British Plastics & Rubber - Latest News

Nampak to build £3 m milk bottle plant in Northern Ireland

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 10, 2010

Ireland's biggest dairy bottle in-plant operation is being set up this summer by Nampak Plastics. The plant, in partnership with Northern Ireland's largest dairy processing business Dale Farm, will be built in Ballymena, Northern Ireland alongside Dale Farm's Pennybridge dairy. It represents a £3 million investment by Nampak and a "significant investment" by Dale Farm to develop the dairy.

The plant will operate four blow-moulding machines, manufacturing more than 100 million milk bottles annually. Bottles from the plant will also be exported to other dairies in Ireland. A minimum of 10 per cent recycled HDPE will be used. Twenty jobs will be created when the plant becomes operational.

The Dale Farm through-the-wall operation will be Nampak's sixth such facility, with others in Glasgow, Oakthorpe, Severnside, Manchester and Chadwell Heath.

Nordstjernan leaves Rosti US plants on the table

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 10, 2010

The acquisition of Rosti Technical Plastics by Nordstjernan of Sweden has closed without the addition of the Rosti US operations. The acquisition of Rosti was started towards the end of last year with the aim of integrating Rosti Technical Plastics with Nordstjernan's Stella Plastic Holding.

     The integration is on track, but will only involve RTP's five plants in China, India, the Netherlands, Poland and Scotland. Nordstjernan had an option to buy the three technical moulding plants in the USA, but has declined. "This decision was difficult. We feel, however, that a strategy of focusing our resources and managerial efforts on Rosti's European and Asian operations will enable us to provide our customers the greatest benefit and value", said Stella's chief executive Börje Vernet.

     The merged companies will operate as Rosti Technical Plastics with headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and with Mr Vernet as its chief executive.

     As well as the three American plants RTP's former parent Rosti A/S - part of the Møller-Mærsk group - has two PET bottle plants in Europe, Rostiprimpac in Sweden and Rosti Verpackungen in Germany.

US injection tooling companies link for global focus

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 10, 2010

Injection mould components supplier DME, which is a division of Milacron, has linked up with another American tooling and technologies company Plastic Engineering & Technical Services (PETS). The aim is to combine PETS' hot runners, plastic processing technologies and analytical moulding services with DME's global sales structure and distribution network.

The first outcome of this strategic alliance will focus on moulders in the medical and high-volume consumer markets, and the first of a series of patented hot runner nozzles, sequence controllers and temperature controllers will be released next month. Other technologies in the final stages of product development are currently undergoing beta-testing.

An additional facet of the co-operation is that PETS has a manufacturing base in south east China, which will give DME more access to companies in Asia.

Lanxess plans Nd-BR increase worldwide

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 9, 2010

Global expansion of Nd-BR (neodymium butadiene rubber) is planned by Lanxess with a Eur 20 million investment at three sites. It is to add 50,000 tonnes capacity in total at Dormagen in Germany, Orange in the USA and Cabo in Brazil. The extra capacities will go on stream between the first quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012.

Lanxess expects global demand for Nd-BR to increase by close to 10 per cent annually over the next few years driven by increasing demand for lower rolling resistance tyres and for tyres generally as car ownership grows - especially in Asia. The company says that without its planned capacity expansion there would be a worldwide shortage of this type of rubber by 2014.

The capacity expansions will be achieved through production streamlining. At the same time, Lanxess will harmonise production processes and technology at all its high-performance rubber plants worldwide. The expansions will also lead to an indirect increase in solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) capacity at the company's site in Port Jérôme, France and the introduction of SSBR production at Orange. SSBR is also used in the tread mix for high-performance tyres to reduce rolling resistance.

In a separate move Lanxess is considering manufacturing ESBR-BMB (emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber black masterbatch) at its Triunfo or Caxias sites in Brazil. The material would be primarily for tyre retreading and starting production in Brazil would augment the company's CoBR-BMB production capacities in Orange, Texas, USA.

