JK Materials, a family-owned Korean flexible packaging film producer, manufactures and distributes BOPP, BOPA, and LLDPE films – the latter already since 1974. With this background of experience, it was obvious to look more closely at BOPE mono-materials.
Notable examples of BOPE adoption include an F&B maker using BOPE (HDPE) for mono-material pouches and a pet food maker switching cat litter pouches to BOPE films. JK Materials is also collaborating with multiple converters on various projects to create mono-material pouches for general purposes and those with barrier functions. Additionally, the company has started producing BOPE (LLDPE) for protective film applications.
Jay Lee, general manager of the Business Department at JK Materials, says, “Many brand owners and converters show great interest in recyclable packaging – and so in BOPE. Since the start of our Brückner line last year, we have already initiated a number of projects in Japan and Korea with both and also with retailers. We are sure that BOPE will be a game changer in the packaging world.”
JK Materials produces the films on its new Brückner Maschinenbau BOPP/BOPE hybrid line. The 6.6m line produces up to 25.000 tons of BOPP and BOPE HD and LLD films in a thickness range between 12 and 60 µm per year. Production efficiency is guaranteed, among other things, by a special screw geometry and casting unit design.
JK Materials’ president Soo-Jung Hahm said, “We are very happy that Brückner together with our engineers recently completed all line guarantee runs at our site in Dangjin. For us, now is the perfect time to produce high-quality BOPE film on a commercial scale. We at JK Materials see a paradigm change in the plastic packaging industry – and we are ready for it with new mono-material solutions. I look forward to continuing our cooperation with PE resin suppliers and multinational packaging companies in terms of recycling, circular economy and sustainability.”
Out of several cooperations and a lot of their own R&D, JK Materials has developed some really interesting pouch applications which have caused a stir in the market. Boris Pasternack, Sales Manager at Brückner Maschinenbau, sees a lot of potential: “The samples are convincing and JK Materials’ good reputation in the industry also ensures that attention is paid along the value chain.”
Brückner Maschinenbau, a world market leader for film stretching equipment, is part of the Brückner Group in Siegsdorf, Upper Bavaria, a family-owned, medium-sized group of companies with a total of more than 2,600 employees at 23 locations.
