- Email: [email protected]
DuPont Dow Elastomers starts up new manufacturing plant for Engage modifiers, introduces new grades
August 2003
plastic products quickly. According to Clariant, the target market are companies that emphasise global branding, work on an international basis and require shortened product life-cycles. The intention is to speed up time to market by transferring the colour platform to production from CAD drawing to coloured plastic products. Each centre will feature polymer technology consultation, design tools for simulation of colours and special effects as well as Clariant’s colour matching expertise, the company says. Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Rothausstrasse 61, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland; tel: +41-61-469-6969; fax: +4161-469-6999; URL: www.clariant.com
Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Techmer PM sign service agreement for masterbatches Ciba Specialty Chemicals’ Masterbatch Business Unit, with facilities in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and Techmer PM, with facilities in the USA, have signed a service agreement for masterbatches of colorants and additives for the plastics and fibre industries. The purpose of the agreement is to enable both parties to offer global solutions to their respective customers. As a result customers can be served from manufacturing sites in North America, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. The parties also agreed to provide technical support to the customers serviced by this agreement. The agreement includes non-exclusive licensing of know-how and patents worldwide. All Techmer masterbatches supplied via Ciba Specialty Chemicals will carry the TECHSPERSE trade name and all Ciba masterbatches supplied via Techmer will carry Ciba trade names. The agreement is limited to masterbatch activities and does not relate to the additive and pigment businesses of Ciba Specialty Chemicals. Contact: Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Klybeckstrasse 141, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland; tel: +41-61-636-4444; fax: +4161-636-3019; URL: www.cibasc.com
Additives for Polymers
Techmer PM, 1 Quality Circle, Clinton, TN 37716, USA; tel: +1-865-457-6700; fax: +1-865-463-9022; e-mail: [email protected]; URL: www.techmerpm.com
DuPont Dow Elastomers starts up new manufacturing plant for Engage modifiers, introduces new grades DuPont Dow Elastomers reports that it has completed the construction of its new 135 000 tonne/year manufacturing facility for Engage® polyolefin elastomers in Plaquemine, LA. The first quantities of product were produced in May. A total of 1.9 million construction hours went into building the plant, which boosts the company’s total capacity for its Engage products to 220 000 tonne/year. The Engage family of TPOs and polymer modifiers was introduced nine years ago, and is the company’s fastest growing product line. DuPont Dow is also broadening the Engage family with the commercial introduction of six new grades to be produced at the new facility starting in second half 2003. The six grades have been available in developmental quantities since 2002 and received their official preview at NPE 2003 in June. The new grades are predominantly ethylene butene based, complementing the existing ethylene octene compositions, and are targeted for automotive TPO and interiors, wire and cable and for consumer goods applications. ENX 7458, 7447, 7467 and 7270 are all designed for polymer modification applications; ENX 7380 can serve as an extender for SEBS; and ENX 8556 is aimed at extrusion applications. In related news, the company has also recently launched an enhanced impact modifier for PVC. TYR7000 is a new grade of Tyrin® chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) offering a wider processing window for better impact strength at high melt temperatures and faster extrusion, coupled with higher efficiency at lower modifier levels, and easier handling compared with existing grades. The new impact modifier is designed to offer improved economics and end-use performance as a weatherable impact modifier for uPVC in
9
Additives for Polymers
window and building profiles, pipes and vinyl siding, DuPont Dow says. Contact: DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC, 300 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 300, Wilmington, DE 19809, USA; tel: +1-302-792-4200; fax: +1302-892-7390
MARKETS Talc use in plastics forecast to grow A new report from market analyst Roskill suggests that the main areas of growth for talc in the next few years are likely to lie outside its two main end-uses of paper and ceramics, each of which accounts for some 30% of total consumption of talc minerals. According to The Economics of Talc & Pyrophyllite (9th edition, 2003), talc faces severe competition from alternative materials in these traditional markets and the strongest growth in demand in the next few years will come from the plastics and paints industries. The report forecasts that growth in talc consumption in plastics will be over 3% per annum through to 2006. This ties in with projected increased use of polypropylene, especially for the automotive market where light weight and recyclability are important factors. Development of very fine compacted, sub-micron talcs will enhance the properties imparted to plastics and raise the value of talc sales to the plastics industry, Roskill says. The report estimates growth per year in talc consumption in paints at over 2% in North America and Western Europe, and 4–7% in industrializing Asian and Latin American countries. The company says that the contrasting trends in demand in different end uses are likely to be reflected in future price movements. Talc minerals consumption is concentrated within Asian countries, where the availability of local, low-cost materials makes talc competitive with alternative minerals such as kaolin and calcium carbonate. Asia is estimated to account for more than 40% of world talc consumption. The Luzenac group is by far the largest talc producer worldwide. About 80% of the global output of talc comes from China, the USA, India, Finland,