Lanxess says that in addition to the established markets in America and Europe and in the Middle East and Africa, it sees particularly good growth potential in China and India, where the retread sector has not yet been able to keep pace with the increase in demand for tyres.

Black masterbatch products are easier to process during compounding since there is no longer any need for the compounder to mix ESBR with carbon black and oil. In addition, wet mixing during BMB manufacture leads to better dispersion of the filler particles, which can have a positive effect on the properties of the end product, adds Lanxess.

Buy K tickets on-line and save money

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 9, 2010

The organisers of the K2010 exhibition in Düsseldorf later this year are offering discounts on the price of tickets bought on the internet. From March 15, day tickets ordered from www.k-online.de cost Eur 49 instead of Eur 55 at the door, and the three-day ticket is Eur 108 compared with Eur 120 at the door.

As well as admission to K, the tickets give return travel on buses, trams and trains belonging to the Rhine-Ruhr (VRR) and Rhine-Sieg (VRS) integrated public transport systems.

The K website is also now in a format for mobile phones, smartphones and PDAs. There is a demonstration on the website. The address of the mobile version is mobile.k-online.de.

This year's exhibition (from October 27 to November 3) is shaping up to have 3,000 exhibitors spread through all 19 halls of the Düsseldorf fairground.

Polyphthalamide expansion planned by Ems-Grivory

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 9, 2010

Ems-Chemie is to expand its polyphthalamide capacity with a new plant for its Ems-Grivory business unit. The plant, costing around CHF 11 million, will be built at the company's main production site in Domat/Ems, Switzerland and is scheduled to start up by the end of this year. Ems-Grivory says growth in PPA demand is in double-digit figures.

The company's PPA is branded Grivory HT. The material has high strength, stiffness, toughness and dimensional stability, even at high temperatures, and under moist conditions or when exposed to aggressive media.

French research into bio-acrylics

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 8, 2010

A research project into bio-sourcing acrylics is being set up in France. Arkema has joined forces with the Lorraine Regional Council and two university laboratories to find new "green" acrylic acid derivatives and develop a biosourced chemical activity in the Lorraine region.

The project will aim to develop an industrial process for the synthesis of glycerol - a by-product of the processing of rapeseed into bio-diesel - into acrylic acid, which is normally produced from propylene. Arkema's involvement is through its position in acrylic production, and it will be contributing use of its R & D centre in Carling.

Straight takes over manufacturing of Helesi wheelie bins in Britain

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 8, 2010

Wheelie bin manufacturer Helesi has sold its British bin manufacturing operation to one of its distributors, Straight, and the two companies have entered a further licensing and distribution agreement.

Helesi made two-wheeled bins at a site in Bradford, but production was ceased temporarily - and not restarted - last year as new capacity came on line in Greece and Southern Italy. The Bradford site remained as an assembly and distribution centre for the UK and Irish markets.

Now Straight has bought the moulding machines and tooling and will place them at one of its existing outsourced moulders. The bins will be made under licence from Helesi with joint branding. As such they will become Straight's first proprietary wheeled bin, despite the company holding 10 - 15 per cent of the British wheeled bin market. Straight says that over time this move should enable it to generate margins on wheeled bins more in line with those which it generates on its core proprietary container range and that the addition of this proprietary wheeled bin range will strengthen its position in its core markets.

Also part of the agreement with Helesi is for Straight to become exclusive UK and Irish distributor and licensee for other Helesi products including plastic four-wheeled bins. Straight will also have the right of first refusal to import and distribute any new products developed by Helesi.

The sale is worth £1·65 million which Helesi will use to reduce debt. In 2008 Helsi's UK business generated £6·5 million of revenues with a pre-tax loss of £1·38 million.

FDA green light for Gneuss bottle-to-bottle PET recycling system

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 8, 2010

The planetary extruder introduced by German filtration specialist Gneuss three years ago for reprocessing PET flake, has now received "Letter of No Objection" status from the American Food and Drug Administration for use in bottle to bottle recycling.

See the full story here.

