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Germany: Carbon Clean Tech – carbon black ex-scrap tyres
F O C US applications will be in the paint and cosmetic sectors, but the company is also developing a range of natural pigments suitable for use in concrete construction products. Original Source: Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 3 Nov 2014, (694), (Website: http://www.industrie.com/chimie) (in French) © ETAI Information 2014
France: Viba – masterbatch Viba (headquartered at Tradate, 50 km northwest of Milan) is one of the top ten masterbatch suppliers in Europe, but, because of subdued market conditions, the company’s French subsidiary became unprofitable and it was declared bankrupt by the Tribunal de Grande Instance at Sarreguemines in March 2014. The company’s plant, located at the Forbach Sud Technical Park in Folkling (20 km west of Sarreguemines) was shut down soon after that. Most of the equipment was sold by auction in mid-October. Viba’s plant at Folkling had startedup in 2002. Immediately prior to its closure, it had nine extrusion lines and employed 33 people. With the closure of the French plant and the closure of its Hungarian plant five years ago, Viba now has only three masterbatch plants – Tradate and Rome (Italy) plus Barcelona (Spain). Original Source: Compounding World, Oct 2014, 5 (Website: http://www.amiplastics.com/mags) © Applied Market Information Ltd 2014
Germany: Carbon Clean Tech – carbon black ex-scrap tyres Carbon Clean Tech GmbH (CCT, headquartered in Potsdam) has developed a process for recovering carbon black from post-consumer scrap rubber, mainly tyres. Besides recovered carbon black, described by the company as rCB, the process yields by-product compressed metals and oil. Less than 4% of the original input weight is left as residual waste. Relatively few technical details have been released and the company stresses that its focus is on manufacturing and marketing products, not on licensing technology. The carbon black product can be used as a “drop-in replacement” for conventional carbon black in plastics masterbatches.
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CCT’s first production plant, with undisclosed capacity, has been operating at Möckern (25 km east of Magdeburg) onwards from mid-2012. The company is now planning to build a second plant, which will be capable of producing 14,500 tonnes/y of rCB. This plant should be ready for production before the end of 2016. Original Source: Compounding World, Nov 2014, 3738,41 (Website: http://www.amiplastics.com/mags) © Applied Market Information Ltd 2014. Original Source: Carbon Clean Tech GmbH, Gregor Mendelstr 26, 14469 Potsdam, Germany, website: http://www.carbon-clean-tech.com (14 Dec 2014) © Carbon Clean Tech GmbH 2014
US & Netherlands: Penn Color – masterbatch Penn Color Inc (headquartered in Doylestown, PA) plans to spend more than $10 M to expand its plastics masterbatch plant at Hatfield, PA (50 km northwest of Philadelphia). In addition to raising capacity, the investment will cover the expansion of its research centre to accommodate the design and development of new colour and additive masterbatches. The company is also raising capacity at its Venray plant (30 km northwest of Venlo in the eastern Netherlands) thanks to the installation of a new twin-screw extruder. Altogether, Penn Color has seven masterbatch plants – Hatfield, PA; Elmwood Park, NJ; Richmond, VA; Milton, WI and Ringgold, GA (all in the United States); Venray (Netherlands) and Mumbai (India). The company also has a sales office in Shanghai. It has more than 650 employees worldwide and generates annual sales revenues in excess of $200 M. Original Source: Plastics News, 28 Nov 2014, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2014
US: Brilliant Group – fluorescent pigments, dispersions & concentrates Brilliant Group Inc (headquartered in Richmond, CA, 25 km north of San Francisco city-centre) recently opened its first manufacturing complex, located on a 0.2 hectares site in the Richmond area. Hitherto, the company has relied on contract manufacturing by third parties. The new complex includes facilities for making fluorescent pigments as
powders, dispersions and concentrates for applications in the paint, plastic and textile industries. The company was founded by Mr Darren Bianchi in 2007. By then, Mr Bianchi had more than 15 years’ experience in the fluorescent pigments industry, first with Radiant Color and then with the Dane/Swada group. Both companies are now subsidiaries of RPM/DayGlo. Mr Bianchi is still the Chief Executive of Brilliant Group. Speaking at the inauguration of the new plant, he said: “This will dramatically improve our ability to serve our customers in a wide range of areas from logistics and flow of goods to new product development. With our enhanced capabilities, we look forward to bringing new and innovative products to the market.” Original Source: Plastics News, 3 Nov 2014, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2014
US: Schulman – masterbatch Earlier this year, A Schulman Inc paid $91 M to acquire five plants from Ferro Corp producing customengineered plastic compounds and colorants. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Aug 2014, 7). One of those plants was the colour concentrates and additives facility located at Stryker, OH (about 90 km west of Toledo). Now, Schulman has declared that it will close this plant by the end of April 2015, transferring production to some of its other plants in North America. The move is expected to generate operational savings of around $4 M per annum. As a result of the plant closure, there will be 70 job redundancies Schulman will show a $3 M charge in its accounts for the three months to end-November 2014. Further savings will accrue as a result of Schulman’s programme to eliminate 10 administrative jobs in North America during the current fiscal year. Original Source: Plastics News, 17 Nov 2014, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2014
