Mr. Robert Weeks

Mr. Robert Weeks Vice President Sales & Marketing +1-409-951-7606

Bob Weeks Vice President Sales & Marketing Phone: (409) 951-7606 Fax: 715-836-9234 Email: bweeks@cloeren.com

Bob Weeks Vice President Sales & Marketing Phone: 409-951-7606 Fax: 409-886-5570 Email: bweeks@cloeren.com

Wrede, President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Marvelley and Bob Weeks, vice president of sales and marketing, outlined Battenfeld Gloucester's strengths in a telephone interview Feb. 23.
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Weeks said the line probably will be shipped in late spring.It can be expanded to 24 layers.

China also is adopting multilayer technology.Battenfeld Chen Extrusion Systems in Shunde, China, is building a nine-layer blown film line for an unnamed customer in China.
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Weeks said high resin prices have not hurt Battenfeld Gloucester very much, except for a few delayed capital spending decisions by customers.But capacity use in film extrusion is nearing 90 percent, he said.

"The market is suited to grow for expansion, and that's happening, despite resin costs," Weeks said.

Processors are making wider webs on higher-speed machines to boost efficiency, Weeks said.That fuels investment in high-tech winders that can keep up with production speeds, handle larger rolls and change the rolls more frequently, he said.

"There's a lot of capacity out there that's not been absorbed to bring growth to the market," said Robert Weeks, vice president of sales and marketing.

Film producers also are having trouble raising prices so they can make a profit - and upgrade equip-ment, Weeks said from Gloucester, Mass. "Right now people are selling capacity at cost almost, to keep the plants running."

Once capital investment does pick up, companies will buy new machines with wider webs that can turn out more film per line, he said.

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Engel and Weeks both agreed that seven-layer blown film lines are becoming the standard for food packaging, instead of five-layer lines.

Improvements in controls, air rings, and dies should allow up to a 30 percent increase in throughput, says Robert Weeks, VP sales/marketing.