This page is an archive of news and news background stories. Stories are placed here when they expire from the news pages and are filed in date order, most recent on the top. Go to the most recent or browse through the headline links.
We quote monetary figures - company results, materials prices etc - in the currency in which they were originally reported. You can convert them to your own currency at today's exchange rates.
What is claimed as the world's largest BOPP slitter has been supplied by Atlas Converting Equipment to Applied Extrusion Technologies in the USA for use on a new 10 m oriented polypropylene film line.
AET was one of the first companies to take delivery of an 8 m wide slitter rewinder from Atlas in 1989, and followed it with another soon after.
AET's 8 m line was used as a pre-commissioning test bed for the new slitter, which was installed to handle mill rolls from the 8 m line for operator training and to allow AET to become familiar with the new technology implemented by Atlas since delivery of its last slitter.
The new slitter can wind on to 16 rewind stations up to 1,000 mm in diameter at 1,000 mpm. In the last three years AET has increased capacity by 63 per cent and claims the largest and most diverse OPP film manufacturing capability in North America. All the company's slitters have been supplied by Atlas, and AET also has a 5·5 m cigarette film slitter with robotic roll handling due for imminent start-up.
Sales agency for Taiwanese extruders January 30, 1999
A Plus Engineers has extended its service agency for Taiwanese-built Calken extruders and is now sales and service agent for the whole range in the UK.
Calken builds single screw extruders from 45 - 120 mm diameter and parallel counter-rotating twin screws from 65 to 130 mm diameter. All screw lengths are 24 D. The twin screws use Thyssen gearboxes.
The company also makes a full range of downstream equipment from die heads down to cutters and stackers.
Albis UK has become authorised UK distributor for Amoco Chemical (Europe)'s engineering plastics. Albis and Amoco already have such an agreement elsewhere in Europe.
The deal means that Albis UK will hold stocks of Radel A polyethersulphone, Radel R polyphenylsulphone, Mindel polysulphone blends and Xydar liquid crystal polymer for distribution in the UK and Ireland in addition to the Amodel polyphthalamide and Udel polysulphone which it already distributed.
Meldrum Tenaplas moves north January 29, 1999
Meldrum Tenaplas Extrusions has moved a major part of its business from Pangbourne in Berkshire to County Durham. It has bought the former Rayovac battery plant at Newton Aycliffe and expects to start up extrusion lines at the 80,000 sq ft plant within the next two weeks.
Meldrum Tenaplas is part of the Suntex Safety Glass Industries Group, which already has three factories in the North East. The move to Newton Aycliffe is part of a group plan to site its plants closer together.
Record profits at Coral January 28, 1999
Despite tough conditions in the CD jewel box market Coral Products returned record interim profits in its half year to October 31 last. Pre-tax profits and earnings per share were more than double those for the previous comparable period and only marginally below profits and earnings for the whole of 1997/98.
Chairman Sir David Rowe-Ham commented: 'This increase in profits and earnings has been achieved, not only by added demand, but...by our continuing investment in robotic plant and machinery.' The company is planning a further £2 million investment in three Netstal lines.
The 111 per cent profits increase from £589,000 to £1,245,000 was on turnover up by the comparatively small amount of 15 per cent from £5·78 milion to £6·65 million.
As well increased business in jewel boxes, Coral also did well with its housewares products and is planning further automation investments here.
£0·25 million upgrade at GenCel Manta January 26, 1999
GenCel Manta has invested £250,000 in upgrading its Shoreham injection moulding plant as part of a £1 million equipment replacement programme by its parent company GenCel Group. Goods inwards and stores have been relocated, the toolroom and assembly areas have been revamped, and the company has upgraded its infrastructure such as water cooling plant, materials drying equipment and overhead lifting equipment.
The company has also installed a 130 tonnes Sandretto Eight Series moulding machine with pick and place robot to mould ladder feet.
Montell to close outdated PP plant January 24, 1999
Montell is to close its 170,000 tonnes slurry polypropylene plant at Berre in France because it is uneconomical to run compared with modern production technologies. And the company is predicting more shutdowns of similar plant by other producers, as the industry seeks to improve profitability.
