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Five injection machine manufacturers are setting out their wares in quick succession at the beginning of June.
First off is Battenfeld – now styling itself as Wittmann Battenfeld – which is opening its Austrian plant at Kottingbrunn to visitors on June 4 - 6 in a series of Competence Days. Following the disastrous public relations of its bankruptcy debacle at the beginning of the year Battenfeld is keen to show that it’s business as usual – or more so. Its takeover by fellow Austrian robotics and ancillaries manufacturer Wittmann makes it, it says, the only supplier to offer a fully-integrated product range worldwide.
To emphasise its flexibility Battenfeld will be showing its technology in multi-component moulding, gas and water injection and structured foam and will show some best-practice examples from a long standing customer.
In the following week you are spoilt for choice. Arburg, Engel and Ferromatik Milacron are all at home to visitors on June 10 and 11.
Arburg and Engel will both be showing off all-electric machines at their UK showrooms a stone’s throw apart near Leamington Spa. Arburg will be demonstrating a two component electric machine combining liquid silicone rubber with PBT, as well as other electric and hydraulic machines with an emphasis on clean room and medical moulding. Engel will be introducing its E-Max series, which is a conventional four tiebar machine with a small footprint, designed to sell at the same price as an equivalent-specification hydraulic machine.
Both Arburg and Engel will support their machine demonstrations with technical seminars. Contributing to the Arburg seminar will be Wacker Chemicals, Connect 2 Cleanrooms, G&A Moulding Technology and Motan, while Engel will have presentations from G&A Moulding Technology, Ewikon, Distrupol and Summit Systems.
The Ferromatik Milacron Innovation World open house will be at the company’s Malterdingen plant in Germany.
Then as three doors shut, another one opens at Neustadt-Fernthal in Germany when Boy celebrates its 40th anniversary from June 12 - 14. Among the demonstrations will be micro-injection moulding, clean room techniques, in-mould decoration, insert moulding, and elastomer and thermoset processing.
On the last day all attendees will be entered in a lottery with the chance to win a coupon worth 40 per cent off the price of a Boy 22 A: you have to buy a machine to cash it. Boy will also be offering an anniversary discount of up to 40 per cent off all wear and spare parts.
Uponor to quit UK/Ireland gas/water supply business May 9, 2008
Finnish pipe producer Uponor is to sell its British and Irish businesses producing infrastructure products - for gas, water and communications - to private equity group 3i for £100 million. The sale includes the share capital of Uponor Ltd and its subsidiary Radius Plastics in Northern Ireland. The companies have manufacturing operations in Hilcote near Alfreton, Aycliffe in County Durham and in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. The infrastructure business in Cork in the Republic of Ireland is also included, although Uponor has already sold its factory in Cork to a third party, the closing of which has now been postponed to Q1/2009.
The businesses employ around 470 people and in 2007 had net sales of Eur 169·1 million.
The rationale behind the move is that, despite having invested heavily to reach a market-leading position in the municipal infrastructure sector in Britain and Ireland, the operations being sold have few synergies with the company's Nordic infrastructure business, or the local housing business, and are its only infrastructure operations outside the Nordic countries.
Following the sale, Uponor says 80 per cent of its global net sales will come from its European and North American housing solutions business.
Uponor is retaining Uponor Housing Solutions in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, which produces radiant floor heating systems, plumbing systems and pre-insulated pipe systems.
Uponor acquired the Irish water pipe business as its first non-Nordic acquisition in 1983, followed by the gas pipe business in 1991 and the Radius telecommunications pipe business in 1998.
A Turkish sales subsidiary has been set up by Austrian injection machine manufacturer Engel. The new company absorbs Engel's previous agent, EN-KO Makine Servis.
AkzoNobel buys Chinese rubber additives business May 9, 2008
AkzoNobel is buying an organic peroxides business in China. Jiangsu QiangSheng is China's largest manufacturer and supplier of organic peroxides and AkzoNobel is acquiring two of its product lines which are used mainly in keyboard pads and for the production of silicone rubber. Customers are located primarily in China, Taiwan and Korea.
The purchase is one of two acquisitions by AkzoNobel's Specialty Chemicals business, the other being the Levasil silica sol pulp and paper chemicals business which Eka Chemicals is buying from the H C Starck Group.
DuPont invests in ethylene copolymers and photovoltaics May 8, 2008
More expansion is planned by DuPont in the production of ethylene copolymers. Last year it set up a joint venture with Sinopec to make EVA in China, and now is to add further EVA capacity in the USA and enlarge facilities for speciality ethylene copolymers in the USA and Europe. Overall the new $150 million investment will add in the region of 100,000 tonnes of capacity. It will also upgrade existing production and reduce energy consumption.
Capacity will be added at Dordrecht in the Netherlands for Fusabond modifiers and Bynel adhesive resins from 2009; production of Surlyn ionomer resin and Vamac ethylene acrylic elastomers from DuPont Performance Elastomers will be increased at the Sabine plant at Orange in Texas, USA, along with upgrades to improve energy efficiency, coming on line in 2008 and 2009; and improvements will be made to the Elvax EVA plant at Victoria, also in Texas, and also coming on line in 2008 and 2009.
