OREANDA-NEWS. On 15 May 2009 was announced, that the project application was submitted by Danaflex CJSC, Kazan, Tartarstan, which will be main contractor and co-investor. Research and development was provided by Kazan State University and Kazan State Technological University. The full title of the project is “High Barrier Polymer Film Technology Implementation and Production Setup to Expand Flexible Packaging Production”.

The project will be realized within the RUSNANO (49%) and Danaflex (51%) joint venture. RUSNANO’s share of the investments totals 1,200 million RURles and comes as a contribution to the portfolio company share. Danaflex will contribute a production facility located in Tartarstan and a total of 1,250 million RURles in cash.

The company’s products, high-barrier polymer film and flexible packaging materials, will be used primarily for packaging food, household goods, beauty and animal food products. High-barrier flexible film allows heating of food in microwave ovens without the need to remove the package. Another advantage is that it may significantly reduce the amount of preservatives used in food, and increase the shelf life of the foodstuff and other products packaged in the film. According to Dionis Gordin, RUSNANO’s Managing Director, the process equipment involved in the package production meets the best world practices. This type of high quality barrier film is now vigorously winning the foreign markets, whereas such production is not available in Russia. RUSNANO and Danaflex joint venture output will replace imported packaging in this segment, targeting both Russian and foreign customers, primarily the manufacturers of products that require packaging. According to Airat Bashirov, Danaflex Director General, this joint project will become a new step in developing flexible packaging market in Russia. In 2016 nano-packaging sales are expected to reach 20 thousand ton.

The Project execution timeframe is 2009-2016.

2009-2011 – Acquire and install the process equipment.

2011 – Commissioning and starting up the production.

2011-2013 – Running commercial production. Payback limit is 2016.

Russian multilayer flexible packaging market in 2008 is estimated to be 184 thousand tons (33.2 billion RURles). Imported products make 10% of the Russian market, and this is mostly hi-tech packaging, not currently produced in Russia. By 2016, experts expect 14% annual growth in flexible multilayer packaging consumption.