Covestro, the former Bayer MaterialScience, is investing around €20 million in one of its downstream operations, expanding capacity for polycarbonate film at Dormagen, Germany.

The company’s plans encompass a new coextrusion plant for high-end multilayer flat films, including associated infrastructure and logistics. The plant due on stream in 2017 will manufacture products for security cards, automotive interiors, medical devices and displays.

“With the new plant, we are orienting ourselves more than ever on market trends and the rising demand for high-quality flat films,” said Nina Schmarander, global head of Specialty Films. For Covestro, the new facility represents a “further developmental step for multilayer film structures, such as those used for counterfeit-proof identity cards,” she added.

In other news, Covestro has announced the appointment of Michelle Jou as head of the company’s Polycarbonates business unit, which is based in Shanghai, China. Jou succeeds Markus Steilemann, who has moved to the Polyurethanes unit and also has become a member of the company’s managing board, overseeing Innovation.