Cedex Plastics is launching its polyethylene film manufacturing operations in Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon, on July 8.

Cedex is a joint venture signed in April 2009 between Exopack, a flexible packaging and coated film manufacturing group headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Indevco, a multinational packaging and consumer disposables manufacturing group headquartered in Ajaltoun, Lebanon.

Located in close proximity to PE resin suppliers, Cedex will produce and export co-extruded PE films for the North American market. The joint venture company invested in a 3-layer Varex co-extrusion film machine line from Windmoeller & Hoelscher, which was installed adjacent to Masterpak flexible packaging plant, a sister company in Indevco Group.

Cedex’s product portfolio will initially feature AquaCrystal Select high-clarity shrink film and CaseFLEX Select corrugated case overwrap film, as well as heavy-duty shrink bundling film. In parallel, Cedex capabilities are under expansion for lamination film (sealant film), surface printable film, and towel and tissue overwrap.

With over a half century of combined experience in the Middle East and North America, Indevco and Exopack share common competencies in film and flexible packaging manufacturing to support customers from a global sourcing and innovation perspective.

By taking advantage of lower resin pricing in the Middle East, Cedex has the capability to produce export-oriented films for the North American market. The joint venture is the initial phase of a longer-term strategy to continue to build multiple plastic film production sites in the Middle East, said a statement.-TradeArabia News Service