Plastics News Europe Magazine March 2018 Issue

MARCH ISSUE 2018

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publication

Reinventing plastics for a green future ›› Bioplastics can make a considerable

contribution to increased resource efficiency François de Bie ››

‹‹ Our cobots are not meant to

replace workers but to assist them Helmut Schmid ‹‹

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THIS MONTH

CONTENTS Volume 45 • Number 2 • Incorporating European Plastics News and PRW • Price £22

Q&A INTERVIEW 26 Ton Emans Plastics Recycling Europe (PRE) president Ton Emans: “Only quality recyclates and a true secondary raw material markets can drive the industry.”

IN THIS ISSUE 7

Markets & Business Labour shortages and wage hikes are posing challenges to the plastics industry across Central Eastern Europe.

9

Bioplastics here to stay From packaging to electronics, bioplastics are finding application in industries across the board.

12 Bioplastics market facts It’s still a niche - but one that is growing fast.

14 Moulding together Moulders fully need to comprehend what is involved when processing bioplastics.

15 The rise of the robots Burgeoning demand driven by the ongoing automation trend is causing robot sales to soar.

7

Markets & Business: Wage woes and labour shortages in CEE.

9

Bioplastics here to stay: Finally moving toward the mainstream.

18 Interview with Universal Robot’s Helmut Schmid: “Cobots are the right tool to free human workers from monotonous and wearisome tasks.”

30

22 Digitalisation in the plastics industry Siemens presents the business case for digitalisation.

Q&A interview: “The Chinese ban is an opportunity for Europe.”

24 Composites: A look at this year’s AKV Award winners.

26 Composites Creativity in composites at the ICC 2017 Conference and Composites Europe.

31 Plastics Recycling Show Europe, a preview

REGULARS 5

Reflection

6

Design Landmark Ray-Ban Wayfarers

33 Polymer Prices 36 Products and Services 38 Events & Movers

MARCH 2018

15

The rise of the robots: The current shortage of skilled labour bodes well for the robot market.

3

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reflection

Waste not A new war has been declared, it would seem. While plastics have long been viewed with widespread disapprobation, public opinion has now, in recent months, turned downright cantankerous – backed up this time by all manner of plans and bans.

In January, Britain’s Theresa May unveiled her plan to eliminate the UK’s ‘avoidable’ plastic waste within 25 years.

Just days later, the European Union officially threw down the gauntlet, with the publication of its Europe-wide strategy on plastics in a circular economy. According to this plan, 100% of plastic packaging in the EU must be recyclable by 2030.

But then: Queen Elizabeth announced that plastic bottles and straws were to be banned from the royal estates.

Scotland said it would ban plastic straws after 2019, followed by the Pizza Express chain and London City Airport. The BBC said it would ban single-use plastic by 2020. Even the Church of England has jumped on the bandwagon, asking people to forsake plastics for the six weeks of Lent.

What happened was the series Blue Planet 2, narrated by David Attenborough, but

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march 2018

whose footage speaks for itself. Its powerful visual impact has galvanised general opinion, prodding the public into action.

Indeed, action is needed: as a plastics publication, we couldn’t agree more. Plastics should not be allowed to leak into the environment. Plastics are a far too valuable resource to waste. Better waste management solutions are urgently needed, as Europe moves towards circularity. Bioplastics, still a niche, offer options that remain to be explored.

In this issue, we have highlighted a few of these aspects. For one, we have taken a look at the emerging development of materials based on alternative feedstocks. We’ve also included a preview of our upcoming Plastics Recycling Karen Laird, Editor Show Europe, which takes place 24th25th April, in Amsterdam. Launched in 2017 as the first dedicated exhibition for plastics recycling in mainland Europe, we’re back this year, complete with an awards programme. Bringing together key players from the plastics and recycling sectors, the show underscores the importance of recycling to the plastics industry. Readers, you are invited.

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Plastics News Europe (incorporating European Plastics News) is published by Crain Communications Ltd. Registered Office: 100 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6JA United Kingdom Registered No. 1576350 England. V.A.T. No. GB 577 6905 84 Printed by Warners Midlands, Bourne, Lincolnshire.

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design landmark

ray-Ban Wayfarers (1952)

T

Photo: Dennis Amith on a Creative Commons licence

Design Landmark is researched and written by James Snodgrass

he angular shape of Ray-Ban Wayfarers sunglasses are familiar to all: conjuring images of Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and The Blues Brothers. It’s a shape which speaks of mavericks and renegades operating just on the edge of polite society. Patented in 1952, to a design

by Raymond Stegeman – albeit a design that was more ovoid than the squared-off design we know today – Ray-Ban Wayfarers first went on sale in 1956. Their construction was novel because, at that time, most sunglasses had metal frames. But they were not – at that point – made from plastic but from acetate.

Wayfarers were to become a symbol of beatniks, beat groups and bikers but as the sixties gave way to the seventies, they fell out of fashion.

Bausch and Lomb, the American eyewear company that owned the Ray-Ban brand were about to cease production but then the 1980s happened. The 1980 release of The Blues Brothers, in which John Ackroyd and John Belushi played the titular Wayfarers-wearing brothers, gave the sunglasses the kiss of life.

And full recovery was assured when Tom Cruise donned a pair for the

Wayfarers were once made of acetate but today are injection moulded plastic

1983 hit movie Risky Business.

The 1990s saw the rise of the wrap-around sunglasses pioneered by skatewear and snowboarding brands.

Wayfarers once again fell out of fashion and, in 1999, Bausch and Lomb sold the Ray-Ban brand to the Italian manufacturer Luxottica. Under this new ownership Wayfarers were reimagined for the 2000s with a smaller, less angular frame and – making them eligible for these pages – injection moulded plastic construction.

Once again, it was exposure in

popular culture that brought Wayfarers back to glory. Bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand gave the new plastic Wayfarers a shot of cool. Today Wayfarers – and their many, many imitators – are the most popular style of sunglasses. And – speaking of imitations – it is often thought that Audrey Hepburn helped popularise Wayfarers thanks to her appearance in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s but actually she was wearing similar eyewear by American manufacturer Oliver Goldsmith.

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markets & business

Labour shortages in Cee: eastern challenges Plastics processing firms are facing labour shortages and rising wage costs in central and eastern Europe, where employee migration to western Europe has prompted salary increases.

But the CEE region is still attractive for investments, which are often supported by generous state grants. “

T

here is definitely a change on the market compared to if we just look 10 years back,” said Patricia Fors, senior vice president for human resources at Rosti, a plastic injection moulding firm with head office in Sweden and several plants worldwide. She said the company, with a workforce that currently numbers about 1,500 at its two plants in Poland and Romania, is experiencing a shortage of manual labour, particularly in Poland, and also sees “a significant difference” regarding the availability of white-collar employees. “We can now really feel what we were talking about so many years ago – the war for talent,” she said.

Finding skilled workers is becom-

march 2018

ing more difficult also for Austrian plastics pipes producer Pipelife, a subsidiary of construction materials group Wienerberger, which runs six production facilities and employs about 700 people across the CEE region. “We are – as other industries too – faced with a stronger competition for skilled manual workers and a rise in labour costs in this region,” the company said. Wage increases have been noticeable in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, it added.

Labour shortages affect several sectors in central and eastern Europe.

The Czech Republic recorded a 4.1% overall job vacancy rate in the third quarter of last year, the highest in the European Union, while Hungary had an above-average job vacancy rate at 2.4%, according to data from Eurostat. The proportion of vacant positions also increased in Poland, to 1.1% in July-September 2017 from 0.8% a year earlier.

Growth fuels demand for workers Robust growth in plastics processing has increased demand for new hires in some of the CEE markets, like Poland or Hungary. The number of plastics processing firms in Poland, for example, rose by 7% to about 7,500 with turnover jumping about 10% to €15.3 billion in 2014-16 (see table). Polish plastics processors and rubber manufacturers had about 1,800 vacant jobs at the end of 2016, one of the highest number within the local manufacturing sector, according to the Polish statistics

7

office. This accounted for 2.3% of total vacancies of 78,000 in the country at the end of 2016.

Turnover in the Hungarian plastics processing sector also increased by 12.5% to about €3.4 billion in 201416, data from Eurostat show. The number of employees rose by 11% to slightly more than 37,000, but there would be demand for more, according to Gabor Farkass, director of the Hungarian Plastics Association. He said recruitment is “a serious task” for the industry and local processors in big industrial regions face significant shortages in low-skilled labour.

Fluctuation in this segment can be as high as 30%.

For highly skilled young Hungarians, the “amount of salaries offered abroad often becomes irresistible” after a few months of employment at home, Farkass said. He said the situation is rather grim also in the case of manager roles or those positions requiring a diploma, but employers are making more efforts to keep good employees in this segment “with more flexible wage policies”. The lack of highly skilled employees is also felt in research and development, he said.

Employees go west for higher wages The migration of employees to better paid positions in western Europe also has an impact on local labour markets. Employers have been increasing local wages to retain employees in

➡ Continued on page 8

markets & Business

manufacture of plastic products in key Cee markets Hungary

Poland

2014

2015

2016

2014

Number of companies

1,686

1,667

1,649

7,012

Total turnover (€ billion)

3.04

3.36

3.42

13.79

2015

Czech Republic

Romania

EU

2016

2014

2015

2016

2014

2015

2016

2014

7,473

7,496

2,901

2,851

2,831

2,494

2,458

2,460 54,515 54,105 54,188

14.71

15.29

5.78

6.27

6.63

2.41

2.68

2.87

223

2015 235

2016 234

Number of persons employed

33,507 35,545 37,183 144,619 151,240 159,320 61,540 65,511 68,780 39,654 41,292 44,383 1.30 m 1.34 m 1.36 m

Wages and salaries (€ million)

287.5

323.7

359.6 1,319.5 1,437.7 1,517.8 606.3

672.8

753.4

201.0

233.7

275.5 33,590 35,400 35,500

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

2013

2014

2015

Personnel cost per employee (€ thousand)

11.2

10.9

11.6

11.2

11.7

12.2

14.6

14.2

14.8

6.2

6.5

7.0

32.8

33.1

34.0

Share of personnel cost in production (%)

13.8

13.2

13.5

12.0

12.2

12.5

16.1

14.9

15.2

11.0

11.1

11.4

20.2

20.0

20.1

Labour productivity* (€ thousand)

19.7

20.6

21.3

23.2

24.0

24.8

23.3

24.8

26.5

12.4

13.9

14.6

47

48

51

* gross value added per person employed

Source: Eurostat

➡ Continued from page 7 their workforce, which has resulted in an increase of overall wage costs. The average gross monthly pay in the Polish plastics and rubber manufacturing sector rose by 6.3% to 4,200 zloty in January-September last year from a year earlier. The average wage in these industries increased by 9.6% to 28,020 koruna in the Czech Republic in the same period.

“These trends are clearly owed to the strong movement of skilled workers to western Europe in the past years, with an insufficient or slow return movement back home and the positive economic outlook for the region which attracts many industries,” Pipelife said. “This is of course an issue which needs to be tackled by local governments and political decision makers going forward.”

”

Gabor Farkass, Hungarian Plastics Association: “Wage costs are lower in some southeast European countries, such as Romania or Serbia, but there are no signs that significant new investments directed to these markets just because of that”

This article was written by Béla Fincziczki, Budapest

For its part, the Hungarian government has been dynamically increasing the country’s legally required minimum wages in recent years partially to cut salary gaps. The monthly minimum wage rose to 138,000 forint in 2018 from 127,500 forint last year and 111,000 forint a year earlier. These raises put further pressure on employers’ wage costs,

although the increase of overall burden was somewhat reduced by cutting social contributions payable by employers to 19.5% in 2018 from the previous 22%.

But wage increases need to be more thought-out so that companies can prepare for them, according to Laszlo Hollo, managing director of Tisza Automotive, a Hungarian injection and blow moulder. He said minimum wage increases have created pressure to raise the salaries of higher paid workers, as well. This has failed to improve productivity, however.

Hollo believes automation should be also increased to reduce dependency on labour costs. Tisza Automotive currently has 170 employees, 140 temp agency workers and further 150 workers employed by an outsourcing partner.

Besides raising wages, employers in Poland have been increasingly relying on Ukrainian workers to reduce labour shortages, according to Robert Szyman, director of the Polish Union of Plastics Converters. He said there were more than one million Ukrainians employed in Poland last year. Fors at Rosti also confirmed that there is a market trend among temporary agencies to import labourers from the east. She said some Polish employers also recruit workers from Belarus.

Education reform urged in Hungary The present state of Hungary’s vocational education is “critical” as far as plastics processing is concerned, according to Farkass at the industry association. He said vocational schools and training institutions currently satisfy only about 20-30% of market demand for skilled workers and the professional knowledge of these young employees often fall short of expectations.

But the association has drawn up a new model for vocational educa-

8

tion, which Farkass expects to be put to the test at domestic schools in the fall this year for the first time, initially in injection moulding and tool manufacturing. Hollo at Tisza Automotive said the number of available higher education courses specifically on plastics are scarce and there are few fresh graduates. He said the plastics sector is also lacking education programs for second degrees and retraining.

