Specialty films drive profitability

Film specialist Treofan is successfully continuing its strategic realignment course, as confirmed by CEO Dr. Walter Bickel at the company's annual press meeting.

By Dr. Bernhard Reichenbach

In the 2016 business year, Treofan‘s adjusted EBITDA grew to € 38 m (2015: € 32 m) with a largely stable sales volume of 157,000 t (2015: 155,000 t), representing a doubling of profits within two years. Dr. Walter Bickel, CEO of Treofan, expects a ­further improvement in 2017. In 2016, the 1,100-employee company generated sales of around € 420 m. Of this, 60 % accounted for the food sector, in particular confectionery and pastry products. Specialty films made up 72 % of the sales volume, up 3 percentage points from 2015; Bickel stated that the target for 2017 is 75 %.
The company‘s strategic transformation from a conventional film manufacturer into a provider of integrated premium solutions is one of the main drivers of this profitable growth, according to Bickel. “We want to become the leading specialist for innovative surface solutions by combining our technical expertise with our unique relationships to the main regional and international brand manufacturers and major processors,” the CEO explains. “So we‘re increasingly developing innovative integrated solutions in direct collaboration with multiple partners across the entire value chain.”
A tangible example of this approach is the hybrid film HybraPack. This combination of paper and BOPP film, jointly developed with paper manufacturer Feldmuehle Uetersen and other partners from the processing and machine industry, opens up new possible applications in the attractive market for stand-up pouches. Treofan recently demonstrated the first commercial use of the concept at interpack trade fair.
“Our strategic ambition is to combine the most differentiated product portfolio with the widest range of applications – from packaging film, labels and tobacco film to technical films for capacitors and lithium-ion batteries,” says Bickel. To continue driving forward the development of speciality products, Treofan now employs 40 specialists in its globally active Tech Powerhouse innovation unit. “Already this year, we‘re introducing three new types of film in Europe and three in the U.S., in addition to continuous product modifications worldwide. Our medium-term goal is a minimum of four new products per year.”
According to Bickel, the restructuring of the Italian organization into a pure manufacturing unit with two production sites and lean adminis­tration was a milestone, just as the organizational restructuring of the Neunkirchen site that began in 2016 and will be completed this year. •