The reason given for the investment is increasing demand from the packaging, automotive and photovoltaics markets. The growth in demand for photovoltaic materials is also behind an additional investment in China, where DuPont is to build a research centre in Hong Kong and a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen. As well as its Elvax EVA, used for encapsulating thin film modules, DuPont makes Butacite PV sheet based on polyvinyl butyral and SentryGlas PV sheet based on ionomer which are used in the construction of amorphous silicone thin film modules; this is a faster growing technology than the crystalline silicone cell and module technology for which DuPont has supplied materials for some time. DuPont expects growth in the photovoltaic market to exceed 30 per cent in each of the next several years.
We'll make it, but not use it May 8, 2008
This quote from Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister for Environment and Water in the United Arab Emirates:
"To achieve the plastic-free status, my ministry is currently preparing a strategy to completely phase out plastic usage in the country. The environmental hazards posed by plastic is a global issue. We have launched several initiatives to reduce the use of plastic. However, we need time to implement it as we have to replace plastic with an adequate alternative."
The minister was talking to the Arab web site Khaleej Times at a press conference to announce the Offshore Arabia Conference and Exhibition to be held in January 2009 at the World Trade Centre. In March we reported how Abu Dhabi, one of the states in the United Arab Emirates, is spending billions of dollars on a petrochemicals complex allied to a Polymers Park aimed at boosting plastics conversion as well as polymer production in the region, and how investment has escalated in plastics production and conversion in the Gulf Co-operation Council states.
Strong euro benefits BPI May 8, 2008
The weakness of sterling against the euro has had a positive benefit at British Polythene Industries where, despite seeing materials prices rise while in fact remaining steady in euro terms, the company's profits from its European operations rose when converted back to sterling. More than that, because the weaker pound has made British manufacturing more cost effective, BPI says it has won back work previously lost to European producers.
Overall, however, rising raw material and energy prices have depressed the company's first quarter profits to below those in the same period last year.
BPI is planning to close the former Swains Packaging speciality film conversion business at Buckhurst Hill in Essex, which it bought some 12 years ago, which it describes as small and unprofitable, and move its operations to its sites in Flint and Cowdenbeath.
Sir Digby to cut Interplas ribbon May 8, 2008
Former director general director of the CBI and now minister of state for trade and environment, Lord Jones of Birmingham (aka Sir Digby Jones) will open the Interplas exhibition on September 30.
Nylon 66 capacity raised again May 8, 2008
The third nylon 66 capacity expansion in two years has been implemented at Solutia's Pensacola plant in Florida, USA. Capacity for Vydyne and Ascend was increased by 32,000 tonnes in 2006, 40,000 tonnes in 2007, and now has been raised by a further 68,000 tonnes. Vydyne is the name for injection moulding and extrusion grades, while Ascend is used mainly for fibres.
Nova and Reliance link to supply EPS building systems May 8, 2008
Nova Chemicals is planning to join with Reliance Industries to form a joint venture in India supplying expandable polystyrene building and construction systems such as structural and non-structural roof, decking and wall panels. Nova says India has a $60 billion construction market that is growing at about 20 per cent per year. The new venture is expected to be operational by the third quarter of this year, initially constructing buildings for Reliance Retail.
Bodycote testing for sale May 7, 2008
Bodycote's testing division, which has 25 laboratories across Britain, many of them testing centres for plastics, has been put up for sale. A figure of around £400 million is thought likely, and Bodycote is expected to invest a substantial part of that in its metal heat treatment business.
Extrusion support - one out, one in May 7, 2008
Two extrusion machinery companies are changing their British technical support. Film and pipe equipment manufacturer Reifenhäuser is closing its UK subsidiary and transferring service and spares to an independent company, while compounding extruder manufacturer Buss has opened up a UK subsidiary for technical support.
The closure of Reifenhäuser's British subsidiary is due to "the ongoing conditions in the UK and Irish plastics extrusion machinery market" and is effective from June 30. Its operations will continue to be handled by Mick Browning and Gerry Donohue, working directly for Reifenhäuser Extrusion. The service and spares business will be taken over by Creswick and Son of Bridgwater in Somerset.
The new service centre for Buss UK is in Stalybridge, Cheshire. As well as providing inspection, maintenance, overhaul and modernisation of Buss equipment in Britain and Ireland, it will also operate in other north European countries, and will extend to support for other companies' products, in particular compounding line components.
The service centre is run by John Collins and Andrew Yeardley. Sales of new Buss equipment remain with Buss of Switzerland, through Colin Richardson.
Huhtamaki quits rigid packaging in Britain May 7, 2008
Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki is to cease making rigid plastics packaging in Britain. It started phasing out its Portadown plant at the end of 2005 and sold it with a temporary lease-back at the end of last year as it put together plans for a Europe-wide restructure of its rigid packaging business.
Huhtamaki says it loses money on the Eur 30 million annual sales it makes from its Consumer Goods business in Britain and its decision to close comes from a combination of falling sales and rising costs.
About 160 employees at Portadown and Gosport are affected by the decision. Gosport will continue to make food industry products and other, mainly paper-based, Consumer Goods products will be made at other plants.
New polystyrene giant opens its doors May 7, 2008
The joint venture in polystyrene between The Dow Chemical Company and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company has begun operations as Americas Styrenics, with "the largest polystyrene capacity in the Western Hemisphere".
