PRA September Issue

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A S l A ’ S L E A D l N G m aga z l ne f o r t h e p las t l c s and r u b b e r l nd u s t r y

In this issue

Volume 33, No 240

publlshed slnce 1985

A S l A’ S L E A D l N G m aga z l ne f o r the plastlcs and rubber lndustry

Features 焦 點 內 容 13 汽車工業: 消費後回收的材料與汽車環環相扣 16 Cover Feature – In compounding processes, individual concepts are needed and should ensure a high degree of flexibility and reliability for low to high rates of output, according to Karl-Heinz Bußbach, Global Business Director AZO Poly, in this article

20 Country Focus – Sustaining a stellar economic growth, Indonesia is a hot spot for market opportunities; it is against this backdrop that the INDOPLAS, INDOPACK (incorporating INDOPROCESS) and INDOPRINT event will be held from 19-22 September 2018 at JI Expo, Jakarta

23 Additives – New products and capacity expansions are driving the growth of the additives market in the global market

26 Thermoforming – The thermoforming machinery sector is on a roll with new developments from WM Thermoforming, Gabler Thermoform, OMG, GN Thermforming, and Kiefel

Regulars 概 要 6 Materials News 10 業界新聞

With a focus to creating a waste-free ecosystem, the automotive sector is using more recycled content in vehicles The food and beverage industry is playing a key role in reducing the carbon footprint by using more recycled content in packaging and increasing material recyclability The rubber industry is promoting equitable rubber sourcing to build up a sustainable supply chain

A S l A’ S L E A D l N G M A G A Z l N E F O R THE PLASTlCS AND RUBBER lNDUSTRY

Senior Editor Angelica Buan Email: gel@plasticsandrubberasia.com Staff Writer Brittany Fernandez Email: brittany@taramedia.com.my Chinese Editor Koh Bee Ling Circulation Stephanie Yuen Email: stephanie@taramedia.com.my

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On the Cover Auxiliary and materials handling equipment supplier Azo’s compounding plants are designed to invoke a bespoke solution for each specific client

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SEPTEMBER 2018

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Industry News

M&As • Germanybased materials manufacturer Covestro has sold its Polycarbonates (PCS) sheets business in Sheffield (US) to Acrylics sheets manufacturer Plaskolite. The latter will continue operations at the facility, which generated sales of about US$170 million in 2017. Covestro has also sold its sheets business in India, and is transferring its production in Guangzhou, China, into a speciality films site.

• Coveris Group has finalised its sale of its rigid packaging business to Lindsay Goldberg, a private equity investor.

Coveris Rigid with a turnover of EUR560 million is a supplier of packaging solutions with 18 manufacturing sites and 3.500 employees in Europe and the US. • Packaging company AptarGroup Inc is to acquire CSP Technologies, which is involved in active packaging technology based on proprietary material science expertise, for US$555 million.

• US-based integrated producer of nylon 6.6 resin Ascend Performance Materials is to purchase

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Britannia Techno Polymer (BTP), an engineering plastics compounder based in the Netherlands.

• Thai chemicals firm PTT Global Chemical is to acquire a 74% stake in Siam Mitsui PTA Co, a producer of PTA, and a 74% share in Thai PET Resin Co, a producer of PET resin, from SCG Chemicals and Mitsui Chemicals for US$125 million.

• US-headquartered engineering material solutions provider Rogers Corporation has acquired Griswold LLC, a manufacturer of custom-engineered cellular elastomer and PU. • US-based private investment firm Graham Partners has acquired Nuconic Packaging, a supplier of thermoformed PET packaging serving the food market.

This investment was completed less than a year after the acquisitions of TrayPak Corporation and EasyPak. • Swedish sealing specialist Trelleborg has acquired Sil-Pro, a US-based privately owned contract manufacturer of hightolerance silicone and thermoplastic components that also offers assembly for medical devices.

The acquisition complements and broadens Trelleborg’s

current offerings in the healthcare & medical industry.

• Materials company LyondellBasell has completed the acquisition of A. Schulman, a US-based supplier of plastic compounds, composites and powders, for US$2.25 billion creating what is said to be the world’s largest compounding business. The acquisition more than doubles LyondellBasell's existing compounding business and broadens the company's reach into growing markets such as automotive, construction materials, electronic goods and packaging.

• Taghleef Industries (Ti) is to acquire Biofilm, a Latin American producer of BOPP films for flexible packaging, labels and industrial applications.

Biofilm is jointly owned by Valorem SA and Lisa Holdings.

The acquisition will raise Ti’s production capacity to more than 500,000 tonnes/year.

• German packaging companies Anton Debatin and Riba have established a new joint enterprise, Deriba Group, with sales of more than EUR100 million.

Deriba Group further integrates Debatin SARL in France; and in Germany: pfc premium film

company, HVB Hoch-VakuumBeschichtungs and Berec.

• Japanese firm Teijin Limited has acquired Inapal Plasticos SA, an automotive composite supplier in Portugal. Inapal has two manufacturing locations in Portugal serving a variety of European OEM customers including Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Bentley.

• Swiss speciality chemicals company Sika is to acquire Polypag, a Swiss manufacturer and developer of PU foam systems, from its parent company FLM Group.

• AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals has acquired Brazilian firm Polinox, a South American producer of ketone peroxides, essential in the manufacture of polymers. The acquisition will expand the company's footprint in South America, and establish it as one of the region's leading producers of curing systems for polyester thermoset resins.

• Germany’s Evonik Industries and Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of GCL-Poly Energy

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Industry News

Holdings (GCL-Poly), have established a joint venture for the production of fumed silica and ultra-pure silicon tetrachloride in China. Evonik will hold a 60% share in the joint venture. The plant, with a capacity of over 20,000 tonnes/ year, will be built in Xuzhou.

• Australian packaging giant Amcor is buying US rival Bemis Company in a US$5.25 billion all-stock deal to expand its sales of plastic packaging in North America and Brazil. It is the company’s biggest acquisition ever,

adding US$4.1 billion to company revenue.

The acquisition is expected to broaden Amcor’s global flexible packaging footprint across key geographies, with sales of some US$3.5 billion from around 30 emerging markets.

• Rio de Janeiro-based Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) is mulling not to sell its shares in Brazilian petrochemicals firm Braskem, and could even double its stake in the company it views as a natural hedge for oil prices. Petrobras is reassessing its

petrochemicals strategy after having placed its US$1.1 billion stake in Braskem up for sale in 2016 as part of a divestment plan. Meanwhile, construction group Odebrecht SA, which controls Braskem, and is a partner with Petrobras in the firm, is in talks to sell its shares to LyondellBasell.

• Chinese automotive parts supplier Jiye Auto Parts has acquired a majority share in German parts manufacturer Grammer. Jiye Auto Parts, a company

Plant Expansions/Plant Set-ups • Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), a Teijin Group company, and North America’s largest compounder of sheet moulding compound (SMC), says it will be investing EUR5.1 million in an SMC line at its facility in Pouance, France, to support the need for composite formulations in Europe.

• Qingdao Jinneng New Material Co will be utilising LyondellBasell’s PP fifth generation Spheripol technology for a 450-kilotonne/ year unit to be constructed at its petrochemical complex in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China.

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• US-based masterbatch supplier Americhem is expanding its operations at its China plant – its second in three years for the facility located in Suzhou Industrial Park, with a new extrusion line, which features a fully automated underwater pelletiser that allows the processing of soft materials like TPE and TPU. • US-based integrated producer of chemical intermediates Invista has begun work to bring its latest adiponitrile (ADN) technology to China to satisfy the strong, local demand for the nylon 6.6 intermediate chemical. Engineering for a minimum

300,000-tonne plant is underway at an estimated investment in excess of US$1 billion. Construction is targeted for 2020 and production will begin in 2023.

• Shintech Inc, a US subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co, will construct a new integrated plant in Plaquemine to produce PVC from salt, with an investment of US$1.5 billion. The new plant can produce 860,000 tonnes/year of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and 660,000 tonnes/year of caustic soda. The first phase, which has commenced construction, will increase production

associated with Chinese automotive supplier Ningbo Jifeng and Grammer’s strategic partner, will raise its stake in Grammer to around 74%.

• Luxembourg-based flexible foams and insulation supplier Armacell has acquired Guarto SRL, an Italian manufacturer of acoustic insulation solutions, and Guangdong De Xu Insulation Materials, the producer of Sinoflex flexible elastomeric insulation foams in China. Terms for both purchases were not disclosed. capacity by 290,000 tonnes/year of PVC and 270,000 tonnes/ year of caustic soda.

• Perstorp has made significant progress in ‘future-proofing’ its Capa caprolactone monomer plant in Warrington, UK, with future debottlenecking to support market growth. Perstorp is building in the capability for the plant to run with a higher capacity, which allows for increased production volumes in the future. In addition, Perstorp is now starting to debottleneck its Capa derivatives production units at Warrington.

• Socar Polymer, the first publicprivate partnership

INDUSTRY NEWS in Azerbaijan's oil and gas sector, has completed the construction of the first part of its PP plant in Azerbaijan.

Initial production capacity of the project will be 184,000 tonnes/ year. Starting from 2019, the plant will produce PP. • German chemicals company BASF is expanding capacity of its integrated ethylene oxide (EtO) complex at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium.

The project includes capacity expansions for EtO and for several downstream derivatives, such as surfactants. BASF, the largest producer of EtO derivatives operates EtO plants in Antwerp and Ludwigshafen with a

combined capacity of 845,000 tonnes/year.

• Toyo Engineering Corporation has been awarded offshore engineering and procurement services (EPC) of the olefin expansion project

by Map Ta Phut Olefins Co (MOC), a joint venture of SCG Chemicals and Dow Chemical. This project intends to increase the olefin production capacity of the existing plant by 350,000 tonnes from current capacity of 1,700,000 tonnes (900,000 tonnes of ethylene and 800,000 tonnes of propylene). The plant is to be constructed adjacent to MOC’s existing olefin plant in Map Ta Phut, Rayong, Thailand, and scheduled for completion in 2021.

• LyondellBasell has officially broken ground on what will be the largest propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant ever built. The project, to be built at LyondellBasell’s Channelview Complex in Houston, Texas, is estimated to cost US$2.4 billion, representing the single-largest capital investment in the company's history. Once in operation, the plant will produce 470,000 tonnes/year of PO and 1 million tonnes/ year of TBA. Startup of the plant is planned for 2021.

• Mitsui Elastomers Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals, is set to raise its production capacity

for Tafmer highperformance elastomers, a resin modifier and soft moulding material, from 200,000 to 225,000 tonnes/ year by 2020, at its plant in Jurong Island. Both flexible and lightweight, the elastomer series sees use in a wide range of applications, including automotive materials, packaging materials, solar battery encapsulants, engineering plastic modifiers and sports shoe midsoles.

Meanwhile, in other news, Mitsui has opened a PU system house in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh at Mitsui Chemicals & SKC Polyurethanes Co. (a 50:50 joint venture of Mitsui Chemicals and SKC Co).

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Materials News

Powering up with plastics Plastics are still worthy materials: given the investments in the production of biobased/natural material-based alternatives and research on keeping the environment safe with plastics that degrade in the oceans; as well as using end-of-life plastics for fuel.

Biobased polymers capacities on the uptrend The production capacities of biobased polymers continue to grow at around 3 to 4% a year, i.e. at about the same rate as oil-based polymers. Therefore, the market share of biobased polymers in the total polymer market remains constant at around 2%, according to a report titled “Biobased Building Blocks and Polymers – Global Capacities and Trends 2017-2022, by Nova Institut.

Along this line, Italy’s Bio-On has inaugurated in Italy the first bioplastics plant built with an investment of EUR20 million. Located in the production hub known as Castel San Pietro Terme, near Bologna, the facility will produce various types of special biopolymers, particularly Minerv Bio Cosmetics, a biodegradable PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates) bioplastic designed to replace harmful microbeads in today's cosmetics. Current production capacity is 1,000 tonnes/year, with plans to double it in the future.

