MANUFACTURER OF M WRAP FILM ON A ROLL

       Plastic-film manufacturer MMP Corp expects sales this year to grow by 25 per cent to Bt2.4billion, thanks to the rising demand for its M Wrap brand food cling film.
       The company produces and exports M Wrap and M Stretch film for wrapping industrial products. Sales of the food cling film account for 25 per cent of its total sales revenue, while the stretch film generates 75 per cent.
       Anake Chongsathien, managing director of MMP, said most people had less money to spend on dining out and were opting to cook at home. This benefits cling film as a wrapping for cooked foods. The spread of type-A (H1N1) flu has also led to greter concern over food safety.
       The company expects sales of M Wrap film will reach Bt1 billion this year from Bt800 million last year.
       Higher demand for M Wrap overseas has the company's machines running at full capacity of 520 tonnes a month. It has had to approach a Japanese firm to help it produce M Wrap. Talks with the firm are expected to be wrapped up next month.
       Anake added that M Wrap's proportion of the domestic sales is expected to reach 70 per cent this year, up from 50 per cent last year, and that of exports to decline to 30 cent from 50 per cent.
       Anake said that rising sales of M Wrap should offset declining stretch-film sales this year. Stretch film targets revenue of Bt1.4 billion this year.
       The company's sales of stretch film relied on the export market, which has been hit by the economic crisis. Anake said sales of sretch film thais year might drop by 15 per cent from last year.
       "If there were no economic crisis, our production capacity of stretch film would be running at full speed, at 3,000 tonnes a month. But now we are producing just 1,800 tonnes a month," be said.