The Compound Company acquires Exxelor polymers from Esso Deutschland GmbH to expand its global reach into new markets

The Compound Company, a leading developer and manufacturer of compounds, announced it has acquired the production site, product portfolio, and customer base for Exxelor polymer resins from ESSO Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil in Cologne, Germany. The acquisition will increase the global production capacity of The Compound Company to about 70 kilotons per year and significantly expand the group’s reach into new markets.

“We are very excited to welcome the Exxelor manufacturing force and portfolio in our organization,” says Frans Haafkens, a major shareholder of The Compounding Company. “The acquisition adds a new sizeable jewel to our crown and ideally complements our established offering of Yparex extrudable adhesives and EcoForte compound families. It provides great synergies to further grow our customer base, with new opportunities in several dynamic application areas such as e.g. e‑mobility.”

Exxelor polymer resins are chemically modified polyolefin and elastomers-based resins used to enhance the performance of engineering thermoplastics and other polymers. As impact modifiers, they improve the toughness of compounds. As compatibilizers, coupling agents, and adhesion promoters, they increase the bonding strength of non-polar polymers with polyolefins, fillers, and reinforcements as well as metals, thermoset rubbers, and most polar substrates, including glass.

“With The Compound Company, our Exxelor manufacturing operations have found a good home to strengthen the market focus of the product offering and progress from a niche to a core business,” states Ronald van den Berg, Plant Manager in Cologne. “Our resins fit very well within The Compound Company’s existing range of functionalized and grafted polyolefin-based solutions.”

“While Exxelor has traditionally been targeting different application areas than Yparex or EcoForte, it will benefit from the sales support by our experienced commercial team,” adds Wouter van den Berg, Commercial Director for The Compound Company. “Our strategy is to use the addition of these performance resins as leverage for expanding into a wider range of markets. The production site and the brand will be maintained, and the integration of Exxelor in our business will be as smooth as possible, without any major changes towards customers.”

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Straumann SmileAward 2022

Straumann invites dentists everywhere—anyone who gives back smiles—to showcase their most inspiring patient stories by participating in the 2022 SmileAward.

Every day, around the globe, we know dental professionals rely on Straumann to give patients the confidence to smile again, to laugh, to show off their smiles, to eat the foods they love. Thousands of dental professionals use our products and solutions to rebuild the quality of life for patients and to unlock the potential of people’s lives.

While Immediacy Protocols stood in the focus of the SmileAward 2021, the SmileAward 2022, we welcomed dental professionals to show us how THEY are changing the lives of their patients through full-arch rehabilitation or clear aligner therapy. They are invited to submit their best patient stories and share with the world the many ways that dentistry can restore confidence and improve our wellbeing.

The 2022 SmileAward aspires to be the most inspiring, most uplifting clinical case competition.

What’s new for 2022?

Our 2021 inaugural contest attracted 93 participants from 30 countries who changed their patients’ lives with immediate protocols. The 2022 SmileAward will encompass another prize-awarding winner in not just one, but two categories:

• Straumann category for full-arch (edentulous) patient stories
• ClearCorrect category for clear-aligner orthodontic patient stories

Submission requirements

The required documentation includes all relevant diagnostics and step-by-step illustrations. It is also required to submit a 4-minute video that combines high-definition clinical images with the testimonial of the patient.

All cases fulfilling the criteria will go through to a public vote. A jury composed of key opinion leaders in dentistry will select the final winners, who will be announced at Europerio 2022.

Timeline

• Now till 20 April: Submission of cases
• 1 May – 10 May: Public voting
• 10 May – 1 June: Selection of winners by our Evaluation Jury
• 15 June – 18 June: Announcement of winners at Europerio 2022

Great prizes

All finalists in both categories will be awarded a prize so that they can continue changing lives together with Straumann. The top three winners in both contest categories will be GivingSmilesBack with the materials needed to complete one or more pro bono cases, and our top winner in each category will also get their patient video story edited professionally and it will be seen with worldwide visibility across Straumann channels and platforms.