Bio-On has started up its first plant and expects to produce this year, about 150 tonnes of PHA bioplastic for the cosmetics industry

The new plant is also the headquarters of CNS division laboratories (Cosmetic, Nanomedicine & Smart Materials), employing over 20 researchers who are conducting tests on new carbon sources from agricultural waste to produce new types of biodegradable bioplastic and increase the range of technologies offered by Bio-On. Natural materials for producing plastics Research is also undergoing on tapping the potential of natural materials to produce environmental-friendly plastic. This includes crab shells and tree fibres, utilised by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The derived material has the potential to replace the flexible plastic packaging. Work on the new material, recently published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, entails spraying multiple layers of chitin from crab shells and cellulose from trees to form a flexible film similar to plastic packaging film.

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Georgia Technology has developed a film packaging material made from crab shell-sourced chitin and cellulose sourced from tree fibres

The researchers explained that the main benchmark that they compare it to is PET. “Our material showed up to a 67% reduction in oxygen permeability over some forms of PET, which means it could in theory keep foods fresher longer,” they said.

The team had been looking into chitin’s potential for use in food packaging. Since chitin nanofibres are positively charged, and the cellulose nanocrystals are negatively charged, they might work well as alternating layers in coatings because they would form a nice interface between them, he said. The film’s crystalline structure provides good oxygen barrier, which if used in packaging, may help retain freshness of food. Development on the material is ongoing to make it suitable for flexible packaging application and commercially feasible.

Meanwhile, also on cellulose fibres, research and technology company VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) has developed a 100% recyclable foamformed material as an alternative to EPS. The material is based on 100% renewable material – wood pulp – and can be recycled in the same way as cardboard. The packaging and cushioning material can also be burned or composted like paper.

In addition to being eco-friendly, the foam-forming technology allows short and long fibres to be combined to improve the mechanical performance of the foam, providing better protection. What's more, cellulose fibres

VTT has developed a 100% recyclable foam-formed material as an alternative to EPS

Materials News can be combined with polymer or biopolymer fibres for greater versatility. Foam-formed cellulose-based materials also look like a paper product. And though it is still costly, VTT says that once cellulose-based foam production is up-scaled and becomes mainstream, it expects the price to be reasonable and lower than PLA, another alternative for EPS.

It says that tests performed by Eden Research Laboratory have now shown 97% biodegradation of a GP/PBAT film in ocean water within a year, according to ASTM-D6691 standards for marine biodegradability. The key to this new plastic compound is BioLogiQ's NuPlastiQ GP General Purpose BioPolymer. GP is a 100% natural, renewably-resourced, plant-based resin that has been

Care for marine life To solve the global waste problem with the spill-over in oceans, VTT is developing microbes that degrade plastic as part of a project called PlastBug. The aim is to develop a small, container-based factory that can be placed in an area where centralised plastic waste collecting or recycling is not possible or feasible. The container can be located on a beach or ship. The factory unit would get most its energy needed for the process from solar energy and wind power.

VTT’s PlastBug project involves developing microbes that degrade plastic as a solution to the marine plastic waste problem

This year, researchers in the PlastBug project have been searching microbes that are capable of degrading different kind of plastics (PE, PP, PS or PET) and developed methods for the pre-treatment of plastics.

Researchers are currently using a threestage screening method to screen microbes from different sources.

A complete process is being engineered around the fermenting unit containing microbes – a small plant in which plastic is modified from waste to products. The aim is that the pilot unit will operate on the Baltic Sea in 2021, but funding still needs to be secured for the realisation of this plan.

If the process can be made to work effectively enough, the PlastBug units can progress to commercial production and operate in different locations around the world.

Meanwhile, working along the lines of plastics that degrade in the ocean, BioLogiQ Inc, a US manufacturer of biobased and compostable thermoplastic resins derived from potato starch, has created a blend of its NuPlastiQ GP grade with PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate), called NuPlastiQ MB BioPolymer.

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Materials News

certified by TUV Austria to marine biodegrade in 28 days.

PBAT, though, does not have the same certification and the the firm says it plans to work with industry and governments to develop new standards for marine degradation.

Along the lines of using PBAT resin, researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) have done a study to demonstrate that soil microorganisms metabolically utilised the carbon in the PBAT polymer both for energy production and also to build up microbial biomass. The researchers used the biodegradable polymer PBAT labelled with a carbon isotope that enabled scientists to track the polymer-derived carbon along different biodegradation pathways in soil. It showed that the carbon from PBAT was not only converted into carbon dioxide as a result of microbial respiration but also incorporated into the biomass of microorganisms colonising the polymer surface. The researchers are the first to successfully demonstrate where the carbon of a polymer ends up and that a plastic material is effectively biodegrading in soils.

Thus, with this study, two concerns that are constantly being raised about biodegradable plastics have been rebutted – the doubt that microorganisms fully metabolise certified biodegradable plastics and the concern that the oilbased part of the polymer will not biodegrade completely.

Turning plastic waste into fuel Renewable diesel producer Neste, UK-based chemical recycling company ReNew ELP, and Australian technology developer Licella are joining forces in a development project to explore the potential of using mixed waste plastic as a raw material for fuels, chemicals, and new plastics.

Neste is collaborating in a project to utilise waste plastic as a raw material

ReNew ELP is commencing construction of a chemical recycling plant in Teesside, UK, with a target to recycle end-of-life plastic to produce raw material for a range of petrochemical products. This will be the first commercial scale plant based on Cat-HTR technology, a catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction platform developed by Licella over the past ten years, with an investment of A$75 million.

The collaboration also involves Armstrong Energy, who in a joint venture with Licella is leading the financing of the Teesside facility and global deployment of the Cat-HTR technology. Although the plant construction is not included

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in this collaboration project with Neste, it will nevertheless contribute to a common goal of enabling more efficient waste plastic utilisation in the future.

In another project, scientists may have cinched a sure fire way of turning plastic waste into hydrogen, with the hope that it would one day power cars. It involves adding a light-absorbing material to plastic, placing it in a solution and exposing it to sunlight. Dr Moritz Kuehnel, from Swansea University's chemistry department, said it could be cheaper than recycling plastic as any plastic can be used and it does not need cleaning.

Swansea University is looking at turning plastic waste into hydrogen to power cars in the future

He says that PET bottles can be recycled but are not always recycled and even if they are recycled, it needs to be very pure, so only PET and nothing else is mixed in it.

"Potentially you need to wash it which is very expensive, and even if you do all of that, the plastic you get isn't always as nice as virgin material. It is often not used to make plastic bottles because no-one wants to buy a cloudy bottle."

The new process, he adds, produces hydrogen gas that can be used to fuel a hydrogen car. The plastic is cut and surface rubbed to make it rough, a photo catalyst, which is a material that can absorb sunlight and use the energy in it to transform it into a chemical energy, is added on to the plastic; it is then put into a particular type of alkaline solution and sunlight, or a solar simulator lamp which mimics sunlight, is shone on to it to produce the hydrogen.

Dr Kuehnel said the remains of the plastic could be recycled to make new plastic. "For PET, it consists of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol - two components that make a chain that makes a polymer," he added. "In the process we degrade one bit, ethylene glycol. This is what produces hydrogen and CO2, and the other bit stays intact and remains in the solution. We get the hydrogen fuel and we get a chemical we can use to make new plastic,� he explained.

The work is being funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and an Austrian petrochemical company.

Though the above examples show the path taken by companies to develop environmentally friendly plastics, still, there’s more work to be done: to make the new materials competitive with traditional materials on costs and to develop manufacturing processes that maximise economies of scale.

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Front Cover Feature

Designing compounding plants: A bespoke solution every time This article by Karl-Heinz Bußbach, Global Business Director AZO®Poly, shows that every compounding plant must satisfy specific requirements. This is where custom designs are called for and these require plant manufacturers to have extensive, in-depth knowledge and experience of processes and raw materials and an intelligent portfolio of products.

A

s a result of increasingly complex requirements, the various stages involved in compounding are gaining in importance throughout the value chain for manufacture of plastic parts. Mixing different base materials ensures that end products have a wide variety of functions and properties.

The challenges involved in materials handling are equally diverse: unstable materials, combustible or abrasive components, fluctuating MFI figures within a process, a large number of raw materials, a wide variety of formulations and stringent requirements for quality and product liability, to name but a few. This is why individual concepts for plants are needed when it comes to compounding processes. These concepts should ensure a high degree of flexibility and reliability for low to high rates of output.

Innovative solutions illustrated using four examples from actual practice Compounding plant for basic stabilisation of PP powder The plant in the first example involves a compounding plant for basic stabilisation. In this case, the polymer comes from six vaporisers downstream of the reactors. The particular challenges of this project include:

Compounding plant for basic stabilisation of PP powder

• fluctuations in MFI figures as a result of the batch process • ATEX gas zone outside the plant in the polymerisation section • the material still contains volatile, combustible components • an ATEX zone inside the plant, thus entailing handling in a nitrogen-atmosphere = relevant to safety • handling in a nitrogen-atmosphere due to unstable material/risk of oxidation = relevant to process • fluctuations in process parameters within the polymerisation process (batch process) necessitate the very best concept for homogenisation • high availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a maximum of one two shutdowns a year • conveying distances of over 300 m with relatively high throughput Implementation The following components are relevant to processes and safety when handling materials in a closed nitrogen cycle: filters, gas analysis, circulation fans,

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Front Cover Feature microfilters, pressure sensor system, nitrogen buffer container, blower/compressor, dryer, valves (shut off and check valves). The raw polymer powder is conveyed from batch operation by a receiving hopper with recording of weights in silos using the central-tube mixing principle.

Scale hoppers

During and after filling, the polymer powder is homogenised through circulation and subsequent discharge to the scales. This makes it possible to blend materials from different silos. There is also an active blending silo with screw feeder ahead of the loss-in-weight feeder for dosing the powder gravimetrically.

The finished goods are homogenised by moving them into several PP granulate silos and then discharging them, using a multi-tube mixing principle, in order to ensure maximum homogeneity of the finished compound.

Compounding of high-fill polymers The second illustration concerns compounding of high-fill polymers. A variety of particular factors need to be taken into account here. Due to the high fill level of up to 85%, this process is a very critical one. Many of the raw materials pose exacting requirements on materials handling because of their complex and unstable properties.

The plant has been designed as follows: Products are fed over combined discharge bases for big bags and sacks. Planning must take into account requirements for dust-tight docking, integrated filters with fan for a clean working environment, a safety support with massager device for improved discharge, a safety lock for pallets, including work platform for ergonomic operation, and sufficient buffer volume. Storage and feeding are also possible from silos and octabins.

Raw material discharge for big bags and bags

To improve product discharge, vibration bottoms are used that can be adapted to accommodate the specific product. Aeration bottoms can be used in addition to fluidise the product.

The raw materials are conveyed to the compounder using a pneumatic vacuum conveying system, which uses reliable, time-tested components. In the case of granular constituents, a premix can be made with the AZO ® MIXOMAT mixer system. The AZO ® MIXOMAT combines several systems in one machine: it is a receiver, scales and mixer in one and can also be used in ATEX zone 20 and with powdered products.

AZODOS ® dosing units coupled with AZO ® CONT controls are used for continuous, gravimetric feeding of the compounder.

In order to ensure maximum dosing accuracy with the AZODOS ® devices, controlled and steady filling of raw materials is critical in order to rule out any variance in volumetric dosing as far as possible.

AZO®MIXOMAT mixer with large cleaning door SEPTEMBER 2018

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Front Cover Feature

Production of high-fill compounds

Small and medium quantities are filled into containers, identified, marked with barcodes and stored at the ready in a high-bay warehouse until further processing. This action rules out any chance of confusion.