US: Zinc Oxide LLC – ZnO On 15 October 2014, Zinc Oxide LLC held a ceremony to celebrate the inauguration of its new 40,000 JANUARY 2015
France: Viba – masterbatch Viba (headquartered at Tradate, 50 km northwest of Milan) is one of the top ten masterbatch suppliers in Europe, but, because of subdued market conditions, the company’s French subsidiary became unprofitable and it was declared bankrupt by the Tribunal de Grande Instance at Sarreguemines in March 2014. The company’s plant, located at the Forbach Sud Technical Park in Folkling (20 km west of Sarreguemines) was shut down soon after that. Most of the equipment was sold by auction in mid-October. Viba’s plant at Folkling had startedup in 2002. Immediately prior to its closure, it had nine extrusion lines and employed 33 people. With the closure of the French plant and the closure of its Hungarian plant five years ago, Viba now has only three masterbatch plants – Tradate and Rome (Italy) plus Barcelona (Spain). Original Source: Compounding World, Oct 2014, 5 (Website: http://www.amiplastics.com/mags) © Applied Market Information Ltd 2014
Germany: Carbon Clean Tech – carbon black ex-scrap tyres Carbon Clean Tech GmbH (CCT, headquartered in Potsdam) has developed a process for recovering carbon black from post-consumer scrap rubber, mainly tyres. Besides recovered carbon black, described by the company as rCB, the process yields by-product compressed metals and oil. Less than 4% of the original input weight is left as residual waste. Relatively few technical details have been released and the company stresses that its focus is on manufacturing and marketing products, not on licensing technology. The carbon black product can be used as a “drop-in replacement” for conventional carbon black in plastics masterbatches.
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CCT’s first production plant, with undisclosed capacity, has been operating at Möckern (25 km east of Magdeburg) onwards from mid-2012. The company is now planning to build a second plant, which will be capable of producing 14,500 tonnes/y of rCB. This plant should be ready for production before the end of 2016. Original Source: Compounding World, Nov 2014, 3738,41 (Website: http://www.amiplastics.com/mags) © Applied Market Information Ltd 2014. Original Source: Carbon Clean Tech GmbH, Gregor Mendelstr 26, 14469 Potsdam, Germany, website: http://www.carbon-clean-tech.com (14 Dec 2014) © Carbon Clean Tech GmbH 2014
US & Netherlands: Penn Color – masterbatch Penn Color Inc (headquartered in Doylestown, PA) plans to spend more than $10 M to expand its plastics masterbatch plant at Hatfield, PA (50 km northwest of Philadelphia). In addition to raising capacity, the investment will cover the expansion of its research centre to accommodate the design and development of new colour and additive masterbatches. The company is also raising capacity at its Venray plant (30 km northwest of Venlo in the eastern Netherlands) thanks to the installation of a new twin-screw extruder. Altogether, Penn Color has seven masterbatch plants – Hatfield, PA; Elmwood Park, NJ; Richmond, VA; Milton, WI and Ringgold, GA (all in the United States); Venray (Netherlands) and Mumbai (India). The company also has a sales office in Shanghai. It has more than 650 employees worldwide and generates annual sales revenues in excess of $200 M. Original Source: Plastics News, 28 Nov 2014, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2014
US: Brilliant Group – fluorescent pigments, dispersions & concentrates Brilliant Group Inc (headquartered in Richmond, CA, 25 km north of San Francisco city-centre) recently opened its first manufacturing complex, located on a 0.2 hectares site in the Richmond area. Hitherto, the company has relied on contract manufacturing by third parties. The new complex includes facilities for making fluorescent pigments as
powders, dispersions and concentrates for applications in the paint, plastic and textile industries. The company was founded by Mr Darren Bianchi in 2007. By then, Mr Bianchi had more than 15 years’ experience in the fluorescent pigments industry, first with Radiant Color and then with the Dane/Swada group. Both companies are now subsidiaries of RPM/DayGlo. Mr Bianchi is still the Chief Executive of Brilliant Group. Speaking at the inauguration of the new plant, he said: “This will dramatically improve our ability to serve our customers in a wide range of areas from logistics and flow of goods to new product development. With our enhanced capabilities, we look forward to bringing new and innovative products to the market.” Original Source: Plastics News, 3 Nov 2014, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2014
US: Schulman – masterbatch Earlier this year, A Schulman Inc paid $91 M to acquire five plants from Ferro Corp producing customengineered plastic compounds and colorants. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Aug 2014, 7). One of those plants was the colour concentrates and additives facility located at Stryker, OH (about 90 km west of Toledo). Now, Schulman has declared that it will close this plant by the end of April 2015, transferring production to some of its other plants in North America. The move is expected to generate operational savings of around $4 M per annum. As a result of the plant closure, there will be 70 job redundancies Schulman will show a $3 M charge in its accounts for the three months to end-November 2014. Further savings will accrue as a result of Schulman’s programme to eliminate 10 administrative jobs in North America during the current fiscal year. Original Source: Plastics News, 17 Nov 2014, (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com) © Crain Communications Inc 2014
US: Zinc Oxide LLC – ZnO On 15 October 2014, Zinc Oxide LLC held a ceremony to celebrate the inauguration of its new 40,000 JANUARY 2015