Richdale Plastics, based in Mentone, Victoria, is the first local converter to invest in state-of-the art blown film technology from Windmöller & Hölscher that will raise the bar for flexible film production in Australia.
Founded five years ago and run by directors and partners Todd Anderson, Jack Xin and Jian Chen, the company is a relative newcomer to the flexible converting scene in Australia.
Director Todd Anderson told PKN that in the company's start-up phase, the plant was equipped with second-hand film lines and business was growing steadily, supplying the agricultural, industrial and general packaging markets.
It didn't take long, however, before the partners began to see opportunities for the company to lift its game and bring new technology to the Australian market.
"We could see the gaps in our customers’ portfolios, and that these would be filled by imported products. But we couldn’t deliver this level of innovation on the existing equipment," Anderson said.
So they began a search for a high-end blown film line with barrier extrusion capability, a search that ended at market leader Windmöller & Hölscher’s door, and ultimately in the purchase of a new Varex II 7-layer blown film line.
“We chose the Varex II because it’s the number one machine in the world in this class. It’s also the most expensive machine of its type on the market, but if the partnership was to meet our objectives we had to invest in the best there is,” Anderson said.
The purchase necessitated a plant upgrade, including a refit of the utilities supply, which saw the total investment, including the cost of the line, climb to well over the $4 million dollar mark.
W&H technicians provided support during the installation and commissioning phase, and the line has now been up-and-running successfully for several months.
“The back-up and service supplied by W&H was another reason for our choice,” Anderson says. “When you work in a country as remote as Australia, you need the best technical support because a lengthy downtime is simply not affordable.”
Probed on which markets Richdale is targeting with its new blown film capability, Anderson said that while the company will continue to supply the agricultural and industrial packaging markets, the future lies in barrier films for the food industry.
To tap this growth potential, Richdale has engaged a contractor to fast-track the plant’s HACCP approval, and invested in a new laboratory, new testing equipment and a full-time laboratory technician.
“We have a goal of providing high quality product and service in film supply,” Anderson says. “We pride ourselves on our honesty and integrity and want to deliver the best quality we can produce, consistently, and provide top product back-up and service to our customers.”
Read the full story in PKN's latest print issue here.
Read more on PKN's coverage of Windmöller & Hölscher’s technology on show at K 2016 here.
