Plastics recycler multiplies capacity in Thailand

Global plastic packaging recycler and producer Alpla continues to ramp up capacity in Southeast Asia. After a year of construction, the company has opened a modern plant in Thailand, its second facility in the country.

The new, 24 000 m2 building in Chachoengsao near Bangkok includes a technical centre for product development and the first STUDIOa in the Asia-Pacific region for designing new packaging solutions with customers.

By opening its second location in Thailand, Alpla says it is multiplying its production capacity in the country. Chachoengsao is replacing Prachinburi as the headquarters and the portfolios being expanded to include injection moulding and one-step injection stretch-blow moulding technologies.

Covering all the needs

‘Our involvement in Thailand more than 20 years ago represented the start of our activities in Southeast Asia and is still central to our growth today,’ says Alpla ceo Philipp Lehner. ‘The flagship plant in Chachoengsao covers all the needs of our customers and unlocks new opportunities in the market.’

Capacity increase and portfolio expansion

At the new plant, Alpla will produce plastic bottles, preforms, matching closures and injection-moulded parts. One focus is on one-step injection stretch-blow moulding and injection moulding, two newly introduced technologies.
At its first plant in Prachinburi, Alpla will concentrate on extrusion blow moulding.

Joint recycling adventure

In 2022, Alpla consolidated its business in Southeast Asia and China to form an Asia-Pacific region. That same year, the company entered recycling as a joint venture partner of Thai company PTT Global Chemical. The shared Envicco recycling plant in Rayong province in the south east supplies some 30 000 tonnes of food-grade recycled PET and 15 000 tonnes of recycled HDPE material (rHDPE) per year.

‘In Thailand, we are also growing together with our customers,’ says Daniel Qiu, Alpla general manager Thailand. ‘With two high-performance production plants and the recycling plant, we are securing the long-term supply of sustainable packaging solutions and strengthening the nationwide circular economy.’