ALIPA, Circuit Foil, United Caps Present Circular Economy Efforts

Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot visited yesterday ALIPA, Circuit Foil and United Caps, three major players established in the "Salzbaach" circular economic activity zone in Wiltz. 

The three companies have major development and innovation projects underway. This visit was organised with the support of Fedil and in the presence of local elected officials from Wiltz, including Mayor Frank Arndt.

Since 2015, the municipality of Wiltz has actively worked to become a hotspot for the circular economy, including the “Salzbaach” activity zone which is known for carrying out circular projects such as waste management. The City of Wiltz is currently planning the construction of a collective car park with a circular approach to sharing infrastructure. The city also intends to soon develop a “Circular Economy Innovation Hub”, a skills centre for the circular economy, offering training to schools and municipalities.

Created in 1996, the ALIPA group brings together six companies, with a turnover of €28 million and more than 150 employees in three countries. The group's activities are oriented around two areas of activity: industrial lifting and packaging. No-Nail Boxes, specialising in the production of plywood and steel folding boxes for industry, and Codipro, designer and manufacturer of articulated lifting rings, are the group's two most significant companies in the area of activity. During the presentation of the facilities, Michèle Detaille, Managing Director of the ALIPA group and current president of Fedil, detailed the manufacturing process for folding crates and presented the current innovative projects undertaken in terms of tje organisation and digitalisation of the group. Codipro recently launched the Coditracer, a management tool that ensures the traceability of lifting rings at each stage of their journey based on Blockchain technology.

Economy Minister Franz Fayot then received explanations from Pierre Koppes, president of the Syndicat intercommunal, concerning the site envisaged for the construction of the collective car park.

Minister Fayot also visited the Circuit Foil Luxembourg factory managed by Fabienne Bozet, CEO. Founded in Wiltz in the early 1960s, the company has been a subsidiary of the South Korean group Doosan Corp since 2014, with 320 employees and producing 10,000 tonnes of copper per year. Since 2014, research and development activities as well as investments within the company have gained new momentum. The company, which holds 2% of the global copper foil market, has nearly 70% of the market share for the manufacture of 5G-related products. Circuit Foil Luxembourg produces, by an electroplating process, copper sheets intended primarily for the manufacture of printed circuits for high-tech products, such as connected devices, sensors in cars or even 5G antennas, market in full growth. To meet this growing demand, it recently invested €41 million with the aim of increasing its production capacity by 30%. The company also announced the launch of a large-scale research project in partnership with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) for a total amount of €18 million. This project will particularly make it possible to keep the group's European research centre in Luxembourg.

Finally, Minister Franz Fayot met with Benoît Henckes, CEO of United Caps. Founded at the end of the 1930s by two Luxembourgers, the company is a pioneer in industrial packaging. It manufactures plastic caps and lids, with 11 billion units produced each year in eleven factories, including that of Wiltz, and a turnover of €160 million. 85% of the caps produced are intended for the food industry. The company has a fleet of 35 machines in Luxembourg and employs 120 people, 60% of whom are assigned to production and divided into four teams that work in continuous flow, seven days a week. It uses fully recyclable plastics (polyethylene and polypropylene), although food standards do not allow these recycled plastics to be reinjected into the manufacture of other food packaging. This material instead supplies other sectors of the plastics industry. According to its CEO, United Caps is actively addressing the topic of chemical recycling of plastics which represents the future.

At the end of his visit, Luxembourg's Economy Minister stated: “Wiltz is a living laboratory for the circular economy. The city can truly serve as a model for other municipalities. Companies established in the activity zone demonstrate a great capacity for innovation and help to promote Luxembourg's industry well beyond our borders. The three companies I visited bear witness to the importance of maintaining a strong industrial policy and in this context, dialogue with stakeholders in the field is essential”.

Michèle Detaille, President of Fedil, added: “We very much appreciate this visit which allowed three industries to show and explain to the minister and local elected officials their achievements and their plans for the future and to give them feedback through report on the public support instruments for businesses put in place to overcome the difficulties encountered during the months of crisis. Believing in the future of our companies, we were particularly happy to be able to present our proposal to install shared infrastructures in our area of activity”.