Cosmo Films, a leading manufacturer of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films which go in for packaging, lamination and labeling applications, has announced start up of its tenth, 10.4 metre BOPP line. With installation of this new line, the company will increase its annual capacity by 40%, taking it to 1.96 lakh MT. Company’s current annual capacity stands at 1.36 lakh MT.

The new line whose announcement was made in October 2015 has been commissioned ahead of its schedule and has been installed at company’s existing facility at Karjan, near Vadodara, India which already houses BOPP lines, extrusion coating and chemical coating lines and a metalizer. The commissioned line is the most advanced line available in the market today in terms of its width and output and is the first 10.4 metre line to be installed in the country. The line is equipped to deliver both superior quality products with minimized scratches, oil or additive spots and high surface energy as well as consistent quality due to automatic changeovers. The line is also capable of producing films as thick as 80 microns to cater to segments like textiles which require thicker films.

The line output would cater to both domestic and export markets. The new line is part of a series of expansions which have been announced in the last one year by the company for both its India operations and its subsidiaries in US and Korea.

Speaking on the development, Pankaj Poddar, CEO, Cosmo Films Ltd said, “I am pleased to inform that the line has been installed ahead of its schedule and well within the projected capex of 200 crores. The high speed line equipped with automated changeovers and automatic consumption of waste will not only lead to an increase in power savings but also help the company with its overall operational efficiencies. The new line is expected to contribute to substantial growth in sales and profit in the financial year 2017-2018.