PolyOne delivers tailored TPE solutions for consumer electronics

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers, a global leader in high-performance, custom-formulated thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) solutions, has introduced Versaflex CE thermoplastic elastomers, according to the company's press release.

Created for applications in the consumer electronics market, this family of TPEs enables consumer electronics companies to differentiate their devices through design, performance and market-driven aesthetics.

"Our wide range of innovative technologies allow us to provide targeted performance for distinctive electronics applications," said Charles Page, global marketing director for PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers, "and we continue to develop new solutions that address the needs of the fast-moving and rapidly expanding consumer electronics sector."

Versaflex CE supports more sustainable manufacturing because it bonds to PC/ABS and other substrates during molding without adhesives. In addition, these materials can help to lower systems cost by reducing scrap and accelerating throughput of materials during processing.

As MRC reported earlier, PolyOne has agreed to sell its vinyl dispersion, blending and suspension resin assets to Mexico-based Mexichem. PolyOne is going to receive USD250 million in cash for this deal. The sale is subject to satisfaction of regulatory requirements and other customary closing conditions.

PolyOne Corporation is a global provider of specialized polymer materials, services, and solutions. PolyOne is a provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions with operations in specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, polymer distribution and specialty vinyl resins. The company's full-year revenues in 2012 increased 4.5% to USD3.0 billion, compared to USD2.9 billion in 2011.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Supervisory Board of BASF Coatings GmbH has appointed Thomas Hartmann as Managing Director and Industrial Relations Director of BASF Coatings GmbH, effective September 1, 2013, according to the company's press release.

He succeeds Eva Muller who will assume a new position within the BASF Group.

In addition to his new tasks, Hartmann will continue to be global head of Human Resources at BASF Coatings. After obtaining a degree in law, he joined the BASF Group in 1993 and worked at BASF’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen before taking on the management of Human Resources at BASF Coatings in April 2009.

Since July 1, 2013, Dr. Renate Bork-Brucken has been Site Manager of the Munster site. Her responsibilities include development of the German sites of BASF’s Coatings division. Bork-Brucken is a chemist and joined BASF in Munster in 1988. From 2007 to 2013, she headed the Human Resources department of BASF’s European Shared Service Center in Berlin.

Since March 2012, Dr. Markus Kamieth has been Chairman of the Management Board of BASF Coatings GmbH, BASF’s coatings business in Germany, and head of the globally operating Coatings division of the BASF Group.

As MRC informed previously, BASF is going to expand its production capacity for waterborne coatings in the Demarchi Coatings Site, located in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The EUR2 million investment will increase its capacity of both waterborne primer and basecoats. The expansion is expected to be finished in early 2014.

The headquarters of BASF’s Coatings division are located at Munster. The site has 2,200 employees. In the Coatings division, BASF develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints. In 2012 the Coatings Division of the BASF Group achieved global sales of nearly EUR3,0 billion.

BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's environmental watchdog has suspended approvals for new oil-refining projects, after two of the country's largest refiners missed pollution targets last year, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

China National Petroleum Corp. didn't meet its chemical oxygen demand target and China Petrochemical Corp. didn't meet its nitrogen oxide target, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement on its website. The targets refer to pollution from CNPC and Sinopec's refineries.

The ministry is temporarily suspending approvals for environmental impact assessments for new refining projects and the renovation and expansion of existing refineries, it said. The approvals are needed before a project can move forward.

However, projects that aim at reducing emissions and improving fuel standards would still be reviewed, the ministry said.

COD is an indicator of water pollution, while nitrogen oxide is a metric for air pollution. Both are key environmental targets in China's current 12th five-year plan.

The environmental ministry said CNPC and Sinopec's COD fell by 0.08% and 2.6% in 2012. CNPC and Sinopec's nitrogen oxide emissions, meanwhile, grew by 3.3% and 1.3% last year, it said. CNPC's target was to reduce COD by 0.6% last year, while Sinopec's target was to keep nitrogen oxide emissions flat.

Sinopec and CNPC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

We remind that, as MRC wrote earlier, SINOPEC Wuhan Company’s ethylene project with a capacity of 800,000 tonnes per year produced first batch of qualified products, marking its successful commissioning and startup. The project is a pivotal project of SINOPEC in the 11th five-year-plan period and the most important project in Hubei province. The project, including 11 greenfield major production units with public utilities and supporting facilities, was built in three years with an total investment of 16.563 billion yuan. Filling in the gap of large-scale ethylene projects in central China, the project plays an important role in boosting central China's economy, achieving balanced development among different regions, upgrading SINOPEC' industrial structure and enahncing the overall capacity of petrochemical industry.