Despite the increasing difficulties in the labour sector, Rosti’s current markets in Poland and Romania are still attractive for investment, according to Fors. She said efforts must be focused on increasing organisation efficiency, investments in developing competencies on a higher level and making it possible for “our people to meet higher demands”. The firm employs 1,300 at its injection and blow moulding plant in Byalistok and about 200 at its Ploiesti plant serving the white goods and power tools markets.

Wage costs are lower in some southeast European countries, such as Romania or Serbia, but this has served to attract significant new investments in these markets Farkass added. Hollo at Tisza Automotive believes eastern Romania, Serbia or Macedonia could be a better target for investments at the moment considering current labour market conditions.

Government grants and subsidies can help maintaining investor interest in the CEE region. Budapest, for example, has approved cash subsidies of about 8 billion forint in total to plastics processors in 2016-17, including baggage manufacturer Samsonite, auto components producer Takata, PVC films extruder and packaging converter Ongropack, laminating films company Mondi or flexible packaging producer Material Plastik.

Their subsidised development projects are scheduled to create 661 new jobs combined, according to government documents.

march 2018

bioplastics

bioplastics here to stay Bioplastics have come a long way since the days of starch-based thermoplastics that most processors found impossible to process. Yet even now, confusion reigns as to what bioplastics are.

O

ne of the most common assumptions made by people in and outside of the plastics industry about bioplastics, is that they are biodegradable. Indeed, this is how they were originally sold to the public: as a responsible solution to conventional plastics, a material that would, over time conveniently disappear, thus eliminating the litter problem, as well. The fact that for the majority of applications, biodegradability was not a particularly useful or even desirable feature meant that bioplastics were deemed by many converters as, in the best case, unsuitable and in the worst case, characterised as ‘rubbish’. Golf tees and flower pots were, for a long time, the star products made of bioplastics, with little interest being otherwise shown in these materials – except perhaps as

a token gesture of environmental engagement – by the industry at large.

It is a perception that has long stuck to their image, even though today’s bioplastics bear little resemblance to earlier generations of products. Yet change is under way, driven by the emergence of the concept of the bioeconomy, a concept that has especially taken hold in Europe. In February 2012, the European Commission presented its first dedicated bioeconomy strategy, defining the bioeconomy as “the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy”.

Since then, the overall objectives of the 2012 EC Bioeconomy Strategy have been absorbed into numerous

national and regional bioeconomy strategies, both in the EU and globally. In December 2015, the Commission adopted an EU Action Plan for a circular economy.

Within these strategies, bioplastics have an important role to play, with the EU supporting their development through research projects that aim to help transform Europe’s plastics’ industry, an important source of economic growth and employment, over the coming years. And in January 2018, the European Commission adopted the first Europe-wide strategy on plastics – the EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy.

Under the new plans, all plastic packaging on the EU market will be recyclable by 2030 – today, the figure is less than 30% – the consumption of single-use plastics will be reduced and the intentional use of microplastics will be restricted.

And, the Commission said in a press release last October: “Bioplastics can play an important role in this transition. Encompassing a whole

➡ Continued on page 10

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BIOPLASTICS

➡ Continued from page 9 family of materials with different properties and applications, bioplastics can be made from renewable resources such as crops and wood, or from waste streams such as the residues of food processing”.

Bioplastics – what’s in a name?

Quite a lot, it turns out. The word bioplastics, which, as noted above, many take to be synonymous with biodegradable, is today an umbrella term for a large group of widely different types of plastic. Because of this, the preferred term for the majority of these materials today is ‘biobased’ – a more accurate reflection of the origins of most bioplastics. Biobased plastics come in two categories: the first consists of plastics that are both biobased and biodegradable, such as PHA, PLA, and TPS; the second, of plastics that are biobased but non-degradable, e.g. PEF or the drop-in plastics bio-PET and bio-PE – virtually identical to their petroleum-based counterparts – or bio-PA. A third group, which also comes under the heading of bioplastics is that of the biodegradable, fossil-based plastics, such as PBAT or PCL. Cutting through the confusion, European Bioplastics, Europe’s bio-

Harvesting sugar cane - today, the main feedstock for bio-PE

plastics trade association, has come up with a definition that is as clear as it is simple: ‘a plastic material is defined as a bioplastic if it is either biobased, biodegradable, or features both properties’.

Why bioplastics, then?

Without biodegradability, the inevitable question is: why bother with bioplastics at all?

What biobased plastics have going for them is, in the first place, the fact that they do not deplete a non-renewable source. These resins are based on renewable biomass of

‘Fast-growing and innovative’

W

e asked chairman of the European Bioplastics association, François de Bie, pictured, for his view of the bioplastics industry today, the opportunities that are opening up and the outlook for the future.

He weighed in with the following: “Over the past ten years, the bioplastics industry has flourished and developed into a fast-growing innovative sector. We are witnessing a growing number of major brands switching from fossil-based to biobased materials or to offer biodegradable solutions for their products in response to the increased consumer demand for more sustainable products and an overall change in awareness about the impacts of consumption choices on the environment. Bioplastics are readily and widely available on the market and the industry is able to meet the increased demand. According to our 2017 market data report, the global production capacities for bioplastics are predicted to grow by 20% over the next five years. This growth is due to many of the pioneers in the industry expanding their existing production capacities. At the same time, the commitment of the European Commission to the transition to a circular economy and the stronger political support for the bioeconomy on the

whole are further accelerating the growth momentum of the bioplastics industry in Europe, which is a world leader in developing and commercialising innovative biopolymers.

Applying the principles of a circular economy from the design stage of bioplastic materials offers a competitive edge for the bioplastics industry. Bio-based plastics have the unique advantage to reduce our dependency on imported fossil resources. Furthermore, replacing a significant proportion of the conventional fossil feedstock by plant-based or waste-based alternatives, reduces GHG emissions and helps to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals and EU climate protection targets. Bioplastics can also make a considerable contribution to increased resource efficiency through a closed resource cycle and use cascades, especially if bio-based materials and products are being either reused or recycled.

Bioplastics are suitable for a broad range of endof-life options with the overwhelming part being mechanically recyclable. Making use of biodegradation properties of bioplastics can furthermore help to separately collect more biowaste, divert organic waste from landfill, and to reduce plastic leakage into the environment.“

10

all kinds – sugar cane, corn, wood, sewerage, bargasse to name but a few. And while concerns have been voiced about the use of arable land for crops to be used to make plastics, studies have repeatedly shown that the amount of land used for this purpose is virtually negligible. The Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites in Hannover, for example, has estimated current land use at approximately 15.7 million hectares – equivalent to only 0.3 % of the global agricultural area or approximately 1 % of the arable land.

In addition to land use, the idea of using food crops, or ‘first generation feedstock’ as these are known, to make bioplastics, has also worked against their acceptance. While bioPA is derived from the inedible castor bean, and PHAs are made by micro-organisms through the fermentation of sugar, lipids or even a greenhouse gas such as methane, other bio-based plastics – bio-PE, PLA – are based on carbohydrate-rich food crops, such as sugarcane, corn, sugar beet and cassava.

The bioplastics industry is working to develop technologies to make it possible to use the cellulosic by-products of these food crops, such as straw, corn stover or bagasse, as ‘second generation feedstocks’, to do away with the necessity of using food or feed crops at all. Other feedstocks, from coffee grounds, fruit peel and thistles to sewerage are being researched, as are the third-generation feedstocks, methane and carbon dioxide.

Biobased carbon Increasingly, too, the argument that bioplastics are far more in harmony with the Earth’s carbon cycle is also being heard. There has been a measurable increase over the past two centuries in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, arguably the result of human activities such

MARCH 2018

bioplastics

as deforestation, land use changes that destroy soil organic carbon and the burning of fossil fuels. The carbon which had long remained locked in fossil fuels under the ground is released into the atmosphere as CO2, adding to what was already there.

The value proposition for ‘biobased’ lies in the fact that carbon dioxide from biomass, containing organic carbon of renewable origin, has no net effect on the biosphere’s carbon concentration. Plants extract CO2 from the atmosphere via photosynthesis, and it is this carbon, present in the form of CO2, which can be incorporated into a biopolymer. The ‘biobased’ carbon will be re-released into the atmosphere at the end of the material’s life, but re-captured by a following generation of plants, resulting in what Dr. Ramani Narayan, university distinguished professor at Michigan State University and acknowledged expert in this field, calls a ‘net zero material carbon footprint’. It is a model that is also well-aligned with Europe’s current striving towards a

may be better to make use of its by-products rather than let them go to waste.”

As a recycler who obviously has a vested interest in maintaining a supply of plastic waste to remain in business, the comment is understandable. However, it should be noted that most bioplastics are equally capable of being recycled, and indeed should be. While PE and PET recycling streams are in place – bio-PE and bioPET, by far the largest group of bioplastics in the market, can be recycled with no problem together with conventional PE and PET – a PLA recycling stream, for example, for the most part still remains to be established.

Arlanxeo Keltan Eco Soccer World Cup 2018 ball

closed-loop circular economy.

Moreover, methods have been developed to determine the percentage of biobased carbon content using radiocarbon, or C14. As the Belgian testing institute Vincotte explains, there is, on the one hand, “young” carbon (0 to 10 years) derived from renewable raw materials which has a C14-activity of about 100%, and on the other, millions of years “old” carbon, derived from fossils with a C14 activity of about 0%. Very simply put, to determine the biobased content, the C14 activity of the plastic is compared to that of young carbon. In this way, it is possible to substantiate claims made about the biobased-related content of products.

End of life A UK recycling expert recently noted in an opinion piece that while “there is a clear benefit from not depleting a non-renewable source, we need to consider that many petrochemicals are a by-product of the oil refining process. While we still live in an economy that is so heavily reliant on oil, it

march 2018

11

Currently, one of the few recyclers of PLA can be found in Belgium. Called LoopLife Polymers, the company is a division of Despriet Gebroeders NV. Compostable and biodegradable bioplastics are another matter. Care, too, must be taken to distinguish between home compostable and industrial compostable bioplastics. The former may be simply thrown on the compost heap; the latter will degrade only under industrial composting conditions. For this group, adequate collection schemes and processing facilities must be available to establish an optimum system for organic recycling within a larger waste management programme.

bioplastics

bioplastics: Bioplastics: facts and figures Bioplastics are currently still a niche, representing only 1% of the some 320 million tonnes of plastic globally produced each year. Here’s a brief look at the latest market data.

J

ust as in previous years, among the presentations at this year’s European Bioplastics conference was a detailed analysis of the latest market data on bioplastics, compiled

by European Bioplastics in collaboration with German research institute, Nova-Institute.

According to this latest update, global bioplastics production capacity is set to increase from around 2.05 million tonnes in 2017 to around 2.44 million tonnes in 2022 – a growth of 20% over the next five years. Packaging remains the largest area of application, with almost 60% (1.2 million tonnes) of the total bioplastics market in 2017.

This fast-expanding market, says European Bioplastics, is being driven by the increasing demand for sustainable products by consumers and brands alike and the continuous advancements and innovations taking place within the bioplastics industry.

Already, a bioplastic alternative is available for almost every conventional plastic and relevant application.

Production capacity In terms of production capacity, biobased, non-biodegradable plastics, i.e. bio-PA , bio-PU and the so-called drop-in materials such as bio-based PE and bio-based PET currently dominate the market, accounting for some 56%, or 1.2 million tonnes, of the total volume of bioplastics produced globally.

Biobased drop-in materials are chemically identical to their petrochemical counterparts, and can be processed, Global production capacities of bioplastics in 2017 (by market segment)

Total: 2.05 million tonnes in %

Source: European Bioplastics, nova Institute (2017)

Packaging (Flexible & rigid) Consumer goods Automotive & transport Building & construction Textiles Agriculture & horticulture Electrics & electronics Others

Global production capacities of bioplastics in 2022 (by region) in %

Total: 2.44 million tonnes Asia South America North America Europe Australia/Oceania * Production in Australia/Oceania is a small proportion relative to the global production capacity Source: European Bioplastics, nova Institute (2017)

used for the same applications and recycled in exactly the same way. Biobased polyurethanes are based on natural-oil polyols, known as NOPs, which are produced from renewable raw materials such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed and castor oil, which react with diisocyanates to produce a polyurethane with a bio-content ranging from 30% to 70%.

The market for bio-based PU has maintained an average annual growth of 4.07%, reaching USD 20.4min in 2016; the market is forecast to grow to $27.6m in 2021. A new drop-in, bio-PP, is expected to enter the stage on a commercial scale in 2022. Due to the widespread application of PP, the outlook for its biobased counterpart is extremely promising.

Bio-PET demand has mainly been driven by the beverage packaging industry. Interestingly, despite efforts by companies such as Danone and Nestlé Waters, who are currently working to introduce a 100% biobased PET bottle by 2020 that uses second-generation lignocellulosic feedstock, European Bioplastics noted that production capacities for biobased PET, which currently have a bio-content of around 30%, have lagged slightly behind the projections. The reason was a shift in focus to PEF, a 100% biobased alternative, said the association.

