Analysis of Global BOPP Capacity Distribution
Thread Content
BOPP film became commercially viable in the 1970s, and in the 1980s it rapidly replaced aluminum, paper, and other plastic materials to become a key player in the flexible packaging market. During this period, the BOPP film market was primarily concentrated in developed capitalist countries **such as Japan, the United States, and Western Europe**. After the 1990s, thanks to the rise of emerging markets, particularly China, as well as regions such as Latin America and the Middle East, BOPP film continued to experience robust growth, with an annual growth rate of up to 10%. Currently, the global BOPP production capacity is unevenly distributed, with the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Europe and the United States, **remaining the main areas where BOPP is produced. In recent years, China has seen particularly rapid expansion in its BOPP production capacity, and it has now become the country with the fastest growth rate and the largest production capacity for BOPP in the world. http://img.sciimg.com/autoupimg/201506/201506111620507151.png During the period from 2009 to 2014, global BOPP film production experienced rapid growth; it is estimated that the global production of BOPP in 2014 reached around 7.97 million tons. According to data from Zhuochuang Information, global demand for BOPP film is set to grow at an annual rate of 6.6%, reaching 8.3 million tons by 2016. According to projections, demand growth in Asia will account for the majority of global demand growth over the next 5 years. Central and East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) are the largest regions in the world for the production and consumption of BOPP film, accounting for over half of the global total. Asia is the largest market for BOPP film, with China alone accounting for 40% of the global market share. Its production volume exceeds 3.5 million tons, which is more than that of the Western European and North American markets combined. Western Europe is the world’s second-largest market, accounting for around 19% ； North America is in third place. Zhuochuang Information predicts that China will continue to be the main driver of growth in Asia’s BOPP market. At the current rate of capacity expansion, China’s share of global BOPP capacity and production is set to exceed 50% by 2015. Not only is the global share of domestic BOPP production capacity increasing, but the production capacity of domestic BOPP manufacturers is also gradually reaching the forefront worldwide. Among the top 10 BOPP manufacturers in the world today, half are based in China. In particular, China Soft Packaging Group has the highest total production capacity globally, making it the undisputed \"king of films\" worldwide. Top 10 global BOPP manufacturers – Production capacity of BOPP manufacturers (in 10,000 tons): China Soft Packaging Group: 54.2; Jintian Group: 47.6; Indal Poly Films Limited: 45.05; Raghleef: 41.63; South Asia Group: 41.03; Furong Technology: 28; Oben Licht Holding Group: 23.61; Yanzhou Group: 19.8; Treofan: 18.5; Sibur: 18.145
What is the current single-line capacity of BOPP production lines? What is the maximum speed?
The current maximum membrane width is 10.4 meters, with an annual maximum production capacity of 55,000 tons
BOPP biaxially oriented plastic film is abbreviated as BOPF (Biaxially Oriented Plastics Film); the manufacturing processes for it include the tubular film process and the flat biaxial orientation process. There are many types of biaxially oriented flat films; many crystalline and amorphous polymers can be stretched into films. Currently, biaxially oriented films that are available in industrial production include polypropylene (BOPP), polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET), polyamides (nylon, BOPA), polystyrene (BOPS), and so on. Due to the excellent properties of planar biaxially stretched films and their wide range of applications, the development pace of this stretching method is currently far faster than that of tubular film stretching. The method of producing plastic films using the biaxial stretching process originated in 1935, when Germany was the first to use this technique to produce BOPS film (biaxially stretched polystyrene). At the end of the 1940s, the American company DOW Chemical produced a copolymer of vinylidene chloride and vinyl chloride, and introduced BOPVDC (biaxially oriented polyvinylidene chloride), under the trade name Saran. In 1953, the British company I.C.I introduced biaxially oriented polyester film to the market under the trade name Melinex. In 1958, biaxially oriented polypropylene films were developed; at that time, the Moplefan product from the Italian company Montecatini was the most well-known, and a patent was filed for it. Although nylon 6 plastic was developed by the German company I.G. as early as 1939, it was not used as a packaging material until the late 1960s due to the difficulties in manufacturing it and its high cost. In recent years, biaxially oriented plastic films have seen rapid development. Among them, polypropylene, polyester, polystyrene, and nylon films have the highest production volumes and the widest range of applications. Guangdong Qiaoxingda Packaging Materials Co., Ltd. stands out as a leader in this field. With over a decade of experience in producing packaging accessories, we have created the “QXD” brand, focusing on high-quality products and adhering to the business philosophy of \"high quality and environmental sustainability\". Currently, the products manufactured include PP strapping, BOPP sealing tape, various types of plastic bag films and other packaging materials, as well as the distribution of various related packaging machinery. Biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP) is widely used in the packaging of cigarettes, audio-visual products, food, etc., and can also be used for making bags, adhesive tapes, metal coating, and other applications. BOPP is convenient for mechanical processing, and it features high tensile strength, low water and vapor permeability, as well as excellent thermal stability, chemical resistance, and optical properties. Therefore, BOPP has been continuously developing since it appeared on the market in 1960. Since 1962, the annual growth rate of BOPP has remained at around 12% to 15%. In 1996, the global production of BOPP exceeded 3 million tons. Among them, the Far East regions such as China and Japan are seeing the fastest growth. Currently, the thickness of BOPP films ranges from 2 um at the minimum to 60 um at the maximum. The maximum width exceeds 10m, and the highest production speed has reached 350m/min. The common thicknesses for capacitor insulating materials are: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15 um. The thickness of BOPP film for packaging is 16~60um. Research on biaxially oriented plastic films in our country began in the 1950s, starting with BOPET (biaxially oriented polyester) films. In the 1970s, BOPP and BOPS films were successfully developed. After the 1980s, China adopted advanced foreign equipment and technologies, leading to rapid development of BOPS films. By the 1990s, it was already possible to produce large quantities of various types of plastic films, including BOPA, which not only met domestic demand but also saw many of these products exported abroad. Very encouraging progress has also been made in the design and manufacturing of domestic small and medium-sized stretching film production lines.