Dow is putting into the equal joint venture six polystyrene plants: Torrance, California; Gales Ferry, Connecticut; Ironton, Ohio; Joliet, Illinois; Guaruja, Brazil and Cartagena, Colombia. Chevron Phillips Chemical is contributing a styrene monomer plant in St James, Louisiana and a polystyrene plant in Marietta, Ohio.
Acquisitions and restructuring from Trelleborg... May 7, 2008
Rubber seals companies in the USA and Italy have been bought by Trelleborg of Sweden, while elsewhere in the organisation it is moving manufacturing to lower cost countries.
The two acquisitions are NPC in the USA, which makes large seals for drains, manholes and similar applications, and Officine Meccaniche GNL in Italy which will reinforce Trelleborg's position in specialty seals for heavy-duty applications such as in equipment for the the construction industry, mining industry and agriculture.
The restructure is in Trelleborg's Fluid Solutions business unit, part of Trelleborg Automotive, in Nantes, France. Trelleborg announced a major restructure of its European automotive business in November 2006. The Nantes restructure is an additional measure, and will see large parts of the operation, principally those making engine cooling and air intake hoses, move to existing plants in Turkey, Poland and Spain. The company says that as well as being necessary "to recreate profitability and achieve an improved strategic position", the moves take it closer to its customers' growth areas. Some 450 employees are affected.
...and price fixing rears its head again May 7, 2008
Trelleborg is once again in the news for fixing the price of marine hose. A year ago the company confirmed that it was under investigation for involvement in a cartel. Now a report from Bloomberg says Trelleborg and Bridgestone and Yokohama Tires of Japan, have received formal notification from the European Union of charges regarding a cartel to fix prices for maritime hoses used to load and unload oil tankers. The three companies have made statements confirming the charges, although the European Union's policy is not to name companies suspected of cartel involvement until it takes a final decision on their guilt.
Bio-sourced packaging materials debut from DuPont May 7, 2008
Bio-sourced materials for packaging have been introduced by DuPont using its own PTT (poly trimethyl terephthalate) technology and also the starch-based polymers from Plantic of Australia, with which DuPont set up an alliance last year.
New Biomax PTT 1100 has up to 35 per cent renewably-sourced content and is intended for injection moulded packaging in applications where polyesters are used now. Its attributes include good gloss, stiffness and colorability. DuPont says it is not affected by exposure to common liquids, it has high tensile and yield strength, and is opaque-to-translucent in its natural state. Performance is similar to that of PBT and PET.
The Plantic material, sold by DuPont as Biomax TPS, is a thermoplastic starch thermoforming sheet with 85 - 90 per cent renewably-sourced content and is also available in an injection moulding grade.
DuPont says it performs as well as polystyrene and PVC in thermoformed parts such as packaging trays and rigid containers for food and confectionary products, and in moulded parts such as cosmetics and personal care products, outdoor lawn and garden products packaging, and other formed articles intended for short life and easy disposal. It can also replace PET and polypropylene.
Biomax TPS is made from a high-amylose starch feedstock that is not genetically-modified. In sheet form it is certified to EN 13432 and ASTM 6400 standards for home, soil, water and industrial composting and is biodegradable when contacted by water. It is food contact approved in the United States and EU compliant for food contact. Performance attributes include inherent grease and oil resistance, which lends the product to thermoforming applications for greasy or fatty foods. DuPont says it also forms a strong flavour and odour barrier. Because it is naturally anti-static and anti-dust attractive, it can be used as a tray package for sensitive electronic components. Biomax TPS sheet is offered in seven gauge thicknesses and four colours.
In injection moulded parts, Biomax TPS is certified to EN13432 and BPI for industrial composting. Five grades will be available at first, starting with a general-purpose grade and a high-flow grade for thin wall parts, and then a stiff engineering grade and two water-resistant grades.
More PA4T available for product trials May 7, 2008
The market development plant for DSM's polyamide 4T, "the first new polymer to be introduced in the new millennium", has been started up at Sittard-Geleen in the Netherlands, where DSM has its worldwide R & D centre. The material, with a balance of dimensional stability, high mechanical and thermal performance and low moisture uptake, has been tested by several DSM customers with "very positive" feedback, and the opening of the new plant makes more material available for trials.
DSM is pitching PA4T in electronics for components needing heat-resistance for lead-free soldering or to withstand higher ambient temperatures from miniaturisation - Tyco Electronics has tested it satisfactorily in SIM cards. It is also being aimed at metal replacement in automotive components.
Chemtura sells PVC stabiliser business to Baerlocher May 7, 2008
The Chemtura rigid PVC organic-based stabiliser business has been bought by Baerlocher, which has also bought a licence to use Chemtura's technology in flexible PVC. The move gives Baerlocher extra leverage in calcium-based stabilisers as the PVC market moves away from lead.
Chemtura said that despite its developments in organic-based stabilisers it had not been able to take full advantage of the technology in rigid PVC. It intends to continue development of organic stabilisers for flexible applications.