The containers with components needed for the formulation are deposited on the AZO DOSINENTER ® linear weighing system using a laser-controlled AGV system. Mobile scales are conveyed along under the components and collect those required for use in the formulation.

As soon as the entire batch has been assembled, it is discharged into a pre-mixer and mixed homogeneously.

A typical feature of the devices is their ease of cleaning, which is a major advantage in master batch production, as reducing the cleaning time results in an increase in overall output.

Production of high-quality cable compound The third plant in our illustrations is for production of high-quality cable compound while pursuing a zero error strategy. The following requirements were key here: • wide variety of formulations • great number of different raw materials • increased requirements for quality and thermostability • stringent standards with regard to product liability • maximum level of automation • redundant quality control throughout the entire production chain • controlling and tracking • special features as regards the carbon footprint In this example, the plant was implemented as follows: The main constituents are stored in outdoor silos, big bags or Octabins and are fed into the loss-inweight feeders above the compounder using pneumatic conveying.

Storage of raw materials in outdoor silos

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Handling medium and small quantities with AZO DOSINENTER®

Similar to the major components, the premix is conveyed to the loss-in-weight feeders above the compounder. In addition to the powdered bulk materials, various liquid components are also added into the process.

After the actual compounding process, granulation and drying take place before the finished goods are either immediately filled or transported to silos with an AZO ® MULTIAIR densephase conveying system. This innovative method is especially suitable for attrition-free conveying without segregation over medium and long distances with high throughput.

Unlike dilute-phase conveying, the energyefficient AZO ® MULTIAIR conveys products at minimum speed and with minimum requirements for air. Conveying therefore results in an extremely low rate of wear for products and the feeder line.

Nor does the process cause segregation and it is very energy-efficient. There is no wear or destruction of the particle structure. The optimum load and conveying velocity is adjusted for each product and each conveying distance on an individual basis.

Front Cover Feature Manufacture of innovative plastic compounds The plant in our fourth illustration is for manufacturing innovative plastic compounds based on PA, PP, ABS and other base materials with 14 compounding lines. The following requirements are key here: • • • • • • •

wide variety of formulations great number of raw materials high quality and product liability maximum flexibility handling of abrasive materials and end products stringent standards for energy efficiency controlling and tracking

Implementation was carried out as follows: Energy efficiency was a decisive factor when constructing this new plant. Base materials are stored in 16 outdoor silos. From here, the 14 extruders are fed with raw materials over distances of 35 to 120 metres. To a certain extent, the raw materials have different properties and bulk density.

The capacity of the individual extruder lines is up to 2,500 kg/hour.

At the same time total flexibility is required: every product needs to be transported to every receiver. As every extruder line has its own vacuum pump, use of an intelligent power management system exploits the maximum potential for saving both energy and resources. In order to achieve the best possible design for the plant, conveying trials with different conveying lines and air quantities were tested out in AZO’s Technical Centre. This identified the most efficient operating points for the pumps.

Flexible feeding of dosing units above extruders

AZO dosing unit for continuous gravimetric feeding of the extruder

The solution is based on conveying with adjustable air quantities using vacuum pumps, which are operated at frequency converters.

The savings in energy are huge when compared with operation using a complete pump system.

To achieve the best possible outcome in respect of overall life-cycle costs, it was necessary to take a range of different aspects into account when designing the conveying system. Accurate dimensioning of the conveying system, selecting components and planning storage locations were equally as important as the controls for the plant as a whole using intelligent process IT. What is more, this resulted in critical advantages in processes. Less wear, segregation and angle hair mean less outlay for maintenance. As the materials involved in this process are to some extent highly abrasive and have reinforcing fibres, protection against wear is also important. This requirement was met by selecting specific materials. Ceramic pick up shoes, receivers with oxide ceramic lining and ceramic inlets as well as glass elbows, glassfibre-reinforced jackets and silicon carbide coatings.

The examples illustrated show that every compounding plant must satisfy specific requirements. This is where custom designs are called for and these require plant manufacturers to have extensive, in-depth knowledge and experience of processes and raw materials and an intelligent portfolio of products, which need to be designed to make best use of them.

For more information, contact: AZO GmbH + Co. KG Rosenberger Str. 28 D- 74706 Osterburken Tel. +49 6291/92-0 Fax +49 6291/929 500 Email: azo-group@azo.com Internet: http://www.azo.com SEPTEMBER 2018

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Country Focus

Indonesia on a growth trajectory Indonesia’s economy is on the cusp of expansion and stability as it scales a GDP growth of nearly 5.3% in the second quarter of the year, up by 4.15% from the previous quarter, and 5.19% from the same quarter a year ago. It is against this backdrop that the Indonesian International Plastics, Processing, Packaging and Printing Exhibition INDOPLAS, INDOPACK (incorporating INDOPROCESS) and INDOPRINT will be held from 19-22 September 2018 at JI Expo, Jakarta.

Fair outlook of economy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in its 2015 report, The World in 2050, forecast that by 2030, Indonesia’s GDP (at PPP) will cross US$12.2 trillion, following the US; and outpacing Japan, UK, Germany and its other ASEAN peers. By 2050, Indonesia would join the so-called E7 or the seven largest emerging market economies, along with China, India, Brazil, Russia, Mexico and Turkey.

Hinging on the economic growth, the growing population, which will cross the 261 million mark, and expanding middle class, Indonesia is projected to account for almost 40% of ASEAN’s growth by 2030; with 90 million Indonesians to account for an ample share of the consuming class over this period, according to a report by McKinsey & Company.

The country posted retail sales growth of 4.1% year-onyear in April, according to a Bank Indonesia survey, which attributed the development to increased sales in food and beverage (F&B), automotive fuels, and other consumer goods.

This augurs well for the growth of the Indonesian plastics market, forecast to witness a CAGR of 6.23% in a Mordor Intelligence report spanning 2018 to 2023. Polyolefins and engineering plastics would vet larger shares in the market during the forecast period, it said.

Packaging, a dominant part of economy Packaging will be dominating the market in terms of applications, hoisted by the F&B industry, to be used in a range of applications including bottles, cups, pots, trays, and many others.

An emerging trend of busy, fast-paced lifestyles in Indonesia’s flourishing urbanisation are driving the demand for smaller, convenient, on-the-go packs, and other packaging types, according to a Global Data market report, Trends and Opportunities in the Indonesian Packaging Industry, which also alludes to rising environment awareness among consumers as a key factor in thriving demand for ecofriendly packaging formats.

Davis-Standard’s dsX flex-pack line is targeted at Indonesia’s packaging sector

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SEPTEMBER 2018

Country Focus Flexible packaging holds a broad usage in the food industry, accounting for almost two-thirds market share in 2016. Owing to its low cost, flexibility to suit multiple shapes and sizes, convenience, and low-carbon foot print compared to rigid plastics, flexible packaging is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.3% during 2016-2021.

Rigid packaging, likewise, has snapped up a sizeable market share in applications in the soft drinks and food industries. As a cost-effective solution to keep packaged food fresh longer and to provide ample protection for products during transit from plant to market, rigid plastics are gaining favours among manufacturers.

Lightweight and innovation-driven, rigid plastics accounted for packaging market share of nearly 25% in 2016, to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% to 2021.

Thus, as demand for packaging solutions in the Indonesian market is escalating, US extrusion machinery firm Davis-Standard is ready to serve with equipment designed for complex structures, energy efficiency and operational longevity. Davis-Standard’s solutions are for Indonesian converters who seek materials versatility as well as new processes to create unique products. These solutions also address the regulatory push to improve energy consumption and minimise material usage with the end goal of improved sustainability and source preservation.

An example of this technology is Davis-Standard’s dsX flex-pack 300S. This single-station extrusion and lamination line is specifically engineered for the Asian flexible packaging market. The design of the dsX flex-pack 300S is a collaboration among Davis-Standard’s teams in the US, Germany and China to ensure pricing, machine footprint, speeds and output, and an ability to make shorter runs that accommodate demands of Asian converters.

The Pawcatuck-headquartered firm says it plans to have its first dsX flex-pack 300S commissioned and customer tested by the first quarter of 2019. In addition, it will offer a tandem configuration of this machine called the dsX flexpack 300T for the Asian flexible packaging market.

Another example of equipment for the Indonesian market is Davis-Standard’s new stretch film line equipped with the DS S3 winder. Quality control, versatility and efficiency are hallmarks of this technology, it says. The line features a compact machine arrangement, ease of servicing, excellent profile control, consistent roll quality and an intuitive control package.

It is engineered for producing thin films from 7.8-13 microns at high speeds.

Davis-Standard’s side-by-side DS S3 overlapping winder is essential to this capability. The DS S3 winder enables maximum slit widths for hand-wrap, machinewrap and jumbo rolls, supporting multiple market segments on one winder. Films discharge out the front of the line to a common side to simplify roll packing and future automation. Cores are also same-side loaded from the back to prevent disruption of packing activities.

There is an auxiliary lay-on roll to eliminate top-wind waste during transfer, optimizing roll quality and eliminating outer wrap transfer waste. All features are advantageous for high-grade film operations.

Country Focus Meanwhile, Davis-Standard’s packaging equipment portfolio received a boost in June 2018 with the acquisition of compatriot Brampton Engineering, which has a large installed base throughout Asia. It benefits customers in terms of equipment technology and aftermarket services. This includes DavisStandard’s ability to supply the multi-layer AeroFrost air-blown and AquaFrost water-quenched film systems, film winding and many other production solutions. Additionally, Davis-Standard’s regional presence at its subsidiary in China, Davis-Standard (Suzhou) Plastic Packaging Machinery Co. enables it to offer equipment and support. The Suzhou location offers a full complement of field service resources and spare parts, along with an R&D laboratory for customer trials.

Strengthened local raw materials supply Indonesia’s heavy reliance on imported raw materials in the manufacture of plastics hinders the opportunities to further expand. Thus, investments in refineries to produce key ingredients for plastics will burrow into the industry’s vast potentials and eventually position Indonesia in the global supply chain.

Major players are starting to make it happen. Stateowned petrochemical company Pertamina, joining forces with Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC), is expected to start up operations of the joint venture petrochemical complex, Indo Thai Trading (ITT), in Balongan, West Java, by 2020. It will produce 1 million tonnes/year of olefins, and has downstream facilities for the production PE, PP and MEG. The joint venture will be able to capture 30% market share target in Indonesia.

Thus, Kraiburg TPE, a Germany-headquartered TPE maker, is approaching the Indonesian market with its new thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds for consumer and packaging applications at Indoplas.

Kraiburg’s Thermolast TPE series is aimed at manufacturers in the consumer and food industries

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SEPTEMBER 2018

With TPEs advantages of recyclability, design flexibility, ease of processing and lower energy consumption, there is growing use of TPEs in consumer and packaging applications. TPEs enable stronger, safer, more durable packaging solutions, thus lending for better food storage and preservation.

Kraiburg TPE’s new compounds in the FC/AD/PA THERMOLAST K series are aimed at manufacturers in the consumer and food industries. These materials have been developed specifically for food contact and feature excellent adhesion to polyamides (PAs).

The natural-coloured compounds are available in hardness degrees ranging from 40 to 80 Shore A. They are not only characterised by easy processing and colourability, but also by high tensile strength and elongation at break.

This makes the TPE family particularly suitable for a wide range of applications with direct food and mouth contact such as container and packaging seals, and parts of kitchen utensils and tableware. Other applications include sports items and cosmetics, as well as seals for hearing aids.

“With our comprehensive materials expertise, sound knowledge of the market and consistently close customer relations, we are poised to capture a sizeable share of the consumer and packaging markets in Indonesia,” said Roland Ritter, Managing Director of Kraiburg TPE Asia.