Hanna to compound Questra January 20, 1999
Dow has agreed a license arrangement under which M A Hanna will make speciality compounds from its Questra syndiotactic polystyrene. These compounds will be available in Europe through Hanna's engineered materials business Th Bergmann.
Questra polymers are produced with metallocene catalysts and are described by Dow as having 'the highest melting point of any single monomer polymerisation product' at 270 degC.
Simona, parent company of Simona UK with sites in Stafford and Weybridge, is planning a DM 150 million investment programme - although most of the money will be spent in Germany. The plans include a new plant for extruded and pressed sheets, and possible acquisitions in Germany.
Despite the problems of the Far East and Russian markets, the company increased its pre-tax profit by 15 per cent for the first nine months of last year compared with the same period in 1997, but expects full year turnover to be only slightly up on the DM 297·2 million figure of 1997.
Simona makes sheet, pipe fittings, valves and rods in PE, PP, PVC, PETG, PVDF and E-CTFE.
MCP buys Butler January 19, 1999
MCP Equipment has taken over fellow benchtop injection moulding machine manufacturer Butler Designs, which went into liquidation in December. Manufacturing, sales, spares and service have been moved to MCP's Stone factory, and Steve Aaron has moved with the company to become sales manager for injection moulding machines at MCP.
Butler Designs has been building machines under various guises since the mid-1980s, and its most recent incarnation followed a management buyout in 1995. Since then the company has sold more than 120 machines worldwide, but trading difficulties in the latter part of last year forced it into insolvency.
New MD at Hydro Polymers January 19, 1999
David Summerbell has been promoted from planning and systems director at Hydro Polymer's Newton Aycliffe plant to managing director.
Columbian buys Asian carbon black business January 19, 1999
Carbon black giant Columbian Chemicals Company has bought an 85 per cent stake in the carbon black business of Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co, and will manage and operate the company's 110,000 tonnes plant at Yeosu in South Korea through a new joint venture, Columbian Chemicals Korea, in which Kumho retains a 15 per cent interest. The acquisition cost $73·1 million.
Columbian already has a presence in Asia with a plant in the Philippines and a sales company in Japan. The Kumho plant was designed by Columbian and started up in 1996.
Distributor network named for Carilon January 19, 1999
Shell Chemicals has appointed distributors for its Carilon aliphatic polyketones in Europe, Asia and Southern Africa.
In the UK, Ireland, Benelux and Scandinavia distribution will be handled by Distrupol. Vamp Tech takes on Italian distribution and Lambert Riviere is appointed for France. A Schulman will cover Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Quimigranel Spain and Meller & Essink Portugal.
International exhibitions link January 14, 1999
Reed Exhibitions and Assocomoplast/Enfiplast have joined forces to promote their plastics exhibitions Interplas and Plast. They are to market the two shows jointly with the aim of increasing international visitorship. Both shows take place every three years - the next Interplas is in October this year while Plast is next staged in May 2000.
Targor turns off old technology PP plant January 14, 1999
Targor has shut down a suspension polymerisation polypropylene plant at Knapsack in Germany because of the 'ongoing unsatisfactory market situation for standard PP'. The plant had an annual capacity of 90,000 tonnes. Targor has a newer 240,000 tonnes plant at the same site.
Elf Atochem sells bag making company January 14, 1999
Elf Atochem is withdrawing further from the polyethylene converting business by selling its PE bag making subsidiary Alplast, located in North East France. It is selling 90 per cent of the company to investment group Natexis Investissement, and the remaining 10 per cent to the company's management.
Japanese stretch blow machines new to Britain January 14, 1999
A new source of Japanese injection and reheat stretch blow moulding machines has opened up in the UK. A Plus Engineers has taken on representation for Chemix Machinery Japan Co which builds machines to mould bottles from 0·5 litres to 10 litres, with neck sizes from 28 mm to wide mouth jars.
Chemix supplies complete packages from preform and blow mould tooling to the blow moulding machine and ancillary equipment - and in the case of reheat stretch blow, can also supply a Meiki injection moulding machine and tooling.
