CNG plans to acquire Polymer Packaging extrusion business

US-based packaging company Charter Next Generation (CNG) has revealed plans to acquire Polymer Packaging’s extrusion business, Polymer Film & Bag (PF&B), as well as certain associated assets, said Packaging-gateway.

The addition of PF&B is intended to allow CNG to enter new vertical markets. PF&B provides enhanced quality and environmentally friendly films for industrial and food service markets using advanced co-extrusion lines.

The company’s films are thin in design compared with conventional films, but are claimed to deliver stronger performance. PF&B is certified as a Safe Quality Food (SQF) manufacturing company. CNG chairman and CEO Kathy Bolhous said: “PF&B is a perfect fit for CNG and will help us continue to outpace industry growth in the future.

“The team in Massillon shares many of our core values, as well as a focus on creating sustainable solutions. “We also share a commitment to focus on our customers’ success by providing the most advanced, highest quality films available. “We are thrilled to welcome the PF&B team to CNG."

CNG is an independent producer of high-performance, sustainable films in North America. It serves the flexible packaging and other end-use markets. Polymer Packaging CEO and owner Larry Lanham said: “As I considered divesting this business, my primary concern was to find the best possible home for my employees while providing the best possible care for our customers.

“I immediately thought of CNG, the preeminent supplier in this marketplace, with a reputation for delivering both." In May this year, CNG joined a Minnesota-based initiative to expand film recycling infrastructure and the supply of recycled resin for use in new products.

Led by Minnesota’s MBOLD coalition and film recycler Myplas USA, the scheme aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste output. It will involve Myplas building a flexible film recycling plant in the state, which is scheduled to begin operations next year.

As per MRC, Amcor has completed its acquisition of a flexible packaging plant in the Czech Republic. Commissioned as a greenfield in 2019, the plant is fitted with advanced, specialised equipment to allow it to serve various segments, including coffee and pet food. In addition, the purchased land and buildings offer the capacity to expand the facility’s operations and establish a production hub at the site.
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Mitsubishi HiTec Paper has partnered with Wipperfurth-based pouch packaging machines maker SN Maschinenbau to offer paper-based packaging solutions, said Nspackaging.

Both firms will work together to develop sustainable and flexible packaging solutions for the food and non-food sector. Mitsubishi HiTec Paper has provided barricote, an advanced line of recyclable barrier sheets for flexible packaging of food and non-food for many years.

SN Maschinenbau is known for its top-notch horizontal form, fill, and seal (HFFS) equipment for a variety of items, particularly food. After extensive testing and close collaboration, the two businesses have now established that films and water-coated barricote papers can be processed on SN Maschinenbau pouch packing machines with equal reliability.

This avoids the need for pricey machine technology upgrades, said Mitsubishi. SN Maschinenbau Development & Global Accounts director business Reiner Muller said: “As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of horizontally operating pouch packaging machines, we are delighted with the excellent cooperation with Mitsubishi HiTec Paper and the positive test results.

“This proves once again that a large part of today’s sustainable mono packaging materials can be processed reliably without extensive adaptation of the machine technology. “Furthermore, together with Mitsubishi HiTec Paper, we offer a solution for the increasing demand for paper packaging in the market."

As per MRC, Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) hereby announces that it has invested in Eridan Communications, a company developing power transceivers for the 5G communications environment, through its CVC subsidiary Diamond Edge Ventures, Inc. Eridan and its next-generation radio-frequency (RF) transceiver technology enable improved connectivity for more people, using less energy, less expensive infrastructure, and less spectrum, addressing the main obstacle for the shift from 4G to 5G. In its initial stages of deployment, Eridan’s MIRACLE RF Front End Module will be utilized by telecom equipment manufacturers building small cells and Massive MIMO systems for urban and suburban locations.
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Multinational packaging company Amcor has completed its acquisition of a flexible packaging plant in the Czech Republic, said the company.

Commissioned as a greenfield in 2019, the plant is fitted with advanced, specialised equipment to allow it to serve various segments, including coffee and pet food. In addition, the purchased land and buildings offer the capacity to expand the facility’s operations and establish a production hub at the site.

The strategically located site will allow Amcor to expand its capacity to serve high demand and customer growth across its flexible packaging network in Europe. Amcor Flexibles Europe, Middle East & Africa president Michael Zacka said: “With this acquisition, we are investing to accelerate the organic growth momentum of our flexibles business in Europe in attractive segments.

“The scalable nature of the acquired site and its attractive location further bolsters our ability to service strong customer demand and generate strong returns for Amcor shareholders." The acquisition comes a few days after Amcor revealed plans to sell three of its factories in Russia.