Novel materials PEF is often referred to as a potential game changer in the world of plastic bottles: a biopolyester, PEF (polyethylene furanoate) PEF is a polyester based on FDCA and monoethylene glycol (MEG), with barrier properties that far outstrip those of PET – for oxygen, 10 times better and for CO2, 5 to 10 times better than PET. PEF is a drop-in solution for PET bottle manu-

12

facturers in terms of processability, which means there is no need for major investments in new machinery.

PEF is not yet commercially available: Synvina, the joint venture between Avantium and BASF established in 2016 to build an FDCA reference plant and a frontrunner in furanic chemistry, suggested the reference plant would be operational ‘in the 2023-2024 timeframe’.

Two other players are Corbion, which has developed a proprietary process to produce 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) from renewable resources with a reduced carbon footprint; and Avalon Industries, which produces the bio-based platform chemical 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5HMF), a building block for PEF. And just last year, DuPont and ADM announced a method for producing furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose, which they are using to develop a novel polyester called polytrimethylene furandicarboxylate (PTF). Like PEF, PTF is a 100% renewable – the other ingredient is bio-1,3 propanediol, also produced

by DuPont – and recyclable polymer with substantially improved gas-barrier properties compared to other polyesters. The scale-up process is under way – a market development plant is currently under production.

Two better-known biopolyesters, PLA (polylactic acid), and the family of PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates), have been on the market for a number of years, and are enjoying a measure of commercial success. PHAs are produced by bacteria as energy reserve materials and harvested for us. European Bioplastics writes: ‘These polyesters are 100% bio-based, biodegradable, and feature a wide array of physical and mechanical properties depending on their chemical composition’. PHA production capacities are

march 2018

BIOPLASTICS

projected to at least triple by 2022.

PHAs are currently produced by a host of different companies around the world, including Danimer Scientific, Newlight Technologies (USA), Kaneka( Japan), Bio-on (Italy), Akro-Plastic (Germany), and many more.

Production capacities of PLA are also predicted to soar 50% by 2022 compared to 2017. PLA, mainly produced by NatureWorks and Total-Corbion, is a versatile material with excellent barrier properties. Industrially compostable, the material has commonly used in packaging, while durable, high-performance, heat-resistant grades are available that can replace PS, PP and ABS in demanding applications.

Asia, a production hub While Europe remains worldwide the largest consumer of bioplastics, as well as leading the way in research and development in this field, as regards actual production, Asia has raced ahead. In 2017, over 50% of all production took place in Asia, with Europe accounting for just a fifth of the world’s bioplastics production capacity. Thailand is angling to become the ‘Bio Hub’ of south-

Land use estimation for bioplastics in 2017 and 2022

* In relation to global agricultural area ** Including approximately 1% fallow land

Source: European Bioplastics (2017), FAO Stats (2014), nova Institute (2017) and Institute for Bioplastics and Composites (2016)

east Asia and offers a wide range of tax and non-tax incentives for projects that meet national development objectives, in addition to various resources for research and development, human resource training and dedicated bioplastics-related faculties. The country offers a rich supply of biomass and is investing heavily in industrial infrastructure.

What about the economics?

According to European Bioplastics, the ‘budding bioplastics industry has

the potential to unfold an immense economic impact over the coming decades’. A recent job market analysis conducted by EuropaBio (2016), found the European bioplastics industry could potentially generate steep employment growth. In 2013, the bioplastics industry accounted for around 23,000 jobs in Europe.

With the right framework conditions in place, this number could increase more than tenfold by 2030, with up to 300,000 highskilled jobs being created in the European bioplastics sector.

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13

BIOPLASTICS

Moulding bioplastics: making a difference together

”

Nigel Flowers, UK managing director at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, talks about ‘the do’s’ of processing bioplastics

F

or more than 50 years, global production and consumption of plastics have continued to rise.

Yet, right now, bioplastics represents around 1% of the annual plastics production. Making a difference is a joint effort that requires industry stakeholders, manufacturers, suppliers and consumers being better informed and educated about the challenges and having legislative and regulatory frameworks that actively promote sustainable development and supports innovation.

Many converters, however, still have little to no experience or knowledge of bioplastics and how to process these. In the following, Nigel Flowers, UK managing director at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, addresses a few ‘frequently asked questions’.

With the number of brand owners applying bioplastics to their solutions growing steadily, it poses an important question for injection moulders. Do I need to invest in new processing equipment?

Not necessarily, says Flowers. “In theory, you can run bioplastics through an injection moulding machine just as you would any other polymer. The main issue lies in how that plastic performs as an end product, which will dictate what applications it can be considered for.”

He added: “Drop-in plastics, such as bio-based PE, bio-based PET, or bio-based polyamides typically have the same technical and functional properties as their conventional counterparts. Used in high-demand and durable applications such as electronics, building and construction, automobiles, and consumer goods, they can, in the main part, be processed and recycled in the exact same way.

However, other innovative bioplastics such as PLA or starch-based plastics desired for food packaging and in agricultural applications, have different properties, such as improved barrier or compostability.”

How will the material perform in end use? How close this is to the material it’s replacing? Will the

Flowers: “Switching to bioplastics is not so much a machine dilemma, but a question of commercial viability and cost effectiveness”

quality of the component be compromised or altered significantly?

Questions like these, says Nigel, should be put to the company supplying the bioplastic materials at the outset. Moulders fully need to comprehend what is involved when processing bioplastics.

“Some bioplastics have yet to fully meet the performance requirements needed to lend themselves to more durable goods. That’s not to say it won’t happen. Heat resistance, enhanced moisture barriers, greater rigidity and flexibility and durability are continuously improving.”

He noted that automobile companies are making great strides. Biobased or partially biobased commodity plastics such as PE or PET are already being used for applications like car dashboards. Currently, however, packaging is the leading segment, accounting for almost 60% (1.2 million tonnes) of the total bioplastics market in 2017.

How will the material process?

Flowers: “In production, the quality of the end component is reliant on controlling the melt during the injection moulding process, so moulders need to understand fully the processing conditions. This question about bioplastic melt stability would need to be discussed with the material’s supplier initially.”

14

How do the processing conditions vary?

He recommends asking the material supplier to provide comparison data, such as cost variations, mouldability, look and feel of components, strength, load weight etc. “Equipped with this information, a moulder can make a more informed decision about the feasibility of switching to bioplastics. At this phase you may progress to a process trial to see how the material performs in your existing injection moulding equipment.”

Bioplastics are also good for jobs, he noted, with a recent EuropaBio study suggesting a more than tenfold increase in European employment opportunities by 2030, which would boost the development of rural areas.

“Flying the green flag, although highly commendable, needs to be carefully evaluated. If you break it down, switching to bioplastics is not so much a machine dilemma, but a question of commercial viability and cost effectiveness.

Although 80% of European consumers want to buy products that have a minimum impact on the environment, when it comes to packaging especially, cost constraints and what the consumer is prepared to pay for throw away items will play a key role in future developments. All of this needs to be offset against the cost benefit of boosting a company’s ecological and sustainability profile.”

MARCH 2018

automation

First there were the industrial drudges that, safely enclosed by fencing, tirelessly and uncomplainingly took on the most basic and repetitive of industrial tasks. But today’s sensor-studded smart robots are flexible, strong and precise – and some are even emerging from their cages to work side by side with humans.

the rise of the robots

T

he plastics processing industry has been an avid user of industrial robots for a relatively long time. Processors, particularly in Europe and North America, adopted their use relatively early in the interests of quality, and fast, accurate and economic production. At the beginning of the century, automation, mainly in the form of linear robots, was key to remaining competitive with the low-cost labour countries of Asia, and more specifically, China.

Fast forward to 2018 and all that has changed: gone are the days of cheap and, in particular, plentiful Asian labour. Here, too, automation is the new industrial reality. In fact, according to the latest figures from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Asia is today the main driver of robot growth. China is a case in point: the country had an estimated 15,000 industrial robots in

ABB’s YuMi dual arm robot

the year 2010; in 2020, this figure is projected to reach some 210,000.

With sales of about 87,000 industrial robots in 2016 – an increase of 27% compared to 2015 – China came close to the total sales volume of Eu-

rope and the Americas together (97,300 units).

In 2016, 74 robot units per 10,000 employees was the average of global

➡ Continued on page 16

textile packaging l consumer bags l recycling

l

automation

➡ Continued from page 15 robot density in the manufacturing industries, compared to 66 units in 2015, according to the IFR’s World Robotics 2017 Industrial Robots report.

And, with demand being propelled by the ongoing trend toward automation and continued innovative technical improvements in industrial robots, the end is nowhere in sight: “From 2018 to 2020, global robot installations are estimated to increase by at least 15% on average per year (CAGR): 15% in the Americas and in Asia/Australia, and 11% in Europe.

Total global sales will reach about 520,900 units in 2020. Between 2017 and 2020, it is estimated that more than 1.7 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world,” writes the IFR.

Record sales

Sepro Yaskawa 6X-205, polyarticulated 6-axis robot

In Europe, the trend is buoyed by the increasing strength of the Euro and strong demand in sectors such as the automotive and electronics industry, and manufacturing. A falling unemployment rate and rising job vacancy rate means that the shortage of skilled labour, which is already making itself felt in manufacturing, will likely continue – and this bodes well for robots. While many people still think of robots replacing human labour, their real value lies in increasing the productivity of existing employees and allowing them to be used in more interesting and fulfilling jobs that command higher wages.

For example, at Francebased robot manufacturer Sepro, this market environment was reflected in the 2017 sales figures and 2018 projections.

Turnover in 2017, said the company, was € 126m, the fifth record year in a row. European countries accounted for some 65% of sales, with Germany and France ranking as the company’s #1 and #2 global markets respectively, displacing the U.S.A., which had been first for the previous several years. The trend, said Sepro, has been upward for some time, as Sepro Germany’s sales have increased 300% since 2010, and Sepro France is up by very similar numbers. Assuming that Sepro’s results reflect the overall trend for Europe, these figures suggest that the market for robots in Europe is robust. And for 2018, all signs point to the market continuing in the current trend.

A cobot made by Universal Robots at 3D printing farm Voodoo Manufacturing, New York

More than Cartesian robots alone Far and away the biggest consumer of robots is the automotive industry, followed by the electrical/electronics and metal and machinery industries segments, according to the latest figures of the IFR. In the plastics industry, however, where small, pick-and-place robots have long been standard equipment, robot use is rising – and changing.

Jean-Michel Renaudeau, CEO of Sepro Group sees a clear shift towards 5- and 6-axis robots as plastics processors ask robots to do increasingly complex tasks.

“With controls like Sepro’s Visual 3, programming and operation of 6-axis articulated-arm robots have become much easier. The dexterity and 360-degree reach of these units can make them very flexible and adaptable to many different situations, including not only part removal, but also pre-mould and post-mould operations,” he noted.

Paul Ralphs, technical manager and plastics industry specialist, Robotics Division, Stäubli (UK) Limited said that a trend his company had noticed, now that prices were coming down, was a greater acceptation of 6-axis robots, but that ‘gantry robots have also had more capability added’.

“There is also a greater tendency to want to mount 6-axis robots on top of the injection moulding machine to save floor space,” he said.

Although prices are, indeed, coming down, 6-axis robots continue to be generally more costly than Cartesian robots, said Sepro’s Renaudeau.

“That’s one reason for the increased interest in 5-axis robots – essentially 3-axis Cartesian units with 2-axis servo wrists. They offer top-entry speed for shorter cycle times while also providing flexibility inside and outside the mould that is comparable to an articulated-arm robot.”

In other words, 5-axis robots can perform many of the complex

16

part-manipulation tasks historically assigned to 6-axis articulated arm units. The 2-axis servo wrist also make programming simpler since it can adjust more easily to different moulds and different moulding machines. In fact, Sepro reports that even moulders who have no immediate need for their capability, say they are buying 5-axis robots in anticipation of future projects.

And now, too, a new breed has emerged – the collaborative robots, or cobots. While Sepro does not currently make this type of robot, other companies – not necessarily those that traditionally produce robots for the plastics industry – have taken on the challenge of building robots that are safe for use outside the fences usually enclosing them.

Here come the cobots?

Safe, easy-to-train and increasingly affordable, collaborative robots are taking robotisation to a new level – one characterised by ‘human-robot collaboration’, where humans and robots share a workspace, working side by side. In this dream team scenario, where human intelligence and decision-making powers are paired with the robot’s dexterity and strength, robots are complementary to, not replacements for human beings – a commonly heard fear.

As Paul Thomas, CEO at Gateway Credit Union, recently wrote in one of his blogs: “It is important to make the distinction that technology eliminates jobs, not work. Technology made the job of buggy maker obsolete but created work for automobile manufacturers. While technology will continue to redefine work, it will not make humans unnecessary.”

While he was referring to robots in general, this holds equally true for cobots.

The new technology is fast gaining acceptance in industrial settings, large and small. In fact, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society

march 2018

automation

neer in collaborative automation through reported last year that the most recent its YuMi dual arm robot, the world’s first statistics indicate that the market for coltruly collaborative robot; Kawasaki already laborative robots is expected to expand at offers a Dual-Arm SCARA Robot “duAro”, a compound annual growth rate of near which has been developed based on exten60%, reaching almost E10 billion ($12 sive application know-how and which can billion) in less than ten years. It is a view safely collaborate with humans in the that is supported by Denmark’s Universal workplace.