Upstream facilities to expand market opportunities Along the same vein, Pertamina, partnering this time with Oman’s Overseas Oil and Gas (OOG), is slated to build a US$10 billion refinery at Bontang in East Kalimantan. The 300,000-barrels/day project, to be funded by the Oman government, is planned to start up in 2025, with Pertamina supplying 20% of the crude oil to be processed in the plant.

Canada-headquartered Continental Energy Corporation, together with its 85%-owned subsidiary PT Continental Hilir Indonesia, has also established an Indonesian subsidiary, PT Kilang Kaltim Continental (KKC), under a foreign direct investment license.

KKC’s crude oil refinery at the KIPI Maloy port and industrial park in East Kalimantan is expected to have a capacity of 24,000 barrels/day. The refinery is to be built in two phases, and is intended to produce diesel fuel, B30 biodiesel, LPG, naphtha, marine fuel oil, and residual fuel oil for local sale direct to industry, distributors, and consumers within the locale.

The refinery’s US$50-million Phase 1 is targeted to start-up in December, and is scheduled for commissioning by end 2020; while Phase 2 will expand capacity by 18,000 barrels/day to 24,000 barrels/day as well as add complex equipment to enable production of gasoline and jet fuel.

All of the above bodes well for the country’s growth in terms of plastics packaging and the automotive industry.

Additives

Market for additives in a growth mode Global speciality chemicals players are securing market demand for additives with new offerings and expansions, says Angelica Buan in this report.

O

ver the years, a broad range of applications has relied on using plastics.

However, plastics are not invincible to a variety of issues including degradation during processing, discolouration, and loss of impact strength. Additives such as antistatic agents, flame retardants, UV stabilisers, microbials, polyurethane catalysts, and the like, can stretch the inherent limitations of plastics and rubber and enhance their properties.

Commodity plastics including PE, mostly used for packaging bags, films, green house films and more; PVC, used mostly for pipes; PP, PS, PMMA, and others that are used for various end use products, are benefiting from additives.

Additives such as antistatic agents, flame retardants, UV stabilisers, microbials, polyurethane catalysts, and the like, can stretch the inherent limitations of plastics and enhance their properties

Antioxidants gaining traction in industrial use The burgeoning market size of plastic additives forecast in a new Lucintel market report to cross US$50 billion in the next five years is being driven by the growing applications in the construction, packaging, consumer goods, and automotive industries.

Additives are largely used in compound formulations to improve chemical and physical properties, according to Grand View Research in its 2016 plastic additives market report.

For industrial applications, additives in use include property modifiers, extenders, stabilisers and processing aids. Additives in this segment are expected to garner a CAGR of 4.5% from 2015-2022, accounted by rising industrial output and increased economic activity in the emerging markets of Asia and South America.

A market winner in this segment, antioxidants, is expected to secure a market size worth over US$2.1 billion by 2022, according to Markets and Markets.

SEPTEMBER 2018

23

Additives

BASF is adding 30% capacity of Irganox 1010 to its Kaisten plant

In view of the growing market, German materials maker BASF is expanding production capacity for its Irganox 1010 antioxidant by 40%. The production expansion is aimed for its sites in Jurong, Singapore, and Kaisten, Switzerland, to cater to demand from customers in Asia and Europe, Middle East and Africa from its regional supply points.

Irganox 1010 is a sterically hindered phenolic primary antioxidant. It provides protection against thermooxidative degradation, mainly applied in polyolefins and is also recommended for polyacetals, polyamides and PU, polyesters, PVC, ABS, as well as for elastomers such as butyl rubber and synthetic rubbers.

Hermann Althoff, Senior Vice-President, BASF Performance Chemicals Asia Pacific, furthered that the production expansion in Singapore, expected to come online in 2019, is targeted to double capacity for Irganox 1010 with additional production line; and in Kaisten, which is coming online in early 2021, will add 30% to its existing capacity by debottlenecking production.

Moreover, BASF is investing in its Alabama facility in the US to improve asset reliability and further expand capacity to meet growing customer demand.

Another such antioxidant player, South Korean chemical manufacturer Songwon, has introduced the latest addition to its produce line-up. Songnox L570

is said to provide primary antioxidant protection against thermo-oxidative degradation by reacting with and stabilising free radicals. Furthermore, the liquid butylated/octylated diphenylamine antioxidant is designed for demanding automotive and industrial lubricant end uses, as well as speciality applications, such as grease.

Dr Gerard Mulqueen, Songwon’s Global Business Manager, Fuel & Lube Additives, described it as a highly versatile product that protects oils and lubricants from degradation, prolonging the life of oils in vehicles and machinery. Songwon develops, produces and markets industry standard aminic, phenolic, phosphite and thioester antioxidants, providing customised solutions for numerous end uses.

Packaging drives market growth The packaging sector is the largest application segment of the plastic additives market, projected to reach nearly US$51 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2016, Markets and Markets highlighted in its market report. The growth of plastic additives in the segment is fast tracked by globalisation, lifestyle change and urbanisation.

Addivant, a US supplier of liquid phosphite antioxidants for plastics, is offering its latest nonylphenol-free stabiliser, Weston 705, for foodcontact packaging. Weston 705 has recently been included in the revision to the food contact regulation in the Mercosur region, the South American trade bloc between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for use in broad foodcontact packaging materials.

Addivant's nonylphenol-free stabiliser, Weston 705, for food-contact packaging

The liquid butylated/octylated diphenylamine antioxidant Songnox L570 is designed for automotive and industrial lubricant end uses, and speciality applications

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Dubbed as the “first and only antioxidant since the 1970s that has achieved global food-contact approvals”, Weston 705 is already approved for use in food-contact packaging in more than 180 countries including the US, Canada, Europe and China.

David Brassington, Addivant’s Vice-President of Regulatory Affairs commented that with Weston 705 having completed its global food-contact approval process, it is enabling resin producers and packaging manufacturers to employ a single, global solution for consumer-packaged goods for customers looking to stay ahead of the regulatory curve.

Additives “This final approval will allow Addivant to fuel further investments in breakthrough innovation.�

Meanwhile, Swiss speciality chemicals firm Clariant offers its latest controlled-atmosphere packaging solution that helps control moisture and prevent degradation of packaged pharmaceuticals.

Clariant's new EQuis brand for humiditycontrolled packaging solutions

Introduced early this year, EQius is used as an umbrella brand for products currently marketed as EQ-Pak packets, EQ-Can canisters, EQ-Stopper closures, and EQ-Bag bags, along with the raw material that goes in them. The different forms make it possible to customise humidity control throughout the drugproduct development cycle, from bulk ingredients to finished pharmaceuticals.

EQius products are made using specially engineered sorbents that can act as humectants (desorbers) and desiccants (adsorbers) simultaneously, maintaining a particular equilibrium relative humidity inside product packaging. This line of standard equilibrium-stabiliser products can maintain ERH levels of 10%, 20%, or 30% to help protect finished drug products in bottles or tubes, or to help protect bulk ingredients (powders, capsules) in boxes or bags before, during, or after tableting or filling operations.

Elisa Le Floch, Clariant Healthcare Packaging, Business Development Manager, explained that hydrolytic degradation of drugs can be addressed by removing substantially all humidity entering the packaging using a desiccant.

"Specific drug properties may require that a specific range of humidity be maintain throughout the shelf life of a drug product or ingredient." Typical examples include micronised drug powders used in inhalers or gelatin capsules. In these and other applications too much or too little humidity can cause unacceptable damage, she said.

Clariant Healthcare Packaging is also promoting new iron-based absorbers, which it has developed with Nanjing Tianhua Tech Co. The new Oxy-Guard oxygenabsorber packets for infusion bags can help prevent degradation and colour changes caused by oxygen in liquid infusion bags containing emulsion, amino acid, nutrition liquid and pharmaceutical products.

Ozone-friendly additives Additives are chemicals and are heavily regulated for safety as they are potentially hazardous materials for human health and the environment if not used properly.

It is thus important for additives producers to comply with chemicals standards and regulations.

One of these milestone standards is the Kigali Amendment adopted by the Montreal Protocol in October 2016. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was designed to reduce the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances in order to reduce their abundance in the atmosphere, and thereby protect the earth’s fragile ozone Layer, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

As reinforcement to the Protocol, the Kigali amendment, aims to phase down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) worldwide. HFCs are widely used alternatives to ozone depleting substances such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), already controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

In some cases, regulations are conjectured to impact growth and competitiveness of some sectors, the Kigali amendment encourages opening of international markets to new technology that is better for the environment without compromising performance.

French speciality chemicals Arkema, recognising the impact of such standards to customers, has developed the Forane 449A (XP40) additive for the industrial and commercial refrigeration applications, which it says offers a straightforward substitution solution compatible with equipment designed to run on the R-404A/507A gases and on lubricants in the refrigeration market.

Arkema's Forane 449A (XP40) additive for industrial and commercial refrigeration applications

A major fluorogas player, Arkema has expanded its range of sustainable high performance solutions to assist its customers in making the transition to fluorogases with a lower global warming potential (GWP) HFC product for end-use applications in the refrigeration and insulation markets.

Likewise, in the PU foam market for insulation applications, Arkema offers Forane 1233zd in Europe and other parts of the world. It is a HFO blowing agent that is ozone-friendly, non-flammable, and has a low GWP but still exhibits excellent performance, Arkema assured.

SEPTEMBER 2018

25

Thermoforming

Thermoforming on a roll The thermoforming machinery sector has been churning out new developments from WM Thermoforming; Gabler Thermoform; OMG, GN Thermforming and Kiefel.

Gabler Thermoform’s M100 is a tilt-bed machine that offers output increases of up to 50%

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New machinery launches Switzerland-based WM Thermoforming Machines, at the PlastMilan show in May, showcased its new FC 780 E IM2 continuous thermoforming machine. It has a maximum mould size of 780 × 580 mm and a maximum draw depth of 130 mm.

This fully electric servo-powered unit, including the clamp frame, comes with vacuum and high-pressure forming with steel-rule cutting in the forming tool plus an additional in-line cutting press and in-line stacking.

With an additional servo axis, the machine is said to be more flexible, as well as suitable for use in cleanroom applications.

WM says it has done away with the more common vacuum pump to include multiple venturi stages, thereby reducing At PlastMilan, WM showcased maintenance. Further maintenance savings are achieved by the production of a square eliminating linear transducers for absolute encoders, which plate on its new FC 780 E IM2 are said to be more precise and reliable. continuous thermoforming machine At Plast, it was shown producing a 230 x 230 mm square plate in a six-cavity mould, in a production of 13,700 plates/hour. An advantage, the firm said, is that the 75-tonne IM station allows to form and cut the product in the same forming station or to make the cut in a second station in line.

This machine also uses new black ceramic heaters that are said to allow for 10-12% energy savings with PET and 12-15% savings with PP. Remote service is available from Switzerland, whereby WM technicians can directly access the thermoformer control via the internet.

Elsewhere, Gabler Thermoform showcased its new M100 at the Florida-held NPE show in May. It is billed as a revolutionary new tilt-bed machine, offering output increases of up to 50%, or 180,000 standard cups/hour, compared with current industry standards. It combines forming and cutting in one production step, unlike the post-trim processes with free freely suspended cup-foil rolls and rapid-punching and stacking cycles.

A completely re-engineered forming station with the latest drive and guide technology provides a forming area of 1130 x 550 mm. Gabler says the M100 combines both performance and technology, while reducing energy consumption. Other features include a user-friendly touchscreen, reverse-stacker automation, Gabler’s SpeedFlow forming-air system, and improved production-monitoring and process-optimisation features.

Also at the NPE show, Italy’s OMG showcased its all-inclusive servo-driven thermoformer, which was shown thermoforming 100% compostable crystallised CPLA food trays using materials supplied by Advanced Extrusion Inc (AEI).

The electric OMG thermoformer produces finished parts by way of precision rule-die trimming on a heavy-duty tonnage four-post, servo-driven trim press.