This move is in line with the company’s previous announcement to scale down activities and explore ‘strategic options’ for its Russian operations in response to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, Amcor said: “Until completion of the sale, which is currently expected to occur in the second half of its 2023 fiscal year (FY23), Amcor remain committed to supporting its employees and customers, while preserving value for shareholders through an orderly sale process.

“The guidance Amcor provided for FY23 in its recent year-end results takes into account a number of potential outcomes regarding the sale of Amcor ’s factories in Russia."

Amcor recently reported full-year net sales of USD14.54bn for the fiscal year 2022 (FY22), up by 13% on a reported basis and 6% on a comparable constant currency basis.

We remind, Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, announced an investment to establish new thermoforming capabilities for medical packaging in its Sligo, Ireland, healthcare packaging facility. The multi-million-dollar investment will strengthen Amcor’s leadership in the growing industry for sterile packaging, offering customers in Europe and North America another site with comprehensive healthcare solutions.
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Venezuela's state oil and gas company PDVSA has restarted gasoline production at the country's second largest refinery after repairing a breakdown, said Reuters.

The Cardon refinery's naphtha reformer, with a capacity of 45,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), produces high-octane components for gasoline and is key to the country's gasoline supply. PDVSA commissioned it with an output of about 28,000 bpd about a fortnight ago. The reformer "is already producing", one source told Reuters.

PDVSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The reformer suspended production at the end of June to undergo maintenance that extended beyond the 21 days originally scheduled.

"We are producing 28,000 b/d (barrels per day) of pure lomito (high-grade gasoline) of 102 octane," said another source. But Cardon's 88,000 bpd capacity Fluidised Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit remains stalled, the sources said.

A restart would provide relief to ongoing supply failures in the nation, whose 1.3 million bpd grid has been crippled by years of disinvestment and lack of maintenance.

The Amuay refinery and Cardon make up the Paraguana Refining Center in the western state of Falcon, which has a combined production capacity of 955,000 bpd. At Amuay, the catalytic cracker was operational.

The El Palito refinery on the country's central coast, the smallest in the Venezuelan refining circuit, halted gasoline production at the end of 2021.

In May, an agreement was announced between Iran's state-owned National Iranian Oil Engineering and Construction Company and Venezuela to repair the refinery.

We remind, Venezuela has suspended new crude shipments to Europe under an oil-for-debt deal and has asked Italy's Eni and Spain's Repsol to provide it with fuel in exchange for future cargoes, three people familiar with the matter said. Venezuela's oil company PDVSA no longer is interested in the oil-for-debt deals that the U.S. State Department authorized in May, the sources said, which allowed the state company to resume shipments to Europe after a two-year suspension caused by U.S. sanctions.
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Germany-based chemical company BASF has partnered with Japanese coating manufacturer Nippon Paint to introduce sustainable industrial packaging in China, said the company.

The packaging has been adopted for Nippon Paint ‘s dry-mixed mortar series products. It uses BASF ‘s water-based acrylic dispersion, Joncryl High-Performance Barrier (HPB), as the barrier material, which is being used for the first time in industrial packaging in China.

In addition to offering ‘excellent’ vapour and water resistance properties, Joncryl HPB eliminates plastics and improves the recyclability of paper-based packaging in the industrial segment. The use of Joncryl HPB material will enable Nippon Paint to save thousands of tonnes of plastics while reusing around 10,000 tpa of paper bags.

BASF said that this will reduce carbon emissions and help achieve a circular economy and sustainable development within the packaging industry. BASF Asia Pacific Resins for Printing & Packaging business management director Carol Jiang said: “Sustainability and innovation have always been our core strategies.

“At BASF , we are committed to providing sustainable solutions to our customers to help them reduce carbon footprint, utilise resources efficiently, and help the industry fulfil its sustainability commitments. “This cooperation with Nippon Paint is another innovation in the industrial packaging segment, marking our joint effort in leading the industry development, promoting a circular economy, and creating a better life."

Nippon Paint China Procurement Headquarters president Kevin By said: “Sustainability is an important strategy that Nippon Paint has been adhering to for years. “The cooperation with BASF is a step forward on the path of green development.

"Nippon Paint will continuously be a green ‘activist,’ connecting upstream and downstream partners across the industry chain to build a green ecology through the eco-upgrade of product packaging and lead the new trend of sustainable packaging to green development a core competency."

In 2020, BASF expanded its dispersion portfolio at its facility in Huizhou, South China.

We remind, BASF Coatings (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. (BCG) has expanded the production capacity of automotive refinish coatings at its coatings site in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province in South China. With the completion of the expansion in July 2022, BASF’s annual production capacity of automotive refinish coatings will be increased to 30,000 metric tons. This is in line with the company’s pledge to maintain customer proximity, as well as to strengthen BASF’s position as a leading and innovative coatings supplier to the automotive industry in China and the rest of Asia.
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