Cascades Sonoco, a manufacturer of coating and laminating technologies for the paper industry, will invest approximately $16 million to expand its facility in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

The company, a joint venture between packaging groups Sonoco Products and Cascades, will add a new line to produce its FlexShield, FluteSHIELD and SurfSHIELD water-based coatings. These functional and barrier coatings, which have recently been introduced to the folding carton and corrugated  industries, are designed to replace the standard low density polyethylene (LDPE) coating that is used in take-out containers, enabling a recyclable, repulpable and compostable product.

Construction on the expansion will begin early this year with start-up expected in the second quarter of 2018. Once at full capacity, the line will produce 40,000-50,000 t/y of coated materials.

Rodger Fuller, senior vice president of Sonoco’s Paper & Engineered Carriers, US & Canada, and Display & Packaging, said the investment represents a “significant geographic expansion for water-based products, especially in the fast-growing southeastern US”.