Our winners can also opt for a Changing Lives prize—a donation to a philanthropic organization in their honor—or for a BoostingYourPractice prize in which the top winner in each category will take home a TRIOS Intraoral Scanner.

GivingSmilesBack

We believe in the transformative power of dentistry. If you’ve provided life-changing treatment for one of your patients, Straumann invites you to participate in the 2022 SmileAward.

If this product is both registered in the country of origin of the winner and permitted according to the laws of the winner’s country of residence.

http://www.straumann.com/

Toyo Ink Group Announces Sustainability Vision TSV2050/2030 toward Carbon Neutrality by 2050

Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Toyo Ink Group of Japan, launched the “Toyo Ink Group Sustainability Vision TSV2050/2030” in January 2022, as the long-term strategy for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. The Vision was established in response to recent global trends regarding climate change, carbon neutrality as well as the current social climate that calls on companies to meet increasing demands for sustainability. Under the TSV2050/2030 Vision, the company reaffirms its commitment to making 100% of its products and manufacturing operations carbon neutral by 2050.

   “The Toyo Ink Group Sustainability Vision sets forth an ambitious vision to bring our entire carbon footprint on a global basis to net-zero by 2050,” said Kazuhito Nakano, Chief Sustainability Officer of Toyo Ink SC Holdings. “While we’ve been steadily reducing CO2 emissions at our production bases since 2010, the renewed Vision is integral to fulfilling our commitment to low-carbon product development, to reducing greenhouse gasses in our manufacturing supply chain, and to reinforcing trust in our company by all of our stakeholders. In line with the targets specified under the TSV2050/2030 Vision, we’ll continually strive to realize a decarbonized society and to make real, positive change in this world.” 　　　

The TSV2050/2030 Vision is comprised of two components: TSV2050, which sets forth specific targets that the Group intends to achieve by 2050, and the TSV2030, which defines interim targets to be realized in 2030. Specifically, CO2 emissions are to be reduced by 35% in Japan by 2030 (from fiscal 2020 levels), 35% reduction in other countries compared to fiscal 2030 BAU (business as usual) level.

#sustainabilityvision #carbon neutrality #TSV2050

http://schd.toyoinkgroup.com/en/

ALPLA Group significantly expands its PET recycling capacity in Germany

The ALPLA Group has become one of the largest PET recycling companies in Germany. With the acquisition of the recycling company Texplast from the FROMM Group and all of its shares in the joint venture PET Recycling Team Wolfen, the international company will increase its annual processing volume in Germany to 75,000 tonnes of PET bottles.

ALPLA is strengthening its efforts in the German recycling industry. With the complete acquisition of Texplast, a company based in Bitterfeld-Wolfen and previously part of the FROMM Group, as well as the joint venture PET Recycling Team Wolfen, the international packaging solutions and recycling specialist is significantly expanding its capacities. With this, ALPLA is investing in the quality and availability of PET recyclate for the German ‘bottle-to-bottle’ cycle.

Following the acquisition of BTB Recycling in October 2021, ALPLA increased its processing volumes in Germany to a total of around 75,000 tonnes of PET input. This includes 55,000 tonnes by Texplast and PET Recycling Team Wolfen and 20,000 tonnes by BTB. ‘Our goal is the cycle from bottle to bottle. We are stepping up our activities worldwide to meet the growing demand for post-consumer recyclate. This investment will strengthen our position in the German market and guarantee high quality and availability of the material for our customers,’ ALPLA CEO Philipp Lehner explains.

Continuation of a successful collaboration

Texplast, founded in 1992, produces PET pellets and flakes from used PET bottles. The pellets are primarily used for preforms for new PET bottles. The colourful PET flakes produced during the process are used by the packaging manufacturer to produce packing straps. However, the focus has increasingly shifted towards the bottle cycle in recent years.

