MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, is introducing China’s local automotive and transportation industry players to solutions which enhance lightweight plastics for under-the-hood, interior and exterior parts, in support of their increasing interest in using plastics and polymer-based components to achieve greater fuel efficiency, reported the company on its site.
The global automotive industry is embracing plastics in the trend toward weight reduction, metal replacement and energy reduction. Plastics also support improved aesthetics, vibration and noise control, and cabin insulation. In 2011, plastics made up 12-15% of modern cars. This is expected to ultimately increase to more than 20% in the future. In 2005, the global consumption of plastic per car was 150kg, rising from 105kg in 2000. During the next decade, it is expected that plastics will account for 18 percent of the average vehicle’s weight, up from 14 percent in 2000.
European and American OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are already taking advantage of the performance, productivity and associated environmental benefits offered by Clariant’s wide range of additives and solutions for plastics and polymer-based components. These range from productivity improvements generated through lower molding temperatures and shorter cycle times, to facilitating the development of parts with environmentally-friendly flame retardancy, superior thermal resistance and smoother surfaces. Clariant offers solutions for the most commonly used plastics - polypropylene (PP), polyamides (PA), polyurethanes (PUR) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) - which account for 70% of the plastics used in a car, and the composites and higher-end plastics which account for the rest.
Michael Grosskopf, Head of Business Unit Additives, Clariant comments: "More than 22 million cars and commercial vehicles were produced in China in 2013. That’s a significant increase of 14.8% on 2012. Plastics offer this fast-growing sector a viable, cost-effective response to the drive by both global OEMs and local players for optimum fuel efficiency and greater sustainability in their operations. Clariant is well-prepared to support the growing demand, with solutions that clearly enhance the performance of polymers to meet the demanding requirements of the automotive industry."
As MRC informed previously, Clariant is increasing production capacity for its Licocene Performance Polymers by 50% at its facility on the Frankfurt-Hochst Industrial Park in Germany. The debottlenecking of Clariant’s existing production line represents a low double-digit million Swiss Franc investment, with the additional capacity scheduled to come on stream in Q1 2016.
Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
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