Robots, worldwide the leading manufac“The scale and pace of change in the turer of cobots. As Helmut Schmid, manrobotics industry today is unimaginable,” aging director of Universal Robots, Westsaid Per Vegard Nerseth, managing ern Europe said during an interview with director of ABB’s Robotics busiPlastics News Europe: ness. “Beyond the technologies “Today, the cobot market is predicted to behind collaborative automabe the most significant market driver in tion, there is also a need for inindustrial automation in the next couple novative new ways of working toof years. With expected annual gether and creating common growth rates of an impressive industry approaches to safety, proplus of 60 percent and more gramming and communications.” within the next years, the market volume of collaboraIndustry 4.0 tive robotics is estimated to reach $1.9 billion by 2021. AcA key part of developing the ‘innovacording to the analysts, this detive new ways of working togethvelopment will largely be driven er’ referred to by Nerseth is conby the increasing adoption of low nectivity. With Industry 4.0 and cost automation by small and me‘the factory of the future’ indium enterprises in Europe as well as creasingly penetrating into the in the Asia Pacific region.” plastics industry, machines must Swiss robot maker Stäubli has alconnect to other machines and ready developed and marketed its first with a central computer network cobots: the TX2 robots. The TX2 line so that data – order information, are six-axis machines designed for use process data, logistics, part in high-volume manufacturing, Indusquality reports, troubleshoottry 4.0 applications, and human-robot ing and other assistance procollaboration scenarios under all pro- TX 2 60 from grams – are immediately accesStäubli duction conditions. To ensure maxisible with a minimum of human mum safety, sensors monitor every intervention. movement of the robot, while the robot’s What is still somewhat uncertain is how coordinates, speed and acceleration are we will get to that point of seamless conrecorded in real time. The cobots have nectivity, said Sepro’s Jean-Michel Reseparate digital safety encoders for each naudeau. axis. However: “TX2 Collaborative robots “For years, thanks to Euromap and SPI tend to only be considered for activities communication protocols, robots have away from the moulding machine,” said been communicating with, and connected Ralphs. to, other machines like molding machines, Two other companies at the forefront of insert feeders and other peripheral equipthe collaborative robot trend, ABB and Kament, vision systems, and even other rowasaki Heavy Industries announced a colbots. They have to be in order to do their laboration last year November – the world’s job,” he underlined. He pointed out that first to focus on ‘cobots,’ – to share knowlSepro has partnership agreements with a edge and promote the benefits of collabodozen or more molding machine OEMs, rative robots, in particular those with dual operating all over the world, including Chiarm designs. ABB is recognised as a pionese and Japanese companies. Just last year, for example, the robot maker announced a collaboration with Haitian International Germany, covering molding machines and robots sold in Europe.

“We are hopeful that we can expand on that agreement and collaborate with Haitian elsewhere in the world,” said Renaudeau.

“We believe connectivity – and, ultimately, Industry 4.0 – must be based on something more. We believe it must be built a doctrine of ‘openness’ that stands behind everything a company does. We call it “Open 4.0”, and the implementation of this philosophy represents our long-term, company-wide commitment to delivering Kuka’s LBR iiwa, the first seriesopenness, transparency, simplicity and produced sensitive robot for humanchoice through intelligent next-generation robot collaboration robots and controls.”

march 2018

17

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ROBOTICS – INTERVIEW

Cobots create added value for manufacturers and employees

”

U

niversal Robots, a Danish manufacturer of smaller flexible industrial collaborative robot arms, is based in Odense, Denmark.

The company, which was founded in 2005, has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years. After opening branches in China and the US, the company established a subsidiary in Germany in 2016, appointing Helmut Schmid general manager Western Europe in February of that year. Schmid, an experienced manager, who has fulfilled positions in the US, Japan and Switzerland, talked to Plastics News Europe about the growing market for cobots, and what they can mean in the plastics industry.

Does Universal Robots have customers in the plastics industry – are they interested in and buying cobots?

All over the world, our cobots are used in applications across all areas of plastic and polymer production – such as de-gating, PCB loading and unloading, pick and place, and many other tasks: At Voodoo Manufacturing, a 3D printing farm in Brooklyn, New York one of our UR10 cobots handles the “harvesting” by loading and unloading plates in 3D printers for example.

TCI, one of the largest plastic injection moulding companies in New Zealand, deploys several UR robots to support their workforce, e.g. in the labelling and mounting of rubber feet on their “EasiYo yoghurt makers”, as well as in the assembly of storage containers.

Plastic manufacturers especially benefit from our products’ versatility as tasks themselves demand more and more flexibility. You only have to think about the different types of

TCI, one of the largest plastic injection moulding companies in New Zealand, deploys several UR robots to support their workforce

Universal Robot’s Helmut Schmid: “Human-robot collaboration means bringing together the best from two worlds, which means humans and robots end up doing what they are best at.”

plastics and polymers requiring different processing and temperature ranges. Due to that production setups need to be changed frequently.

Our robot arms are not just lightweight and space-saving but also easy to set-up and re-deploy to varying applications without changing production layouts. Thus, cobots from UR are versatile tools which can be moved fast and easily to a new process giving plastic manufacturers the necessary agility to automate almost any task – including those with small batch production runs or the ones, which require fast changeovers.

Further considering the industry’s special requirements, automation with UR robots also can reduce employees’ exposure to noxious gases given off during the production of plastics and polymers. In other tasks cobots are able to increase safety by protecting the employees on the production lines from plastic shavings and handling of sharp objects. Last but not least, collaborative robot arms also reduce repetitive tasks for employees while being able to extend production capabilities.

What are the advantages of a cobot over a conventional robot?

Cobots are meant to be versatile, cost-effective and easy-to-use tools.

They were invented with the intention to make automation accessible to everyone.

18

How does it work?

Collaborative robots, like Universal Robots’ UR3, UR5 and UR10, bring all necessary qualities to make automation for companies of all sized and industries successful: They are not only cost-efficient and flexible but can also be programmed easily and intuitively.

Due to their easy set-up it takes an operator only an hour to unpack an UR robot, get it up and running – thus, minimising operational downtime and disruption. Before, typical robot deployment used to be measured in weeks instead of hours.

Furthermore, UR applications are easy-to-programme. Our robots use the most intuitive 3D user interface in the industry. This means that no expensive, highly specialised robot or IT experts are required to implement or operate these cobots. Instead, any employee can learn to handle them. This principle was one of the fundamental ideas behind the development of UR’s first products.

Every UR robot comes with a touchpad with which it can be programmed. The robot arm can either be taught a new task with the help of the arrow keys on its screen or by moving the robot arm manually using the “teach mode”. In this process, the operator shows the robot every waypoint that it has to follow by directing the robot arm step by

MARCH 2018

robotics – interview

step to the specific positions which are then saved on the touchpad. This also makes moving the robot to new processes fast and easy, giving manufacturers the agility to automate almost any manual task. Complex programming in code is not necessary. As a result, the cobot can take over new tasks during running operation without major delay. And therefore, the machine is not a complex obstacle for employees but a flexible supportive tool in their dayto-day work routine.

Last but not least, cobots – as their name suggests – are collaborative and safe: Their inbuilt safety mechanisms ensure that there is little to no risk of accident and injury when they work hand-in-hand with operators without safety guarding or shielded cells. In total, 80% of our cobots worldwide operate with no safety guarding next to their human co-workers, after a successful risk assessment of course.

How does working with cobots affect processes?

Human-robot collaboration means bringing together the best from two worlds, which means humans and robots end up doing what they are best at. One compensates for the weak-

nesses of the other – and vice versa.

While robots may be deployed in dull, repetitive and even potentially strenuous or dangerous tasks they free up the human workforce to pursue more valuable and creative responsibilities within the process chain.

Plastic and polymer production in particular includes a number of hazardous processes which entail exposure to noxious gases and sharp plastic shavings as well as the handling of dangerous equipment. With their high degree of flexibility, cobots are able to take over a range of processing tasks in the production line, increasing efficiency and reducing particularly workers’ exposure to such safety hazards.

You hear a lot of concern about employment disappearing because of cobots – is this something seen among your customers?

Our cobots are not meant to replace workers but to assist them as flexible and versatile tools in their everyday working environment: In our view, human-robot collaboration means bringing together the best of both human creativity and robotic precision to take innovation and production to new heights.

fro

A UR cobot at Voodoo Manufacturing, a 3D printing farm in Brooklyn

Accordingly, cobots are the right tool to free human workers from monotonous and wearisome tasks. As a result, they can dedicate themselves to more creative jobs and work as productively as possible.

Far beyond that we want our cobots to help and create a new, more positive image for an entire profession by turning assembly-line workers into automation experts in only a few easy steps. Therefore, it is one of the most outstanding characteristics of cobot technology to create additional value for both manufacturers and their employees.

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Examining the value of digitalisation in terms a CFO can relate to, Siemens makes a business case for digitalisation in the plastics industry. Enter the Digitalisation Productivity Bonus.

Robotics, digitalisation are reshaping the industrial landscape Where to start?

Bonus (production cost reduction)

A

s Siemens writes in its whitepaper ‘The Digitalisation Productivity Bonus: Plastics’,for manufacturers that want to remain competitive in increasingly aggressive global markets, the move to increased automation and Industry 4.0 is not an option – it is a necessity. But seizing the competitive advantages of automation and digitalisation that lie at the heart of Industry 4.0 requires a substantial investment in new generation automated and digital platforms. Responsible business leaders will therefore need a solid business case that justifies this kind of significant investment to stakeholders and shareholders, and paints a credible picture of the revenue, margin and growth benefits an investment in automation and digitalisation technology will bring.

To help establish a more precise starting point for manufacturers embarking on the automation and digitalisation journey, Siemens Financial Services commissioned research to understand which of these benefits

”

In the global Plastic Products industry, it is estimated that conversion to digitalised technology could deliver a Digitalisation Productivity Bonus of between $39.3 billion and $61.2 billion

could be most reliably estimated and used by most manufacturers to formulate a business case for investing in Industry 4.0 technology.

The business case

From: Siemens Financial Services | Winter 2017 | The Digitalisation Productivity Bonus: Plastics

The advent of Industry 4.0 automation and digitalisation is having a fundamental effect on the plastics industry – not simply in terms of process and production efficiency and agility, but also disrupting the landscape of international competition by allowing smaller manufacturers to achieve the market access and technological capabilities that previously could only be attained by medium-to-larger players.

Robotics, virtual testing, economic prototyping and real-time machine

Estimated Digitalisation Productivity Bonus: reduced production costs resulting from conversion to digitalised technology in the plastics process industry China $7.2Bn – $11.2Bn $1.1Bn – $1.7Bn

France

$2.5Bn – $3.9Bn

Germany India

$1.3Bn – $2.0Bn

Poland

$0.7Bn – $1.1Bn

Russia

$0.9Bn – $1.3Bn

Spain Sweden

$0.7Bn – $1.0Bn $0.3Bn – $0.4Bn

Turkey UK

$0.6Bn – $0.9Bn $1.5Bn – $2.3Bn

US $0Bn

$6.6Bn – $10.3Bn $5Bn

data are just a few of the advantages that plastics manufacturers are seizing to improve their competitive position.

CFOs, however, require a solid basis or return on investment to justify the transition to Industry 4.0 technology. To demonstrate the reliable gains from production productivity, this paper has applied its research-based model to the plastics industry in each of 11 countries, in order to provide an estimate of the Digitalisation Productivity Bonus the sector can gain as a result of investment in digitalised Industry 4.0 technology. The average “bonus” percentage range has been applied to the total annual revenue of the plastics industry in selected countries across the globe (revenue data derived from official third-party sources). The resulting amounts in Figure 3 estimate the potential financial gain the plastics industry could realise from improvements to manufacturing productivity as a direct result of digital transformation. These Digitalisation Productivity Bonus estimates provide CFOs in the plastics industry with a reliable starting point to make a business case for investment in automation and digitalisation technology. Such technological transformation offers many other benefits that are more challenging to quantify in financial terms.

Qualitative research conducted for this report helps to illustrate in specific industry examples how digitalisation and automation are creating additional value in the sector.

22

Source: Siemens

$15Bn

$10Bn

Financing strategies The whitepaper also cites a Finnish plastics converter, who said that “there is an increase in the available new-generation technologies, and we need to access them to stay competitive – particularly in the areas of order processing and being able to deliver highly tailored products to customers.”

But how? Manufacturers around the world still face the challenge of having to make a major initial investment to acquire Industry 4.0 automation and/or digitalisation technology in the first place. To overcome this obstacle, specialist financiers have developed a set of financing tools called Finance 4.0. These tools enable the transition to new-generation digital technology in a way that is affordable, sustainable and designed to alleviate the manufacturer’s cash-flow and working capital pressures.

These specialist Finance 4.0 tools can be summarised as follows: •Pay to access/use equipment and technology finance so that precious capital is not tied up in depreciating equipment •Technology upgrade and update to take advantage of the latest innovations •Software finance to embrace all aspects of an Industry 4.0 solution •Pay for outcomes to align rate of benefit with rate of payment •Transition finance to minimise disruption in the move to automation and digitalisation •Working capital solutions to manage cash flow in a digital world.

