(PlastEurope) -- In a move that significantly broadens its product portfolio, Rodenburg Biopolymers (Oosterhout / The Netherlands) in mid-November 2011 announced that it had acquired fellow Dutch bioplastics producer Optimum (Oosterhout). Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The purchase allows Rodenburg to serve both the converter and the compounder markets with biopolymers, including its own ⌠Solanyl compound based on reclaimed side stream starch from the potato processing industry. This is now complemented by Optimum's proprietary ⌠FlourPlast biopolymer, based on grain-derived products, which can be directly compounded with existing biopolyesters.
In addition, ⌠FlourPlast allows processors to fine-tune bioplastic or polyolefin formulations to achieve desired properties and reduce costs. Both bioplastics were developed in cooperation with Wacker Chemie (Munich / Germany).
Perspectives of development of the polymers markets, pricing issues and other important aspects will be discussed at The Polymers Summit-2011, which will be held in Moscow on November 30, 2011 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. The Summit is organized by MRC with the support of ICIS. The main idea of the Summit is to find a "the golden mean" between producers and converters. When producers receive exactly such margin of production, which helps them to invest in production expansion in order to substitute polymers imports, and the converters receive such price of feedstock that helps them to compete imported finished products. The Summit site gives an access to the live video of the Summit, speakers" presentations, as well as opportunities to ask questions or make appointments to any Summit partcipant.