The deal with Baerlocher is another step in the restructuring of Chemtura's non-flame-retardant polymer additives businesses. In the last year it has moved antioxidants production from high-cost facilities in Europe to lower-cost facilities in Asia and the Middle East and has disposed of its organic peroxides and oleo chemicals businesses.
Moldflow to be bought by AutoCAD company May 7, 2008
Melt flow simulation pioneer Moldflow is being bought by Autodesk, which develops 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets and is perhaps best known for its AutoCAD computer-aided design software.
The acquisition of Moldflow will enhance Autodesk's Digital Prototyping design products. The purchase price is around $297 million.
BASF invests in Indian automotive industry May 7, 2008
An engineering plastics compounding plant is to be built by BASF to support its sales to the Indian automotive industry. The compounding plant will be sited at BASF's existing facility at Thane and is expected to come on stream by the second half of 2009. BASF has also set up a computer aided engineering laboratory in Thane where its engineers design and optimise new engineering plastic parts in cooperation with customers.
Alongside the plastics investment BASF commissioned a new Refinish Color Lab at Mangalore in February 2008, and is expanding its e-coat facility, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. It is also expanding its catalyst plant in Chennai, where it makes catalysts to neutralise exhaust gases.
In 2007 BASF derived more than 13 per cent of its total global sales of Eur 58 billion from sales to the automotive industry. It says that Asia is the fastest growing region in the global automotive industry, with car production increasing by 8 per cent last year, and in India it has been growing at an average of 15 per cent per year over the last few years.
PVC recycling well on target May 7, 2008
According to the latest figures from Vinyl 2010 the European PVC industry is well on the way to meeting the targets set out in the Vinyl 2010 Voluntary Commitment for Sustainable Development. In 2007, 149,500 tonnes of post-consumer PVC were recycled through Vinyl 2010 projects, an 80 per cent increase on 2006 levels when 83,000 tonnes were recycled. The target for 2010 is 200,000 tonnes.
Vinyl 2010 is a ten-year plan to improve PVC production processes and products, invest in technology, minimise emissions, reduce waste and boost collection and recycling, and is registered with the Secretariat of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
Joint venture specialises in cast elastomers May 7, 2008
A joint venture in cast urethane elastomers is being set up by Bayer MaterialScience and Michel Baulé of Romans in France. The 50:50 joint venture will be called Baulé SAS and will operate from Romans.
Both Bayer and Baulé are specialists in cast elastomers, and Bayer brings to the partnership the backing of its worldwide BaySystems polyurethane systems house network, while Baulé adds machine technology.
The new company will develop and supply prepolymer systems for hot- and cold-cast elastomers and the low-pressure dispensing equipment for processing them. Cast elastomers are characterised by very high elasticity, tear resistance and abrasion resistance and are used in specialty applications across industry, ranging from the paper industry through the sports and leisure goods sector to concrete processing and mining.
Canada moves to ban polycarbonate babies' bottles April 19, 2008
After years of debate over the health risks of its major building block bisphenol A, polycarbonate is to be banned for use in babies' bottles in Canada. And the wider implications are taking effect with the withdrawal from sale of other polycarbonate bottles.
Bisphenol A has been shown to produce pre-cancerous tumours and urinary tract problems in laboratory animals, and has been put as the cause for these animals reaching an early puberty. No adverse impact on humans has been proven, but pressure groups have for a number of years argued that the potential of risk was sufficient to justify a ban on the chemical and its derivatives - such as polycarbonate.
The greatest risk is seen for new born babies and infants, hence Canada's intended ban on the sale and import of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles. There is a 60 day comment period and if no new relevant information is presented, the ban will come into force. Canada says it will be the first country to impose such a ban, although bans have been considered before: in 2006 the City of San Francisco in the USA imposed a ban on bisphenol A-containing children's toys and feeding products but the ban was never enforced and was subsequently repealed.
Bisphenol A was in the news earlier this year after American researchers showed that the level of bisphenol A leaching from polycarbonate drinks bottles - used by adults - was raised to a sustained higher level by exposure to boiling water. The report led to worldwide scare stories about the dangers of drinking from "hard plastic" bottles.
The announcement from Health Canada that a ban was imminent followed hard on a report from The National Toxicology Program in the United States detailing the effects on animals from further laboratory testing and concluding that while the animal tests provided "limited evidence", the "possibility that bisphenol A may alter human development cannot be dismissed".
The "no smoke without fire" reaction from the general public has put pressure on manufacturers and retailers. Days before Health Canada made its announcement Wal-Mart Canada and other retailers began withdrawing polycarbonate baby bottles and sipping cups from sale. And Nalge Nunc International, the Thermo Fisher Scientific division which makes the popular Nalgene brand of polycarbonate bottles used by outdoor enthusiasts, announced it is to discontinue the use of polycarbonate. The company has already developed an alternative product line using Eastman's Tritan copolyester, which was introduced late last year as a heat-resistant polyester alternative to polycarbonate, with the bisphenol A problem clearly in mind. A spokesman for the Nalgene business said: "Based on all available scientific evidence, we continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use. However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns."
While bisphenol A is most widely recognised as being a building block for polycarbonate, it is also used in epoxy resins - used to coat the inside of food cans - and dental sealants. Canada's impending ban also classes bisphenol A as a toxic substance, so its other uses must sooner or later come into question.
