Japanese firms Mitsui Chemical and Prime Polymer have announced an expansion of their polypropylene automo- tive compounds operations in the US, Mexico and China totalling 63,000 tonnes/year, along with a first move into the Brazilian market. The expansions, which are
all due for completion before the end of next year, include: the addition of a new 28,000 tonnes/year line to the Advanced Composites business in the US that will take total annual capacity to 254,000 tonnes; a 25,000 tonnes/year line for the Advanced Composites
Milliken launches iPad app
Milliken has introduced a new iPad app that demon- strates the energy saving potential of its Millad NX 8000 clarifying agent for polypropylene. The app also estimates cycle times and
CO2 reductions for clear PP parts produced using the additive compared to those made using traditional clarified PP. The free Millad NX 8000
Savings Calculator app is available in iTunes for iPads (visit: http://bit.ly/Millad), while an iPhone version is scheduled to be introduced before the end of June. The calculator is also available online at: ❙ http://bit.ly/Milliken.
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The Advanced Composites plant in the US is one of several sites benefiting from new investments
Mexicana facility lifting annual output to 70,000 tonnes; and, a 10,000 tonne line at the Mitsui Advanced Composites plant at Zhongshan in China taking
total capacity to 70,000 tonnes. The companies have also made a first move into the Brazilian PP compounding market with the acquisition by
Prime Polymer of a 70% stake in Produmaster Industria e Comércio, which has been renamed Produmaster Advanced Composites Industria. The company is Brazil’s
third largest compounder, according to Prime Polymer, with 38,000 tonnes of PP compounding capacity in Sao Paulo and a 50% stake with Alberto de Boni Neto in a 17,000 tonne unit at Bahia. Mitsui Chemicals owns a
Lichtenfels, Germany-based masterbatch firm Lifocolor Farben has acquired Micro- Color Masterbatch, based in Straufhain, also in Germany, for an undisclosed sum. The move gives Lifocolor an additional manufacturing
operation in the German market, as well as its existing facilities at Brno in the Czech Republic, Bellignat in France and Bydgoszcz in Poland. Lifocolor claims a group
production capacity of more than 5,000 tonnes a year of
colour and additive master- batch. In February this year, it announced a €2 million investment in a new 1,000 tonnes/year masterbatch manufacturing plant at its facility at Bydgoszcz in Poland. ❙ www.lifocolor.de/en
Elasto seals chilled lunches
Elasto developed a custom grade of its Dryflex TPE to produce the seals on the novel Frozzypack lunchbox, which incorporates an integrated cooling pack. Moulded in Sweden by Eskilstuna-based Bonaj, the lunchbox was designed by Carolina Sundberg and is claimed to keep food cool for up to seven hours. The Dryflex TPE seals are over-moulded onto
the PP box to provide a permanent bond. The TPE complies with EU and Swedish Normpack food contact regulations and withstands exposure to dishwashers and freezers. ❙ www.elastotpe.com