JURGEN ARTNER APPOINTED AS BOREALIS OPERATIONS MANAGER POLYOLEFINS & LOCATION LEADER SCHWECHAT, MONZA, AND WILDON

Borealis announces the appointment of Jürgen Artner (51) as Operations Manager Polyolefins and Location Leader for Borealis in Schwechat (Austria), Monza (Italy), and Wildon (Austria), effective 1 February 2022. He succeeds Rudolf Sukal, who will retire mid-year.

Jurgen Artner joined Borealis in 2000 and has held various positions since then, including Maintenance Engineer, Head of the Engineering Department, and Production Manager of the Borstar plant in Schwechat. Most recently, he has held the position of Performance Manager responsible for Borealis’ polyethylene plants across Europe.

Jurgen Artner holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical/Process Engineering from the Technical University in Vienna. He is an Austrian citizen, married, and the father of two children.

“I am delighted that Jürgen Artner, who is engaged and experienced in the areas of production, maintenance, and technology, will take responsibility for our Polyolefin Operations in these three locations, as well as the Location Leader’s role,” comments Borealis Vice President Operations Polyolefins, Bob Wullaert.

“At the same time, I would like to thank Rudolf Sukal for his outstanding contribution and commitment to Borealis. He has brought our production facilities to a high level of performance and, more importantly, achieved excellence in safety over the years in Schwechat, Monza, and Wildon.”

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Polymers colour laboratory receives certification from Renault design department

Pre-coloured materials have many advantages in contrast to masterbatch solutions for self-coloring, such as colour stability, colour differences between batches, and risk reduction. ELIX has extensive expertise in developing colours based on OEM requirements, including colours and gloss targets using different surface textures. The ELIX laboratory has several tools, for instance, twin-screw extruders, molds with automotive OEM textures, colorimeters, light cabins, and a Xenotest weathering chamber.

Recently, the ELIX colour laboratory in Tarragona was certified by the Renault design department, which means that ELIX can self-validate new or existing colours with new materials according to Renault specifications and colour approval procedures, instead of requiring an accredited third-party laboratory.

Renault and ELIX have been working together for many years and several products from ELIX were approved in the latest Thermoplastics Renault Materials Panel (PMR). ELIX Polymers also offers Renault technical support at their Tiers where ABS is used for different applications, such as interior trim parts or chrome-plated exterior front grills.

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Omnix ReCycle HPPA demonstrates lower water absorption, improved flowability, and best-in-class surface aspect vs. virgin high-performance polyamides

“As Solvay’s first-ever recycled-based HPPA with 50% glass fiber reinforcement, Omnix  ReCycle is a real
breakthrough in the market of polyamides for household appliances,” says Claire Guerrero, Global Marketing
Manager for Packaging Segment and Sustainability at Solvay. “It combines the outstanding mechanical
properties of virgin semi-aromatic HPPA with better flow, lower water pickup, and best-in-class surface aspect.

In addition, its unique performance and sustainability profile offers an attractive material solution for brand
owners and manufacturers who seek to increase the recycled content in their products without compromising
dimensional stability, high stiffness, impact resistance, and processability.”

The recycled content of Omnix  ReCycle saves resources and results in a significantly lower carbon footprint
compared to virgin HPPA, thus showing a 30% lower global warming potential (GWP). At the same time, it has
an ideal fit for replacing lower-performing polyamides (PA) as well as metals.

In household appliances, for instance, it delivers higher durability than provided by standard PA6 or PA66
polymers. This helps OEMs reduce breakage and damage returns while meeting the growing awareness of
consumers for longevity and lower environmental impact in their product choices.

With its excellent surface appearance, the new recycled-based HPPA can also eliminate the need for painting, which adds to its overall sustainable benefits and facilitates the end-of-life recyclability of applications in an increasingly circular plastics economy. Another target is wearing and tear resistance for lightweight interior components in transportation and automotive.

Solvay’s Omnix  ReCycle can be processed on standard injection molding equipment, including the use of
water-heated molds. Following the successful sampling and approval by selected customers, the new
sustainable HPPA material is commercially available, worldwide.