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COMPOSITES

AVK awards automotive, bicycle, furniture and building applications With 66 submissions resulting in 13 finalists for the 2017 AVK federation of reinforced plastics innovation awards, David Vink reviews the highlights

T

he 2017 AVK Federation of Reinforced Plastics innovation awards, presented last year in September during the 3rd International Composites Congress in Stuttgart, once again demonstrated an outstanding level of innovation, according to the jury. First place in the product & applications (P&A) category went to 3D mouldable MDF (medium density fibreboard) developed by BASF and wood panel producer Sonae Arauco.

This development was also among winners of the December 2017 “Biocomposite of the Year 2017” awards organised by Nova Institute at its biocomposites conference.

The product differs from conventional MDF based on urea formaldehyde (UF) thermosetting resin binders, by using a new BASF AcForm binder. This 50% thermoplastic acrylic dispersion binder is free from formaldehyde. Although AcForm also has crosslinking properties, its thermoplastic formability, combined with its anisotropic fibre orientation, is key to 3D mouldability and embossing.

3D MDF seat shell, shown here partly clad /right)

Hybrid CFRP/GF-PA6 part produced at AZL, shown at Composites Europe 2017

Conventional UF resin based MDF is practically impossible to form after the board has been produced and the resin cured, a drawback which AcForm very successfully overcomes. AcForm parts can be decorated with veneer or by other means and look just like MDF ones. It can be stored for unlimited time before being pressed and processing is far less arduous.

BASF says 3D MDF boards with typical 350 kg/m3 density have an acrylic polymer binder content of around 10%, and that higher 90% wood utilisation is obtained in the board pressing process than with conventional MDF based panels made from laboriously shaved wood veneers. The material was developed together with Fraunhofer WKI Wilhelm-Klauditz wood research institute in Brunswick on conventional blowline MDF production equipment.

The new material offers greater design freedom, whether to produce just embossed surface structures or complex curved highly three-dimensional furniture items such as seat shells. Wood board processor Lightweight Solutions has been evaluating and is now promoting the material and Wiesner Hager Möbel in Austria produced the first chair in the new material in December 2016.

BASF is eying potential non-structural automotive applications, such as parcel shelves, as well.

Automotive OEM Audi took first

24

place in the process category. The jury lauded the “one-shot” technology developed with Austrian composite parts producer partner Secar Technologie, through which pultruded profiles are produced by continuous fibre pull-winding and pull-braiding, followed by resin impregnation and compression overmoulding of the profiles with shorter fibre reinforced plastic. This can be e.g. conventional glass fibre-based or newer carbon fibre-based sheet moulding compound (SMC/C-SMC).

After the materials have cured in the press, they form complex integral load-bearing parts with high torsion strength, where required, also with regions with different isotropy or anisotropy. Unidirectional patches can provide tailored local reinforcement.

This is all achieved in one step without using bonding measures between

Partial view of Audi R8 “oneshot” torsional stiffener displayed at Composites Europe 2017

MARCH 2018

COMPOSITES

the profiles and the mouldings.

A typical application example shown at Composites Europe 2017 was a torsional stiffening cross used over the engine of the Audi R8 car, a part providing bodywork with higher torsional resistance that went into serial production on the car in 2017.

Both central joint and end-fixing elements are moulded onto the pultruded profile sections.

AZL Aachen centre for integrative lightweight production at RWTH University, took first place in the research & science category for development of a “photonics-assisted” automotive hybrid thermoset/thermoplastic composite parts production process chain within the OPTO-Light project. This involves selective laser treatment of thermosetting plastic to remove polymer and expose reinforcement fibres, ensuring a key to which thermoplastic functional elements such as ribs, also ribs with screw boss features, can be injection moulded-on to the compres-

Multilayer metallic inserts have withstood loads up to 21 kN sion moulded thermoset part.

A sensor is used to measure temperature and control the depth of material removed by the laser by means of continuous short coherent interferometry with definition below 20 µm and with measurement frequency up to 70 kHz. Selective moulded-on reinforcement ribs enable reduction in relatively expensive carbon fibre content for a given level of stiffness, AZL points out. The work was performed on an i3 demonstrator part provided

by BMW, HPCM horizontal prepreg compression moulding of carbon fibre reinforced thermoset epoxide resin with net-shape prepregs) being followed by injection overmoulding of thermoplastic glass reinforced PA6 components. The entire process takes place on a KraussMaffei Technologies CX200W rotary platen injection moulding machine at AZL. AZL has produced the demonstrator with 3 minutes cycle time, from tape laying to finished moulded part.

Fast cycle time, less CF use and lower waste with direct tape laying than with conventional textile performing makes the process 20% less expensive

MARCH 2018

than the present “wet moulding” RTM process used by BMW. Local laser heating the laminate and measuring temperature during cooling with laser “lock-in” thermography allows voids in the thermoset laminate and in moulded-on thermoplastic functional elements to be detected. Aside from automotive applications, AZL also sees potential for the hybrid moulding process in aviation, machinery & plant construction, energy and environmental areas.

Munich Composites, a composites processor spun-off from Munich Technical University, won third place in the process category for production of carbon fibre reinforced plastic bicycle rims which it supplies, among others to Schmolke Carbon in Constance, Germany, a producer of bicycle wheels founded and run by Schmolke family bicycle racing enthusiasts.

Munich Composites says sports articles for the European market are mainly produced in lower wage cost Asian countries, due to a high degree of manual work for the complex parts. The only way to compete with German production is with a high automation.

This gap has been closed by Munich Composites, a company producing wheel rims in a BraidForm process developed and patented by the company’s founders and managing directors Olaf Rüger and Felix Fröhlich.

BraidForm combines direct CF roving pull-winding and pull-braiding in a polymer-based lost core process with epoxide resin impregnation of the CF followed by cure of the rim parts in a resin transfer moulding (RTM) press, with low fibre waste arising. The core expands to keep the fibres optimally tensioned for final mechanical strength and is removed after moulding via small holes in the rim, so that the rim does not need to open and be re-closed for this purpose.

CFRP rims produced in Germany by non-automated preformed textile processing cost around twice as much as Munich Composites ones. Serial production of rims at Munich Composites’ Taukirchen plant near Munich started in 4Q 2016 and grew to

Schmolke Carbon is among customers for CFRP wheel rims produced by Munich Composites

a 3,000 rims/year in 2017, The company produces three different versions of its rims, and aims to reach 30,000 rims/year as from 2020, in a CFRP rim market estimated at one million rims/year. Versions for both glued-on solid tyres and tyres with tubes will be available.

Third place in the research & science category went to ITFT Institute for Textile and Fibre Technologies in Stuttgart and PBMG plant biomechanics group and botanical garden in Freiburg for a Flectofold biomimetic, hingeless building façade shading system in foldable fibre reinforced plastic, based on the shield bug (Graphosoma italicum) and the carnivorous water wheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa).

Produced in a vacuum assisted press, the Flectofold elements are made from epoxide resin impregnated glass fibre fabric prepregs and elastomer film, and metal strips to form the bending zone. PBMG has been involved earlier in the development of a Flectofin building façade shading system, based on the bird-of-paradise (Estrelitzia reginae).

This system has been applied to the façade of the Expo 2012 One Ocean building in South Korean (Plastics News Europe, March 2016).

The Flectofold building façade shading elements have been designed on a biomimicry principle

25

composites

creativity in composites in and beyond the automotive industry There were plenty of innovations on show in Stuttgart at the Composites Europe fair and the International Composites Conference last September David Vink reviews a selection, from packaging machinery to a worldwide first vertically and horizontally moving cable-less elevator

H

ybrid lightweight construction, while known to be key in automotive construction, also brings advantages in other industries.

At the ICC 2017 composite conference Stuttgart, Kai Steinbach from the LZS Saxony lightweight construction centre talked about increasing efficiency with it in packaging machinery.

Steinbach took the example of a milled aluminium transfer lever, rigidity and precise positioning of which is key to packaging machine performance. Based on tooling costs to produce 100 levers/year, manufacturing a lever entirely in carbon-reinforced plastic (CFRP) has a 63% cost premium over the all-aluminium lever, Steinbach said. He described the 25% cost premium for a CFRP/aluminium hybrid lever, developed with ILK institute for lightweight construction and plastics technology at Dresden Technical University, however, as “moderate”.

The hybrid design premium cost is justified, as tests showed that the CFRP/aluminium lever outperformed the non-hybrid all-aluminium one with 30% higher motion frequency – more than 1,000 cycles/minute achievable, compared to 700 cycles/ minute for the all-aluminium lever.

The hybrid lever was more precise and had 20% less tip deflection.

Steinbach told Plastics News Europe

The new Audi RS5 car has a visible carbon roof option

CCeV has hopes for CFRP to replace GFRP leaf springs on Volvo (pictured) and other vehicles

that the open sidewall structure in all-aluminium levers is a common lightweighting measure, but not worthwhile for the CFRP sidewall of the CFRP/aluminium part.

Introducing his presentation on global carbon fibre and carbon fibre composites markets, Michael Kühnel of the CCeV carbon fibre association referred to the GFRP leaf springs on

All-aluminium packaging machinery lever (rear) and hybrid CFRP/aluminium version (front)

Volvo XC-, S- and V60/90 car models that are produced by Benteler-SGL with polyurethane resin from Henkel (Plastics News Europe, May 2016) and wondered whether this type of application, described as “today’s highest volume automotive FRP project”, could possibly be “transferable to CFRP in future?”

The 375,000 parts/year reported to Plastics News Europe as being produced for Volvo in 2016 has apparently meanwhile risen to almost 500,000 parts/year and comes on top of the 93,000 parts/year that were being produced in 2016 by

26

Benteler-SGL for Mercedes-Benz sprinter delivery vans.

Kühnel showed the all-CFRP structure of the Hyundai fuel cell drive Intrado concept car, as an indication of how CFRP could be used in future low or zero emission cars, beyond what has been achieved in production with the BMW i3 electric drive car. In the aviation market, he referred to both the Airbus RACER fast helicopter demonstrator and the Airbus flying car concept as two areas with future CFRP potential.

CFRP continues to make inroads in car bodywork, as was clear from a presentation by Marcel Remp of the Mitsubishi Group’s Kaiteki company subsidiary. He pointed to the carbon fibre reinforced sheet moulding compound (CF-SMC) used for the tailgate inner shell on the Toyota Prius hybrid drive car, calling it “the first mass-produced car with a lightweight CFRP tailgate”.

Remp went on to say that PCM prepreg compression moulding of CF-SMC with net shape preforms is more efficient, with less waste, than resin transfer moulding (RTM), as processing costs typically account for 75% of CF part costs. Moreover, PCM prepreg compression moulding produces Class A surfaces ready for painting or clear lacquering. An example shown by Remp was the new Audi RS5 Coupé car’s optional visible carbon fibre roof, known to be produced by Wethje Carbon Composites. According to Wethje, due to the use of fast-cure epoxide resin, the clear lacquered roof takes only minutes to produce from the roll-fed PCM process prepreg, rather than the usual several hours, adding that it weighs 40% less than an aluminium one.

➡ Continued on page 28 march 2018

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COMPOSITES

➡ Continued from page 26 Dr Albert ten Busschen of the polymer engineering department at Windesheim University of Applied Science, Netherlands addressed the issue of recycling thermosetting composites, maintaining with reference to e.g. the ERCOM project, that there have been “three decades of fruitless attempts to attain economically feasible recycling”. He cited a statement by the EuCIA European composites industry association that “best up until now has been the cement kiln route” exploiting composite polymer caloric value and a silica (SiO2) component from glass fibre.

Ten Busschen said that instead of regaining separate fine fibre, polymer and filler fractions to produce just

Hood interior stiffener developed in the HiLite project

“stiffened” composites, as in the earlier ERCOM project, it is better to machine composites into relatively large coarse machined materials and to use them in virgin composites as “reinforcement”. Windesheim has used ground strips and flakes from boat hulls for a recycled polyester composite canal retaining wall demonstrator in Almere. It should last more than 60 years, instead of the less than 20 years expected with walls made from tropical hard wood.

Composites Europe Araldite brand resin producer Huntsman Advanced Materials showed a hood interior stiffener developed within the UK HiLite research project for high-volume lightweight technologies in vehicle structures. The project aimed at 30% weight reduction over steel, and 40% cost reduction over an existing composite, but finally achieved a 50% weight loss – to 2.6 kg – and a 56% reduction in cost with 30vol% long 25mm chopped carbon discontinuous carbon fibre reinforcement.

Optimised epoxide resin rheology and reactivity enabled inline sequential compression moulding in the near net-shape process within overall three minutes cycle time, with moulding alone taking 90 seconds at 160°C. The parts withstood exposure to the

200°C e-coat paint line temperature used for steel parts.

Huntsman also showed an example of Porsche GT3 Cup II spoiler and rear fender carriers, produced since April 2017 in Heinsberg, Germany

by Toho Tenax Europe. It is the first serial production application for Toho’s “Part via Preform” (PvP) process. PvP involves random carbon fibre binder spraying, followed by robotic automatic consolidation and trimming to near net-shape preforms. Since this automated technology allows preforms to be manufactured in any desired geometry or form, it significantly reduces both the amount of carbon fibre waste and the amount of manual labour required compared to conventional preform production.