New plastics chief for Rexam

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 5, 2010

The new group director for plastics packaging at Rexam is Malcom Harrison. His career has been spent in the food and beverage industry and he moves to Rexam from Nestlé. The previous group director for plastics packaging, Graham Chipchase, is now Rexam's chief executive.

Polymer costs push up film prices

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 5, 2010

Packaging film prices are going to have to rise under pressure from raw material prices and other rising costs, says the Packaging and Films Association PAFA. The association says that in 2009 there was a rise of 50·33 per cent in the cost of LDPE, with additional transport and allied materials costs. Film producers have absorbed costs, which has eroded margins, but according to PAFA chief executive designate Barry Turner, the polymer cost increases have become "a consequent burden on our members which has now become intolerable. Regrettably, our customers will see significant price increases being passed through to them with immediate effect."

Dow sells its styrenics business

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 5, 2010

Dow Chemical has a buyer for its styrenics business. It packaged its styrenics interests into Styron last summer as a vehicle for disposal, and now has agreed to sell it to private equity firm Bain Capital Partners for $1·63 billion.

Businesses and products in Styron include: polystyrene including the Styron brand, ABS including the Magnum brand, SAN, EPS, polycarbonate, Pulse ABS/PC, Inspire PP and other performance polymers, Velvex reinforced elastomers, paper and carpet latex, synthetic rubber, and some styrene monomer. Styron also holds Dow's half share in the Americas Styrenics joint venture with Chevron Phillips.

Bain will operate Styron as an independent business with revenues of around $3·5 billion. Styron has more than 40 plants worldwide and employs 1,900 people.

Dow is selling its styrenics interests as part of a strategy to dispose of assets which, no matter how large, no longer fit in with its target of working in what it defines as higher growth, higher margin technology and market driven businesses. It will be retaining a 15 per cent stake in Styron as part of the purchase agreement, and there are several long-term supply, service and purchase agreements between Dow and Styron.

DEFRA recycling targets 'are unachievable'

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 5, 2010

New targets for the management of plastics packaging waste have brought criticism from trade bodies that they may not be achievable without "joined up thinking" to link strategy with practical implementation. A consultation document issued by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs - DEFRA - calls for the recycling rate for plastics packaging to rise around 3 per cent annually to reach 56·9 per cent by 2020 - at which time it will still yield a lower recycling rate than any other packaging material.

DEFRA itself calls this rise "challenging, based on the low starting point and the lack of investment to date". The Plastics 2020 Challenge, set up by the plastics industry last year with the aim of doubling the rate of plastic packaging recycling by 2020, described its own target of a 50 per cent recycling rate as "challenging" and said that the government's target "may well be unachievable". And that sentiment was echoed by the Packaging and Films Association - PAFA - which commented that the government "risks setting unachievable plastic recycling targets before ensuring there is the infrastructure in place to make recycling more efficient in the UK."

In its criticism of DEFRA's targets the Plastics 2020 Challenge outlined issues which it said could make them unachievable:

Local government independence. Enabling local government to retain the independence of decision making over recycling collection and disposal makes it hard to establish successful universal recycling procedures. This could be further exacerbated by the current pressures on public sector finances.

Infrastructure and technology gaps. Until the technology exists for sorting and reprocessing packaging such as plastic food trays there is little point in collecting them. The rate of recycling can only increase in line with collection, sorting and reprocessing capacity. Contamination in local authority recycling is already a major problem, says the organisation, and extending kerbside collection is likely to further reduce the quality of the collected product, compromising current materials with additional cross-contamination from food waste and liquids.

The Plastics 2020 Challenge's own strategy to double the recycling rate has three streams:

universal adoption of plastic bottle collections from the kerbside and the expansion of collection from the commercial sector.

to facilitate and promote additional collection, sorting and reprocessing of rigid mixed plastic pots and trays.

to enhance the reprocessing of packaging film used in commercial settings where the volume of material presented for reprocessing and its constituency and cleanliness could be controlled.