Parts such as food trays, lids, OMG’s latest containers, cups, and clamshells thermoformer is able to are loaded onto an auto-stackingprocess crystallised PLA and PET counting station, an integral part of the OMG thermoforming system. Parts are then mechanically discharged onto a final packing station. OMG also demonstrated the machine thermoforming AEI’s CPET, using the same single-stage tooling used for the CPLA tray. Both materials incorporate a nucleating agent to promote accelerated crystallisation during the thermoforming process.

Thermoforming Tooling and granulating Meanwhile, working closely with its parent company Kiefel, Bosch Sprang has developed new patent-pending thermoforming tooling for producing PP coffee pods with a material density of lower than 1 kg/cu m, allowing them to be recycled in water-separation systems.

The new tooling system has been statistically analysed as well as tested and can be adapted to most tilting bed style thermoforming machines, the companies say.

Consequently, it does not require any special machine adaptions. The proprietary technology is based on several unique and innovative multi-functional elements in the tool that enable and control specific mechanical properties of the coffee cups.

Bosch Sprang has developed new patent-pending thermoforming tooling for use on Kiefel’s KTR 6.1 Speed

The production line is based on a Kiefel KTR 6.1 Speed, a Bosch Sprang 91-cavity tool and Mould & Matic downstream equipment. With its production capacity around 1 billion cups/year (24/7) this production system represents Kiefel’s ability to provide turnkey solutions, says the German firm.

Sweden’s Rapid Granulator has introduced a new range of granulators designed specifically to process skeletal waste in-line from thermoforming lines. The ThermoPRO series handles sheet widths from 600 to 1,500 mm and is available in standard and low-built formats.

It is said to combine features already proven on other Rapid granulators such as the double-scissors cutting action; “openheart” design for fast production changeovers and ease of maintenance; mineral composite base for high stability and low noise.

The ThermoPRO uses a heavy-duty roller feed as standard, enabling Rapid Granulator’s ThermoPRO granulators are tailor-made for problem-free handling of use in-line with thermoforming the skeletal waste, adds lines Rapid. This even makes it possible to run several webs into the granulator at the same time. It also facilitates granulation at the start-up of a thermoforming line, when the parts are not stamped out of the sheet, meaning that the entire web, trim and parts together, needs to be fed into the granulator.

Consolidation and sales in the industry Canada’s GN Thermoforming Equipment says it has received multiple orders from US and Canadian processors for its new GN800 thermoformer, since its showing at the NPE, according to Jerome Romkey, GN’s Vice-President of Sales and Foreign Operations.

GN received orders for six units and expects further increased business activity over the next several months in the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean, said Romkey, adding that the thermoformer is currently targeted for food, medical, and industrial packaging.

The GN800 offers standard features including forming capability of 5-in above and below the sheet line, in-mouldcut capability, auto-grease, heavy-duty bearings in the toggle system, and Solar heaters. Plus, it is designed to work with minimal thicknesses of plastic materials and in combination with the common-edge system, increasing finished part output/kg of material.

The 75-tonne GN800 has a forming area of 830 mm x 570 mm, plus additional space between the forming and cutting stations, providing extra cooling time when running heavier gauge materials or PP. GN Thermoforming Equipment says it has received multiple orders from US and Canadian processors for its new GN800 thermoformer

The company has also expanded its presence in Asia by furthering its agreement with current Chinese agent Vulcan Plastics Technology. Along with covering China and Taiwan, Shenzhen-based Vulcan, a manufacturer of thermoforming moulds and cutting dies, will sell GN’s entire thermoforming machinery in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

Meanwhile, US private investment firm Graham Partners has made its third investment in the thermoformed packaging sector with the acquisition of Nuconic Packaging this year. This investment was completed less than a year after the acquisitions of Tray-Pak Corp. and EasyPak. Graham says this attractive niche market is benefitting from increasing consumer demand for sustainable packaging options and freshly prepared, on-the-go meals, and, thus, the latest acquisition.

Nuconic is a supplier of thermoformed PET packaging serving the food market, a product line that complements EasyPak and Tray-Pak. It also brings a unique approach to product and tool design, said Graham Partners, which will allow the combined platform to deliver an expanded offering to the market. In addition, Nuconic will expand the combined company’s footprint to the West Coast of the US, which is expected to be a key growth area.

Graham Partners targets companies with EBITDA between US$5 million and US$50 million, and says it will invest in smaller companies so that they complement one or more of its other investments.

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Injection Moulding Asia Automotive

Closing the loop with PCRs in vehicles By 2025, plastics will account for 25% of an

PET, such as lower swelling capacity and good dimensional stability.

Upcyling of PET waste is an environmentally viable solution for creating durable products as it aids in replacing plastics with much higher greenhouse gas emissions, Dr Andreas R. Köhler from Öko-Institut said.

American car maker General Motors (GM), which manufactures Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet luxury car brands, has been a pioneer in using post-consumer materials. It has used rPET from bottles to produce noisereducing fabric insulation for the Chevrolet Equinox engine.

GM’s Zero Waste agenda includes expansion of its landfillfree programme as all of the company’s manufacturing plants in Canada, Mexico and South America recycle, reuse or convert to energy waste from daily operations. GM says it has 142 manufacturing and non-manufacturing landfill-free facilities globally to keep resources in the value chain and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

average car, industry analyst IHS Chemical

claims in a study. Currently, the automotive

industry uses about 700,000 tonnes of plastics in cars, up by 29% or 900,000 tonnes by 2020 as car makers bank on design innovations to

spur cost savings and fuel efficiency. But with

sustainability being a big part of the automotive industry, car majors are turning to the use of

post-consumer recycled (PCR) material in car

components, says Angelica Buan in this report.

Green message in a bottle Discarded PET bottles are usually recycled to make new bottles. But for Easicomp, a German producer of long glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastics and a main adversary of the UpcyclePET project, recycled PET (rPET) from bottles can be used in the production of other high-grade industrial applications such as car parts. The process, however, is more of upcycling than recycling, Dr Tapio Harmia, CEO of Easicomp, stressed.

Rolling out cars with more recycled content Swedish luxury car Volvo will start using 25% recycled plastics in every newly launched car from 2025. The car maker, acquired in 2010 by Chinese firm Zhejiang Geely Holding Group from Ford Motor, is pushing its antipollution plan by using recycled plastics from fishing nets or PET bottles in car dashboards or carpets, it said.

Volvo’s XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV contains recycled plastics

Easicomp says that upcycled waste PET bottles can be used in the production of car parts and other high-grade industrial applications

Last year, Volvo sold more than 500,000 cars that had around 5% of recycled plastics content. To demonstrate the viability of this plan, Volvo has made an identical version of the XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV but with plastic components replaced with equivalents containing recycled materials.

The specially-built version of the XC60’s interior has a tunnel console made from renewable fibres and plastics from discarded fishing nets and maritime ropes. The floor carpet contains fibres made from rPET and a recycled cotton mix from clothing manufacturers’ offcuts. The seats also use PET fibres from plastic bottles. Used car seats from old Volvo cars were used to create the sound-absorbing material under the car bonnet.

With upcycling, lightweight components are created out of fibre-reinforced rPET, and thus reduce the use of glass fibre-reinforced polyamides typically applied in the production of automotive parts, such as engine mounts or cross members. The project, which also ropes in Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF and Öko-Institut, involves using a pultrusion process to reinforce the rPET with long glass fibres, and to combine the latter’s mechanical advantages with the special properties of 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 018

www.injectionmouldingasia.com

Injection Moulding Asia Automotive Volvo, which aims to have climate neutral manufacturing operations by 2025, has also committed to eradicate single-use plastics across all its premises and events by the end of 2019, not to mention that it is also electrifying all new cars launched after 2019.

Meanwhile, Austrian plastics maker Borealis, which is supplying Volvo with PCR material for its cars, is launching new investments to increase its share of recycled plastics in major applications such as vehicles. Recently, it acquired Austrian plastics recycling company Ecoplast Kunststoffrecycling, to tap into the growing recycled polyolefins (PO) demand. Ecoplast processes 35,000 tonnes/year of household and industrial plastic waste, turning it into Borealis recently took over quality LDPE and HDPE recyclates for the Ecoplast, a company that plastic film market and for other applications. recycles household and Borealis says it has made PO recycling a industrial plastic waste key element of its overall PO strategy because into quality LDPE and of its potential to support both growth and HDPE recyclates sustainability. The company has been a stalwart in making PO more circular. In 2014, it began offering high-end compound solutions to the automotive industry, consisting of 25% and 50% PCR content.

Borealis claims it was also the first virgin PO producer to explore the possibilities of mechanical recycling, by acquiring German post-consumer PO recyclers mtm plastics and mtm compact in 2016. Borealis invested EUR15 million into mtm plastics, which is expected to bring the overall input processing capacity from 60 kilotonnes to 80 kilotonnes. Besides the capacity increase, the investment aims at improving the capability to address the needs of the high-end market of re-granulates, Borealis furthered.

Heavy impact of reinforced polymers in lighter vehicles A typical car has more than 1,200 kg weight of various materials, including about 110 kg of plastics and six times more steel and about 70 kg of iron, and about half as much aluminium and rubber. With this composition, it is difficult to imagine how cars can be produced lighter.

Integration of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics in the manufacture of vehicle parts has been attested to reduce vehicle weight by as much as 50%.

As cited in a Mordor Intelligence market report, increasing applications in the automotive industry is a major driver for the growing carbon fibre market that is anticipated to reach US$6 billion by 2023.

Automotive makers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Chevrolet, Lambhorgini and others, are increasing the use of carbon fibre to replace metals in their vehicles, and thereby reduce the weight of vehicles.

The 2019 BMW8 series features an optional carbon fibre roof

THE 5TH INTERNATIONAL BEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION

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Ministry of Industry, Republic of Indonesia

Indonesia Woven Polyolefin Manufacturers Association

Indonesian Packaging Federation

The Indonesian Indonesian Packaging Food and Beverages Development Board Association

Association of Plastic Coverting Industry

The Soft Drink Industry Association

Indonesia Mould & Dies Industry Association

The Indonesian Olefin, Aromatic and Plastic Industry Association

Association of Indonesia Bottled Water Company

Menara Jamsostek Menara Utara Lantai 12, Unit TA-12-04 Jl. Jendral Gatot Subroto No. 38 Jakarta 12710, Indonesia

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Indonesian Fishery Product Processing & Marketing Association

Injection Moulding Asia Automotive In terms of sustainability, Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Chemical is venturing into recycling carbon fibres for the production of car parts, through its subsidiary Shinryo.

Mitsubishi has already installed equipment at its Kurosaki plant in Fukuoka Prefecture. The plant has the capacity to recover as much as 100 tonnes/year of carbon fibre through the vaporisation process. Thereafter, Mitsubishi plans to increase the scale of the recycling process as operations are established.

This makes the exterior application more recyclable, of a lighter weight, and thus more sustainable.

Unlike polyamides (PAs), CFPP is not hygroscopic, meaning it does not absorb moisture. Compared to other plastics, CFPP products help minimise ‘squeak and rattle’ noises, Borealis intoned.

Meanwhile, the companies have also invested in new production facilities, including compounding plants in China and the US, to secure the growing demand for PP on account of developing anglobal market for electrification and self-driving vehicles.

Borealis’s North Carolina compounding plant, which will produce up to 30 kilotonnes/year of its proprietory PP compounds for the automotive industry, is expected to start commercial production in 2019. Borouge expects to start commercial production at its expanded polymer compounding plant in China by late 2020, while its 480,000tonne/year PP unit (PP5 Project) at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi is set to be completed by 2021.

Mitsubishi Chemical readies its Kurosaki plant to recycle carbon fibre

Circular car in the making Elsewhere, to showcase the closed loop chain and how far biobased materials have come, the world’s first biobased, circular car has been successfully designed and built in the Netherlands by the Technical University of Eindhoven. This is the first time that a car chassis and all bodywork have been made from natural and biobased materials, with no metal or traditional plastics used for the structural parts of the car.