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GUALAPACK AND ELLA’S KITCHEN COLLABORATE TO LAUNCH BABY FOOD CAP MADE WITH ADVANCED RECYCLED PLASTICS

The recycled content for the cap is created using certified circular polymers from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE 
portfolio and comes from recycled plastics from post-consumer waste that would otherwise typically be
destined for incineration or landfill.

SABIC’s resins are then used by Gualapack, the market leader of spouted pouches in the baby food segment and supplier to Ella’s Kitchen, to produce the cap. Ella’s Kitchen will become the first company in the baby food category to use certified circular polymers from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio.

Abdullah Al-Otaibi, ETP; Market Solution General Manager at SABIC, said: “, we are committed to
creating sustainable, innovative solutions for our customers which have been produced in a way that optimize
our planet’s natural resources and create value out of post-consumer plastics. Using advanced recycling
technology we produce materials for high-quality, food-grade packaging which can be upcycled over and over
again. This new collaboration with Ella’s Kitchen is beneficial to the eco-system of food packaging, and is
another significant step towards a circular economy for used plastics.”

The new collaboration forms part of Ella’s Kitchen’s wider packaging commitments to lower the environmental
impact of its packaging and to make all of its packaging widely recyclable by 2024.
Chris Jenkins, Who Runs The Good Stuff We Do (Sustainability + Corporate Communications) at Ella’s Kitchen,
said: “Protecting the planet for future generations is a top priority for us at Ella’s Kitchen. That’s why we are
proud to partner with SABIC to work on innovative ways how we can lower the environmental footprint of
our packaging by introducing recycled content.

We understand that this will not solve the recyclability question of our packaging, but hope it will demonstrate our continued commitment to creating change and the opportunity chemical recycling can play to create food contact recycled content for packaging. We hope that industry continues to focus and invest in advanced recycling to increase the availability of the material which is what is really needed to unlock lasting change.”

Stefano Manfredi, Global Sales and Marketing Director at Gualapack, said: “We are delighted to be part of this
innovative journey together with our customer and supplier as we have the ambition to offer the largest
portfolio of sustainable solutions.”

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Cosmo Films continues its profit expansion journey with 65% PAT growth

 Cosmo Films Limited, a Global Leader in Films for Packaging, Labelling, Lamination and Synthetic Paper and an emerging player in Specialty Chemicals, Polymers & Pet care today declared its financial results for the quarter ended December 2021.

Q3FY22 EBITDA has increased by 44% (vs. corresponding quarter) on the back of higher speciality sales, better operating margins and improved performance by subsidiaries. Enhanced EBITDA together with lower finance cost and lower effective tax rate led to increase in PAT by 65%.

Increase in EPS was still higher at 75% due to impact of buyback of shares in December 2020. The Board of Directors has declared second interim dividend of Rs.10 per equity share for the FY22. Together with first interim dividend, total dividend for FY22 would add up to Rs.35 per equity share compared to Rs.25 for FY21.

During the quarter, the Company has received sanction under Production linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for production of speciality films for use in electronic products. The incentive under the scheme will be for five years on 100% production of the new plant.

Commenting on Company’s performance Mr. Pankaj Poddar, Group CEO, Cosmo Films Ltd. said “In coming years, the Company’s growth will be driven by Specialized Polyester line (commissioning in FY 23) and new BOPP line (commissioning in FY25), continuing focus onspecialty sales and diversification into specialty chemicals & Pet care business (under Zigly brand).

Zigly’s pilot launch has delivered better than the forecast and the Company looks forward to rolling out its digital first Omni channel business model. Textile Chemicals business which started commercial production in Q2 FY22 has taken off well.

Within the first three months the Company has commercialized 40+ products and has started supplies to 40+ customers. The Company continues to conduct extensive trials with the customers and expects to add newer products and customers in the coming months.

The Company has also published its first report on sustainability and ESG initiatives on its website. The Company continues to work on several sustainability projects which shall further create favourable environment impact besides cost optimization.”

