Nova Industries, a leading supplier of specialty packaging films in the blown and cast process, has recently added stretch films to its product portfolio.

Stretch film is manufactured under the brand name Novaflex at the company facility in Al Aweer and has received a good market response in the UAE. Its main customers are logistics companies, packaging companies and soft drink manufacturers. More than half the product line is exported to other Gulf countries and Africa.
Nova Industries is now focusing on the European market. In order to cater to the increasing demand and also to enter new markets, Nova is expanding its production capacity.
Executive director Talib Darvesh says their machine has a production capacity of 150 tonnes per month (tpm) and that the firm will soon install a fully automated machine with a 1,000 tpm capacity.
“Classification of stretch films is based on the application methods, appearance or usage, whether it is hand-held or machine-wrapped, transparent, opaque or tinted; it could also be a one-side or two-side cling film,” he explains. “The real difference lies in the production process. We use a unique and specialised cast production technology.”
Darvesh says stretch films using the cast process have a superior appearance in terms of clarity and glossiness and that their stretch wraps are stiffer and have the obvious advantage of strength.
Nova manufactures and stocks cast hand wrap in a variety of gauges, thickness and widths, the most common widths being 12 inches, 15 inches and 18 inches. Full rolls of 12 inches are lighter to handle than the others and are preferred for that reason, while 18-inch rolls cover more surface area per revolution, thereby reducing the number of trips required by the operator around the pallet.
 Darvesh says the vented wrap range allows the packaged load to breathe and is best suited for products that need to be packed warm or products that need to be frozen or sterilised after wrapping. Nova also offers three-inch and five-inch banding film used for bundling.
The company manufactures different types of cast grades, gauges and widths of stretch film to meet most requirements. It also stocks films with one-sided and two-sided cling.
Other products include black opaque machine-grade film that protects from possibly damaging ultraviolet rays, especially if it is to be stored outside for a long period.
Other products manufactured by Nova Industries include self-adhesive tapes in six colours, jumbo tapes, plastic packaging film, fibre drums for industrial packaging, paper core and computer forms.
Nova is part of the Darvesh Group, which was founded in 1909 in Mumbai. The group is primarily involved in producing and supplying high-quality timber for the construction industry. Today the group has grown into a huge conglomerate with companies in the UAE, Oman, Singapore, Myanmar and Africa.
Darvesh began operating in Oman 22 years ago and later moved to Dubai and Singapore, Nigeria and other African countries. The company began operations in Dubai in 1991 as Mega Star Trading Company, which has now become a major player in the timber and allied building material industry. Mega Star, which also has its production facilities in Al Aweer, specialises in high-quality sawn timber hard woods, soft woods and sheet materials such as MDF, chipboard, plywood, specialty boards and some other materials.
The company has a well-equipped facility for producing Crown brand plywood according to BS 6566/WBP and other internationally accepted standards.
“Crown plywood is produced under controlled circumstances from hardwood found in Southeast Asia and bonded using synthetic phenol formaldehyde resin,” Darvesh says. “Vacuum impregnation is carried out with environment-friendly preservatives, thereby making it borer-pest resistant. Since the surface is laminated with polyethylene resin film, it is resistant to abrasions, water and common chemicals. It is sealed with polyurethane-based paint, which prevents absorption of moisture from sides.”
Apart from Crown plywood, the company has tied up with companies such as Onduline (France) for roofing sheets and Fontex (France) for hollow core chipboards; Triplie Lite of Taiwan for calcium silicate boards; Vernisi Milesi of Italy for furniture lacquers (NC and PU); Grasim Industries (India) for Birla white cement and PG Bison (South Africa) for MDF boards and shipboards.
Some of the major projects Mega Star was involved with or is currently supplying to are Burj Dubai, Palm Jumeirah’s middle bridge project and Dubai International Financial Centre. It has also undertaken some large roofing projects in Oman.
“We always strive to attain high standards of quality for our products,” Darvesh says. “We continuously expand our product range and improve technical knowledge. It is our continuous endeavour to earn customers’ loyalty by providing excellence in products and services.”