Production flexibility and energy efficiency. These are the main characteristics that film producers are requiring of the extrusion lines. Today, flexibility is considered one - and possibly the most im­portant - route to overcoming the current economic crisis, by allow­ing further penetration to exploit the profitability of niche markets, while efficiency is of the essence in the face of increasingly limited resources and ever more pressing environmental concerns. All this has repercussions on equipment manufacturers, who must in their turn also confront the difficult economic situation, leading them to develop ever more affordable solutions without compro­mising technological standards. Below is an overview of new devel­opments offered by Italian manufacturers specialising in the pro­duction of machinery and equipment for film extrusion, to answer these and other needs.