“The long-term and successful, collaboration with the FROMM Group was the perfect basis for this development. The acquisition enabled us to increase our capacity quickly and efficiently. And this will also help us to secure production for both sides in the future,’ says Georg Lässer, Head of Recycling at ALPLA. The colourful flakes will also be supplied exclusively in the future. ‘We have a highly motivated, fully functional team and we are proud to welcome all 125 Texplast employees into the ALPLA family,’ Lässer adds.

Rico Seiler, Managing Director of Texplast GmbH, on the acquisition: ‘The change in ownership underlines the transformation of Texplast from a material supplier for plastic strapping to a key player in the bottle cycle. With the new owners, the company will be able to fulfill its potential in this field even more efficiently.

PET Recycling Team Wolfen specializes in the recycling of PET bottles from ‘yellow bag’ – German bin for household recyclables. These are returned from household collection to the recycling loop. The sorting and processing systems at Texplast’s site in Wolfen, which are unique worldwide, were set up in 2019.

The acquisition was officially finalized on 25 February 2022. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price or any further details. The acquisition is subject to the legal and regulatory approval of the competent competition authorities.

Global expansion of recycling activities

In early 2021, the ALPLA Group announced that it would invest an average of 50 million euros a year until 2025 in the ongoing expansion of its recycling activities. In particular, it plans to globalize its activities in the area of high-quality recyclates in order to close the materials cycle in as many regions as possible. In total, the annual production capacity of ALPLA’s recycling companies, joint ventures, and collaborations amounts to approximately 203,000 tonnes of rPET (recycled PET) and 74,000 tonnes of rHDPE (recycled HDPE).

#PETrecycling #texplast #packagingmanufacturer 

Sustainability as a driver: Green, greener – Arburg

Lots of companies are talking about it at great length, but Arburg is taking action! When it comes to environmental protection, there is hardly a term more frequently used than “sustainability”. But how is it put into practice? Precisely that question is answered by the new Arburg Sustainability Report, backed up with a plethora of topical facts, figures and data. In an interactive PDF, a wide range of really interesting background information can be accessed online at any time. The 2021 version has been available on the Arburg website since the beginning of March 2022.

In its Sustainability Report, the traditional family company shares with the world its plans and practices for long-term sustainability in all relevant areas. Even the Sustainability Report itself is sustainable: The interactive document with fascinating facts, figures, and data are ready to be browsed on the ARBURG website – the company has taken a conscious decision not to produce a hard printed version.

Showing responsibility with arburgGREENworld

This Sustainability Report is a building block in the “arburgGREENworld” program, with which the company has defined sustainability through resource efficiency and the circular economy as an important goal. All backed by the tradition of conscious awareness of the need for sustainability. Back in 2012, Arburg became one of the very first companies ever to be awarded triple certification for quality, environment, and energy.

Not only that, but for decades the company has viewed the need for environmental protection, conservation of resources, and efficiency as an obligation and as an incentive. This is expressed, for instance, in energy-efficient construction and sustainable manufacturing processes. Other contributing factors include central production at a location with a high proportion of in-house manufacturing and short supply chains, production-efficient machine technology, as well as the digital products and services of the “arburgXworld” program.

Impressive figures

One principle of the “arburgGREENworld” philosophy is that plastics are not rubbish, but recyclables! Giving value to resources, reducing emissions, putting finances to good use for Arburg and its employees, and understanding digitalization as sustainability – are just a few of the central tenets that have been distinguishing the company for years. Tenets that it upholds consistently, as demonstrated clearly in this new 2021 Sustainability Report.

Would you care for another example? In the new assembly hall, with a floor area of 28,500 square metres, constructed to expand the capacities, Arburg is able to use the energy supplied to heat the building – just as it does by the way in the other assembly halls it has constructed over the last few years –, in a virtually cost- and carbon-neutral manner. In addition, the use of photovoltaics and geothermal energy contributes significantly to sustainable energy management.