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Small and flexible: alpha plus extruders for roller blind producer

The French company SPPF based in Cholet Cedex produces 350,000 roller blind boxes and roller blinds per year and is thus known as a specialist in standard and customized PVC system solutions for windows. To extend its production capacity, battenfeld-cincinnati Austria GmbH from Vienna recently delivered a total of three alpha plus extruders with 60 mm diameter to the profile manufacturer. The customer is enthusiastic about this new version of the standard extruder model with BCtouch UX compact control.

20 years ago, battenfeld-cincinnati launched alpha, a product line with a completely new concept: a compact, standardized extruder series to make small technical profiles and pipes available at an attractive price without delivery times.

The sales success of this article has continued unabated ever since. The extruder specialist responded by adding the alpha plus to the range at the K 2019. Technically speaking, it is still the familiar high-tech plug & play extruder model, but this time plus the new BCtouch UX compact control system.

“With its easy, intuitive operation, this control system facilitates daily production work for our machine operators”, says Guillaume Le Roc’h, Production Manager at SPPF. Similar to its large sister, the BCtouch UX control system already long-established in the market, this new control system scores by its clear display of all required features on a 12” screen.

Pop-ups for settings and data input allow operation almost without any previous knowledge. A highly sensitive temperature monitoring facility is also integrated in this compact control system, which is of special advantage where thermally sensitive materials are processed.

Alpha extruders are available in sizes of 45, 60 and 75 mm as basic models, as well as with finely or coarsely grooved feed zones according to customers’ choice. They are equipped with a Knödler drive system as standard and come with an extremely compact design thanks to a highly sophisticated substructure.

SPPF chose the 60 mm version with a smooth feed zone and is very pleased with the new extruders. Guillaume Le Roc’h comments: “The extruders show high-quality workmanship and are consequently very reliable. Thanks to their compact footprint, they are also suitable for flexible use, which is very important in view of our extensive product portfolio.”

Of course, the sales price was also an important sales argument for the roller blind manufacturer. After all, the very combination of the extruders’ technical features with attractive pricing continues to win customers worldwide. More than 1,300 alpha extruders have been sold, 30 of which are plus models.

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MEDACCRED VIRTUAL AUDITOR TRAINING HELPS OVERCOME CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL COVID TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

MEDACCRED has adapted its approach to training its auditors in response to the global pandemic-related travel restrictions.

To address the physical restrictions imposed by limited-entry national borders due to COVID, MedAccred is training some of its new auditors virtually via livestream video while the lead auditor trainer conducts an in-person audit from the factory floor.

In their first training audit, auditor trainees virtually observe a lead auditor conduct an in-person audit at a manufacturing facility. The trainee then performs the next two in-person manufacturing process audits while
being observed virtually by a lead auditor.

The primary method for auditor training continues to be in-person training within manufacturing facilities, but this new virtual training enables MedAccred to develop a strong regional capability in areas that continue to have travel restrictions in place.

This innovative training approach ensures continuity of auditing procedures and uninterrupted critical oversight across supply chains in the medical device industry during a period of disruption for global manufacturing as a whole.

Trademark Plastics in Riverside, California, was the first MedAccred Plastics Injection Molding accredited company to volunteer to host the virtual auditor training for new MedAccred auditors located in China and India.

Bryan Barrera, Chief Operating Officer for Trademark Plastics, said:
“Trademark Plastics Inc. has been honored to assist with virtually training new auditors for the MedAccred program. We’re proud to contribute to the global standardization of medical device manufacturing which will result in overall enhanced quality and patient safety. It’s more important now, during this pandemic, to maintain our focus on high standards throughout the industry.”

Connie Conboy, Director for MedAccred, said:
“During this period of disruption, it’s critically important for the MedAccred program to provide continuity of supply-chain oversight to our OEMs all over the world This ensures they can maintain the highest quality standards throughout the duration of the pandemic and beyond. We have pivoted to provide that critical global oversight, in spite of travel restrictions and closed borders, which will ultimately result in enhanced safety for patients.”