Biggest ever Dyneema investment planned by DSM April 19, 2008
A $450 million expansion is being planned by DSM for its Dyneema high strength PE fibre business, following a 15 per cent annual growth in sales over recent years. This will be the largest investment programme since the start of large-scale production of Dyneema and is expected to take place in several stages over the next two to three years, mainly in the USA. The first additional line is expected to be operational next year.
Geon back as PolyOne's PVC business April 19, 2008
Following the establishment of its Specialty Engineered Materials business PolyOne has renamed its PVC operations Geon Performance Polymers. It includes Geon Compounds, which is the new name for PolyOne's vinyl Compounds business, and Specialty Coatings and Resins. Geon was the PVC specialist which merged with distributor M A Hanna in 2000 to eventually become PolyOne.
Further PET expansion in Oman April 19, 2008
With its integrated PET polymer and APET sheet plant well underway in Oman, Octal Holding is now planning a 500,000 tonnes PET plant targeting the soft drink and bottled water markets in Europe, the USA and the Middle East. Ultimately its 800,000 tonnes capacity at Salalah in south east Oman will make it the largest polyester manufacturer in the Middle East and one of the biggest outside China on one site.
Initial investment at the site is $300 million and by the completion date in May 2010 the company will have spent $1 billion. Export sales are predicted to reach $500 million by the end of this year, and on completion of the project will be an annual $1·1 billion.
Tooling products manufacturer D-M-E Company has acquired Far Eastern manufacturing facilities through a deal with Futaba Corporation of Japan. D-M-E owns a majority share in a Japanese company, JADME, which was a joint venture with Mitsubishi Steel Manufacturing. Futaba Corporation has now taken over Mitsubishi's share in the company.
Futaba, known for vacuum fluorescent displays and radio control manufacturing and sales, also has interests in mould and press die set bases in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. The new structure of JADME gives Futaba access to D-M-E's tooling technologies and products, and its global distribution and service network, enabling it to expand outside Japan. D-M-E gets increased manufacturing capabilities in Asia with more timely, cost-effective, production and distribution.
Milacron's Brown to retire April 19, 2008
Chairman, president and chief executive of Milacron, Ron Brown, is planning to retire by the end of the year. The company is looking for a successor and Mr Brown will continue in his current capacity until a successor is found. Ron Brown joined Milacron in 1980 and over the years has been chief financial officer, president and chief operating officer, before being elected chairman and chief executive officer in 2001.
BASF to more than quadruple biodegradable plastic production April 17, 2008
Production of biodegradable plastics is to be increased by BASF to meet what it predicts to be a 20 per cent year on year increase in demand.
Ecoflex is sourced from petrochemicals but is biodegradable in accordance with DIN EN 13432 requirements. At present BASF has capacity for 14,000 tonnes at Ludwigshafen in Germany. It is to increase this by 60,000 tonnes with the new capacity becoming available from the third quarter of 2010.
Alongside the polymerisation expansion BASF is to increase its compounding capacity at Ludwigshafen to make Ecovio. This is a compound of Ecoflex and 45 per cent polylactic acid, giving Ecovio partial bio-sourcing as well as biodegradability.
New capacity is being added by SABIC Innovative Plastics to its compounding plant at Pudong near Shanghai in China. A new facility housing four extrusion lines will begin operations this month and the company will also expand its China Technology Center at Pudong with the creation of a new Center of Excellence focused on notebook computers.
The new production plant will produce a range of materials for the automotive and electrical/electronics sectors. It is the first SABIC Innovative Plastics site created using Lean manufacturing design which will allow for the production of small lot orders, the flexibility to change production very quickly, and enable a continuous process for manufacturing and delivery to the customer.
The new Center of Excellence reflects the fact that more than 80 per cent of the world's notebook PCs are produced in China.
LinPac to close two sites and expand Winsford April 16, 2008
LinPac Allibert is consolidating its returnable packaging operations in Britain at its Winsford site in Cheshire. The Walsall and Bromsgrove sites are to close with some of the employees moving to fill the 100 new jobs being created at Winsford. A new sales and marketing office will be opened in the West Midlands to take over some functions such as marketing and finance.
The company will retain all current manufacturing capacity as machines and tooling will be transferred to Winsford. LinPac's returnable packaging products include large containers, hand-held crates, totes and pallets, and some of the moulding machines on the move are up to 3,000 tonnes. The Winsford factory has been extended in readiness, and new cooling plant, electrical supply and materials handling has been planned by FT Refrigeration of Stockport.
The Winsford site also houses the test centre of Intellident, the LinPac Allibert business which manages the design of asset tracking software and develops RFID-enabled technology.
EC to investigate state aid to Sandretto April 16, 2008
Troubled Italian moulding machine manufacturer Sandretto has hit more trouble, this time from the European Commission. After a spell under the ownership of the Cannon Group, which bought it out of bankruptcy, Sandretto was sold to its US distributor Taylor's HPM in 2005. But the administrative problems which had plagued it for so long were unsurmountable and in the following year Taylor's HPM itself applied for the courts to take over the running of the company.
Since then there have been attempts to sell it but with little interest - at least at the price that the Italian government wanted for it - with competitor Billion of France, Italian metal stamping press manufacturer Cattaneo Presse International, and Industrias Nardini which owns the former Sandretto subsidiary in Brazil among those known to have expressed interest.