Further impressive figures demonstrate how Arburg has implemented sustainability across the entire company:

• 90 percent of all waste generated in 2020 was recycled.
• 20 percent of the company’s entire water consumption comes from rainwater collected in a number of cisterns.
• 9 million kWh of solar energy were generated through photovoltaics and used in-house by Arburg in 2020. This corresponds to the energy needs of over 500 four-person households.
• 3 million kWh of wind energy were generated in 2020. This corresponds to the energy needs of over 340 four-person households.
• Over 90 million kilograms of carbon emissions were saved between 2010 and 2020.

Clearly structured

The “WIN-Charta” sustainability management system of the state of Baden-Württemberg is used as a basis when gathering data for the Sustainability Report. This “Charta” consists of twelve statements that address, among other topics, human and labour rights, employee well-being, resources, energy and emissions, product responsibility, and anti-corruption. Another key factor is the added value that a company like Arburg can create for a region.

#sustinability #green #win-charta #aurburg 

Beaulieu Fibres International offering efficiency solutions for the filtration industry at Filtech 2022

Beaulieu Fibres International is heading to Filtech set on fostering collaborative product development to address the industry’s increasing clean air and energy management priorities. The leading European polyolefin and BICO fibre supplier is exhibiting at Europe’s largest filtration event for the first time (Hall 7 Stand R12).

“The market is constantly looking for new solutions that help to improve air quality and increase the quality of food and industrial liquids, in an energy-efficient way. Improving filter efficiency with a low-pressure drop is a key challenge in this constant process of setting new standards, and we are very excited about the capabilities of our polypropylene fibres to bring innovation to this area. It’s a big focus for our R& D teams,” comments Jefrem Jennard, Sales Director Industrial Fibres, Beaulieu Fibres International.

“Close collaboration and co-development are so important for quickly and effectively targeting emerging needs. Filtech will provide an excellent platform for kick-starting conversations with visitors and exploring possibilities to benefit a whole host of applications.”

Beaulieu Fibres International offers an extensive range of mono-component and bi-component polypropylene (PP) fibres for air and liquid filtration. The company continues to develop and grow the market for food contact filtration and is committed to extending its fibres’ potential to improve filtration efficiency in air filtration markets.

Its wide variety of fibre diameters, tenacities, textures, bulk, and surface areas, create unique opportunities for manufacturers to further push filtration efficiency without compromising on pressure drop. This results in filter media delivering improved air quality in the case of HVAC systems or automotive cabin air filters and increased particle retention in the food processing industry.

PP is particularly relevant to the heightened focus on clean air, as it is chemically inert, resistant to microbial attack. It does not take on humidity and allows static charging. BFI’s latest Ultrabond fibre, allows the design of fully recyclable single polymer filter media, with improved bonding and stiffness properties.

#efficientsolution #Filtech2022 #industrialfibres 

Perstorp strengthens the portfolio with Isononanoic Acid

Specialty chemicals innovator Perstorp expands its value proposition for its selected segments Engineered Fluids and Resins & Coatings with the addition of Isononanoic Acid to the portfolio.

Isononanoic Acid is a critical carboxylic acid used in polyol ester synthetic lubricants, as a corrosion inhibitor in coolants, and also in alkyd resins and paint driers. With this new launch, Perstorp will provide additional supply, especially for applications where Isononanoic Acid contributes with unique and critical properties. Highlighted benefits are consistently high quality and purity for advanced performance formulation. Its unique branched structure provides both stability and compatibility with today’s and next-generation refrigeration gases.

“The introduction of Isononanoic Acid is a natural step for us to provide a complete portfolio of high-quality building blocks to our engineered fluids as well as resins and coatings customers. During the pre-marketing trials done by customers, the high quality and the minimal alterations to formulations have been confirmed. We are happy to expand our position further to be able to serve a strong demand from the market”, says Patrice Pinsard, Executive Vice President Strategic Markets & Innovation.

Volkan Goren, Vice President of Engineered Fluids explains, “Isononanoic Acid has proven to pave the way for next-generation lubricants compatible with non-ozone depleting and low to no global warming potential refrigerant gases. Together with other essential polyols and carboxylic acids, Perstorp offers a complete portfolio to support the cooling industry continuously moving forward to sustainability.’’

