• Research and development capacities will triple
• Manufacturing and storage space will be expanded by 8,000 square meters
• Bremen is an important site for the closure and packaging specialist

The specialist for closure and packaging technologies, ACTEGA DS, is investing around 18 million euros to expand its research and manufacturing site in Bremen. The site’s production and storage space will increase by 8,000 square meters, the manufacturing capacity will grow by 50 percent, and the research and development capacities will triple. As part of efforts to professionalize and digitize various production processes, ACTEGA DS consistently invests in technological progress. Construction work is slated to begin in the spring of 2018.

Looking ahead: the expanded site of ACTEGA DS in Bremen (Germany). Copyright: ?IE Plast

“We are making extensive investments to extend our production, storage, research, and development capacities in order expand our site as an innovation center,” says Wilfried Lassek, CEO of ACTEGA DS. Lassek adds: “As a result, we are pushing ahead the introduction of new, patented technologies in order to continue to develop sophisticated and application-oriented solutions for closures and packaging for the food and beverage industry. In addition, we are enhancing our offer of materials and technologies for products in the medical technology and consumer good sectors. At the same time, this measure underscores the importance of the Bremen site for our company.”

Future-oriented technology: PVC-free sealants
It is necessary to expand the site to meet customers’ growing demand for special solutions.

For example, thanks to a new PVC-free sealant thousands of tons of steel can be saved each year in crown cork manufacture. More and more beverage manufacturers are showing interest in the innovative closure technology from Bremen.

With the first plasticizer-free sealing compound for metal vacuum closures, marketed under the brand name PROVALIN?, the Bremen-based closure expert has introduced a further, and so far unique, technology to the food and beverage market.

For instance, the company Feinkost Dittmann, well known from supermarket shelves, relies on the PVC- and plasticizer-free sealants for its foods that contain oil, including olives and antipasti. Traditional closures can release plasticizers when they come into contact with products containing oil, which can be detrimental to consumers’ health. Moreover, there is the danger that environmentally harmful dioxins will arise when the packaging is incinerated at incineration plants. This is not the case with closures containing PROVALIN? from ACTEGA DS. The environment is protected and consumers are guaranteed maximum product safety.
In the meantime, the Bremen-based experts have also developed a PVC-free sealant solution for wine and champagne closures under the brand name VinTellox?.

Furthermore, ACTEGA DS built and expanded a Medicine, Pharmaceuticals, and Consumer business unit six years ago. Offering tailor-made plastic granulates for applications in medical technology, the nursing and healthcare sector, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and consumer goods, ACTEGA DS has asserted itself successfully in these markets.

Traditional Bremen company part of the ALTANA Group for more than 20 years
ACTEGA DS is a long-established Bremen enterprise. Founded in 1920 as Diersch & Schr?der, the company manufactures and markets innovative materials for closure and packaging technologies, as well as for the medical, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods industry. For more than 20 years, ACTEGA DS has belonged to the ALTANA Group and thus to a global corporate group.

As a member of the ACTEGA division, the company has a global structure enabling it to use synergies across technologies. Some 150 employees work continuously on introducing new, patented technologies. Today, more than 150 tons of high-tech plastic granulates are manufactured daily at state-of-the-art production plants and exported to over 100 countries.

About ACTEGA:
ACTEGA is a division of the internationally active specialty chemicals Group ALTANA. The division develops and produces coatings and sealants, printing inks and adhesives for flexible and rigid packaging and for the graphic industry. These products do not only lend an attractive appearance to materials such as paper, board, plastic, and metal, but also provide clearly defined technical properties, e.g. chemical and physical resistance to the materials’ surface.

The main customers for the products ACTEGA develops, manufactures and markets are in the packaging industry. ACTEGA is one of the market leaders in overprint varnishes and is the technological leader in the rapidly expanding sector of sealants for flexible packaging. ACTEGA products do not only ensure that the packaging will look appealing, but also help that the contents will remain fresh for a longer time.

ACTEGA is already one of the world’s leading vendors of sealants for closures and glass containers; ACTEGA is also the technological leader when it comes to water-based sealants for cans. These products are used to make seals between the contact surfaces, such as glass on metal (bottle closures) or metal on metal (can lids). They ensure that the contents and other substances such as CO2 remain inside the packaging while “l(fā)ocking out” all contaminants.

www.actega.com

About ALTANA:
ALTANA is a global leader in true specialty chemicals. The Group offers innovative, environmentally compatible solutions for coating manufacturers, paint and plastics processors, the printing and packaging industries, the cosmetics sector and the electrical and electronics industry. The product range includes additives, special coatings and adhesives, effect pigments, sealants and compounds, impregnating resins and varnishes, and testing and measuring instruments. ALTANA's four divisions, BYK Additives & Instruments, ECKART Effect Pigments, ELANTAS Electrical Insulation, and ACTEGA Coatings & Sealants, all occupy a leading position in their target markets with respect to quality, product solution expertise, innovation and service.

Headquartered in Wesel, Germany, the ALTANA Group has 48 production facilities and more than 50 service and research laboratories worldwide. Throughout the Group about 6,000 people work to ensure the worldwide success of ALTANA. In 2016, ALTANA achieved sales of more than 2 billion euros. About 6 percent of sales are invested in research and development every year. Its high earning power and high growth rate make ALTANA one of the most innovative, fastest growing, and profitable chemical companies in the world.

www.altana.com

Sources: ?IE Plast