Bayer, Germany has decided to participate in the construction of a major new European plant for the production of PBT. Plans for the plant are already under way by DSM Engineering Plastics, the Netherlands and Ticona, Germany. The continuous-production facility is due to come on stream in 2003.
Bemis Co., USA has purchased the barrier and nonbarrier shrink film business of Viskase Co., USA with 1,100 employees and production facilities in Centerville,USA; Swansea, Wales; and São Paulo, Brazil. Now Viskase is essentially out of the plastics food packaging business.
Illumination Polymer Technologies Inc. (IPT), a subsidiary of the Goeken Group, Illinois/USA, has developed an extrudable light-transmitting combination of LEDs and polymer matrix. The ‚PolyBrite’ material is currently used for security and warning clothing for workers in traffic sector. In the future the material will also be used for products as bicycles and Inline-Sktate equipment.
Iso Poly Films Inc.,USA continues to expand in blown film with orders for two extrusion lines from Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp., Germany. The company is spending US$7,5 million on the two Varex lines and expects to have them running by the end of the first quarter of next year. One is a three-layer line and the other is a five-layer system. Each will make film as wide as 130 inches.
Kraton Polymers has introduced new types of materials with barrier properties for the field of food packaging film. The elasticity of the Kraton polymers avoids any signs of degeneration that are caused by handling (e.g. fingerprints).
PVC pipe maker Freedom Plastics Inc.,USA plans to begin producing PE pipes. The company will start making PE pipe this month on two new lines to be installed at its headquarters in Janesville, USA. Production eventually will move to a new plant being built next to its existing plant in Fort Pierce, Fla.
Xaloy Inc., USA has fully integrated the former Bernex barrel manufacturing business under the Xaloy name. Xaloy now has production facilities in the U.S., Switzerland and Thailand. Customer sales and service centers are located in Japan, the U.K. and France.
Maguire Inc., USA has introduced the new Low Pressure Dryer (LDP). Vacuum is used for the first time to dry the granules. Due to the higer steam pressure the drying cycle could be reduced to approx. 20 minutes. The temperatures of 70 - 100 degree C is lower compared to conventional dryers. The LDP is already available in the US and will also be introduced in Europe this year.
Bayer AG, Germany has purchased the south-korean plastic board manufacturer Sewon Enterprise Co. Ltd. The company will trade under the name of Bayer Sewon Ltd. in Kimhae and will focus on the production and marketing of boards made of the Bayer-PC ‚Makrolon’. The turnover of Sewon in 1999 was Euro 18 million.
SOFIA Plastics has launched an new PP Woven Bags plant in Bou-Sadda, Algeria for supplying bags to flour mills around the area. The plant is supplied and commissioned by THC Associate Corp., Taiwan.