The parts are made of light and strong sandwich panels, based on natural fibre flax and Luminy polylactic acid (PLA) resin supplied by Total Corbion PLA. Dubbed Noah by the TU/ecomotive student team, the car was designed for city use and features two seats and a spacious trunk. In addition to its biobased composition, it is also ultra-light and electrically-powered. Noah reaches a top speed of 110 km/hour and the battery range lasts up to 240 km. At 360 kg, the weight of the car excluding batteries is less than half the weight of comparable production cars.

In addition to being biobased, the parts are also recyclable, resulting in a 100% circular car, sustainable in all life phases, said Total, adding that the car is doing a European tour to showcase its features.

Thus, over the next decade, the automotive industry will double up the circularity of plastics; and manufacturers who are committed to sustainability in their manufacturing ethos are expected to scale up post-consumer/biobased plastic content in the cars they are producing.

Meanwhile, Borealis, together with its Abu-Dhabi National Oil Company-joint venture company Borouge, has introduced Daploy carbon fibre-based polypropylene (CFPP), made from reclaimed carbon fibre material.

According to the partners, Daploy WB140HMS has been used by a Japanese plastics processor in the foamed blow moulding process to produce automotive air ducts, resulting in part weight savings of up to 80%, which in turn leads to overall improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

The recently launched CFPP product Fibremod CF061SY, on the other hand, has been used by a North American OEM to make the A-pillar brackets on a top-selling commercial vehicle. It has also been used by US car part maker Magna Exteriors to produce a class-A fender.

Having modified an existing tool capable of producing a viable thermoplastic alternative to a conventional metalstamped part, Magna Exteriors selected a Borealis Fibremod carbon development grade containing 10% carbon fibre-reinforced PP. This enabled the manufacturer to achieve both the exterior part impact performance required for crash and pedestrian safety, and the high-quality look Fibremod CFPP of a class-A painted part, it said. is used by Magna Yet, because the part is made Exteriors to of reclaimed carbon fibre, the produce a class-A body panel weighs 30%-40% less fender than conventional aluminium panels, and enables zero gap performance with low CLTE when compared to other engineering plastics.

The circular car uses Total Corbion’s PLA material

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Injection Moulding Asia Packaging

Less is more in sustainable packaging The food and beverage industry is playing a

Through global alliances such as the Trash Free Seas Alliance, founding of the bio-PET NaturALL Bottle Alliance, and investments in large-scale organisations like Closed Loop Fund, Keep America Beautiful and start-ups like RecycleUp, Nestlé Waters said that it is collaborating with stakeholders across the PET value chain to create shared solutions to one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

Meanwhile, French mineral water brand Evian is committed to using 100% rPET bottles by 2025, whereby all bottles will be made from recycled plastic without the need for any virgin plastics. This will enable plastics to evolve from a potential waste to become a valuable resource, the company said.

Currently, Evian bottles are recyclable and globally contain on average across the range 25% rPET. In order to achieve its 2025 goal, Evian is partnering with technology companies such as Loop Industries, which has developed a technology that enables a continuous loop for recycling on a large scale and transforming all types of PET plastic waste into the high-quality plastic required by Evian.

For its part, global packaging company Sonoco is committing to achieve packaging sustainability and recycling in support of the food industry’s efforts to reduce global food waste. In its 2018 corporate responsibility report, it has highlighted sustainable use and increased recyclability of packaging by 2025. Specifically, it said that it will increase the equivalent by weight from 75% to 85%, the amount it recycles, or causes to be recycled, relative to the volume of packaging it places into the global market place.

key role in reducing the carbon footprint by

using more recycled content in packaging and

increasing material recyclability, says Angelica Buan in this report.

R

ising consumer awareness on environment protection is a catalyst for government regulations such as levying taxes on plastics use and global initiatives to reducing packaging wastes.

Less packaging not only equates to less generation of waste and energy use; it also means cost savings for manufacturers and consumers. Using post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins, downsizing and the use of renewably sourced materials are effective ways of reducing packaging.

The food and beverage industry, which dominates the market share for packaging, is a critical sector in the packaging sustainability circuit. It is forecast to cross US$173 billion by 2025, according to a Grand View Research report.

The increasing adoption of recycled PET or rPET is thus an important leap in creating a waste-free ecosystem that benefits both producers and consumers, since rPET is clean and safe and due to its versatile benefits. Recycling PET bottles has also been found to consume less energy than producing new ones. Technologies are also available to facilitate recycling, and thus are aiding in the growth of the rPET market.

Bottled water overhauled with rPET use A number of beverage and bottled water producers are redesigning their packaging in bid to adopt sustainability into their brands.

Nestlé Pure Life is launching a new 700 ml bottle made from 100% food-grade rPET throughout North America. Nestlé says that the release of the new bottle demonstrates the brand’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Since 2005, the company has reduced the amount of PET plastic in Nestlé Pure Nestle Life half-litre bottles by 40%, Waters has reduced the and has initiated to reduce amount of waste and materials in packaging across its portfolio PET plastic in Nestlé of beverages. More recycled Pure Life plastic will be introduced half-litre into its beverage range in the bottles by 40% coming years, it said.

Sonoco, as attested by its SonocoFresh initiative created with Clemson University, has committed to increased recyclability of packaging by 2025

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Injection Moulding Asia Packaging It is also increasing the use of PCR resins in its plastic packaging from 19% to 25%. Furthermore, the company says it will ensure that approximately 75% of its rigid plastic packaging can carry the relevant on-package recyclable claim.

In addition, Sonoco adds that it will not use resin additives that purport to degrade in landfills or waterways by simply breaking up into smaller pieces. Finally, the company says it will ensure all of its production facilities using plastic pellets have systems to prevent discharges into the environment.

Sonoco has committed nearly US$3 million to Clemson University to create a joint initiative called SonocoFRESH. It is also a joint development partner in Florida’s Plant City, which is focused on improving the supply chain for fresh produce by connecting harvesting technology with new packaging technology.

Tri-Packaging’s new range of deli pots is made in part from rPET, and is lighter in weight

PCR in food packaging An efficiently designed packaging ensures that reduced use of plastic does not compromise performance and functionality of the packaging. This is proven by already a growing number of packaging manufacturers that are developing rPET-based packaging.

UK-based flexible packaging and lidding films supplier, KM Packaging, has developed a new, resource efficient, reduced-plastic packaging for its KPeel range of lidding film solutions. The mono-PET film range is claimed to offer a high-performance, ‘seal and peel’ solution for renewable pulp and pressed board trays, to allow manufacturers to respond to widespread consumer demand for new sustainable packaging solutions. Combining a renewable resource tray with KPeel lidding presents manufacturers with an economical first-step in plastic reduction, it said.

KPeel lidding film range, which is available in thickness of 16-40 microns, is suitable for ambient, chilled, frozen and dual ovenable applications, as well as for printing, perforation and lamination to add functionality such as high barrier or improved strength. Its transparency and clarity also create KM Packaging has shelf appeal for developed a new reducedfresh produce in pulp plastic packaging for its KPeel range punnets, such as tomatoes of lidding film solutions and strawberries, says the firm. KM Packaging’s compostable range of lidding films is also currently in trial and will present additional opportunities for sustainable packaging solutions.

Packaging supplier Tri-Star Packaging has launched new packaging products made in part from rPET. First in the line-up is the KC range of deli pots, consisting of four round

pots made from high-clarity rPET. The new range, according to the British company, is lighter in weight, lowering its carbon footprint. The stackable deli pots are said to give food-to-go retailers even more flexibility and shelf presence with their takeaway offers. The Tri-Green range’s key feature is that it is made from premium rPET.

Meanwhile, early this year, Australia-headquartered packaging giant Amcor said that it was committed to significantly increasing its use of recycled materials, adding that it is “the first global packaging company to commit to working towards 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025”.

Amcor followed up on this by commercialising what it says is its “game-changing” LiquiForm technology with the first consumer packaging.

It produced a bottle, which contains 50% PCR content, as a drop-in replacement for the current Nature’s Promise brand of hand soap and uses the existing closure and label. Amcor partnered with Greenblendz, a US-based Amcor has commercialised co-packer and developer a sustainable packaging, of private label consumer which utilises its LiquiForm products. Amcor produced technology, for a hand soap the 12 oz PET bottle on a proprietary Amcor-built machine powered by the LiquiForm process.

In addition to reducing supply chain costs, LiquiForm technology is touted to improving packaging consistency and lowering the carbon footprint associated with filling and packaging. This is because it uses the packaged product 5

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Injection Moulding Asia Packaging instead of compressed air to simultaneously form and fill containers. In this case, the hand soap essentially forms its own rigid PET container using the LiquiForm process. By combining the forming and filling into one step, the process eliminates costs associated with the equipment and energy of the traditional blow moulding process along with the handling, transport, and warehousing of empty containers.

The forming of bottles with Amcor’s LiquiForm process also opens new pathways toward lighter, more sustainable packaging. Lighter weight containers, achieved through improved consistency in wall thickness, combined with a reduction in the transport of empty containers, reduce environmental emissions and lower the carbon footprint. Plus, the process offers the potential to reconfigure supply chains and move packaging closer to the market, resulting in strong logistical benefits and further carbon footprint reductions, said the firm.

This acquisition is expected to further solidify IVL’s position as one of the leaders in recycling in Europe and opens up new opportunities to serve increasing demand for food grade rPET. According to IVL, while it can rely on its French subsidiary, Wellman France Recyclage in Verdun, the acquisition of Sorepla gives the company additional capabilities to deliver food-grade rPET to serve increasing demand among major brand owners for more sustainable packaging solutions, especially hinging on Sorepla’s proximity to its existing recycling business and supply chain.

Austrian packaging solutions specialist Alpla Group, and Fromm, a Switzerland-headquartered company producing load securement systems for the transportation of goods, are partnering up in PET recycling to further optimise the already high recycling rates for PET as well as a significant reduction in CO2 emissions through saved transport. Both companies operate recycling plants for PET bottles, thus ensuring the necessary supply of materials for their own production facilities.

Joining forces to secure supply, market growth The growth of opportunities for PCR in packaging is backed by the increasing use of rPET as a means of scaling down the use of virgin plastics in packaging. Major industry players are also moving in to drive closed loop solutions for the packaging sector.

Since rPET resin is widely used for food and beverage packaging as well as fibre applications in Europe, according to Thailand-headquartered chemical producer Indorama Ventures (IVL), it is acquiring French plastics recycling facility Sorepla Industrie. It added that the demand for food-grade rPET in Western Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2018-2021.

Texplast’s plant in Germany

The collaboration also further benefits the partners, such as simplified access to markets in the respective countries, as well as ensures the necessary quantity and quality of materials for production for both sides.

The PET recycling team plants in Wöllersdorf (Austria) and Radomsko (Poland) are part of the Alpla Group, and have a capacity of approximately 45,000 tonnes/year of food-grade rPET produced from post-consumer materials.

Meanwhile, PET recycling company Texplast in Wolfen (Germany) has been a subsidiary of Fromm Plastics since 2004. Texplast produces PET pellets and PET flakes.

Fromm uses these for its own production of strapping bands and also supplies manufacturers of beverage bottles, thermoforming sheets and fibres.

Packaging is vital to assuring the safety and effectiveness of an extensive range of food, beverage, medical, pharmaceutical, household and personal-care products.

It also significantly limits the enormous environmental implications from food and other product waste. All in all, it can be seen that the brand majors in the packaging sector are working towards this effort of sustainability.

Indorama Ventures expects to ramp up its capability to deliver food grade rPET in Europe with Sorepla acquisition

Sorepla, one of the largest recyclers in Europe, has three production lines for rPET, recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE), and food-grade pellets, with a combined capacity of 52,000 tonnes/year.