The machines are suitable for PET, PEN and PP production.
A Plus will also be providing service for other EC countries.
Dr Rolf Stomberg, a main board director of BP and chief executive of BP Oil International until his retirement in 1997, has been appointed non-executive chairman of UniPoly, the polymer processing group formed in a management buy out from BTR in 1997.
Targor to expand PP compound production in the UK January 5, 1999
Targor is increasing the output of its polypropylene compounding facilities at Wilton by replacing six outdated compounding lines - two Egans and four W & P ZSK 120s - with two new high output compounders of a yet undecided make, taking capacity up from 24,000 to 32,000 tonnes a year. The project will cost more than DM 25 million and will come into operation next year.
The design of the plant has been optimised for the British market. Seventy per cent of Targor's PP compounds business is with motor manufacturers, the rest mainly being in electrical/electronic applications. British motor industry requirements differ from those in mainland Europe largely in terms of model sizes: build numbers are smaller in the UK, calling for greater flexibility in compound production volumes. Although it is reducing the number of compounding lines, the two lines will be configured differently and modern processing techniques should give Targor the ability to change quickly between formulations.
Composites project to develop new loadbearing bridge decking January 5, 1999
The prismatic profile to be used to form standard elements for bridge and building decking.
A European project to develop a decking system for bridges and buildings in lightweight advanced composites is to be led by British consulting group Mouchel and its first application will be in a road bridge to be built for Oxfordshire County Council.
The ASSET (Advanced Structural System for Tomorrow's Infrastructure) project will take four years and cost £2·8 million. It has started with £1·5 million funding from the EU Brite-Euram III programme.
The technology will be to develop a range of standard pultruded profiles using a prismatic section (see diagram) which can be assembled into different shapes for loadbearing applications. Mouchel has designed the profile and composites manufacturer Fiberline of Denmark is to develop the dies.
Other partners in the project are civil engineering contractor Skanska of Sweden; KTH, a Swedish university with a reputation in jointing technology; IETCC, the Spanish research institute which will provide large scale testing facilities; and HIM of the Netherlands which makes surface coating and flooring systems and which will develop the wearing course.
The bridge in Oxfordshire will be built in 2001 and will be capable of carrying 40 tonne vehicles.
Montell Polyolefins has appointed Kees Linse, president of Montell Europe, to a new position of chief operating officer. The new president of Montell Europe is Hans Vogelsang, who moves from being vice president of Shell Chemicals Europe and Africa.
Plysu bales out BP's bottles business January 5, 1999
Plysu today takes over BP Chemicals' loss-making BXL bottles and closures business. The business has net assets of £10·6 million, but in the year to December 1997 made a trading loss of £1 million. The purchase price was a nominal £1, but 'net adjustments' will be made after a fresh assessment of the assets.
BXL operates two plants, in Leicester and at Plenmeller in Northumberland, which will be kept open - although Plysu will investigate any synergies with its existing business in Woburn Sands - and Plysu anticipates having them back in profit in 1999/00.
Rubber name change to prevent confusion January 1, 1999
Bayer has changed the name of its acrylonitrile-butadiene (NBR) rubber powder to avoid confusion with the baled material. Krynac powders are now sold as Baymod N.
Poacher turns gamekeeper in injection moulding January 1, 1999
Fire alarm manufacturer KAC Alarm Company has set up an in-house injection moulding operation and is planning to sell surplus capacity as a trade moulder. It has formed KAC Precision Plastics which has a new factory on the Trafford Park Industrial Estate in Redditch housing four Sandretto machines of 50, 110, 150 and 200 tonnes lock.
KAC Alarm has an annual requirement for some 1·5 million mouldings. Demands for high levels of quality control, and a need to control costs and maintain flexibility to extend its product range were behind the move in-house.
The alarm company's sub-assembly division is housed above the moulding shop, and KAC Precision Plastics anticipates selling assembly and other added value services alongside moulding.