The Huntsman epoxide resin is injected into the preforms in high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HPRTM) of the 50vol% reinforced in-mould coated CFRP parts with 5 minutes cycle time.

A “Boxtrom” car wheel was displayed on the Huntsman stand, produced by Dymag Group UK in a combination of aluminium and titanium with a CFRP rim. Weighing just 9.1kg, it is 25-40% lighter than a comparable solid aluminium wheel. The hybrid wheels were launched in two versions in 2016 and 2017, as retrofit wheels approved for road traffic use.

An up to 50% lower moment of inertia and lower weight leads to “significant energy savings during driving”, Huntsman stated.

Huntsman showed the Mercedes AMG-GT-R sports car’s “torque tube” which encloses the car’s CFRP drive shaft, identifying itself as the supplier of an Araldite LY8615/Aradur 8615 composite resin system for the application (Plastics News Europe, July/ August 2017).

The ThyssenKrupp cable-less vertical and horizontally moving elevator has a CFRP cabin

28

Dymag’s Boxtrom hybrid CFK/ metal after-market wheels have road-use approvals

Composyst showed its involvement in the world’s first rope-free lift, the new ThyssenKrupp MULTI lift (elevator), hailed as the “holy grail of the elevator branch”. It is the first cable-free vertically and horizontally moving linear motor drive elevator, designed by the mechanical engineering faculty at Dresden Technical University. Composyst produces the CFRP cabin walls, exploiting the design freedom conferred by CFRP for the rounded corners. The CFRP cabin weighs 150kg, against 300kg for a steel design.

The lift won the April 2017 Edison Award transports & logistics category gold award in New York and it has meanwhile received a 2018 German Design award on 9 February at the Ambiente fair in Frankfurt/Main. It has been tested in ThyssenKrupp’s elevator tower in Rottweil, and the first commercial installation will be in a new East Side Tower in Berlin, due for completion in 2020.

Büfa presented Firestop foaming resins for 30% lower weight parts than with hand lay-up (HLU), bringing “railway level” fire resistance to delivery van doors, and to a VDL bus bumper fascia. Working with composites processor Wernli and Glas Trösch Rail in Switzerland, Büfa also developed, as a “worldwide innovation”, an exchangeable glazed frame for the Westbahn railway that can be changed in 1.5 hours after windscreen or other damage. The LEO “lightweight with extreme opportunities” resins used involve R6505 for injection and R6501 for surface protection. Also new were conductive gel coats and GCS-S Black dissipative tooling in UP 1974 Tooling unsaturated polyester resin with less than 109 ohms surface resistance, for less dust contamination and easier demoulding.

MARCH 2018

composites

AVK has released its 2017 market report. David Vink reviews what the association has to say about results and trends in the glass reinforced plastics industry

european GRp production grows, but lags behind global trend

D

r Elmar Witten, managing director of the AVK Federation of Reinforced Plastics, presented AVK’s 2017 “long” glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) market study at the ICC 2017 conference. Long GRP production in Europe, he said, reached 1.118m tonnes in 2017, up 2% over 1.096m in 2016, but still below the 1.195m tonnes of 2007.

The above data excludes Turkey, with its GRP industry expected to have grown by over 5% to 280,000 tonnes in 2017 according to the TCMA Turkish composites association.

Not included are short fibre (GF) reinforced plastics, which, at 1.36m tonnes/year have a slightly higher production volume than of long GF reinforced plastics. Nor does it include carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP), which came to 35,000 tonnes in 2016, this mainly with long fibres.

The CCeV carbon fibre association covers this area.

Witten stated, “Although current media reports and presentations at many conventions and trade fairs may create a different impression, GRP continues to be the largest material group in the composites industry by some distance”. Citing JEC Composites data, Witten said more than 2.8m tonnes of fibre reinforced plastics (long & short glass and carbon) produced in Europe accounted for around one third of 10 million tonnes/year of 2016 global composites production.

Elmar Witten, AVK: “There is more to composites than lightweighting in transport”

by Witten show this is largely due to a simultaneous decline of the same order in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), from around 275,000 tonnes to just over 150,000 tonnes.

In terms of processes used in 20102017, glass matt and long fibre reinforced thermoplastic (GMT and LFT) grew most, by 40%, while resin transfer moulding (RTM) grew by 20%.

Other processes were relatively stable, but hand lay-up declined 40% over the period. While bulk moulding compound (BMC) and sheet moulding compound (SMC) grew less than ther-

moplastic GMT/LFT materials, they represent the largest sector, with a 25% share, followed by open mould processes (hand lay-up), with 20%.

There is more to composites than lightweighting in transport (35% GRP market share), Witten concluded. But he added, “Many decision-makers are still unfamiliar with these products”.

There are challenges for the industry in getting composites more widely used in building construction (34% GRP market share) and infrastructure, as well as “meeting changing requirements in mobility”, he noted.

In a presentation on CF and CFRP markets, Michael Kühnel of CCeV projected a 9-11% compound annual growth (CAGR) rate of global CF demand through 2022, rising from 70,000 tonnes/year to 117,000 tonnes/year.

Global CFRP demand with 10-12% CAGR should increase from 112,000 tonnes/year (2017) to 194,000 tonnes year (2022). The 126,700 tonnes/year CFRP market has $19.3bn value, $9.46bn thermosetting and $3.48bn thermoplastic CFRP. Aerospace/defence accounts for 60% of value, automotive 13%, by volume respectively 30% and 22%, followed by 16% for wind energy.

May 29-31, 2018

Stabilised market Witten said growth in the European GRP market has “stabilised”, after recovering from the 2009 low point of 815,000 tonnes. But, he pointed out, European GRP production “lagged behind the global trend”, global production volume growth being above the 2% level in Europe. So “Europe’s share of global production continues to fall, despite the positive trend in absolute terms”.

Germany, with 226,000 tonnes remained the European country with the largest GRP production and strongest growth, an above-average rate of 3%. The country has in fact increased its share in European market from 13% in 2010, with just over 150,000 tonnes, to 20.2% in 2017, Witten observed. Charts presented

march 2018

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RECYCLING

Q&A

Waste management key to recycling success

The European plastics recycling industry is at an important juncture, where threats can turn into opportunities and dreams of circular economy become reality. Ahead of the upcoming Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE), Plastics News Europe has caught up with Plastics Recycling Europe (PRE) president Ton Emans who explains why the show is a must-go.

�

We are heading for the second Plastics Recycling Show Europe this April. What are your expectations of the show?

With the second edition of this show we are expecting to involve the whole value chain, especially brand owners, designers and converters. We have a number of recyclers, machine producers, raw material produces, waste management companies that will showcase state of art technology and plastics processing up to the highest standards. This show will give a further boost to the plastics recycling by focusing on the developments in the sector and its importance to the plastics industry.

There is no doubt that waste management in Europe has to change

Why should recyclers take part in PRSE? It is a unique show devoted to plastics recycling, successfully launched in 2017. It has extensively grown looking back at the first edition, having now nearly 100 confirmed exhibitors. It is a perfect place to meet your current and prospective clients, to network and to hear presentations by top-level speakers from the industry. It is the place to be for investors and brand owners who are willing to expand their business and to incorporate more recycled plastic.

Significant changes have taken place since the previous PRSE show, namely the Chinese ban on waste import taking effect. Has the European recycling industry kept up with the pace?

There is no doubt that waste management in Europe has to change. The Chinese ban is an opportunity for Europe to further invest and use the technology already available to treat its waste and stop exporting it. We can observe increased investments in plastics recycling plants all over Europe, including new projects, modernisation and enlargement of the existing facilities.

It is important to emphasise that these measures need to be further complemented with strong communication across the entire plastics value chain and a firm legislative push. With the implementation and fulfilment of the proposed actions, quality of input materials and recyclates would be improved, supplies stabilised, and higher uptake of recycled materials assured. Increased quality of recycled material would consequently raise consumers’ confidence.

During this time, the EU has also ratified its waste targets, including 75% recycling rate for plastics packing by 2030. What is your opinion about the target? Is it achievable? If yes, how?

High recycling targets are one of the essential requirements to drive plastics towards circularity. A new study by Plastics Recyclers Europe shows that the 65% recycling target for plastic packaging is achievable by 2025. The study determines a set of measures and necessary tools through which the increased rate can be attained.

These measures should target specifically each stage of the following steps: product design phase, waste collection, waste exports, sorting and recycling and end-use.

In your opinion, what are the key immediate concerns of European recyclers and the plastics industry in general?

In order to produce quality recyclates, recyclers need steady waste flows with minimal impurities. Only quality recyclates and a true secondary raw material markets can drive the industry. This can be achieved with an improved waste management including effective collection and sorting.

30

MARCH 2018

EVENT

PRSE highlighting European efforts towards Circular Economy Closing the loop on plastic waste is a key issue in recycling today. Stakeholders across the industry meet at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe to showcase new technologies and discuss the best way forward.

C

ircular economy and recycling of plastic wastes gained momentum in the early days of this year as the European Commission adopted its first ever Europe-wide strategy on plastics in mid-January.

The new plan calls for transforming product design, manufacturing processes and ‘making recycling profitable’ within the EU, setting the ambitious target of achieving 100% recyclable plastic packaging by 2030.

Driven by the new plastic strategy and the Chinese ban on import of plastic wastes, which came into force at the beginning of 2018, the industry in Europe has seen a new surge in plastics recycling investments and technology advances.

Against this backdrop, Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) returns to Rai Amsterdam in April this year,

bringing together key players from the plastics and recycling sectors to showcase innovative technology and share best practices.

The show, co-organised by Plastics News Europe publisher Crain Communications and Plastics Recycling Europe (PRE) will be held 24-25 April and will see over 90 leading companies and trading bodies exhibiting.

A broad cross-section of the industry is represented at the event, including plastics recycling machinery and equipment suppliers, plastic material suppliers and compounders, pre-processors, plastics recyclers, waste management specialists and industry associations.

Additionally, industry experts will take part in a two-day conference, which will be keynoted by Carlo Pettinelli, director for consumer, environmental and health technolo-

Last year’s inaugural edition of PRSE was acclaimed a success

MARCH 2018

31

gies, European Commission.

“The show has grown significantly in size since last year, it will feature more exhibitors, larger stands with machinery, and a larger conference theatre to accommodate the expected increase in visitor numbers,” said Matthew Barber, Crain Communications commenting on the event.

Some of the key exhibitors include machinery suppliers Ettlinger, KraussMaffei Berstorff, Gamma Meccanica and Amut.

Among the many machinery and equipment manufacturers exhibiting at the PRSE, Austrian Erema will present its new Powerfil business unit, as well as the ReFresher, an innovative anti-odour technology.

The new Erema business unit offers both the SW RTF partial surface backflush filter system and the Laserfilter as individual components. Customers can upgrade their existing extrusion plant from any supplier by adding one of the EREMA melt filters.

Additionally, Stadtlohn, Germany-based WiPa will feature its new WPP flat die press pelletiser, which allows automatic pelletising for a diverse range of materials, including plastics.

Automatic distance adjustment between the pelletiser’s rollers and the die surface make it possible to alter pellet quality during operation, as well as to generate homogenous final pellet quality from various input materials.

UK-based Buhler Sortex and the US-based National Recovery Technologies (NRT) will display a joint effort which they have described as a “onestop-shop” for plastics recyclers.

The two companies provide optical sorting systems and claim that their combined technologies – which involve sorting by colour and automated sorting systems – can offer a “complete solution” for PET and HDPE plastic bottle and flake sorting to recyclers.

➡ Continued on page 32

at

EVENT

➡ Continued from page 31

at

Merseburg, Germany-based APK AG is also taking part in the event; the company has announced news about its ‘Newcycling’ solvent-based recycling technology, which has been developed to enable the separation of different polymer types in multi-layer films.

The company has been shortlisted as a finalist for the “Best Technology Innovation in Plastics Recycling category” at the Recycling Awards taking place this year for the first time.

APK is currently scaling up its Newcycling pilot plant to an industrial plant that will start commercial production in the third quarter of 2018 with an annual capacity of 8,000 tonnes per annum.

Some of the new names joining the list of exhibitors this year are Germany-based MTM Plastics, which was acquired by leading Austrian chemicals company Borealis AG in 2016.

With 30,000 tonnes per annum production capacity, the company is

The company has eight facilities where it can recycle 200,000 tonnes of plastic a year, with expertise in thermoplastic regeneration.

Awards

The new WPP flat die press pelletiser from WiPA

regarded as a European technology leader in in the recycling of mixed plastics and as one of the world’s biggest producers of polyolefin recyclate.

Another new addition to the show is Lunen, Germany-based RE Plano GmbH which supplies recycled materials to processors and the Paris-based Paprec Plastique, which is part of the leading French recycling group Paprec Group.

A key feature which has been added to this year’s event is the first Plastics Recycling Awards Europe, whose winners will be announced on 25 April.

Finalists have been named for the awards which will be given in five categories.

