Jindal Films Americas invests millions in new HQ and R&D facility
Jindal Films Americas (JFA), one of the leaders in the development and manufacture of specialty biaxially oriented polypropylene films (BOPP), is relocating its US Research and Development (R&D) Centre and its national headquarters to its LaGrange facility in Troup County, Georgia.
Investing $180 million, the relocation will create 240 new jobs; to support this consolidation, JFA will expand its existing facility.
As part of the investment, there will be an overall footprint development including additional orientation, metalising, coating and slitting capabilities. A world-class 10.5m orientation line will be installed by Q4, 2016, increasing capacity by more than 50,000 tons per year and further improving production flexibility. The metalliser is expected to start-up in Q3 of 2016 and will add 10,000 tons of metallisation capacity.
“This consolidation and expansion confirms our commitment to our customers and the industry in the Americas,” said Scott Van Winter, CEO and executive vice president of JFA. “With favourable market growth in flexible packaging, labelling and industrial applications, this facility is positioned for further expansion.”
JFA currently operates two film manufacturing facilities and a combined headquarters and R&D Centre in the US. The company currently employs 500 personnel in the USA, 200 of which are already located in LaGrange.
“Since the acquisition of the business in 2012, Jindal Films has made considerable progress in improving overall performance, and invigorating a broad portfolio of exciting technical developments,” added Van Winter. “These are very exciting times for the business.”