By Bob Moser
CORRESPONDENT
Published: June 9, 2014 3:34 pm ET
Updated: June 9, 2014 3:38 pm ET
SÃO PAULO — Film leader Klöckner Pentaplast Group is in the midst of a $15 million capacity expansion for PVC monofilms production in Brazil that should be ready by July, and is looking to capitalize on a recent $3.3 million line expansion in Argentina, according to a lead executive with the company.
Part of the roughly $15 million invested in Brazil over the past year included an additional 1,200 metric tons of production capacity for PVdC coating and Aclar lamination at the company’s lone Brazilian plant in Cotia, São Paulo state, which was ready in December.
Another 12,000 tons of PVC monofilms production capacity should be ready by July, bringing the plant’s production capacity to 20,000 tons per year, said Daniel Stagnaro, Americas director for pharmaceutical films, on the sidelines of Brazilian trade show FCE Pharma-Cosmetique, May 12-14.
The PVC monofilms capacity expansion and new equipment purchases will also allow Klöckner to begin producing materials for credit cards in Brazil as of November.
“It’s no secret the Brazilian market demand’s growth has been phenomenal, and its demand is growing for high-quality solutions,” Stagnaro said. “These increases will help us attend the pharmaceutical, food and printing markets in Latin America.”
The company’s other South American facility is in Villa Del Totoral, Argentina, where a $3.3 million investment was concluded in December to expand production of Aclar PVC/PCTFE laminates, as well as high-barrier Pentafood films.
The new line there is currently only running roughly one week per month, but with it the plant’s production capacity can increase to between 4,000 and 5,000 tons per year, depending on product mix, Stagnaro said.
“This capacity is roughly 10 times the demand in Argentina, so we will try to take advantage of this new line to supply more customers in Mercosul countries, other than Brazil,” he added. | 