At the beginning of March this year the Italian government extended its support for the company by another three months as the search for a buyer continued, but by then had already overstretched its limit. Today the European Commission announced the opening of an investigation into the rescue aid package from the Italian government, which its rules said should not have gone past last summer.
The EC approved a state guarantee of Eur 5 million on the grounds of serious social difficulties at the company in January 2007. But under the EU guidelines on rescue aid this approval was limited to a maximum of six months. The Commission in its statement today says: "On the basis of the EU state aid rules rescue aid must be temporary and reversible. It must be terminated after six months, unless a restructuring plan is submitted. The Italian authorities neither submitted proof that the aid had been terminated after six months, nor submitted a restructuring or liquidation plan for Sandretto. Therefore, the Commission has serious doubts as to whether the prolongation of the rescue aid to Sandretto can be found compatible with the Single Market."
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "By definition, rescue aid can only serve to keep an ailing firm in business for the time needed to work out a restructuring or a liquidation plan. When a measure goes beyond the six months limit, we have a duty to investigate to ensure that an ailing firm's competitors do not lose business or even go bankrupt because of unfair and unjustified subsidies."
The Plastics Design and Moulding exhibition, running this week in Telford, has been scheduled next for May 2009. The organiser, Crain Communications, says that the break from the normal 18 months cycle has been in response to requests from the exhibition's founding exhibitors not to clash with the Fakuma exhibition in Germany, which will take place in October next year.
The May dates - May 19 - 21 - coincide with the dates announced for the third easyFairs Plastics Innovations exhibition in Coventry on May 20 - 21. easyFairs is understood to be reconsidering its options.
Eurocell buys Plastmo business April 16, 2008
PVC door and window frame extruder Plastmo Profiles of Nottingham, more latterly operating as Sprinter 1233, has been bought by Eurocell. Eurocell is owned by the Tessenderlo Group, and the acquisition of the Plastmo business and equipment, the Plastmo order book and brand name, and a five-year supply agreement with the Safestyle Group puts its turnover up to £140 million.
Plastmo Profiles has been in business for more than 40 years, but recently experienced trading difficulties caused by rises in raw material prices, combined with tough market conditions. Turnover in 2007 was £22 million.
British film plant to be sold in Amcor Flexibles rationalisation April 16, 2008
The Amcor Flexibles plant at Highbridge in Somerset is to be sold to Swedish private equity group Accent Equity 2008 along with a plant in Lund in Sweden. The plants are primarily involved in making unprinted films for meat and fish packing and have combined sales of approximately Eur 85 million.
Amcor is selling the plants as part of the rationalisation of its European flexibles business announced alongside the disposal of is European PET business in February last year.
The rationalisation programme is expected to cost Eur 60 million and to yield an annual pre-tax profit increase of Eur 30 million from 2009/10.
Relaxation of German packaging directive 'good for bioplastics bottles' April 16, 2008
A change to the German Packaging Directive exempting biopolymer bottles from the compulsory deposit for single use drinks bottles has been welcomed by the trade association European Bioplastics. From January 1, 2009 bottles "produced from at least 75 per cent renewable resources" will be exempted from the compulsory deposit for single use drink bottles until December 31, 2012 as long as manufacturers participate in a dual system of recycling for the bottles.
European Bioplastics sees the move as "strong support for the market introduction of bioplastics". It says the simpler handling of bottles by retailers and the beverage industry will stimulate the expansion of the bioplastics market in Germany, enabling the development of sorting and recycling systems in line with increasing market size.
During the introductory phase collection and recycling is proposed through the dual system - using the yellow recycling sack/bin. This will mean the bottles will generally be fed into energy recovery, and as they were created from renewable resources, will contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions.
European Bioplastics estimates there are around a dozen beverages currently sold in bioplastic bottles worldwide and says that in order to handle rapidly growing demand, several companies from the bioplastics industry are at the point of making substantial investments into larger production plants.
Bobst to focus flexo technology on former F&K site April 16, 2008
The Bobst Group of Switzerland is to open a centre of competence for flexographic printing for flexible materials in Bielefeld, Germany following its acquisition of German flexo press manufacturer Fischer & Krecke. Bobst's Schiavi flexo press plant at Piacenza in Italy will be progressively transformed into a Group production facility similar to the sites in Itatiba (Brazil), Shanghai (China) and Pune (India).
Plastics Capital adds film extruder April 16, 2008
Dunstable-based polyethylene film packaging producer Palagan has been bought by Plastics Capital, which bought plastic bearing manufacturer Sarnatech BNL in 2005.
Trelleborg opens Chinese plant April 16, 2008
Trelleborg Industrial Products has opened a plant in Wuxi New District, Jiangsu Province, China to mould rubber and thermoplastic elastomer products primarily for sealing and protection in the electronics and telecom sectors.
European Court backs ban on deca-BDE flame retardant April 9, 2008
The brominated flame retardant deca-BDE (decabromodiphenyl ether), which has been banned and unbanned, is now being banned again. From June 30 it will be forbidden for use in electrical and electronic equipment in Europe.
