Unique, customer-specific, sustainable – these have been the hallmarks of our approach at Folienwerk Wolfen for over 25 years. As a film manufacturer with a keen understanding of environmentally friendly and intelligent product development, we are among the pioneers in the field of high-quality extruded plastic films. The applications range from blister packaging and rigid film for the medical field to thermoforming film for food to card-lamination films for smartcards. EVA film for laminated safety glass and glass lamination in the decorative or security field is offered as well.
Specialist for print, lenticular, and packaging films
One of our core areas of expertise is the development and production of print films that are used as packaging film for food, medical devices, and other products. This includes transparent packaging as well as thermoforming film and other rigid films. In the field of print films, we offer both high-quality multilayer solutions made of PET film as well as special lenticular films for 3D, flip, morph, and moving-image prints.
50 years of know-how in the field of plastic films
When it comes to the development and production of our plastic films, we have over 50 years of employee know-how to fall back on. Whether it be packaging film, technical films, card-lamination films, or special-purpose films, our range of products offers our customers an application-specific solution with all the benefits of a smart co-extrusion film. One of our latest developments is the elastic EVA film evguard. Its excellent resistance to heat and aging make evguard ideal for applications in architecture and interior design. As a leading film manufacturer, Folienwerk Wolfen has its own research and development department. That allows us to develop tailor-made solutions and make them ready for production in close consultation and cooperation with our partners. Give us a challenge and experience the unique variety of our plastic film solutions.
History
Saxony-Anhalt can look back on a long tradition in the chemicals and plastics industries. During the years of the German Democratic Republic, the Leuna and Bitterfeld locations were known around the world for lignite products and fine chemicals, but also for paints and films. ORWO Filmfabrik was considered, along with other familiar suppliers such as AGFA and Kodak, to be among the pioneers in the manufacture of biaxially oriented polyester films as the basis for camera and X-ray films. Until German reunification, over 40,000 people in the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region worked in the coal and chemicals industries, as well as in the processing of these products.
After reunification and the economic changes it brought, these sectors of industry largely came to a halt. In spring 1991, Folienwerk Wolfen GmbH became one of the first companies to be re-founded, in this case by former employees of ORWO Filmfabrik Wolfen. Wolfgang Maxdorf, former technical director of foundry 6 at the Filmfabrik, and the company Seufert Transparente Verpackung GmbH were able to combine their interests and their know-how. After the first coextrusion plant was delivered to what had been the production halls of ORWO Filmfabrik, production of high-quality transparent PET films for the folding box and printing industries got underway. This turned the Folienwerk plant into one of the pioneers in the sector when it came to establishing a quality, ecological alternative to PVC film.
From the beginning, the company made use of the potential for increasing efficiency by recycling PET film material and reintegrating cleaned edge trims and punch scrap into the process. In tandem with film manufacture, production of slip lids and deep-drawn parts started in 1991 as a complement to the film produced for folding boxes. This allowed the company to create additional desirable jobs, particularly for the female workforce in the region. From the initial 28 employees in our founding year, our numbers have swollen to more than 160. The new company campus on Guardianstraße is now home to seven extrusion plants with an annual capacity of over 20,000 metric tonnes.
Folienwerk has become one of the most important employers in the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region.