Polyplex’s $100 million US PET film expansion project in Alabama to start up in Q1 2025

HOUSTON (ICIS)–US polyester film producer Polyplex expects the expansion project at its Decatur, Alabama, production facility to start up in the first quarter of 2025, according to market participants at this year’s PackExpo.

The site has added a new biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) line with an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes.

Additionally, they have increased resin capacity from 58,000 to 86,000 tonnes for captive consumption, according to a press release from the company.

The site is expected to reduce lead times for PET film in the US, which is currently a net importing market.

PackExpo runs through Wednesday.

PET resins can be broadly classified into bottle, fibre or film grade, named according to the downstream applications. Bottle grade resin is the most commonly traded form of PET resin and it is used in bottle and container packaging through blow molding and thermoforming. Fibre grade resin goes into making polyester fibre, while film grade resin is used in electrical and flexible packaging applications.

PET can be compounded with glass fibre for the production of engineering plastics.

DAK Americas, Indorama, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation and Far Eastern New Century (FENC) are PET producers in the US.