Deca-BDE was originally prohibited in 2002 under European Community legislation on hazardous substances. The ban was lifted for use in plastics in 2005 because of its impracticality, but the decision to lift the ban was challenged by Denmark and the European Parliament.
At the beginning of 2007 Sweden took unilateral action to restrict the use of deca-BDE in textiles, furniture and cables but not in automotive or electrical and electronic equipment. The move was branded "a breach of EU law" by the lobby group the European Brominated Flame Retardant Industry Panel which said it "contradicts a 10 year EU scientific assessment which did not identify any risk for human health or the environment from the use of deca-BDE."
On April 1 this year Norway introduced a similar ban covering the production, import, export, use and sale of deca-BDE and products containing 0·1 per cent by weight of deca-BDE used in textiles, furniture and insulation. The ban did not cover the transport sector. According to EBFRIP: "The proposed ban of deca-BDE by Norway was opposed by the European Commission, the EFTA Surveillance Authority, a number of WTO partners as well as Norwegian and European industry, who all requested Norway to follow EU procedures and decisions." It added "Deca-BDE is one of the most tested chemicals on the market and it has been found safe for continued use by an EU risk assessment."
But at the same time as Norway took independent action on deca-BDE, the European Court of Justice ruled in favour of the challenge by Denmark and the European Parliament to the lifting of the 2002 ban in 2005. A statement from the European Commission today says: "The Commission accepts the judgment, and from 30 June 2008 the substance will be banned in electrical and electronic equipment put on the market for the first time."
Now BASF adds SBC for blow moulding April 9, 2008
BASF has made another foray into blow moulding with the discovery that its Styrolux styrene butadiene block copolymer can bring advantages over other blow mouldable materials. At the K2007 exhibition the company introduced a specially optimised impact-resistant polystyrene which it said had competitive advantages for injection blown and injection stretch blown milk and yoghourt beverage bottles.
More recently it has introduced a grade of Ultraform acetal with increased melt strength optimised for extrusion blow moulding. And now it is promoting a couple of its Styrolux SBCs for extrusion and injection blow moulding.
Styrolux is lighter than PVC, PETG or PC and BASF says it is easier to process. As well as reduced weight, BASF says that Styrolux brings lower processing temperatures, and shorter cycle times. It has high impact resistance combined with high levels of transparency and gloss giving it potential in handled bottles, storage containers and decorative vessels, sports drink bottles and dispensers. The material can also be dyed, printed, glued and welded.
Cross-linked foam manufacturer Zotefoams is considering a polyolefin foam plant in Asia as it pushes for "double digit percentage growth" in North America and Asia. It has a factory in Kentucky supplying US customers and in his annual review of 2007 chairman Nigel Howard says: "in Asia we will consider a similar operation, either under a license or as a joint venture, as sales increase to a level where such an investment becomes financially attractive."
In the second half of 2007 the company reports "particularly pleasing" sales growth, with continued progress in Europe and Asia and a recovery in North America.
East European expansion by Amcor April 9, 2008
Amcor is to invest Eur 25 million in Poland with a new flexible packaging factory to replace the one it has in Lodz. The new plant, referred to as AF Polska Greenfield, will be built in the Lodz Special Economic Zone and will take in the existing Lodz plant with two additional production lines, substantially increasing capacity. The move is intended to take place in 2009 with the existing premises being vacated by the flexibles business by the end of 2010, leaving Amcor Rentsch Polska on the site with newly available space for expansion.
Faurecia rejigs dashboard skin business to cut costs April 9, 2008
Cheaper competitive systems are forcing automotive components supplier Faurecia to revamp its dashboard business. Its PVC slush moulding process for dashboard skins is around 30 per cent more expensive than systems operated by its competitors. So it plans to stop production at Audincourt in France next year, with the loss of 126 jobs, and to start making dashboard skins at Michel-sur-Meurthe in France and at Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic.
Engel delivers 5,500 tonne moulding machine April 9, 2008
A 5,500 tonne injection moulding machine has been built by Engel to make underground storage tanks and logistics containers for Otto Graf at Teningen in Germany. The machine is based on Engel's two-platen duo model and is fitted with three injection units with 260 mm screws delivering up to 140 kg per shot. Its main task is moulding Graf's 6,500 litre Carat underground storage tank which is produced in two half shells.
The machine is 25 m long, weighs 585 tonnes plus another 160 tonnes for the mould, and is installed in a 2 m deep pit. Despite its size its specific energy consumption is only 0·34 kW/kg under production conditions.
Borouge to expand yet further in polyolefins April 9, 2008
It's not due to start up until 2010, but already Borouge is looking beyond its massive Borouge 2 petrochemicals project and has started feasibility studies into Borouge 3 which would more than double its polyethylene capacity.
Borouge 2 is located at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and will take Borouge's 600,000 tonnes capacity for polyethylene up to 2 million tonnes. Construction began late last year and consists of an ethane cracker of 1·5 million tonnes, olefins conversion unit of 752,000 tonnes, two Borstar polypropylene plants with a combined capacity of 800,000 tonnes, and a new Borstar Enhanced polyethylene plant with a capacity of 540,000 tonnes.
