NEWS Hexpol buys into recycler Almaak
Sweden’s Hexpol is to pay €70m to acquire 70% of the shares of Almaak, a German specialist in production of recycled engineered polymer com- pounds. Hexpol CEO Georg Brunstam said
that the deal was in line with its strategy of growing its presence in production of thermoplastic com- pounds and speciality polymer compounds with high levels of recycled content. He said it also strengthens the group’s presence in Europe.
Almaak employs some 190 people and posted sales of around €75m last
IN BRIEF...
Domo Chemicals said its caprolactam production site at Leuna in Germany passed the 5m tonne milestone earlier this year. The facility has been in operation since 1942 and was the world’s first industrial-scale caprolac- tam production plant, the company said. It now makes both caprolactam and PA6 and has a capacity of 176,000 tonnes/yr.
www.domochemicals.com
Nexeo Plastics is to distribute the AFC Ecoplastics portfolio of bio-compounds for the blow moulding and film production markets in the US, Canada and Mexico. These include grades that meet the ASTM D6400 standard for industrial composting and includes 30% and 80% bio-based grades, according to Nexeo.
www.nexeoplastics.com
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year. Its production plants at Krefeld and Doberlug-Kirchain house 16 compounding lines and provide a capacity of around 60,000 tonnes/yr. It handles PP, PA, PC, PBT and a variety of PC blends. Previous owners Olaf Eichstädt and Thomas Schmeinta will stay with the company. According to Hexpol, Almaak has made significant investments in equipment and technology to secure growth in its market, which is focused largely on the European automotive industry. “Almaak is very well posi- tioned in a growing market with a high level of specialty expertise.
Together with Hexpol’s knowledge and resources, we see many opportu- nities for accelerated growth,” said Jan Wikström, President of Hexpol Thermoplastic Compounding. The deal is expected to complete in Q2 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, and includes an option for Hexpol to buy the remain- ing shares. Sweden-headquartered Hexpol has
production operations in 14 countries and generated sales in 2021 of SEK16bn (€1.55bn). �
www.hexpol.com �
www.almaak.de
Silon increases its capacity
Silon commissioned a new compound production line at its site at Planá nad Lužnicí in the Czech Republic last month. The expansion, plans for which were originally announced in Septem- ber 2021, has increased the capacity of the compounding division by 15,000 tonnes/year. The new line includes two
co-rotating and two counter- rotating screws. The company said it incorporates a number of technical features designed to improve its ability to disperse high levels of fillers and flame retardants. �
www.silon.eu
Above: Silon’s new compounding line lifts capacity by 15,000 tonnes/yr
Avient launches Nymax Bio
Avient has launched a new line of PA materials under the Nymax Bio name that incorporate 16-47% of natural filler from renewable plant sources — including corn, straw and wheat — while also offering low levels of water absorption. The materials are
COMPOUNDING WORLD | April 2022
available with or without glass reinforcement. According to Avient, the Nymax Bio grades offer lower warpage plus very good surface appearance and colourability compared to traditional PA66 glass fibre-reinforced alternatives. The company also claims
very good dimensional stability and property retention after conditioning. Applications are foreseen in automotive, consumer, industrial and construction markets, for production of injection moulded and extruded parts. �
www.avient.com
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: SILON
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