10
August 2003
France and Brazil, with China accounting for 40% of the world total in 2002. The report further comments that export quotas have restricted the amount of Chinese material available on the international markets in recent years. However, with the lifting of trade barriers due by 2005 following China’s WTO entry, Chinese talc exports may increase, forcing a downturn in prices. The latest edition of The Economics of Talc & Pyrophyllite is available from Roskill priced at £1100/US$2200/1925. Contact: Roskill Information Services Ltd, 27a Leopold Road, London SW19 7BB, UK; tel: +44-20-8944-0066; fax: +44-20-8947-9568; e-mail: [email protected]
Sales of flame retardants set to rise According to a new study from Business Communications Co (BCC), both the volume and value of sales of flame retardants will rise steadily over the next five years, reaching a value of almost US$3 billion by 2008. The report, entitled Flame Retardant Chemicals (report no. RC-004A), estimates that global consumption of flame-retardant chemicals in 2003 will total some 2352 million lbs (1.07 million tonnes). BCC forecasts that this volume will grow at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 3.7% to reach 2817 million lbs (1.28 million tonnes) worldwide by 2008. Price increases for most products, with the exception of alumina trihydrate, should impact the growth rate of the market value. In 2003, sales are estimated to be approximately $2262 million worldwide. This figure should reach $2951 million by 2008 with an AAGR of 5.5%. The greatest growth by both volume and value will be for bromine-based, phosphorus-based and melamine flame retardants, the report predicts. This is directly tied to growth rates in the plastics, textiles and wood/paper applications. Melamine is a smaller market player with an approximately 1% share of the flame retardant chemicals marketplace currently. However, the report expects the growth in the use of melamine to be greater than the industry as a whole since melamine is being used more often as a flame retardant in plastics and in coatings. In addition, melamine should
plastic products quickly. According to Clariant, the target market are companies that emphasise global branding, work on an international basis and require shortened product life-cycles. The intention is to speed up time to market by transferring the colour platform to production from CAD drawing to coloured plastic products. Each centre will feature polymer technology consultation, design tools for simulation of colours and special effects as well as Clariant’s colour matching expertise, the company says. Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Rothausstrasse 61, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland; tel: +41-61-469-6969; fax: +4161-469-6999; URL: www.clariant.com
Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Techmer PM sign service agreement for masterbatches Ciba Specialty Chemicals’ Masterbatch Business Unit, with facilities in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and Techmer PM, with facilities in the USA, have signed a service agreement for masterbatches of colorants and additives for the plastics and fibre industries. The purpose of the agreement is to enable both parties to offer global solutions to their respective customers. As a result customers can be served from manufacturing sites in North America, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. The parties also agreed to provide technical support to the customers serviced by this agreement. The agreement includes non-exclusive licensing of know-how and patents worldwide. All Techmer masterbatches supplied via Ciba Specialty Chemicals will carry the TECHSPERSE trade name and all Ciba masterbatches supplied via Techmer will carry Ciba trade names. The agreement is limited to masterbatch activities and does not relate to the additive and pigment businesses of Ciba Specialty Chemicals. Contact: Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Klybeckstrasse 141, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland; tel: +41-61-636-4444; fax: +4161-636-3019; URL: www.cibasc.com
Additives for Polymers
Techmer PM, 1 Quality Circle, Clinton, TN 37716, USA; tel: +1-865-457-6700; fax: +1-865-463-9022; e-mail: [email protected]; URL: www.techmerpm.com
