Global in-mold Labels Producer Verstraete IML Breaks Ground on First U.S. Production Site
Belgium-based Verstraete IML (Maldegem) has begun construction of its new production facility in Clarksville, TN, together with its parent Austrian company Constantia Flexibles (Vienna). The new site will allow Verstraete IML to get closer to its customers in the largest growth market for IML labels outside Europe. The site will begin production in the second half of 2017 and will have multiple printing presses and finishing lines. Approximately 55 jobs will be created. Verstraete IML expects to invest €18 million ($20 million) in its new U.S. plant within three years.
Koen Verstraete, Managing Director of Verstraete IML, said, “The decision to expand our production capacity with an international site is a huge step for our company. Going to North America will not only strengthen our position as a global leader, but also give us direct access to North America, the in-mold labeling (IML) market with the best growth potential.”
Parent company Constantia Flexibles is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flexible packaging and labels. Mike Henry, Executive Vice President of Constantia Flexibles’ labels division, commented, “The new site is located in Clarksville, TN, where Constantia Flexibles already has a paper and pressure-sensitive labels plant serving the American beverage and food market. This has many benefits.
Constantia has the management, legal and technical experience we need to operate successfully and rapidly in the North American region.”
Verstraete added, “The plan for North America is ready to be executed. Our U.S. team in Maldegem has been working on a roadmap for Verstraete IML USA for more than a year. This plan will now be put into action. The production unit in North America will be run in the same fashion as Verstraete IML in Belgium in terms of the production process and quality, basically, representing 28 years of IML know-how.”
Source: Plastic Today