The categories are Recycled Plastic Consumer Lifestyle Product of the Year, Best Building & Construction Product, Best Recycled Plastic Packaging Product, Best Technology Innovation in Plastics Recycling and Plastics Recycling Ambassador of the Year.

Commenting on the launch of the awards, PRE president Ton Emans said the standard of entries received were “outstandingly high”.

“The finalists… make a huge contribution towards conserving resources, reducing CO2 and sustaining the circular economy,” he noted.

Shortlisted finalists: Recycled Plastic Consumer Lifestyle Product of the Year – Using recycled plastics to improve everyday life • Ubicity; bench made from recycled pens, BIC with TerraCycle, Govaplast and Plas Eco • Plastic side table made from recycled fishing gear, GreenWavePlastics • Green Planet Paddleboard made from EPP boxes, GREEN PLANET Investment s.r.o.

• H-bench, public furniture made from 100% recycled plastics, ECO-oh!

• Trash bins made from recycled toothbrushes, CURAPROX • Grundig vacuum cleaner made from WEEE recycled plastics, Arcelik AS • Recycled Park, floating park made from recycled plastics, Recycled Island Foundation Best Building & Construction Product – Judges’ criteria include sustainability and durability • XXX bench, custom urban furniture 3D printed from recycled plastic, The New Raw • Plastic cable duct, Multiport GmbH • Wedge-shaped CIRCO profile, Fortum Waste Solutions Oy • Beaulex, rainwater buffers, DS Smith Plastics • RECHIP construction panels, Crompton Mouldings Ltd Best Recycled Plastic Packaging Product – minimum 50% recycled plastic content • Lenor Inspired by Nature bottle, Procter & Gamble • BPP i9 plastic pallets, Cabka-IPS and Drankenpallet Beheer Nederland BV

• Recycled plastic hangers, Braiform • Memo Box, INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH • Systalen PRIMUS HDPE regranulates, Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH • Food waste reduction EcoCube, Greenmotion • Plastic beverage crate, DS Smith Plastics • Fairy Ocean Plastic Bottle, Procter & Gamble

Best Technology Innovation in Plastics Recycling – innovative material or process technologies for recycling plastics • re360 Manufacturing Execution System for plastics recycling processes, EREMA • Odour Reduction Technology for recycled plastic granulate, Starlinger • ErgisMark® technology for sorting multi-layer plastics, Ergis • “ERA” Melt Filter, double filtration system, FIMIC • Newcycling® technology, generating pure PE regranulate from mixed film fractions, APK AG • BarrierPack recyclable, functional and recyclable PE-based laminate, Mondi

32

• Mistral+ Film Top Speed LDPE film sorting technology, Pellenc ST • The Full PE Laminate mono material flexible packaging, Borealis • Xtreme Renew, preforms made from 100% rPET flakes, SIPA & EREMA • VD 1100 combined shredder-granulator for plastics recycling, Vecoplan AG Plastics Recycling Ambassador of the Year – individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to plastics recycling • Carlos Marinez Lapuente, CMplastik Recycling SL • Gian De Belder, Packaging Technologist, Procter & Gamble • Manica Ulcnik-Krump, Managing Director, Interseroh Plastics Research and Development • Monique Maissan, CEO and Founder, Waste-2Wear • Willemijn Peeters, Ocean Ambassador and Founder, Searious Business The panel of judges for the new awards includes: Simona Bonafè, member of the European Parliament; Cyril Gutsch founder of campaigning organisation Parley for the Oceans; Jonas Pettersson, design strategist and co-founder of Form Us With Love; Richard C. Thompson, professor of marine biology at Plymouth University and marine debris specialist; Rune Thoralfsson, owner and director of Norfolier GreenTec, the largest film recycler in the Nordic region; Ton Emans, president of Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) and Director Group Recycling in CeDO and Karen Laird, editor of Plastics News Europe.

MARCH 2018

polymer prices

polyethylene market turns bearish on lack of buying I n February, European standard thermoplastic prices continued their upward trend following a further increase in oil, naphtha and raw material costs, and shortening supply across most product sectors. Polymer producers responded by calling for sizeable price increases to widen their profit margins. However, the degree to which producers managed to fully recover the feedstock costs increases varied widely across the different material classes.

Polystyrene saw the largest hikes with general-purpose polystyrene prices surging €115/tonne after the styrene monomer reference price settled €130/tonne higher. Polypropylene prices registered gains around €12/tonne higher than the €28/tonne rise in propylene costs in a tightening market. PVC producers also achieved much needed margin improvement with prices rising €15-20/tonne compared with a €10/tonne ethylene induced rise in the cost base.

Polyethylene prices moved far less than the €20/tonne rise in ethylene costs as the market became very bearish towards the end of the month. By late February, HDPE and LDPE prices had increased on average around €10/tonne while, LLDPE prices were largely unchanged.

PET sales quickened in February as converters stocked up ahead of the bottle-making season

In a tightening PET sector, prices increases were close to the €25/tonne rise in the cost base.

Supply shortening While material was generally available in sufficient quantities to meet demand there was a notable tightening in the supply position for most polymer classes during the month. A combination of producers running down stocks and a growing number of

prices monitor February 2017–February 2018 Source: Plastics News Europe

2.5

PS (general purpose) PP (homo injection) LDPE (film grade) HDPE (injection moulding) LLDPE (film grade) PVC (high quality) PET (bottle grade)

2.0

march 2018

Dec 2018 Jan Feb

Nov

Oct

Sept

Aug

July

June

May

Apr

1.0

2017 Feb Mar

1.5

33

plant outages contrived to reduce material availability. Furthermore, imports into Europe from the Far East and Middle East were not so evident.

A summary of the latest supply-related developments is presented below: • Total declared force majeure on polypropylene supplies from its two plants in Feluy, Belgium and Gonfreville, France 31 January due to unspecified ‘technical problems’.

• PET resins maker Equipolymers is expected to conduct a fourweek planned maintenance starting 1 March at its 160,000 tonnes/year capacity plant at Schkopau in Germany.

• The Cosmar styrene plant in Louisiana, US, has extended its force majeure to mid-April.

• BASF’s Ludwigshafen plant in Europe started maintenance works in February.

• After a problem with one compressor, Repsol has had to shut down its cracker at the petrochemical site in Tarragona, Spain.

How long the cracker will be out of action, is not yet clear.

• Output of caustic soda at French petrochemical producer Kem One’s chlor-alkali plants at Lavera and Fos-sur-Mer is back at full operational capacity after sharply reduced volumes early February.

Demand variable Demand varied widely across the different product sectors last month. Polyethylene sales were very slow as many converters ran down stocks after strong buying towards the end of the last year.

Polystyrene demand was low due to the very high prices being asked for by producers.

Polypropylene, on the other hand, saw good order intake through February due to the prospect of tighter supply and even higher prices over the coming months. The PVC profile sector saw very lively demand while other sectors were normal. After a solid start to the year, PET sales quickened in February as converters stocked up ahead of the bottle-making season.

March outlook The polymer price outlook remains uncertain going into March. Possible shortages on the supply side as a result of imminent cracker and polymer plant maintenance turnarounds support further price increases in March. However, lower crude oil and naphtha costs could counteract any supply induced cost increases. In any case, polymer producers will likely call for further price increases in an attempt to broaden their profit margins.

polymer prices

plastics price report september 2017–February 2018 (€/tonne) oct ’17

Nov ’17

dEc ’17

JaN ’18

Market Price FEB ’18

1420-1460 1370-1410 1430-1470

1370-1410 1340-1380 1395-1435

1390-1430 1345-1385 1395-1435

1390-1430 1350-1390 1395-1425

1400-1440 1360-1400 1405-1435

▲ ▲ ▲

liNEar low dENSity PolyEtHylENE (lldPE) Film grade (butene-based) 1345-1375 1395-1425

1330-1370

1320-1360

1325-1365

1325-1365

●

low dENSity PolyEtHylENE (ldPE) Film grade 1405-1445

1440-1480

1410-1450

1410-1450

1415-1455

1425-1465

▲

PolyProPylENE (PP) Raffia film Homo injection Copolymer injection

1355-1395 1300-1340 1410-1450

1385-1425 1330-1370 1410-1450

1370-1410 1310-1350 1380-1420

1370-1410 1325-1365 1390-1430

1390-1430 1345-1385 1410-1450

1430-1470 1385-1425 1445-1485

▲ ▲ ▲

PolyStyrENE (PS) General purpose High impact injection

1975-2015 2070-2110

1860-1900 1960-2000

1775-1815 1860-1900

1865-1905 1950-1990

1875-1915 1960-2000

1990-2030 2075-2115

▲ ▲

PolyviNyl cHloridE (Pvc) Pipe grade 1415-1455 High quality grade 1520-1560

1445-1485 1525-1565

1445-1485 1525-1565

1450-1490 1520-1560

1450-1490 1520-1560

1470-1510 1530-1570

▲ ▲

PolyEtHylENE tErEPHtHalatE (PEt) Bottle grade 155-1195

1135-1175 *1100-1150

1105-1145

1110-1150

1130-1170

▲

Product

SEP ’17

HigH dENSity PolyEtHylENE (HdPE) Injection moulding 1390-1430 Film (extrusion) grade 1340-1380 Blow moulding 1400-1440

Commodity resin pricing data based on average net prices for standard grades delivered in western Europe to large consumers in 20-25 tonne lots.

*revised since last edition

Source: Plastics News Europe

• REPROgress™ range of cleaned, sorted and quality controlled regrinds for direct applications • High quality recycled compounds • State-of-the-art separation and processing technology • Value-driven solutions for all your waste plastic • Toll processing services

We use the latest innovative technologies to recycle your waste plastics t. 01354 740005

f. 01354 740933

e. enquiries@plasgranltd.co.uk

34

www.plasgranltd.co.uk

march 2018

polymer prices

petrochemical feedstock contract prices march 2017–February 2018 (€/tonne) mar

Apr

may

Jun

Jul

Aug

sep

oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

change Jan/FebE

1050

1050

1050

1015

965

965

995

1025

1025

1057

1057

1077

20

865

880

880

840

790

790

830

860

860

892

912

940

28

Styrene

1650

1375

1130

1173

1200

1170

1360

1250

1160

1255

1265

1395

130

Benzene

937

745

754

737

695

645

655

671

702

847

792

735

-57

Paraxylene

870

832.5

805

760

715

720

735

745

765

765

795

*815

20

Ethylene Propylene

Note: not fully settled at time of writing

Source: Plastics News Europe

l/ l D p e

The ethylene contract price for February was fixed €20/tonne higher following a rise in naphtha costs. L/LDPE producers initially sought to raise prices more than the cost rise but by mid-month prices were increasing less than the rise in ethylene costs. LDPE film grade prices were trading €10/tonne over the January closing level while standard LLDPE C4 grades remained unchanged.

LDPE supplies in Europe are balanced while supply of C4

material is longer with plentiful availability of imports. Higher grade LLDPE material supply, on the other hand, is better balanced. While the European ethylene market is balanced at the moment, the feedstock supply situation could deteriorate due to the upcoming cracker maintenance turnarounds in March.

Demand was well below normal as many buyers had stocks remaining after strong buying at the end of last year.

H D p e

In February, HDPE suppliers attempted to raise prices by more than the €20/tonne increase in ethylene costs in order to widen profit margins. However, by late-month HDPE blown film, blow moulding and injection moulding prices were increasing by €10/ tonne, around half of the feedstock cost rise.

The European HDPE sector is well balanced with adequate quantities of material available both from local suppliers and imports. However, availability of imported material from the Mid-

dle East was reported as lower than in recent months during early February. The balanced market situation could however tighten due to the upcoming cracker maintenance turnarounds in March.

Demand was lower than normal as many converters ran down stocks after strong buying towards the end of the last year. With crude oil prices easing, HDPE prices could come under pressure in March.

p p

The February propylene contract price settled €28/tonne higher as a result of sharp gains in US prices and concern over tightening supplies. In response PP suppliers announced planned price hikes above the cost rise. Towards end February homopolymer film and homopolymer injection material registered gains of €40/tonne with copolymer injection prices rising around €35/ tonne.

While there was still sufficient material available to meet de-

mand, polypropylene supply has shortened since the start of the year. The plant outages at Feluy in Belgium, Gonfreville in France and Botlek in the Netherlands have evidently curtailed material availability. Polypropylene is expected to remain relatively tight following the recent plant outages and the start of the cracker maintenance season this month.

Demand was lively through February due to the prospect of tighter supply and even higher prices over the coming months.

p s

The February styrene monomer (SM) reference cost increased substantially due to a sharp increase in SM spot prices driven by supply worries. The US major Cosmar had extended its force majeure, while in Europe turnarounds are ongoing and more units are expected to start maintenance works in the coming weeks.

Polystyrene producers managed to pass through the €130/ tonne cost rise in full in some cases, but overall general-purpose

PS notations increased by slightly less than the cost rise. The surcharge to high-impact material remained unchanged at around €100/tonne after the latest €50/tonne increase in the cost of butadiene.