Borouge 3 would be sited alongside Borouge 2, and would add another 2·5 million tonnes of polyethylene by 2014. It would receive feedstock from planned upstream expansions by one of its shareholders Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (the other partner in Borouge is Borealis).
Included in the Borouge 3 development scheme is a low density polyethylene unit to produce high performance material for wire and cable applications, in which Borealis already has a strong position. The feasibility study will also explore ways to increase Borouge's competitive position in pipe, automotive and advanced packaging applications.
Carbon nanotube deal between Bayer and Clariant April 9, 2008
"Industrial quantities" of Baytube carbon nanotubes are to be supplied by Bayer MaterialScience to enable Clariant Masterbatches to develop compounds and masterbatches. The carbon nanotubes will initially be used in the new CESA conductive product range. Potential applications include electrically conductive machine components and packaging for delicate electronic components such as computer chips.
Baytubes are multi-walled tubes comprising up to 15 graphite layers. They have a maximum mean diameter of 50 nanometers - more than 10,000 times thinner than a human hair - and impart high levels of strength and conductivity to compounds incorporating them. They are supplied as a black powder which withstands mechanical loads 60 times better than steel at only one-sixth the weight. It conducts heat better than diamond. It is insensitive to heat and, depending on the molecular structure, behaves like an electric conductor or semi-conductor.
The key to these properties is the molecular structure of the nanotubes: the carbon atoms in the tube wall form a uniform, hexagonal lattice, comparable to a honeycomb. This arrangement imparts very high mechanical strength. If the hexagon edges are aligned parallel to the cylinder axis - like in single-walled nanotubes - the material conducts electricity better than copper. If they are aligned vertically, the material acts like a semiconductor.
Carbon nanotubes are also expensive to produce. Bayer has set targets of thousands of tonnes per year, but so far its production capacity is only measured in tens of tonnes.
Indian oil group plans PP plant April 9, 2008
A polypropylene plant is to be built by India's Essar Group, which has wide-ranging manufacturing interests in steel, energy, power, communications, shipping and logistics, and construction. The plant is lkely to be sited on the west coast of India, near Vadinar, a region where more than 60 per cent of India's crude oil imports are landed.
No scale has yet been put announced for the project but the company is understood to have applied for permission to build it near its two years old refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
Arkema focuses MBS impact modifiers on the Netherlands April 9, 2008
Production of Arkema's Clearstrength methacrylic-butadiene-styrene (MBS) impact modifiers in Axis, Alabama, USA is to cease as Arkema consolidates MBS production at Vlissingen, in the Netherlands. The Axis plant will continue to produce Durastrength acrylic impact modifiers and Plastistrength acrylic process aids.
Bayer's worldwide PU web expands further April 9, 2008
Bayer's polyurethane systems business has expanded further with the acquisition of a Dutch company. For several years Bayer has been buying specialist polyurethanes application companies around the world. This latest takeover is of Resina Chemie of Foxhol, which is mainly involved in rigid foams for the refrigeration and construction industries. It will be renamed BaySystems BV.
£1 m investment by Hozelock April 1, 2008
Garden equipment manufacturer Hozelock is investing £1 million at its Birmingham plant with the installation of three Demag Systec injection moulding machines (80, 125 and 210 tonnes) and two Arburg 35 tonne machines. These bring the number of machines at the Midpoint Park site in Minworth to 50.
Included in the investment is tooling for components for new pressure sprayers, watering tools and aquatics products, and replacement tooling for existing products under Hozelock's continuous improvement policy.
Last year Hoselock integrated its two sites at Aylesbury into the Midpoint Park site, which has been extended to 33,400 m², and is now investing in an engineering centre of excellence to bring together all aspects of design and engineering at one location.
Takeover focused on oil and gas sector sealing April 1, 2008
Performance sealing specialist Precision Polymer Engineering has acquired Aberdeen O-Rings and Seals. Aberdeen O-Rings stocks seals and has a CNC turning service to supply the oil and gas sector in the north of Scotland.
PPE intends to create a centre of excellence in Aberdeen so that customers have access to local, immediate prototyping in specialist materials with subsequent volume deliveries of moulded seals in those materials from its Blackburn plant.
Higher performance PP planned by SunAllomer April 1, 2008
Production of high performance polypropylene copolymers is planned at SunAllomer in Japan with the upgrading of its plant. SunAllomer has its roots in a joint venture between Japan Polyolefin Co (itself formed out of Nippon Petrochemicals Co and Showa Denko) and Montell and is still partly owned by LyondellBasell - Basell consolidated its position further in 2006 with the acquisition of shares helf by Taiwan Polypropylene Company.
LyondellBasell's Spheripol process is to be used in the revamp of an existing older technology plant at Oita in Japan, while an existing Spheripol plant is to be upgraded to produce the higher performance materials.
Wind turbine deal creates full epoxy systems April 1, 2008
A co-operation has been agreed between BASF and Leuna-Harze in Germany to produce epoxy resins to make wind turbine blades.
BASF sells curing agents, accelerators and additives for epoxy resin processing under its Baxxodur brand. Leuna-Harze is a major manufacturer of epoxy resins in Europe. The co-operation between the two companies will mean that BASF will also offer customised epoxy resin systems for fibre-reinforced composites aimed specifically at the production of rotor blades for wind turbines.
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