The new conversion line is currently being installed at Plastica Sarl. in Abidjan and will take up production in January 2022.
The ad*starKON SX+ is the 500th AD*STAR sack conversion line Starlinger has sold worldwide. It converts woven polypropylene tape fabric into AD*STAR block bottom valve sacks by means of heat sealing and has a production capacity of up to 120 block bottom sacks per minute.
With this investment, packaging producer Plastica increases its AD*STAR sack production capacity by 45 million sacks per year to a total of 80 million sacks. The company already operates a Starlinger block bottom sack conversion line since 2018 and supplies AD*STAR sacks to local and international cement producers such as CIMIVOIRE, Ivory Diamond Cement, Cimfaso and Cimasso. Plastica is planning to purchase a third Starlinger AD*STAR conversion line in the near future.
“As we experience increasing demand for AD*STAR cement sacks we have decided to expand production with another Starlinger block bottom sack conversion line”, says Abbas Badreddine, General Manager of Plastica. “Cement producers appreciate the excellent protection the bags provide for their product.”
AD*STAR block bottom valve sacks have been developed and patented by Austrian woven packaging machinery manufacturer Starlinger & Co GmbH. The sacks are especially strong and tear-proof and provide excellent protection against humidity. Their brick shape makes AD*STAR sacks perfect for stacking and allows for attractive sack design.
Due to the highly precise and fully automated bag conversion process the sacks are ideally suited for automated filling and palletising, and cement loss due to spilling and leaking are reduced to a minimum. The use of AD*STAR sacks contributes to more sustainability in the cement industry as less cement enters the environment due to sack rupture, humidity, or leaking sacks and needs to be reproduced to compensate for losses.
Currently, more than 17 billion AD*STAR sacks per year are produced on Starlinger machines worldwide. Due to their special characteristics they are a favoured packaging for cement, but are also used for other dry bulk goods such as plastic resins, fertilizer or rice and flour.
Plastica Sarl. was founded in 1999 and produces woven PP bags for various applications as well as PE films and sacks and injection moulded household and garden products. The company also operates a recycling facility for industrial and post-consumer plastic waste. Plastica caters to the cotton, agro-alimentary and agro-industrial industry, wholesalers and cement producers.