Flex-Pack Converter Bema Enters Blown Film Extrusion Market

Published: May 22, 2012

LINCOLN, RI | Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. reports flexible packaging converter Bema Inc., located in Elmhurst, IL, has ordered an OPTIMEX  blown film line. This is the first OPTIMEX line sold to a US company.

Bema, a vertically integrated company known primarily for its printing operations, will add 3-layer co-extrusion blown films to its product portfolio, bringing the company back to its roots. Bema's owner Glen Galloway bought the company in the late 1990s and said that the previous owner had been a pioneer in film extrusion. “I had always planned to get the company back into extrusion when the time was right. We believe now is that time,” he says.

The OPTIMEX will run 3-layer co-ex films for downstream converting at Bema. “We won't be able to extrude all the film types needed to accommodate customer needs and will continue to purchase specialty films from suppliers,” added Galloway.

The OPTIMEX will be located in Bema's new 70,000 sq ft facility in St. Charles, IL, which is located close to the Elmhurst headquarters. In addition to film production, the building will house film testing, labs, and warehouse space.

W&H introduced the OPTIMEX to the market in fall 2009 as a more economical alternative to the well-established VAREX  product line.