DuPont Dow Elastomers starts up new manufacturing plant for Engage modifiers, introduces new grades DuPont Dow Elastomers reports that it has completed the construction of its new 135 000 tonne/year manufacturing facility for Engage® polyolefin elastomers in Plaquemine, LA. The first quantities of product were produced in May. A total of 1.9 million construction hours went into building the plant, which boosts the company’s total capacity for its Engage products to 220 000 tonne/year. The Engage family of TPOs and polymer modifiers was introduced nine years ago, and is the company’s fastest growing product line. DuPont Dow is also broadening the Engage family with the commercial introduction of six new grades to be produced at the new facility starting in second half 2003. The six grades have been available in developmental quantities since 2002 and received their official preview at NPE 2003 in June. The new grades are predominantly ethylene butene based, complementing the existing ethylene octene compositions, and are targeted for automotive TPO and interiors, wire and cable and for consumer goods applications. ENX 7458, 7447, 7467 and 7270 are all designed for polymer modification applications; ENX 7380 can serve as an extender for SEBS; and ENX 8556 is aimed at extrusion applications. In related news, the company has also recently launched an enhanced impact modifier for PVC. TYR7000 is a new grade of Tyrin® chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) offering a wider processing window for better impact strength at high melt temperatures and faster extrusion, coupled with higher efficiency at lower modifier levels, and easier handling compared with existing grades. The new impact modifier is designed to offer improved economics and end-use performance as a weatherable impact modifier for uPVC in
9
Additives for Polymers
window and building profiles, pipes and vinyl siding, DuPont Dow says. Contact: DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC, 300 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 300, Wilmington, DE 19809, USA; tel: +1-302-792-4200; fax: +1302-892-7390
MARKETS Talc use in plastics forecast to grow A new report from market analyst Roskill suggests that the main areas of growth for talc in the next few years are likely to lie outside its two main end-uses of paper and ceramics, each of which accounts for some 30% of total consumption of talc minerals. According to The Economics of Talc & Pyrophyllite (9th edition, 2003), talc faces severe competition from alternative materials in these traditional markets and the strongest growth in demand in the next few years will come from the plastics and paints industries. The report forecasts that growth in talc consumption in plastics will be over 3% per annum through to 2006. This ties in with projected increased use of polypropylene, especially for the automotive market where light weight and recyclability are important factors. Development of very fine compacted, sub-micron talcs will enhance the properties imparted to plastics and raise the value of talc sales to the plastics industry, Roskill says. The report estimates growth per year in talc consumption in paints at over 2% in North America and Western Europe, and 4–7% in industrializing Asian and Latin American countries. The company says that the contrasting trends in demand in different end uses are likely to be reflected in future price movements. Talc minerals consumption is concentrated within Asian countries, where the availability of local, low-cost materials makes talc competitive with alternative minerals such as kaolin and calcium carbonate. Asia is estimated to account for more than 40% of world talc consumption. The Luzenac group is by far the largest talc producer worldwide. About 80% of the global output of talc comes from China, the USA, India, Finland,
10
August 2003
France and Brazil, with China accounting for 40% of the world total in 2002. The report further comments that export quotas have restricted the amount of Chinese material available on the international markets in recent years. However, with the lifting of trade barriers due by 2005 following China’s WTO entry, Chinese talc exports may increase, forcing a downturn in prices. The latest edition of The Economics of Talc & Pyrophyllite is available from Roskill priced at £1100/US$2200/1925. Contact: Roskill Information Services Ltd, 27a Leopold Road, London SW19 7BB, UK; tel: +44-20-8944-0066; fax: +44-20-8947-9568; e-mail: [email protected]
Sales of flame retardants set to rise According to a new study from Business Communications Co (BCC), both the volume and value of sales of flame retardants will rise steadily over the next five years, reaching a value of almost US$3 billion by 2008. The report, entitled Flame Retardant Chemicals (report no. RC-004A), estimates that global consumption of flame-retardant chemicals in 2003 will total some 2352 million lbs (1.07 million tonnes). BCC forecasts that this volume will grow at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 3.7% to reach 2817 million lbs (1.28 million tonnes) worldwide by 2008. Price increases for most products, with the exception of alumina trihydrate, should impact the growth rate of the market value. In 2003, sales are estimated to be approximately $2262 million worldwide. This figure should reach $2951 million by 2008 with an AAGR of 5.5%. The greatest growth by both volume and value will be for bromine-based, phosphorus-based and melamine flame retardants, the report predicts. This is directly tied to growth rates in the plastics, textiles and wood/paper applications. Melamine is a smaller market player with an approximately 1% share of the flame retardant chemicals marketplace currently. However, the report expects the growth in the use of melamine to be greater than the industry as a whole since melamine is being used more often as a flame retardant in plastics and in coatings. In addition, melamine should