- Email: [email protected]
Clariant Masterbatches commences construction of Saudi Arabian plant…
STRATEGIES
ant manufacturing and sales base in Guadalajara, Mexico. The new subsidiary, Toyo Ink Mexico SA de CV, was created in November 2015 as a base for supplying custom colorants to the growing packaging, consumer and automotive markets throughout Mexico and neighbouring countries. It is 60% owned by Toyo Ink SC Holdings, with the remaining 40% stake held by LioChem. Once completed, the new facility located in the state of Jalisco, will be Toyo Ink Group’s second plastic colorant manufacturing base in North America. It was expected to commence production in April 2016. The new facility will house state-of-the-art processing lines, a colour matching and applications development centre, a warehouse and administrative offices. According to Toyo Ink, the plant’s ‘highly efficient production system’ is to manufacture the group’s proven Lioplax™ series of highperformance plastic colorants for blow, extrusion and high-speed injection moulding applications. The demand for masterbatches has been on the rise in Mexico, in keeping with the country’s growing manufacturing sector, the companies report. The Toyo Ink Group says it considers Guadalajara the ideal location from which it can meet this growing demand in the surrounding areas and throughout the Bajio region. ‘This expansion demonstrates our commitment to the region and the plastic colorants sector’, comments John Easley, the inaugural president of Toyo Ink Mexico and former production manager of LioChem’s plastic colorants division. ‘Backed by a global supply chain and support network, and our unique technological knowhow, the new facility will give us the additional capacity and capability to service and supply our customers throughout the Americas with greater speed and flexibility’, he says. The Toyo Ink Group is a global manufacturer and supplier of chemical products based on its colour materials, adhesives and resins technologies, which leverage more than a century of expertise in manufacturing pigments and printing inks. Today, the group consists of approximately 80 companies and more than 8000 employees in 23 countries and areas around the world. In terms of colorants for plastics, the new Mexican plant takes the group’s total number of manufacturing bases to 13 overall, spanning 11 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, including Japan and India. The group’s LioChem subsidiary was founded in 1988 and is a manufacturer of speciality chemicals used in quality plastic colorants, printing inks and adhesives. It is headquartered in Conyers, GA, USA. Its plastic colorants division develops and manufactures masterbatches, coloured
8
Additives for Polymers
pellets and pigment dispersions for an array of plastics applications. With production sites in the USA and now Mexico, its plastic colorants serve the automotive, packaging and industrial markets throughout the Americas. Contact: LioChem, Inc, 2145 East Park Drive NE, Conyers, Rockdale, GA 30013, USA. Tel: +1 770 922 0800, Web: www.liochem.toyoink.com Or contact: Toyo Ink America, LLC, 1225 N. Michael Drive, Wood Dale, Addison, DuPage, IL 60191, USA. Tel: +1 630 930 5100, Web: www.toyoink.com Or contact: Toyo Ink Mexico SA de CV, Paseo de los Adobes No. 1081 #2, Fraccionamiento Guadalajara Technology Park, CP 45010 Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. Tel: +52 33 3627 1145, Email: [email protected]
Clariant Masterbatches commences construction of Saudi Arabian plant…
C
onstruction work has begun on a new, stateof-the art masterbatch production unit in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The new manufacturing site belongs to Clariant Masterbatches Saudi Arabia [ADPO, October 2013], a joint venture between Switzerland’s Clariant and Rowad National Plastic Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Tasnee, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new unit is expected to be commissioned by early 2017. No financial details have been disclosed. The new site will be constructed on a 38 000 m2 property in Yanbu Industrial Zone 2, an industrial city site location that enjoys easy access to suppliers and growing markets, Clariant reports. The plant will focus on the production of white masterbatches, taking advantage of the association with Rowad’s parent company Tasnee, which also owns Saudi-based titanium dioxide producer Cristal Global as well as polyolefin production assets. According to Clariant, the Yanbu project is one of the most important investments for its Masterbatches Business Unit in recent years. When operational it will be the second manufacturing hub for Clariant Masterbatches in Saudi Arabia, where it also has manufacturing sites in Riyadh. ‘The joint investment with Rowad is in line with our strategy to further strengthen our position in one of the
April 2016
STRATEGIES
important markets for plastic applications’, explains Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant. Building this world-scale plant is ‘a logical next step’ in the relationship with Rowad/Tasnee, the company’s JV partner since August 2013, adds Marco Cenisio, head of Business Unit Masterbatches. ‘It will allow us to offer a broader product portfolio to customers in the Kingdom and in the Middle East/Africa region’, he says.
demand for high-temperature plastics and compatible masterbatches is booming’, says Jeff Saeger, who heads the expansion programme for Clariant. Fuelled by new products in the automotive, small consumer electronics and electrical markets, the use of engineering materials is growing at annual rates of 7–8%, well above the growth rate of the plastics industry as a whole, he reports.
Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6742, Web: www.clariant.com
Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6742, Web: www.clariant.com
…and invests in specialized Momentive adds European capabilities for high-temperature production capacity for NXT silane dvanced materials company Momentive and engineering resins
C
lariant Masterbatches has announced plans to invest more than CHF7.5 million (c. E6.8 million) in specialized equipment and facilities to expand its capabilities and capacities for the production of colour and additive masterbatches for use in engineering resins and high-temperature plastics such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone). The largest investment has been earmarked for plants in Shanghai, Singapore, and at two plants in the USA. In order to work effectively in polymers that are processed at temperatures of 300°C or higher, masterbatches must be specially formulated using not only the same high-temperature base material, but also special pigments and additives that can stand up to extreme levels of heat and shear, Clariant explains. Compounding and extrusion equipment must also be configured to operate under these extreme conditions. The company has state-of-the-art capabilities in the USA to handle these materials but its capabilities in Asia have previously been limited to moderate-temperature processing. This has resulted in longer product development and delivery times for Asian customers requiring the most advanced products. In Shanghai, where Clariant is implementing the full range of equipment and procedures required for engineering and high-temperature resins, new production lines and associated capabilities will be in place by the end of 2016. In the USA, the company installed equipment for processing fluoropolymers in Lewiston, MN, in late 2015, and new lines for speciality engineering compounds and black masterbatch for high-temperature resins will be added in Holden, MA, beginning in 1Q 2016. ‘Global
April 2016
A
Performance Materials Inc has announced a strategic expansion of its Leverkusen site in Germany as part of its global initiative to expand production capabilities serving the automotive markets. The company reveals that it will invest approximately US$30 million to expand its NXT silane manufacturing capacity at Leverkusen. The facility is expected to begin production in late 2017. According to Momentive, the expansion at the Leverkusen plant will double the current availability of NXT silane, thereby enhancing the company’s capability to ‘meet the growing demand for innovative products’ that help global tyre producers improve product performance. The Leverkusen site will make locally produced NXT silane material available in Europe for the first time, it reports. The site’s strategic location, proximity to key customers and a dedicated workforce expected to grow as a result of the expansion made Leverkusen ‘the ideal choice’ for the expansion project ‘after carefully considering’ other sites within the Momentive network, explains the company’s president and CEO Jack Boss. ‘The expanded capacity will enable us to better serve our customers as Momentive continues to make strategic capital investments in our speciality technologies’, Boss comments. The project in Leverkusen is ‘well aligned’ with the company’s targeted growth plans in the global automotive industry and is ‘a key component’ of its ability to offer a comprehensive portfolio of speciality products, he says. When NXT silanes are included in silica tyre compounds, they can offer tyre manufacturers the ability to reduce rolling resistance without the loss of wet traction, Momentive explains. ‘As tyre manufacturers continue to work towards
Additives for Polymers
9
ant manufacturing and sales base in Guadalajara, Mexico. The new subsidiary, Toyo Ink Mexico SA de CV, was created in November 2015 as a base for supplying custom colorants to the growing packaging, consumer and automotive markets throughout Mexico and neighbouring countries. It is 60% owned by Toyo Ink SC Holdings, with the remaining 40% stake held by LioChem. Once completed, the new facility located in the state of Jalisco, will be Toyo Ink Group’s second plastic colorant manufacturing base in North America. It was expected to commence production in April 2016. The new facility will house state-of-the-art processing lines, a colour matching and applications development centre, a warehouse and administrative offices. According to Toyo Ink, the plant’s ‘highly efficient production system’ is to manufacture the group’s proven Lioplax™ series of highperformance plastic colorants for blow, extrusion and high-speed injection moulding applications. The demand for masterbatches has been on the rise in Mexico, in keeping with the country’s growing manufacturing sector, the companies report. The Toyo Ink Group says it considers Guadalajara the ideal location from which it can meet this growing demand in the surrounding areas and throughout the Bajio region. ‘This expansion demonstrates our commitment to the region and the plastic colorants sector’, comments John Easley, the inaugural president of Toyo Ink Mexico and former production manager of LioChem’s plastic colorants division. ‘Backed by a global supply chain and support network, and our unique technological knowhow, the new facility will give us the additional capacity and capability to service and supply our customers throughout the Americas with greater speed and flexibility’, he says. The Toyo Ink Group is a global manufacturer and supplier of chemical products based on its colour materials, adhesives and resins technologies, which leverage more than a century of expertise in manufacturing pigments and printing inks. Today, the group consists of approximately 80 companies and more than 8000 employees in 23 countries and areas around the world. In terms of colorants for plastics, the new Mexican plant takes the group’s total number of manufacturing bases to 13 overall, spanning 11 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, including Japan and India. The group’s LioChem subsidiary was founded in 1988 and is a manufacturer of speciality chemicals used in quality plastic colorants, printing inks and adhesives. It is headquartered in Conyers, GA, USA. Its plastic colorants division develops and manufactures masterbatches, coloured
8
Additives for Polymers
