NEWS Avient takes Syncure to Europe


Avient is extending produc- tion of its UL-certified Syncure silane cross linkable PE compounds to Europe in response to growing demand for cables for applications such as photo- voltaic (PV) installations. Previously manufactured only in the US, Syncure grades will in future also be manufactured at Avient locations in Spain and Belgium (it already produc- es other grafted XLPE products in Europe). “By


Toray adds more tow CF capacity


Toray Industries is to increase regular tow carbon fibre production capacity at its facilities at Spartanburg in the US and Gumi in Korea. The investments will increase its capacity by more than 20% to 35,000 tonnes/yr from 2025. The company said the


increased capacity is a direct response to forecast US and Korean demand for carbon fibre for pressure vessel applications fuelled by the ongoing develop- ment of clean energy initia- tives based on hydrogen and natural gas, and other industrial applications. Toray anticipates demand for regular tow carbon fibre to expand by up to 17% annually. Its new capacity targets high- strength carbon fibres up to 24,000 filaments per tow. �www.toray.com


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expanding the production of Syncure formulations to Europe, we can improve supply security and help


reduce leads times for customers in the EMEA region and India. Syncure XLPEs are UL-44,


UL-4703, and CSA 22.2 certified materials carrying FT2, FV1, and VW-1 flame retardant ratings. They are said to allow production of XLPE cables at high line speeds. All grades manufac- tured in Europe are both UL-certified and REACH- compliant. �www.avient.com


Left: Avient is targeting growing European demand for renewable energy infrastructure


Orbia hit by Q2 challenges


Speciality chemical and building products company Orbia said it had expericed a “challenging” second quarter due to weak demand and pricing together with slowing global construction market activity. Net revenues for Q2 2023


decreased 18% year-on-year to $2.2bn, mainly due to lower sales in its Polymer Solutions and Building and


Infrastructure division, while EBITDA was down by 27% to $444m. Polymer Solutions includes Alphagary and Vestolit and accounts for 30% of group revenues; Building and Infrastructure comprises Wavin and accounts for 32%. Orbia CEO Sameer


Bharadwaj said: “We have had a challenging first half of the year, driven by


continued market weakness, although we have seen sequential improvement in several of our businesses as compared to the end of 2022. We remain cautious regarding the second half of the year, and we will continue to manage our costs and margins with discipline while markets settle and recover.” �www.orbia.com


Hexpol posts record result


Sweden’s Hexpol Group posted what it described as its “best second quarter to date”. Compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022, overall total sales increased by 1.2% to 5,727m SEK ($539.7m), while adjusted EBITA increased 17% to 976m SEK ($92m). Compounding sales


increased by 1% during the quarter compared to 2022, with sales reaching 5,354m SEK ($504.5m) including


COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2023


positive currency effects of 363m SEK ($34.2m). Adjust- ed for these, sales amounted to 4,991m SEK ($470.3). The company said sales to automotive-related customers showed an improvement, although varied across geographies. It said sales to customers within building and con- struction were significantly lower in virtually all markets, while it also saw lower sales to consumer-related end


customer segments. “The uncertainty going


forward remains high,” said President and CEO Georg Brunstam. “However, we believe that our strong customer focus in combina- tion with our geographical closeness to our customers gives us continued opportu- nities to deal with the disruptions and further strengthen the market position.” � www.hexpol.com


www.compoundingworld.com


IMAGE: AVIENT


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