Amcor procurement and technical teams are trying to secure sufficient volumes of INEOS Barex resin prior to the shutdown of the plant in Lima, Ohio, at the beginning of 2015, and has so far secured three years’ worth of stock.
US FDA approved for direct food contact
Barex resins are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for direct food contact and some non-carbonated, aseptic-filled beverages. It also has EU approval for direct food contact, beverage use and liquor packaging (up to 50% alcohol content).
David Schmidt, CEO, INEOS Barex, said in a statement, the business has been struggling financially for a number of years and it regrets having to take the decision to close.
He said the firm has ‘worked diligently to reduce costs and improve profitability, but has been unsuccessful in turning around the business’.
INEOS also operates acrylonitrile and catalyst plants at its Lima site, but those plants are not impacted by the closure.
According to Colin Reed, global pharma marketing director, Amcor Flexibles Europe and Americas, any remaining stock will be subject to binding customer commitments at the end of November and Amcor is working with the film converters to find alternative sources of resin for a long-term supply of equivalent film.
“It is our responsibility to make sure business continuity is maintained. Our customers can be reassured, under these exceptional circumstances, we will support them to secure a sustainable supply chain," he said.
Oxygen barrier protection
INEOS Barex manufactures acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate co-polymer (Barex), which has performance characteristics including oxygen barrier protection.
It can be converted into bottles, blown film, sheet and molded parts and processed through extrusion, injection and calendering techniques and can be thermoformed. Owing to its strength, it can match the stiffness of other resins at reduced thickness, for lighter packaging.
Containers made with Barex, can be used in stand-up pouches, sachets, laminates for transdermal patches, wrapping, bottle applications and it can extend shelf-life for food.
Critical nature of the applications
Reed said the industrialisation and customer trial process for an alternative type of film has commenced.
“Amcor is sensitive to the critical nature of the applications that use Barex 210 film, in particular, the complexity of any requalification process,” he added.
“For this reason, since 2012 we have invested heavily to develop an alternative film which has the same inert properties as Barex, improved extractables and sealing properties, and which supports a more sustainable manufacturing process.
“We can inform our customers today that, in addition to securing the current product, we can offer an alternative that removes the dependency on a single manufacturing site.
“This film has already undergone favourable initial trials, and we will provide samples of both the film and laminates within the coming weeks. We recommend that customers commence the qualification process with this film, in addition to securing a supply of the Barex film.”