pellets and pigment dispersions for an array of plastics applications. With production sites in the USA and now Mexico, its plastic colorants serve the automotive, packaging and industrial markets throughout the Americas. Contact: LioChem, Inc, 2145 East Park Drive NE, Conyers, Rockdale, GA 30013, USA. Tel: +1 770 922 0800, Web: www.liochem.toyoink.com Or contact: Toyo Ink America, LLC, 1225 N. Michael Drive, Wood Dale, Addison, DuPage, IL 60191, USA. Tel: +1 630 930 5100, Web: www.toyoink.com Or contact: Toyo Ink Mexico SA de CV, Paseo de los Adobes No. 1081 #2, Fraccionamiento Guadalajara Technology Park, CP 45010 Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. Tel: +52 33 3627 1145, Email: [email protected]
Clariant Masterbatches commences construction of Saudi Arabian plant…
C
onstruction work has begun on a new, stateof-the art masterbatch production unit in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The new manufacturing site belongs to Clariant Masterbatches Saudi Arabia [ADPO, October 2013], a joint venture between Switzerland’s Clariant and Rowad National Plastic Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Tasnee, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new unit is expected to be commissioned by early 2017. No financial details have been disclosed. The new site will be constructed on a 38 000 m2 property in Yanbu Industrial Zone 2, an industrial city site location that enjoys easy access to suppliers and growing markets, Clariant reports. The plant will focus on the production of white masterbatches, taking advantage of the association with Rowad’s parent company Tasnee, which also owns Saudi-based titanium dioxide producer Cristal Global as well as polyolefin production assets. According to Clariant, the Yanbu project is one of the most important investments for its Masterbatches Business Unit in recent years. When operational it will be the second manufacturing hub for Clariant Masterbatches in Saudi Arabia, where it also has manufacturing sites in Riyadh. ‘The joint investment with Rowad is in line with our strategy to further strengthen our position in one of the
April 2016
STRATEGIES
important markets for plastic applications’, explains Hariolf Kottmann, CEO of Clariant. Building this world-scale plant is ‘a logical next step’ in the relationship with Rowad/Tasnee, the company’s JV partner since August 2013, adds Marco Cenisio, head of Business Unit Masterbatches. ‘It will allow us to offer a broader product portfolio to customers in the Kingdom and in the Middle East/Africa region’, he says.
demand for high-temperature plastics and compatible masterbatches is booming’, says Jeff Saeger, who heads the expansion programme for Clariant. Fuelled by new products in the automotive, small consumer electronics and electrical markets, the use of engineering materials is growing at annual rates of 7–8%, well above the growth rate of the plastics industry as a whole, he reports.
Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6742, Web: www.clariant.com
Contact: Clariant International Ltd, Muttenz, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6742, Web: www.clariant.com
…and invests in specialized Momentive adds European capabilities for high-temperature production capacity for NXT silane dvanced materials company Momentive and engineering resins
C
lariant Masterbatches has announced plans to invest more than CHF7.5 million (c. E6.8 million) in specialized equipment and facilities to expand its capabilities and capacities for the production of colour and additive masterbatches for use in engineering resins and high-temperature plastics such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone). The largest investment has been earmarked for plants in Shanghai, Singapore, and at two plants in the USA. In order to work effectively in polymers that are processed at temperatures of 300°C or higher, masterbatches must be specially formulated using not only the same high-temperature base material, but also special pigments and additives that can stand up to extreme levels of heat and shear, Clariant explains. Compounding and extrusion equipment must also be configured to operate under these extreme conditions. The company has state-of-the-art capabilities in the USA to handle these materials but its capabilities in Asia have previously been limited to moderate-temperature processing. This has resulted in longer product development and delivery times for Asian customers requiring the most advanced products. In Shanghai, where Clariant is implementing the full range of equipment and procedures required for engineering and high-temperature resins, new production lines and associated capabilities will be in place by the end of 2016. In the USA, the company installed equipment for processing fluoropolymers in Lewiston, MN, in late 2015, and new lines for speciality engineering compounds and black masterbatch for high-temperature resins will be added in Holden, MA, beginning in 1Q 2016. ‘Global
April 2016
A
Performance Materials Inc has announced a strategic expansion of its Leverkusen site in Germany as part of its global initiative to expand production capabilities serving the automotive markets. The company reveals that it will invest approximately US$30 million to expand its NXT silane manufacturing capacity at Leverkusen. The facility is expected to begin production in late 2017. According to Momentive, the expansion at the Leverkusen plant will double the current availability of NXT silane, thereby enhancing the company’s capability to ‘meet the growing demand for innovative products’ that help global tyre producers improve product performance. The Leverkusen site will make locally produced NXT silane material available in Europe for the first time, it reports. The site’s strategic location, proximity to key customers and a dedicated workforce expected to grow as a result of the expansion made Leverkusen ‘the ideal choice’ for the expansion project ‘after carefully considering’ other sites within the Momentive network, explains the company’s president and CEO Jack Boss. ‘The expanded capacity will enable us to better serve our customers as Momentive continues to make strategic capital investments in our speciality technologies’, Boss comments. The project in Leverkusen is ‘well aligned’ with the company’s targeted growth plans in the global automotive industry and is ‘a key component’ of its ability to offer a comprehensive portfolio of speciality products, he says. When NXT silanes are included in silica tyre compounds, they can offer tyre manufacturers the ability to reduce rolling resistance without the loss of wet traction, Momentive explains. ‘As tyre manufacturers continue to work towards
Additives for Polymers
9