China Petrochemical Corp, which operates refineries through China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, is a fuel supplier in China.

Sinopec Corp. is one of the largest scale integrated energy and chemical companies with upstream, midstream and downstream operations. Its refining and ethylene capacity ranks No.2 and No.4 globally. The Company has 30,000 sales and distribution networks of oil products and chemical products, its service stations are now ranked third largest in the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Toray Plastics (America), Inc., the only United States manufacturer of precision-performance polyester, polypropylene, metallized, and bio-based films, will begin construction in August on a second cogeneration system at its 70-acre North Kingstown, Rhode Island campus, reported Plastemart.

Cogeneration power systems allow users to operate “off the grid” and prevent the kind of electrical power outages that can occur with conventional power plants.

Toray already operates a cogeneration system that supplies continuous power to its Lumirror polyester film division, which sustains manufacturing production even during severe weather events, such as Hurricane Sandy, and enables the company to provide uninterrupted customer service.

The new system, which is expected to be operational by March 2014, will be dedicated to powering production for the Torayfan polypropylene (PP) film division and other sites around the property. It will dramatically reduce Toray’s demand on the supply of electricity to nearby Rhode Island communities, particularly during peak periods in the summer months.

In addition, the company estimates that the new system, like the current unit, will eliminate approximately 12,500 tons of CO2 per year, for a total reduction of 25,000 tons.

Toray’s sustainability initiative, begun in 2004, includes the use of solar power, zero landfill, and extensive recycling, among other features. Toray has earmarked USD22.7 million for the development of the new system, including funds from National Grid’s Energy Efficiency Program, developed in collaboration with the state of Rhode Island.

"Toray has a legacy of innovation and commitment to sustainability, as demonstrated by our product development and operations," says Rick Schloesser, President and CEO, Toray Plastics America. "Our taking action to reduce further our energy consumption and carbon footprint is good for business, people, and the environment. Our global customers value our focus on producing the highest-quality high-performance, competitively-priced OPP and PET films and our comprehensive sustainability initiative."

As MRC informed previously, last summer Toray Industries in partnership with Gevo Inc. signed an offtake agreement for renewable bio-paraxylene (bioPX) produced at Gevo's planned pilot plant. The agreement will enable Toray to carry out pilot-scale production of fully renewable, bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (fully bioPET), of its fibers and films for the first time in the world.

Toray Industries is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan that specializes in industrial products centered around technologies in organic synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and biochemistry. Its founding business areas were fibers and textiles, as well as plastics and chemicals. Toray Group Malaysia companies are involved in four main businesses -- polyester fibres, textiles, plastic resins and polyester films.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The current worth of the global polymer foams market (2012) is USD82.6 bln and is estimated to reach USD131.1 bln by 2018, growing at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2013 to 2018, as per Plastemart.

The high demand across industries such as automotive, building & construction and packaging will increase the overall polymer foam consumption, as per MarketsandMarkets.

Polymer foam types are significantly penetrating their applications market. They have different characteristics as per the manufacturing and their application requirement in the end products.

The Asian market is expected to dominate with its growing demand for foams in different applications especially building & construction.

The Western European and North American markets are expected to show a rising growth in the next five years with allied industries expected to stabilize the overall business need in respective regions. Research and development is a key part of this market where manufacturing companies, associations, and end product makers infuse high investments for future advancements and technology modifications of different foam types.

Polyolefin foams are expected to penetrate the global market with the highest growth within competitive foams available in the market.

Polyurethane foams are dominant in consumption and revenue made, reasoned by its optimal cost to performance factor.

Asia-Pacific is the largest region, both in terms of volume and value, followed by Western Europe and North America. U.S., Germany, U.K., Brazil, Russia, China, and India are expected to persist as successful foam markets.

Eastern and Central European nations, emerging South-East Asian and nations that host the Olympics and other events would supplement the growth of polymer foams.

An increase in auto sales, proposals for improvement of infrastructure and rising housing market in emerging economies will drive the polymer foams market.

We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, in May 2013, The Lubrizol Corporation, an innovative specialty chemical company, and Trexel announced a new partnership for Lubrizol to be the preferred thermoplastic polyurethane supplier for Trexel’s MuCell microcellular foaming technology. By working together Lubrizol Engineered Polymers' sports and recreation segment and Trexel will be able to bring an encompassing value to processors from setting up a new MuCell moulding line, modifying an existing line or suggestions of which TPU grades to utilise for quality foam parts.
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