Lexington, OH-based Next Generation Films has made a name in the technically demanding business of specialty blown films. Starting with three coextrusion lines, the company now has seven lines running 'round-the-clock and two more slated for installation.

While much has changed since since its founding in 1994, one feature stayed the same at Next Generation: its preference for winders from Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering (www.bge.battenfeld.com). The company has specified BGE's Model 1008D winder on four blown film lines—including two of its three original lines—with another on order for the line it will add later this year.

The Model 1008D is a dual-turret center winder designed to handle rolls of up to 30 in. in diameter. It features PLCs with touchscreen control and recipe storage for different products. Next Generation's facility houses several widths of 1008D winders to accommodate customer needs. The only option ever specified is swing-out shafts on an 84-in. unit currently in use.