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Rubber Journal Asia Industry News • Italy-based European FinTyre Distribution (EfTD) is forging ahead with EC-approved acquisition of privately held Reifen Krieg Group, a tyre wholesaler in Germany and sales of approximately EUR330 million in 2017. The company represents volumes of 3.5 million/year consumer, motor, truck tyres and more than a 500,000 steel and alloy wheels/ year, with further plans for development in all segments.

• A consortium led by South Korean construction materials maker KCC Corporation plans to acquire Momentive Performance Materials, a US-based silicone manufacturer, in a deal that could be valued at US$1.8 billion. Wonik, a mediumsized semiconductor materials producer for the electronics industry, and SJL Partners, a local private equity firm also comprise the consortium.

Together with Momentive, which is the world’s third largest silicone producer, the combined unit could become the world’s second largest silicone producer.

• Germany’s Continental is to purchase Australia’s Kmart Tyre and Auto Service (KTAS) from its current owner, Wesfarmers Limited, for A$350 million. KTAS has around 258 outlets employing more than 1,200 staff in the country. Its core business includes passenger and light commercial vehicle tyre sales and service, inspections and maintenance, as well as minor mechanical repairs to brakes, air-conditioning and suspension systems.

• Japan’s Yokohama Rubber has terminated its four-year technology tie-up with Kumho Tire Co, after China’s Qingdao

Doublestar bought a 45% stake in Kumho this year, becoming its largest shareholder. The tie-up was to work together to develop environmentally friendly tyre technologies and new concept tyres.

• Speciality chemicals group Lanxess is divesting its remaining 50% stake in synthetic rubber company Arlanxeo to its joint venture partner Saudi Aramco. The parties expect to complete the envisaged transaction by the end of 2018. The total joint venture Arlanxeo is valued at EUR3 billion.

Lanxess expects to receive approximately EUR1.4 billion in cash after deducting debt and other financial liabilities for its 50% share. It plans to use the proceeds to strengthen its financial basis and reduce net financial debt. Originally, Lanxess and Saudi Aramco agreed on a lock-up period until 2021 for both partners.

Headquartered in Maastricht/ Netherlands, Arlanxeo generated sales of around EUR3.2 billion in 2017 and employs about 3,800 people at 20 production sites in nine countries.

• Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres, Europe’s largest independent retreader, has been acquired

by UK-based tyre firm Zenises Group that has not only purchased the entire company and equipment but has also acquired the 11 acre site in Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK, where Vacu-Lug is based. As part of the transaction, Zenises Group has also made several large capital commitments in equipment and technology to ensure that Vacu-Lug becomes, over time, the most advanced independent retreader in Europe.

Established in 1950, Vacu-Lug has expanded into the retreading industry, manufacturing truck

and off-road retreads as well as developing a role in commercial vehicle fleet management.

• Chinese company Shandong Linglong is planning to invest around US$1billion in the construction of a tyre factory in Serbia’s Zrenjanin Free Trade Zone.

To start construction in 2019, it will be carried out in three phases, with the last one to be completed in 2025. The factory is expected to produce 13.62 million radial tyres/year. The project is subject to approval by relevant trade authorities of respective countries.

• Indonesia’s PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical (CAP) and French tyre maker Michelin have completed construction of a new synthetic-rubber manufacturing site owned by the companies’ joint venture PT Synthetic Rubber Indonesia (SRI) in the Banten Province of Indonesia. The companies invested US$435 million into SRI, which produces polybutadiene rubber with neodymium catalyst and solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR). Michelin has a 55% shareholding and CAP, the remaining 45%. The SRI plant is the first of its kind in Indonesia to produce feedstock using Michelin’s proprietary technology, with a production capacity to reach 120,000 tonnes/year.

• Saudi Arabia’s Samir Group is to establish a rubber processing plant in the Eastern Region of Ghana by next year under the government’s district industrialisation programme, One-district, One-factory (1D1F) initiative. Subsequently, the company says it has started up a 1,000 ha rubber plantation that will provide the raw material for the factory.

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Rubber Journal Asia Industry News • PT Gajah Tunggal IRC Manufacturing Indonesia recently broke ground on a new plant for its joint venture company, IGM, with Inoue Rubber Company Ltd (IRC) of Japan. The plant will manufacture motorcycle tyres under the IRC Tyre brand targeted for the domestic OEM and replacement markets, as well as for exports. The plant is expected to start operations by 2019.

Though the partners did not disclose the plant’s size or capacity, Gajah Tunggal said it was selling 5.8 acres of land at its Tangerang manufacturing complex to IGM for US$253 million.

• UK-based materials company Haydale has completed the installation and commissioning of a two-roll lab mill at its site in Loughborough, to compound nanomaterials into a range of elastomers. The new elastomer mixing capability sits alongside existing elastomer moulding and testing facilities at Haydale.

• Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI)’s 8.1 billion yen South African factory in Ladysmith has started producing tyres for trucks and buses, with an aimed capacity by 2020 of 750 tyres/day. Set up in 1973, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Limited (SRSA) has up till now imported truck and bus tyres for the African markets.

• Vibracoustic, a provider of vibration control solutions for the automotive industry, is expanding its Polish plant with an investment of around EUR4 million. At the Sroda Slaska I plant, Vibracoustic produces conventional and hydraulic chassis mounts for international

automotive customers. As part of the expansion, new capacities will be created for microcellular polyurethane (MCU) components. In addition, the establishment of a local prototyping facility, including testing, will significantly shorten the development and industrialisation process for customer orders.

Vibracoustic, which generated sales of around EUR2.1 billion in 2017, has 10,000 employees at 43 locations in 19 countries.

• Bridgestone, the world’s largest tyre manufacturer, plans to invest around EUR164.24 million in its plant in Poznan, western Poland, by 2022, to boost its capacity by 30%. The planned investments include the purchase of modern equipment as well as optimisation of existing production lines, to increase production capacity from 31,000 tyres/day to more than 40,000 tyres/day.

Likewise, Bridgestone plans to upgrade its plants in Burgos, Spain, and Stargard, Poland, by early 2022.

• Continental has started construction of its new headquarters, the Continental Campus, in Hanover.

Continental Campus will consist of a total of eight buildings. The first development phase for the building complex is to be completed by end of 2020 and to provide space for 1,250 employees. According to the plans, later expansion to 1,600 workplaces is an option.

Relocation of employees should be completed in 2021, in time for the company’s 150th anniversary.

Continental has also opened a EUR10 million 3D blow moulding plant for hoses in Changshu, China. The new

plant is Continental’s fourth production site featuring 3D blow moulding technology across the world, following previous plants in Germany, the US and Mexico, and will start series production in the third quarter of 2018. The workshop is equipped with multiple automated production lines. 3D blow moulded hoses to be used in high performance turbochargers for automotive OEMs will be produced here to meet the growing technology demand within China’s manufacturing sector, says Continental.

• Tokyo-headquartered Zeon Corporation will establish a new subsidiary in Thailand, Zeon Chemicals Asia, for acrylic rubber manufacture and sale. The subsidiary will be located in Rayong province, Thailand and will have a capital of US$38.13 million.

The Thailand operation joins Zeon’s existing acrylic rubber manufacturing capabilities in Japan and the US. • Michelin North America is restarting its Earthmover tyre production plant in Starr, Anderson County – a decision that will employ about 100 workers in a modern facility that previously suspended production in early 2016.

The Michelin “US 10” plant was built in 2012 and began operating in 2013. A decline in the sales for the company’s largest tyres, which are typically used on heavy equipment machines in surface mining operations, had brought about a halt in production. French tyre maker Michelin also has two other plants: US 2 in Sandy Springs, the company’s largest rubber factory in the world, and US 8, a semi-finished rubber plant adjacent to US 10.

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Rubber Journal Asia Tyre Industry

Tyre retreading sector in good shape The market for cost-effective and sustainable

The retread tyre market in China is expected to represent significantly high incremental opportunity from 2018-2028; and sales of retread tyres in Southeast Asia and the Pacific are projected to exceed US$469 million over the same period, FMI noted.

The global sales of retread tyres is estimated to be valued at US$8 billion by the end of 2018, with the China retread tyre market estimated to account for a value share of 29.6% by 2018 end and is anticipated to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period, said FMI. Sales of retread tyres are directly related to vehicle production. Despite unstable economic conditions in the market in the recent past, the global automotive industry has witnessed satisfactory growth. Automotive production is anticipated to increase with a modest CAGR of 3%-3.5% during the forecast period, explained FMI.

retread tyres is growing with companies

joining forces and launching innovations, says Angelica Buan in this report.

M

ajor tyre suppliers including Firestone, Cooper Tyre, Goodyear Tyre & Rubber, Camso and others have increased their prices of select tyres this year amid the rising demand. Tyre retreading and retread tyres offer cost effective, at the same time, environment-friendly solutions to tyre price hikes.

Retreading is a re-manufacturing process through which, old and worn-out tyre treads are replaced by new ones.

Retreading is applied to casings of old tyres after inspection.

Retreading of tyres costs at least 40% less than the cost of a new tyre, Future Market Insights (FMI) intoned in a latest retread tyre market report. It forecast that the value of the market is set to reach over US$13.6 billion in 2028, growing at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2018.

Innovation is key to advancing the sector Development of advanced tyre retreading processes and technologies is a key emerging trend in the global automotive retreaded tyre market, and this, Technavio purported is a major factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.

Adoption of retreaded tyres in the commercial vehicle market, and the improved retread designs are helping to drive the growth momentum of the market, Technavio reported.

Marangoni GRP Private Limited (MGPL), the joint venture between Italy’s Marangoni and India’s GRP, and active in the commercial vehicle retreading sector in India, has launched its first full service Ringtread franchisee in India, Autobahn Retreading, part of Autobahn Trucking Corporation, located at Cochin, Kerala.

Retreading of tyres costs at least 40% less than the cost of a new tyre

The development of advanced retread designs, quality of retread compounds and eco-friendly tyres is highlighted in the global automotive retread market, which is expected to incur revenues of nearly US$8 billion by 2022, Technavio indicated in its 2018-2022 market report. It reiterated that retread tyre’s cost-advantage is a main growth driver in the market, as it finds high adoption in commercial vehicles, especially HCVs. Demand for replacement tyres will increase on the growing vehicle parc and large fleet owners of commercial vehicles prefer tyre remoulding to ensure cost effectiveness.

Hence, growth in automobile, forestry and construction is expected to create growth opportunities for the retread tyres market, FMI added.

Marangoni GRP launched its first full service Ringtread franchisee in India

Giuseppe Marangoni, Vice President, Marangoni Group stressed that Marangoni’s splice-less retreading technology, also known as Ringtread, offers a solution for India, a key growth market for the company, to reduce operating costs of fleets in the country.

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Rubber Journal Asia Tyre Industry Ringtread is the only retreading system that uses splice-less precured rings that adhere to the casing without a splice, tension or deformation, thus, lowering fuel consumption and less emissions. The perfect geometry and the use of latest-generation compounds assure higher mileage and better grip under any road condition, Marangoni explained.

Autobahn Retreading will use Marangoni’s global processes to refurbish worn-out tyres, provide quick service to fleets and also provide tyre consultancy to enable fleets to become more efficient.

Hemant Kaul, CEO of MGPL emphasises MarangoniGRP’s commitment, to setting up a pan-India network of franchisees and make Marangoni’s globally proven tyre retreading technology available on a larger scale to the Indian market within the next two years.

VMI featured its automated retreading solutions, including the Retrax at a global conference for retreading industry held in Cologne, Germany in June.

Major players in the same mould for expansion South Korean Hankook Tire has acquired independent German tyre distributor Reifen-Mueller, including its retreading business Reifen-Mueller GmbH & Co. Runderneuerungswerk KG, to accelerate global distribution and innovation.

Founded in 1966, Reifen-Mueller currently runs 44 service centres in Germany, selling a wide range of tyres from passenger car, and light truck to heavy truck and bus tyre segments as well as motorcycle and agricultural tyres. The acquisition is expected to expand Hankook Tire’s distribution channels in Europe.