Demand was low in view of the high prices and converters ordered just enough material to cover their current production needs. Material availability improved slightly during February as the low demand started to swell producers’ stock levels.

p V c

In February, a combination of tightening supply and lively demand allowed PVC producers to achieve a much-needed margin improvement. The €20/tonne rise in ethylene costs was equivalent to a €10/tonne rise in the PVC cost base. Titanium dioxide costs also continued to exert upward price pressure for unplasticised PVC compounds. Plasticiser costs have settled down and hence plasticised PVC compound prices registered slightly lower gains.

PVC profile demand was very lively through February across Europe, but order activity from other sectors was at normal levels.

While there was sufficient material around, European PVC markets tightened early February due to a shortfall in production in certain parts of Europe and a reduction in producers’ stock levels. Turkish PVC markets face even stronger supply pressure as they continue to look for material from the tighter European market.

p e T

European bottle-grade PET prices are edging higher on a combination of rising feedstock contracts, buoyant demand and a scarcity of supply.

The February monoethylene glycol contract price ticked €33/tonne higher as a cold snap in Europe increased the demand for anti-freeze. The February paraxylene contract price is expected to settle around €20/tonne higher. Hence, the PET cost base was expected to be around €25/tonne higher

last month.

PET availability is tending low. Imports remain scarce since prices in the Far East are rising and at the same time, preparations are being made for plant maintenance in Europe, with the build-up of stocks taking quantities off the market. PET resins maker Equipolymers is expected to conduct a four-week planned maintenance starting 1 March at its Schkopau, Germany plant, which will lead to tighter availability in Europe.

march 2018

35

products services

extrusion

dispensing

new airless pump offers larger dose RPC Bramlage has developed a new airless pump designed for professional applications such as spa and hair care, or family size or promotional packs for body care and other personal care products. The XL5 pump fits onto the 500ml AirFree Vinci bottle, but can be adapted to larger sizes of bottles up to 1,000ml. The pump delivers an accurate 5ml dosage each time, with end-users able to control the operation to deliver the exact amount of product they require. Equally important, thanks to its patented AirFree technology, the XL5 also offers the best restitution rate on the market today – ensuring evacuation of a minimum of 90% of product compared to lower rates for traditional atmospheric systems.

The dispensing system features an ergonomically-designed actuator and a large cylindrical bottle that ensures

TEX34αIII extruder debuts in Europe

JsW debuts new compact twin-screw extruder in europe New pump for precise dispensing of large doses stability during usage. In addition, the metal-free pathway eliminates potential oxidation of the cream to maintain its quality. A lock-down feature ensures safe transit of the pack throughout the supply chain.

Hot runners

Hrsflow introduces new Full compact nozzles The new Full Compact Nozzles have been developed to allow for far smaller cavity-to-cavity distances. The new nozzles accommodate all the heating elements of the previous standard Pa type (screwed-in nozzles for shot weights up to 200 g) in a space-saving design with a nozzle seat diameter of only 28 mm along the entire length, compared to the 33 mm of the conventional design. The needle tip and end ring of the new screwin nozzles are unchanged. With internal diameters of 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm and nozzle lengths from 75 mm to 450 mm, they can be provided with one or two heating zones. They are also available in Classic Line and Fail Safe versions, the latter with two heating devices and two thermocouples. The Full Compact Nozzles are also suitable for reverse gating of moldings and for all gating configurations (torpedo, free flow and

JSW’s compact TEX34αIII high-performance compounding extruder recently became available on the European market. The TEX34αIII model, which features the EZ easychange tie-bar system for easy barrel changes, replaces the slightly smaller TEX30α smalllot extruder. With a screw diameter of 36 mm, the extruder’s high torque density (18.2 Nm/cm3) enables effective yet gentle compounding at low screw speed and at low temperature, without adversely affecting throughput. Throughput typically reaches up to 500 kg/h in talc-filled polypropylene, 250 kg/h in masterbatch compounding and 150 kg/h with polymer blends such as ABS and ABS/PC, etc. The TEX-

34αIII is available in two different models: standard and ultra-compact; in the latter case, the control cabinet is built within the footprint of the machine frame, saving space and installation time. The specifications and performance of both versions are the same.

The extruder is equipped with JSW’s NIC (Nikko Intensive Cylinder) mixing barrels which feature longitudinal grooves on the inside of each barrel. The TKD (Twist Kneading Disc) screw element features twisted instead of conventional straight flights, which results in less pressure on the flights and achieves good dispersive mixing with low screw wear – important when compounding abrasive materials.

Materials

new grades of antibacterial plastic

Full Compact nozzle from HRSflow valve gating). Their maximum working pressure is 1,800 bar.

Typical applications include small, complex-shaped parts such as loudspeaker grilles for vehicle interiors.

Parx Plastics has introduced two new grades of materials: PE0020 Saniconcentrate LLDPE, a food grade compliant LLDPE suitable for water contact; and PP0016 Saniconcentrate PP Random, a random food-contact compliant copolymer suitable for e.g. extrusion applications. Both materials, after a plastic injection production process, have been tested by an accredited independent laboratory according to ISO norm 22196 to measure the antibacterial performance on the surface of the samples. Both materials give the highest possible

36

Biomimetic material with powerful antibacterial properties result from the test reaching an antibacterial efficacy of over LOG>5.6 for E.Coli and Log>4.0 for Staph. aureus bacteria.

march 2018

machined. melted. extruded. welded. compounded. blow molded. injection molded.

We’ve got it covered. casted. fabricated. foamed. thermoformed. rotation molded. vacuum formed. cooled. heated. sealed.

Innovation. Technology. Sustainability.

From equipment and trends to the people advancing thermoset. plastics manufacturing, NPE2018: The Plastics Show has it covered. Be there to discover new ways to packaged. maximize efficiency, advance your operations and achieve success. transported. consumed.

REGISTER TODAY AT NPE.ORG recycled.

MAY 7–11, 2018 | ORL ANDO, FL , USA

diary dates people

CoNFereNCes & eVeNts

dsM dyNeeMa Royal DSM has appointed Wilfrid Gambade as president materials company DSM Dyneema as of 15 January 2018.

Wilfrid Gambade joined DSM in 2009 and was responsible for the ‘composite resins’ business in Europe. In 2011, he moved into the role of president ‘composite resins & synres’.

For the past three years, he has successfully worked to turn

March 12-13 The 2018 Materials Research Exchange Conference Location: London Contact: mre2018@ktn-uk.org

Organiser: Innovate UK Web: www.mre2018.co.uk/about

April 10-11 International Silicone Conference Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Organiser: Crain Communications Tel :+1 330-865-6119 Web: www.cvent.com/events/2018-international-silicone-conference/eventsummary-2ef7728622bb49a69f384731e1502bc5.aspx

April 19-20 Food Contact Plastics Seminar Location: Brussels Organisers: EuPC and PCE Contact: sarah.goerres@eupc.org Web: press.plasticsconverters.eu/

April 24-25 Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) – Conference & Exhibition Location: RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands Organiser: Crain Communications Tel: + 44 7813 947161 Web: www.prseventeurope.com

April 24-27 Chinaplas 2018 – Exhibition Location: Shanghai, China Tel: + 852 2516 3311

Organiser: Adsale Exhibition Services Web: www.chinaplasonline.com

April 26-27 Polytalk 2018 – Conference Location: Malta Tel: +32 (0) 2 676 17 33

Organiser: PlasticsEUrope Web: www.polytalk.eu/polytalk2018

May 7-11 NPE – Exhibition Location: Orlando, Florida Email: exhibit@npe.org

Organiser: Plastics Industry Association Web: www.npe.org

May 15-16 International Conference on bio-based materials Location: Cologne, Germany Tel: +49 (0)2233-4814-49

Organiser: European bioplastics Web: bio-based-conference.com

May 22-25 Plastpol 2018 – Exhibition Location: Kielce, Poland Tel: + 41 365 12 22

Organiser: Targi Kielce Web: www.targikielce.pl

May 24-25 A circular future with plastics 2018 – Conference Location: Milan, Italy Tel: +39 02 439281

Organisers: Unionplast and EuPC Web: www.circularfuturewithplastics.eu

May 29-June 1 Plast 2018 – Exhibition Location: Milan, Italy Tel: +39 02 8228371

Organiser: A PIU s.r.l Web: www.plastonline.org/en

June 11-13 Materials Science and Engineering – Conference Location: Barcelona, Spain Tel: 0 800 014 8923

Organisers: Materials Conferences Web: materialsscience.conferenceseries.com/europe

Keter plastiC Israeli plastics products manufacturer Keter Plastic Ltd has named Alejandro Pena as CEO, according to a report by Calcalist. The move is part of Keter’s

Solvay SA has announced that it is in the process of identifying a successor for its CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, following his appointment as the chairman of French energy company Engie.

Engie is set to name Clamadieu as a board member and chairman during its upcoming shareholder meeting on 18 May. In a 13 Feb statement, Solvay said Clamadieu would remain as

Gurit Holding has appointed Emiliano Frulloni as its chief technology officer, in a bid to strengthen its innovative capacity and resources.

Frulloni will join Gurit as CTO and member of the Executive Committee by 1 Nov the latest, Gurit said on 6 Feb. According to Gurit, Frulloni has “many years of technology

CarboN 3D printing and manufacturing specialist Carbon has added Eric Liedtke, executive board member for global brands at Adidas, to its board.

The two companies set up a strategic partnership in April 2017. Futurecraft 4D performance footwear are manufactured using Carbon’s proprietary digital light synthesis technolo-

Location: Telford, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1622 370570

Organiser: Crain Communications Web: www.pdmevent.com/pdm2018/en/page/home

September 28 Plastics Industry Awards Location: London, UK Email: jackiehughes@live.co.uk

Organiser: Crain Communications Web: www.plasticsawards.com

October 16-20 Fakuma – Exhibition Location: Friedrichshafen, Germany Organiser: P. E. Schall Tel: +49 7025 9206 0 Web: www.fakuma-messe.de

the CEO for the time being while the company seeks a replacement.

"We are now accelerating the process to identify Jean-Pierre's successor to pursue the successful strategy that we launched a few years ago,” said Nicolas Boël, chairman of the board of Solvay.

The Belgian speciality company expects to conclude the transition by the end of the year.

Gurit

Location: Lyon, France Tel: +33 1 41 86 49 40

June 19-20 PDM Event

transiting its management to the US, said the report.

Pena joined the company in January 2017 as manager of its North American business.

solVay

June 19-20 Plastics Meetings Organiser: Advanced Business Events Web: www.plastics-meetings.com/en/

around DSM’s ‘personal care business’ integrating DSM’s ‘aroma ingredients’ business into a comprehensive ‘personal care & aroma ingredients’ organisation.

Gambade, a French national, holds a BSc in polymer chemistry from ITECH, Lyon and has nearly 25 years of international experience in general management and sales and marketing in the cosmetics and chemicals industries.

38

and leadership experience in the advanced composites industry”.

He holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and a PhD in Materials Science and Technology from University of Perugia.

Frulloni joins Gurit from Solvay, where he holds the position of Global R&D director composite product development.

gy, and the shoes made their retail debut in January 2018.

“Eric is an experienced and respected leader, and his track record for driving creativity and innovation at Adidas makes him a valuable addition to the board as we continue to deliver on Carbon’s growth strategy,” said Carbon CEO Joseph DeSimone.

March 2018

We are expanding our European Sales and Operations teams Are you a driven sales professional with a passion for winning orders and pro-active business development? Do you thrive on achieving ambitious sales targets? Are you an energetic individual seeking an opportunity where you can progress into a more senior role?

Matrix Polymers already have an established Global business presence and are looking to recruit three additional Regional Sales Managers to support their continued European growth with a focus on increasing market share. The available roles are as follows:-

Role 1: Regional Sales Manager (Italy, Spain & Portugal) Fluent / Native Italian language and English required

Role 2: Regional Sales Manager (Germany) Fluent / Native German language and English required

Role 3: Regional Sales Manager (UK & Ireland) Fluent / Native English language required

In addition to our Sales Team expansion, we are also recruiting for 2 new roles in our Operations and Supply Chain teams to support this additional growth.

Role 4: European Operations & Supply Chain Manager This role involves strategically and actively reviewing our current purchasing processes and identifying cost efficiencies. This is a key role within our European Business and the successful applicant will be responsible for the day-to-day management of our UK and Polish manufacturing plants.

Role 5: Site Manufacturing Manager (Liverpool) Reporting to the new European Operations & Supply Chain Manager, this role involves co-ordinating our production team in Liverpool to ensure outstanding results in terms of quality, service and efficiency.

For further information or to apply please send your CV to HR@matrixpolymers.com or refer to the jobs section on the Matrix Polymers LinkedIn In Page.

NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES PLEASE

matrixpolymers.com

With PLEXIGLAS Piano Black, extravagance comes as standard.

What does a leading specialty chemicals group have to do with car design? For over 60 years, Evonik, with its PLEXIGLAS molding compounds, has been a driving force behind the auto industry. Why? Because the multifaceted ways in which PLEXIGLAS can be formed open up virtually endless possibilities for design. One shining example is our jetblack, high-gloss PLEXIGLAS Piano Black that stands for long-lasting sophistication and elegance – whether as a radiator grille, pillar trim or mirror housing. For more inspirational PLEXIGLAS products, go to www.plexiglas-polymers.com.