     The comments by the Plastics 2020 Challenge on the DEFRA paper were echoed by PAFA which cited the disparity between the recycling policies of neighbouring local authorities. Chief executive designate Barry Turner commented: "Our calls for joined-up thinking coupled with major investment in local collection infrastructure appear to have fallen on deaf ears with the announcement of a 56·9 per cent plastics recycling target by 2020." He said local authorities had not been sufficiently encouraged to operate to a consistent collection strategy supported by well-invested sorting facilities. "These are a crucial pre-requisite if we are to succeed in providing the uncontaminated materials required to feed good quality recycling markets. The result is that we are way behind in recycling infrastructure yet targets are being set which are higher than across Europe."

     PAFA's focus is on film, and packaging film suffers higher levels of contamination in the waste stream than other packaging components. PAFA quoted a WRAP report that said that mixed plastics films are left to the end of the sorting process at most municipal recycling facilities. It added that while local authority recycling targets continue to be driven by weight, plastic as the lightest packaging material, will always be the last priority for council collection and sorting.

     Alongside the DEFRA consultation paper, WRAP, the Waste and Resources Programme which acts as a government-funded adviser and motivator on waste reduction, published the second phase of the Courtauld Commitment. This is a voluntary agreement between WRAP and major grocery retailers and brand owners to reduce waste, whose first phase, from 2005 to 2009, has reduced packaging by some 500,000 tonnes. Phase 2 of the agreement, to 2012, moves away from the weight-based targets and aims to achieve more sustainable use of resources over the entire life cycle of products, throughout the supply chain. No specific targets for weight reduction or recycling of plastics waste have been set; instead the target is to reduce the weight, increase recycling rates and increase the recycled content of all grocery packaging, and thereby reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10 per cent.

     PAFA welcomed the wider approach being taken in the new Courtauld Commitment, which also sets targets for minimising food and drink waste by 4 per cent and supply chain solid and liquid product and packaging waste by 5 per cent. However, while the new phase had a more holistic approach, there was still danger that ill-informed decisions could be made which would bring unwanted results. Making decisions to change food packaging for apparent improvements in the carbon impact of just the packaging could increase food waste which could bring a much higher negative carbon impact.

The comments from both organisations about the inconsistency of local authority policies on recycling and the dangers of leaving recycling in their hands were borne out shortly before the publication of the DEFRA paper by East Cambridgeshire District Council which axed its kerbside bottle recycling scheme to save money.

Consultation on Implementing the Packaging Strategy: Recovery and recycling targets, funding transparency and technical changes, from DEFRA

The Courtauld Commitment

The Plastics 2020 Challenge

PAFA

A chance to go east for overseas trade

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 4, 2010

Two overseas trade mission packages are on offer from the British Plastics Federation. One is to visit Chinaplas in Shanghai, which is the largest plastics show in Asia, and the other is to exhibit at Plaspol in Poland, the largest plastics and rubber show in Central and Eastern Europe.

     The mission to Shanghai from April 18 - 22 coincides with Chinaplas, but has a wider remit to include an evening reception attended by members of the China Plastics Processing Industry Association and the opportunity to present at the UK Plastics Excellence Seminar. All delegates' profiles and contact details will be published in a UK Mission to China Guide which will be translated into Chinese.

     The Chinaplas mission is being sponsored by Rapra, so the only costs involved are flights, accommodation and expenses. It is necessary to register for the trip with Justyna Jaworska at the BPF on 0207 457 5001 or jjaworska@bpf.co.uk.

     Plaspol is on May 25 - 28 in Kielce, and the BPF's package to exhibit within a British Pavilion can bring participation down to under £350. The Federation has obtained UK Trade & Investment grants giving eligible exhibitors £1,000 towards their stand costs. The deadline for grant application is May 19.

     The Polish plastics market has had a steady growth rate of over 7 per cent in recent years making it the largest in the Central European region in terms of production and consumption levels. Last year Plaspol attracted more than 16,000 visitors and nearly 700 exhibitors from more than 30 countries.

     Contact, again, through jjaworska@bpf.co.uk.