 2004-07-12 |
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(Economic Daily News, Packaging and Printing Section)
Constructing Taiwan's First Biaxially-Oriented Nylon Film Production Line, Moving Toward Mass Production
[Reported by Zeng Ke-Feng, Taipei]
YC Corporation, a prominent Taiwanese plastic film manufacturer, has invested over NT$500 million to establish Taiwan’s first BOPA (biaxially-oriented nylon film) production line. After two years of planning, construction, and trial runs, the company is now advancing toward full-scale production. This marks a major milestone not only for YC’s production capabilities but also as a significant development in Taiwan’s plastic film industry.
YC Chairman Lee Chih-Hsien remarked that the two-month trial production, which began in May, has posed one of the company’s greatest technical challenges. As Taiwan’s first BOPA line, there were no previous success stories to learn from, nor any certainty that this large-scale investment would result in successful nylon film production. Fortunately, through the relentless efforts of a team that included 15 German and 3 Japanese engineers, YC managed to overcome the technical hurdles, achieving successful production at the end of June. Now, only quality improvement remains.
The process began with the equipment order from Germany in January of last year, followed by the Changhua factory construction contract in March, ground-breaking in June, and completion in December. Machine installation and the arrival of German engineers marked the start of trial production and process adjustments in May of this year, leading to successful BOPA production at the end of June. Mass production is expected within two to three months. During the setup and trial runs, the production line operated in two shifts, with German and Japanese engineers closely monitoring the process, connecting with the equipment manufacturer, and ensuring the line’s performance. YC's staff remained on standby, maintaining a “high alert” state until the production output met quality standards. YC has now established an advanced, dust-free automated production facility capable of delivering high-quality BOPA film.
According to Lee, there are about ten BOPA production facilities globally, with BOPA usage being more prevalent in advanced countries due to its unique properties: oxidation resistance, high barrier, durability under extreme temperatures, high toughness, excellent elongation, surface tension, and gloss. BOPA is widely used for packaging foods, pharmaceuticals, electronics, chemicals, cooking bags, cosmetics, perfumes, and hot stamping, offering superior hygiene and physical properties over PP, PE, and PS materials.
YC’s BOPA line has an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons, with Taiwan’s current demand at around 2,000 tons per year. Historically, the local market has been limited by unstable supply and high prices, which discouraged usage. With YC’s BOPA product now available, the company aims to provide a stable supply at lower prices, potentially stimulating market growth and capturing 50% of the domestic market share. Additional production is targeted at Southeast Asia (1,000 tons), Europe and the Americas (1,000 tons), and mainland China (2,000 tons). |
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