Uprated Indian PE plant back on line January 1, 1999
Another 60,000 tonnes of polyethylene capacity has been switched on in India with the restart of the modified Indian Petrochemicals Corporation LLD/HDPE plant at Nagothane. The plant uses BP Innovene technology and over the past two years has undergone a 40 per cent capacity upgrade.
Growth is slowing, but nonetheless still growing, say polymer market analysts January 1, 1999
The latest analysis of Western European plastics consumption from Applied Market Information reports a 10 per cent annual growth from 1995 to the 1997 total of 27·6 million tonnes, with a forecast slow down during 1998 to 3 per cent and a possible decline in 1999. In the longer term, says AMI, growth to 2002 is expected to reach 3 per cent per year. The increase in volume is set against weak pricing, and while AMI says that the Asian downturn has not critically affected the European market, it has influenced the low pricing level.
Separating the engineering and commodity resin markets, AMI reports a strong recovery in engineering materials in 1997, with a consumption of just over 3 million tonnes - nearly 11 per cent higher than in 1996. Consumption figures for nylon, polycarbonate and PBT all represented double digit growth, while increased use of PET for drinks packaging pushed consumption up 17 per cent (read on for more detail on PET). Consumption of ABS and SAN were up some 7 per cent, which AMI attributes to improved demand for consumer durables and a renaissance in some automotive applications.
In commodity materials the growth was more modest at 5 per cent, spurred by a 9·4 per cent increase in polypropylene demand to more than 5·8 million tonnes, largely as a result of increased capacity for OPP film in Italy, and from automotive applications. Polystyrene markets increased by around 5 per cent while demand growth was somewhat lower for polystyrene and PVC.
The report costs £175.
Another new report from PCI PET Packaging, Resin & Recycling (see other recent reports) details the PET market in Western Europe with a 10 year forecast that shows annual growth falling from a current level of around 15 per cent to around 5 per cent, which will be sustained up to 2020. Virgin resin demand was 367,000 tonnes in 1990, and that has risen to 1·1 million tonnes in 1997, and should achieve 1·6 million tonnes by 2000 and almost 2·8 million tonnes by 2007, says the report.
Much of the growth through the substitution of PVC has now been completed, but the report points to other growth areas, such as an organic market growth in Eastern Europe, the replacement of glass in Germany, and the use of PET for beer packaging across Europe.
The proportion of European consumption which will take place in Eastern Europe is predicted to rise from around 10 per cent in 1997 to 20 per cent in 2007, but this in part depends on economic recovery in Russia.
Resin production in Europe has reached the point of self-sufficiency, and further capacity to be installed during 1999 and 2000 will maintain this position against the growth in consumption. But the report notes that importers continue to have a major market share, leaving some European plants under-utilised. There will also be a requirement to add capacity to meet demand beyond 2001. Regional Supply and Demand Report for PET in Europe costs $4,500 (Euros 3,800).
DSM to restructure its resins activities January 1, 1999
DSM is planning to split its Resins business group into two business groups and a business unit, taking effect on April 1 if it receives the blessing of the DSM Central Works Council.
The new Coating Resins business group will make alkyd and polyester resins for coating systems. Industrial Resins & Compounds will make resins for industrial applications, in particular unsaturated polyester resins and glass fibre-reinforced compounds.
The new Radcure Products business unit, based in the USA, will produce coatings for glass optical fibres used in telecommunications.
Steinbeck steps down from VDMA chair January 1, 1999
Walter Steinbeck, managing partner of Windmöller & Hölscher has retired from the chairmanship of the rubber and plastics machinery sector of Germany's machinery manufacturers' association, the VDMA, which he has held since 1991. He is succeeded by Helmut Eschway, a board member of Battenfeld, who has been vice chairman since 1997.
Werner Fillmann, president of Krupp Kunststofftechnik and Peter Steinbeck, chairman of Windmöller & Hölscher have joined the board of the VDMA.
Ashland adds another European outlet January 1, 1999
International materials distributor Ashland Chemicals is opening an office in the Czech Republic, bringing to 18 the number of European countries served by Ashland Plastics - Europe.
ON-LINE
ON-LINE Home