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Floreon signs UK compounding agreement with Hubron

Floreon is pleased to have signed a license agreement with one of the world’s leading suppliers of black masterbatch, Hubron (International). As a licensed compounding partner in the UK, Hubron has access to Floreon’s high-performance, durable, and flame retardant bioplastic materials, as well as compostable grades for horticulture and food packaging.

With over 85% of masterbatch production exported through a worldwide network of distribution partners, Hubron is an ideal partner to export Floreon grade bioplastics internationally.

“Hebron will provide us with technical support and technical staff to assist in customer trials. Collaboration is incredibly important to us, especially when our values, such as UK-based production, are so aligned, and we look forward to seeing this UK license agreement flourish.

” Floreon Technical Director, Andrew Gill.

Floreon is a high-performance, plant-based plastic, derived from crops such as corn and sugar cane, making it a renewable alternative to oil-based plastics. With over 12 years in development, Floreon now produces a variation of bioplastic grades that offer up to seven times improved carbon footprint to ABS-based plastics.

“There is a huge opportunity to utilize Floreon’s technology and grades of bioplastic to enhance our sustainable offerings. Our global network seeks out innovative sustainable and end of life solutions, which makes our partnership with Floreon an exciting prospect.”

Fergus McKendrick, sales director at Hubron.

https://www.floreon.com

Toray Creates Negative Photosensitive Polyimide Material that Could Drive Ultrafast Communications

Toray developed a negative photosensitive polyimide material that is 100 micrometers thick and can fabricate vias (glossary note 2) with 10-micrometer diameters. The company achieved this by leveraging the functional polyimide design technology it has amassed over the years to enhance light transmittance and control photoreactions.

Toray additionally made it possible to cut thermal stress to less than half that of regular polyimide materials and thus reduce warping by controlling polyimide resin cross-linking density from photoreactions during exposure and lowering curing shrinkage.

This material should make it possible to miniaturize electronic components and semiconductor package wiring and enhance reliability. Toray is shipping prototypes with a view to commercializing the material as a varnish and sheet.

The company aims to augment its lineup with grades with low thermal expansion coefficients and dielectric levels and small dielectric losses, offering them for semiconductor devices and electronic components that can drive ultrafast communication technologies.

Toray plans to deliver a presentation on its breakthrough at Wafer Level Package Symposium 2022, which starts on February 15, 2022.

Toray will continue leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to research and develop advanced materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.

A new graphene nanotube product for thermoplastics allows automakers to increase cost efficiency

Painting of exterior automotive parts, such as fenders, bumpers, tanks flaps, grilles, mirror housing, exterior trims, and rear quarter panels, is complicated by the necessity of separate operation lines for metallic and polymer components, as plastics are insulative, which makes in-line electrostatic spray painting impossible. This leads to additional expenses and slows down the whole painting process. To overcome this, manufacturers of automotive parts should wisely choose temperature-stable thermoplastic grades and modify these systems with electrically conductive additives. The most widespread is carbon black. However, because of their high working dosage required, car end parts with additives demonstrate worsened mechanical properties and processing challenges.

Ocsial, the world’s largest manufacturer of single-wall carbon nanotubes, also known as graphene nanotubes, has launched the new easy-to-use TUBALL MATRIX 822 graphene nanotube concentrate specifically designed for PA, filled PPS, ABS, TPU, and PC compounds for injection molding.

Introducing these nanotubes creates a permanent and homogeneous electrical conductivity without “hot spots” in the range of 10^5–10^9 Ω·cm, while retaining the original key mechanical properties, such as durability and strength, and minimally impacting the host polymer matrix. Furthermore, a low working dosage of 0.1-0.3 wt.% of graphene nanotubes demonstrates only a limited effect on rheological properties and processability.

Graphene nanotube concentrate now enables in-line e-painting of plastic exterior parts together with metal components using electrophoresis, where previously, separate production lines were required. Manufacturers of polymer injection molded parts for automotive, industrial, construction, mining, and other applications now have the opportunity to reduce production costs and the number of rejected final parts without changing standard operating processes by using high-performance graphene nanotubes.

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