Production will start in March 2022 at the Perstorp site in Stenungsund, Sweden. Isononanoic Acid is available through Perstorpdirect sales globally.

#Isononanic acid #perstorp #highperformanceformulation #minimumalteration 

www.perstorp.com

SERIES 725 CO-EXTRUSION CROSSHEAD FROM GUILL TOOL

Guill Tool introduces Series 725, a co-extrusion crosshead design for tray cable. With all stainless steel construction, Series 725 offers machine builders and end-users many advantages, including the patented Guill Seal Right system of self-aligning tapered deflector and body design.

Series 725 was developed by Guill engineering, in partnership with a customer, to convert a production line from a Tandem line with two heads a distance apart into a co-extrusion line with a single head applying both layers of PVC in a single operation. The efficiency and improved profit potential from such a configuration is substantial, according to Guill sources.

Other end-user benefits of this new co-extrusion crosshead include a considerably shorter changeover time (one head is better than two, in this case), less scrap with a single head setup, improved product quality from the increased adhesion between layers, as melt adheres to melt rather than extrudate, plus the inner layer is not exposed to the environment, allowing contaminates between the layers.

Additional features of this new crosshead include multi-port spiral flow, easy disassembly, and restart, positive seals for leak elimination, adaptable to all extruder brands, max. thru-core of 1.750” and max. Die ID of 2.000”, the first layer fixed and second adjustable, the patented Guill Feather Touch concentricity adjustment, vacuum port, and the ability to accept two extruders from the same side via the heated manifold assembly. Series 725 is furnished with a tool kit and a detailed operator’s instruction manual.

#series725 #co-extrusion #guilleningeering #extrudate 

www.guill.com

TPEs ENHANCE COMFORT IN OPTICAL APPLICATIONS

In today’s fast-paced, digital world, electronic devices are dominating our work, play, and daily habits as we seek speed, accuracy, and convenience when performing tasks such as online buying, trading, or banking.

 While everything can be done with the tap of a finger, the extra screen time spent on electronic devices can be detrimental to eye health. It is not surprising that because of excessive and sustained use of such devices, ocular disorders are becoming more common, necessitating corrective vision care and the use of optical aids to improve vision.

Meanwhile, innovations in the development and manufacturing of optical devices have resulted in the use of advanced engineering materials such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for their build, enabling market-required features such as lightweight, comfort, and safety.

KRAIBURG TPE, a global thermoplastic elastomer manufacturer with a broad range of products and custom solutions for a range of industries, offers the THERMOLAST K series of TPE compounds for optical equipment applications.

TPEs add clarity to optical devices  

KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST K FC/AD/PA compounds meet the performance and design standards for optical devices, including grips and handles applications on reading glasses, magnifying glasses, hand-held mirrors, and scanning devices.

The FC/AD/PA series complies with food-contact regulations, including Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 and US FDA CFR 21, allowing for safety of use.

Furthermore, the compounds have excellent adhesion to nylons such as PA6, PA6.6 (up to 50% glass fiber content), and PA12, providing design flexibility in multi-component injection molding. 

Due to the excellent abrasion resistance feature, which enhances the materials’ durability, the compounds are suitable for use on handles and grips of optical devices such as hand-held mirrors, magnifying glasses, and scanning devices.

Outstanding features of compounds

In the THERMOLAST K series are the VS/AD/HM compounds. With properties such as a velvety surface and wear, scratch and abrasion resistance as well as resistance to chemicals, sebum, and oils, the TPE compounds are ideal for a variety of applications, such as nose pads and temple tips of reading glasses and safety goggles.

Also, the high-quality, custom-engineered TPE compounds adhere well to polar thermoplastics such as PA6, PA12, PC, ABS, PC/ABS, ASA, and SAN, allowing for a multitude of design options. Overall, KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST K series is a good choice for products that need to have an aesthetic appeal since it can be pre-colored according to customer requests.

#Opticalapplications #thermolast #electronicdevice #manufacturing