BOPP film also has drawbacks, such as the tendency to accumulate static electricity and the lack of heat-sealability. On high-speed production lines, BOPP film tends to generate static electricity, so an anti-static device needs to be installed. To obtain heat-sealable BOPP film, the surface of the BOPP film can be corona-treated followed by the coating of a heat-sealable resin adhesive such as PVDC latex or EVA latex; solvent-based adhesives can also be used. Heat-sealable BOPP film can be produced through extrusion coating or co-extrusion compounding methods. This film is widely used in the packaging of bread, clothing, shoes, and socks, as well as in the cover packaging of cigarettes and books. The initiation tear strength of BOPP film increases after stretching, but its secondary tear strength is very low; therefore, no cuts should be left on either end face of the BOPP film, otherwise it is prone to tearing during printing and lamination. After coating with BOPP, adhesive tapes can be produced, representing a market where BOPP is used in large quantities.
The production of BOPP involves first converting the melt of high-molecular-weight polypropylene into sheets or thick films using a narrow die, and then stretching it in two perpendicular directions (lengthwise and transversely), either simultaneously or in stages, within a specialized stretching machine at specific temperatures and speeds. The film is subsequently produced through appropriate cooling or heat treatment, or through special processing methods such as corona treatment or coating. BOPP can be produced by the tube film method or the flat film method. The properties of BOPP plastic films obtained through different processing methods also vary. BOPP films produced by the flat film process have higher strength than those made by the tubular film process, as they feature a high stretching ratio (up to 8-10), and they also exhibit better uniformity in thickness. To achieve better overall performance, a multi-layer composite method is generally used in the production process. BOPP can be compounded with a variety of different materials to meet specific application requirements. For example, BOPP can be compounded with LDPE (CPP), PE, PT, PO, PVA, etc. to achieve high gas and moisture barrier properties, as well as transparency, resistance to high and low temperatures, steam cooking, and oils. Different composite films can be used for packaging oily foods, delicacies, dried foods, marinated foods, various steamed dishes, monosodium glutamate, pancakes, rice cakes, and more. BOPP film is a very important type of flexible packaging material. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic, and it possesses high tensile strength, impact strength, rigidity, toughness, as well as good transparency. BOPP film has a low surface energy, and corona treatment is required before coating or printing. After corona treatment, BOPP plastic film exhibits good printability, allowing for multi-color printing to achieve an attractive appearance; as a result, it is commonly used as the surface layer material in composite films. BOPP plastic film also has drawbacks, such as the tendency to accumulate static electricity and the lack of heat-sealability. On high-speed production lines, BOPP film tends to generate static electricity, so an anti-static device needs to be installed. To obtain heat-sealable BOPP film, the surface of the BOPP plastic film can be corona-treated followed by the coating of a heat-sealable resin adhesive, such as PVDC latex or EVA latex; solvent-based adhesives can also be used. Heat-sealable BOPP film can be produced through extrusion coating or co-extrusion compounding methods. This film is widely used in the packaging of bread, clothing, shoes, and socks, as well as in the cover packaging of cigarettes and books. The initiation tear strength of BOPP plastic film increases after stretching, but its secondary tear strength is very low; therefore, no cuts should be left on either end face of the BOPP film, otherwise it is prone to tearing during printing and lamination. After coating with BOPP, adhesive tapes can be produced, representing a market where BOPP is used in large quantities.
The maximum production speed has reached 350 m/min, and this speed is already outdated. I heard that there are currently ones reaching 500 M/MIN; I’m not sure which manufacturer makes them
The BOPP production statistics do not include the companies under Sinopec; BOPP production reached its peak 10 years ago at 50,000 tons per year.
I was at Jintian last week, and from what I understand, it currently has the largest BOPP production capacity: hug: