki is supporting customers in the transition to sustainable and recyclable paper-based packaging materials. The new production line combines the existing extruder line with a production line for glue lamination and dispersion coating.
Driven by market trends and the new European legal framework, Walki has made an investment of more than six million euros in a state-of-the-art production line at its plant in Steinfurt. The new facility is now ready to produce all those customers who want to switch to fibre-based packaging. This latest investment should not only enable the market launch of highly recyclable cartonboard and liner materials, but also facilitate the substitution of plastic for paper-based packaging, thereby reducing the carbon footprint.
„We saw the need to reshape our materials and technology portfolio to be at the forefront of recyclable fibre-based packaging materials. Together with other recent investments, Walki's product offering is undoubtedly unique across Europe. We offer our customers the highest functionality with paper-based materials while minimising environmental impact and the ability to adapt to the specific packaging requirements of the market.“
Nikolaus Wolfram, Executive Vice President at Walki
The new facility in Steinfurt will support customers in both the food and non-food segments, in particular through the production of barrier cardboard, flexible packaging and industrial liner applications for corrugated cardboard boxes. The production line, called „The Bridge“, was expanded into a unique multifunctional machine that combines and extends the existing extruder line with a production line for glue lamination and dispersion coating.
„The glue lamination and dispersion technologies enable excellent barrier properties for paper-based materials and require significantly less plastic compared to conventional methods, without compromising on functional properties such as resistance to moisture, grease and mechanical stress.“
Bernd Schröer, Head of Technology Development at Walki
The new plant in Steinfurt is Part of a larger investment project in Central Europe. In January of this year, a new production line for barrier cartonboard was put into operation at Steinfurt's sister plant in Wroclaw, Poland. Together, the two plants now offer a unique full-service production centre for customers in Central and Western Europe.
„By increasing our capacity and expanding our portfolio in this part of Europe, we will significantly reduce CO2 emissions through shorter transport routes while also shortening delivery times,“ says Schröer. The new line with a width of three metres is not only the broadest system on the market and the products are therefore suitable for most corrugators and processing lines, but it also ensures higher capacity and production output.
Source: Walki
