EuroWire May 2021

Corporate News

LLFlex hires director of product management LLFlex supplies packaging materials and industrial laminate solutions for the consumer packaging, building and con- struction, and wire and cable industries. The company has hired Allen Smith as director of product management. and packaging robotics to provide short lead times and customised solutions.

For the company’s packaging segment, new laminators with multiple coating stations and new slitting assets provide additional annual capacity of more than 70mn lb of product. These assets supplement – and provide supply chain risk mitigation for – LLFlex’s existing Louisville facility by manfacturing innerfoil and printed innerframe for tobacco packaging, laminated folding carton stock, label and base stock for lotto/gaming, laminated convolute canister stock and other products for various packaging applications. For the industrial laminates segment, which caters to wire and cable and other industrial markets, a new laminator with multiple coating stations and dedicated slitter are complemented by an advanced steel, copper and aluminium cable wrap production cell that adds more than 60mn lb of annual capacity. “Allen brings years of experience in management, engineering and marketing flexible materials products to the company and will be a highly valuable asset as LLFlex expands and our growth plans kick into high gear,” said Victor Dixon, CEO of LLFlex. “With the spacious new North Carolina facility providing LLFlex additional space and infrastructure for production growth – as well as a regional warehouse, distribution and logistics centre – Allen’s expertise and leadership will help maintain our exemplary reputation for product innovation and quality.” LLFlex, LLC www.llflex.com

Mr Smith will manage the company’s product portfolio, assist in new product development and coordinate commercial growth initiatives with the business segment leaders across LLFlex’s two main business segments: packaging and industrial laminates. Before joining LLFlex, Mr Smith was product manager for global packaging materials supplier Constantia Flexibles. Prior to that, he served nearly a decade as product development engineer for International Converter, a Novolex business that makes flexible packaging and industrial laminates. Earlier in his career, he held marketing and engineering roles with Reynolds Flexible Packaging and Alcoa Flexible Packaging, respectively.

Mr Smith joins LLFlex during an expansion period: the company recently began production at a 73,500ft 2 fully integrated manu- facturing facility in High Point, North Carolina, USA. The new plant houses high-speed, premium-efficiency equipment for custom laminating, coating, embossing and slitting, to address growing product demand. The facility utilises automated slitting

Allen Smith, director of product management for LLFlex

▲

14

www.read-eurowire.com

May 2021