The US’s largest OTR retreader, Purcell Tire & Rubber Company, has acquired Portland, Oregonbased OTR retreading company Northwest Retreaders.

The acquisition will mark the expansion of the two family-owned companies’ OTR and speciality tyre retreading footprint, enabling them to provide retreading solutions that bring value to their respective customers by reducing operating costs through improved casing management, say the companies.

VMI’s Retrax with automatic builder and stitcher uses cushion gum extrusion-smearing technology and automatically applies the tread to buffed tyre casings

Elsewhere, Netherlands-headquartered VMI has introduced a new concept for retreading automation.

The Retrax with automatic builder and stitcher uses cushion gum extrusion-smearing technology and automatically applies the tread to buffed tyre casings. It features automatic alignment of the tread on the casing which gives a high accuracy. The builder balanced stretching provides a perfectly matching splice, says VMI. The tread tension is optimally distributed around the tyre. This innovation in automation, according to VMI, improves the quality of the retreaded tyre.

VMI, describing in a nutshell how the technology works, said that after applying the cushion gum layer, the tyre moves to the tread applicator, where the tread is applied and stretched automatically. The Retrax builder does not require parameter input for tyre width or diameter. It automatically measures the tyre and the tread and alerts operator if they do not match. Specially shaped quick change side dies, known as wing formers, are also available, so cushion gum can be partially extruded onto the casing shoulder.

Hankook Tire’s acquisition of Reifen-Mueller is expected to accelerate its global distribution network

Major North American intermodal chassis leasing services specialist FlexiVan is scooping up New Pride Corporation and all the assets of its intermodal tyre division. FlexiVan will continue all tyre operations at the New Pride US sites, including its distribution facility, tyre retreading plant, service centre, and others. New Pride, a major supplier of new and retread tyres for the intermodal transportation industry, had introduced in 1998 a specialised bias ply tyre followed with a steel radial tyre in 2003.

The company said that it sources its retread products from South Korea, Brazil, Mexico and China and new tyres from China and India.

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Rubber Journal Asia Green Rubber

Rallying points for sustainable rubber Industry stakeholders are taking up the challenge of securing rubber supply

without letting up on efforts to ensure food security, energy efficiency, human rights, and environmental integrity; while new

technologies in the green rubber arena are being introduced, says Angelica Buan in this article.

G

lobal key players focusing on closing the demand-supply gap for natural rubber, on account of rising global consumption, especially in the automotive and transportation sectors, are ramping up natural rubber production.

By 2020, natural rubber production is to exceed 19 million tonnes, the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) notes.

As lucrative as it may sound, increasing natural rubber production has a bearing on the environment and is associated with food insecurity, water consumption, and deforestation - since rubber trees grow in the same area where the rainforest grows; not to mention sporadic land grabbing incidences that displace farmers and rubber growers. Hence, industry allies are forming initiatives with government and non-government agencies to promote and adopt sustainable rubber in the supply chain.

Goodyear’s new natural rubber procurement policy highlights the company’s commitment to responsible sourcing

planted and replanted NR trees. It also extends to community development programmes, and as already mentioned, human rights protection and policy compliance to ensure transparency in carrying out its policies.

Goodyear is a member of the Tyre Industry Project (TIP), a CEO-led initiative made up of the world’s 11 major tyre companies, including Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Hankook Tire, Kumho Tire, Compagnie Générale des Établissements, Michelin, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Toyo Tire & Rubber, and Yokohama Rubber; representing approximately 65% of the world’s tyre manufacturing capacity.

TIP initiates and supports research, including inventing equipment and methodologies, to improve the sustainability efforts of the tyre industry. Since its creation, TIP has established distinct working groups that address tyre industry issues, under the Geneva-headquartered organisation, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Tyre/automotive giants bid for sustainability in supply chain US tyre maker Goodyear, which reported tyre unit volumes totalling 39 million in the first quarter of 2018, has penned a new natural rubber procurement policy, stating the company’s commitment to responsible sourcing. The policy covers the entire supply chain, including smallholders, industrial plantations, intermediate dealers/consolidators, processors, trading companies, and Goodyear itself.

The Akron-based company, which manufactures its products in 48 facilities in 22 countries worldwide, believes that the implementation of this policy will help address critical issues including deforestation, land grabbing, and human rights throughout the supply chain. The new policy, in a nutshell, helps to protect the environment by promoting environmentally and socially responsible land use.

The policy outlines Goodyear’s prescriptions to develop a long-term sustainable supply chain, including responsible land acquisition and use, natural rubber processing, traceability of natural rubber through the entire supply chain and use of best-known cultivation practices for existing

The Tyre Industry Project is a CEO-led initiative made up of the world’s 11 major tyre companies, representing about 65% of the world’s tyre manufacturing capacity

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Rubber Journal Asia Green Rubber Tokyo-headquartered tyre maker Bridgestone also heralds its own Global Sustainable Procurement Policy to help identify and evaluate qualified suppliers, promote best practices, and serve as a communication and improvement tool for the industry.

The new policy highlights Bridgestone’s goal of using 100% sustainable materials in its products by 2050. It also underscores Bridgestone’s four major areas of focus, including sustainable procurement practices that cover environmentally responsible procurement, respect for human rights, water use, land use and conservation, health, safety, disaster prevention and resilience.

Bridgestone is the world’s largest tyre and rubber firm, garnering net sales of over US$32 million in 2017, and with products sold in over 150 nations and territories worldwide.

Continental, for its part, has prepared a specific natural rubber sustainability policy, highlighting its commitment to securing a healthy and compliant supply chain and a zero tolerance attitude toward deforestation, land grabbing and other practices that harm local populations and the entire eco-system.

Like its automotive maker peers, Detroit-sited General Motors (GM) has sustainability in its ethos. In 2016, GM made headlines by its use of recycled plastic bottles collected from its facilities to make noise-reducing fabric insulation that covers the Chevrolet Equinox engine. GM’s latest sustainability report calls attention to its mobility and zeroemission vehicles strategies, specifically outlining how it has progressed in lightweighting vehicles, utilising renewable energy, building landfill-free facilities, and other such moves to promote sustainability.

In 2017, it bared its agenda of sourcing sustainable natural rubber in its tyres. It said that doing so would sow benefits for the community, the business and the environment.

Sustainable rubber sourcing, it said, translates to preserving and restoring primary forests and protecting wildlife; improving yield and quality for natural rubber farmers; and ensuring long-term availability of rubber.

Bridgestone’s Global Sustainable Procurement Policy outlines its goal of using 100% sustainable materials in its products by 2050

Another member of TIP, German automotive technology company Continental, has partnered with German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to push for sustainability in the natural rubber supply chain; and improve the livelihoods of rubber tree farmers in Indonesia, the world’s second largest rubber producer. The partnership, announced early this year, aims to develop a criteria catalogue for sustainable production of natural rubber; to train farmers in sustainable production in accordance with these criteria; and to track the rubber from smallholders to production at Continental.

Improved rubber quality, higher yields and supply chain optimisation will generate higher incomes for rubber tree cultivators. The tie-up is part of the develoPPP.de programme initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). BMZ promotes deforestation-free supply chains; and the initiative has been extended to the production of commodities, including rubber, palm oil and cacao, in Indonesia and the Ivory Coast.

The partnership will implement a traceability system and increase the traceable production of rubber in West Kalimantan over the next three years. In total, 400 farmers will be trained to grow high-quality rubber in accordance with clearly defined sustainability criteria. An electronic system will be developed to ensure full traceability of the raw material along the entire supply chain.

GM’s 79 landfill-free manufacturing facilities on average reuse, recycle or compost approximately 96% of their waste from daily operations and convert 4% to energy

Developing biobased rubber for tyres and car parts Japanese tyre maker, Yokohama Rubber Corporation (YRC) has collaborated with synthetic rubber manufacturer Zeon Corporation, and Japanese national R&D agency, Riken, in developing a new technology for the efficient and stable production of isoprene from biomass.

Isoprene is the raw material for polyisoprene rubber, which is mainly used for automobile tyres. Currently, industrial isoprene is produced as a by-product of the naphtha pyrolysis. The team said that this new technology has the potential of not only reducing dependence on petroleum, but also contributing to reducing carbon dioxide in the environment.

Discovering in 2015 an isoprene-synthesising process using computer-based in-silico metabolic design technology, the group started developing the world’s

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Rubber Journal Asia Green Rubber Niels van der Aar, Business Development Manager EPDM/NBR at Arlanxeo said biobased TPVs can make a significant contribution to the circular economy, scoring well in a cradle-to-cradle approach and helping to lower the carbon footprint.

The new biobased EPDM grades have been commercially tested and used in window profiles for buses and buildings, automotive extrusion profiles, TPV over-mouldings for automotive interiors, and other applications.

Polyisoprene rubber polymerised using the new technology collaboratively developed by YRC, Zeon and Riken

first technology to create sugar-based isoprene that serves as the starting material. The group has also succeeded in synthesising polyisoprene rubber through the polymerisation of in-vivo generated isoprene. This technology can also be applied to butadiene-based synthetic rubber and other diene rubbers.

YRC is also looking into natural rubber research it started in 2013 with Thailand’s Mahidol University and Prince of Songkla University. The research with the latter university analysed the differences in latex related to different seasons and regions, different varieties and different processing methods; as well as evaluated the presence or absence of changes in the physical and chemical properties of rubber over long periods of time.

On the other hand, the study with Mahidol University involved analysing more than 800 proteins contained in latex, and identifying the proteins involved in NR biosynthesis. The company plans to use the results of this research to promote the maintenance and development of natural rubber plantations.

Meanwhile, synthetic rubber manufacturer Arlanxeo’s Keltan Eco is dubbed as the world’s first EPDM rubber manufactured using biobased ethylene extracted from sugarcane. The Netherlandsheadquartered firm introduced new thermoplastic vulcanisates (TPVs) recently that combine Keltan Eco EPDM with Arlanxeo’s new biobased EPDM grades have been green fillers, commercially tested and used in window profiles plasticisers and and other applications thermoplastics, resulting in EPDM products with up to 90% sustainable ingredients. The development of thermoset rubber compounds and TPVs based on Keltan Eco EPDM aims to maximise sustainable content without compromising technical performance, said the company.

Increased recycled materials in tyres Michelin North America is closer to achieving predominantly sustainable materials-based tyres. The plan, announced in May during the Movin’On 2018 sustainable mobility summit held in Montreal, Canada, is to ensure all of its tyres will be manufactured using 80% sustainable materials within 30 years to 2048, and that 100% of all tyres will be recycled.

Michelin is progressing into its 2048 plans with its continued partnership with Georgia-based Lehigh Technologies, enabling it to manufacture its micronised rubber powder (MRP) to reuse end-of-life tyre materials.

Lehigh Technologies, which was acquired by Michelin in 2017 and has since then been a key partner in the former’s closed-loop approach, converts rubber materials into a technology powder that can be incorporated in new retread compounds offering higher levels of performance. MRP replaces oil and rubber-based feedstock in a wide range of industrial and consumer applications, including highperformance tyres, plastics, consumer goods, coatings, sealants, construction materials and asphalt.

In July, Lehigh Technologies started production of MRP at its new plant in Navarra, Spain, which is its first outside of the US. Built in partnership with Spanish environmental group, Hera Holding, the plant incorporates Lehigh’s proprietary cryogenic turbo mill technology and has the capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes/year of MRP. The plant will produce Lehigh’s PolyDyne and MicroDyne range of MRPs. Thus, it can be seen that tyre and automotive giants are taking a serious purview of the rubber industry, from the supply value chain to end-use products, to ensure that the industry maintains its sustainability.

Lehigh Technologies’s micronised rubber powder advances Michelin’s 2048 sustainability roadmap

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