Flexipack Ltd Invests in BOBST EXPERT K5 for Production of Metallized BOPP

BOBST EXPERT K5 at Flexipack Ltd production floor. (Courtesy of BOBST)

Flexipack Ltd, based in Agbara, Nigeria, recently installed their first metallizer, an EXPERT K5 2900mm from BOBST. The machine commenced production at the beginning of 2023, producing metallized BOPP films, which will be used in sustainable flexible packaging throughout the growing sub-Saharan African market.

Flexipack is one of the newest BOPP producers in Africa, with a very exciting and ambitious growth strategy. The company aims to be the No. 1, best-in-class flexible films manufacturer in Africa by 2025.

The company owners have significant experience in West Africa with other very successful businesses in the packaging industry, including bottling, preforms and closures as well as tubing.

Flexipack is creating the largest BOPP and BOPET manufacturing plant on the African continent. The first phase of their state-of-the-art factory opened in 2022, consisting of two 8.7m BOPP lines and the metallizer. The second phase, which will include two further film lines, is scheduled to be fully operational by 2025.

Sustainability is a key driver today across the entire flexible packaging industry, and this is no different in the African market. BOPP films are widely considered as a realistic alternative to PET films in the development of mono-material flexible packaging solutions. They offer a realistic replacement to traditional packaging structures in terms of performance, while also being cost-effective.

Flexipack chose BOBST as the supplier for their first metallizer because the company is a market leader for high productivity metallizers with market-leading knowledge in flexible films – polyolefins in particular.

The EXPERT K5 incorporates the BOBST renowned winding mechanism for tension control and effective heat management and has been optimized to handle all sustainable substrates, including BOPP for the development of mono-material barrier solutions. With improved coating uniformity and a reduced production cycle resulting in more metallized rolls produced per day, the EXPERT K5 enables savings in production costs and a reduced Total Cost of Ownership.

Eric Thibault, Managing Director of Flexipack, said: “For us, a quarter is not three months but 25 years. So when starting a new venture, we choose to work with focused suppliers we can trust and who have a good reputation in the market. BOBST is well known for its expertise in producing metallizers that can handle BOPP film well. We are very happy with the machine, which was installed earlier this year.”