NEWS
Q1 machine data shows demand strengthening
The latest quarterly business updates from European and US plastics machinery manufacturers suggest the plastics processing sector is recovering strongly from the impact of the pandemic. German plastics machin-
ery makers have seen a 92% year-on-year increase in order intake over the first four months of this year, according to the sector trade group at the country’s engineering association VDMA. It is predicting a final result for 2021 at least 10% ahead of the 2020 figure of just under €7bn but warns that supply chain issues may prove to be a limiting factor. “Economically, the industry is currently doing very well again,” according to Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director of the VDMA’s plastics machinery division. “However, this also has its downsides in the strained supply chains, with regard to availability of
necessary raw materials and components.” Kühmann said his
concern is not only for direct supply of materials and parts to machine builders but also bottlenecks in the supply of plastics “which is impacting the willingness on the part of manufacturers to invest.” The Italian plastics machinery and mould manufacturing sector is also faring well. Sector trade association Amaplast said in Q1 2021 its members reported a 12% increase in sales over the equivalent period in 2020 and a 64% increase in orders. “The first quarter of the
current year confirms the early forecasts by the association, which called for a marked reversal of trend from the difficult period for companies because of the pandemic in 2020,” said Amaplast director Mario Maggiani.
Meanwhile, the Commit- tee on Equipment Statistics, part of the US Plastics Industry Association that compiles industry sales data, said plastics machinery shipments for Q1 2021 were, at $335m, up by 32% on the same period in 2020. Shipments of twin screw extruders saw a particular gain, up by 18% in value year-on-year. “With the economy staying in a recovery cycle, plastics machinery ship- ments can be expected to increase this year. However, supply chain issues in plastics end-markets could slow growth in plastics equipment demand, so we’ll be watching market dynamics very closely in the coming months,” said Perc Pineda, Chief Economist at the Plastics Industry Association �
www.vdma.org �
www.amaplast.org �
www.plasticsindustry.org
Ingeo PLA plant wins approval
NatureWorks said it has passed two key milestones in its plan to build a second production facility for its Ingeo PLA bioplastic. Last month it received approval for the project from the Thailand Board of Investment and an- nounced that front-end engineering design work has been completed. When open in 2024, the
plant on Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex will provide 75,000 tonnes/yr capacity and will produce lactic acid and polymer. NatureWorks, which is
owned by Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical and US agriproducts giant Cargill, recently expanded its original facility at Blair in Nebraska, US. That has a capacity of more than 150,000 tonnes/yr and is claimed to be the largest PLA production facility in the world. �
www.natureworksllc.com
Recycling ideas at Lego
Danish toymaker Lego has unveiled a prototype Lego brick made from recycled PET sourced from used bottles. Currently, the company’s bricks are moulded in ABS. The company said this is the first recycled material that meets its quality and safety requirements, including the ability to for bricks to ‘clutch’ together while remaining easy to dismantle. Lego said it has developed a patent-pending formulation that increases the
Prototype Lego bricks produced from used PET bottles
12 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2021
durability of PET using a bespoke compounding technology and a number of strengthening additives. The company said a further year of testing and formu- lation development is expected before the bricks are launched to the market. In 2018, Lego commenced production of some elements — smaller pieces such as trees, branches, leaves and accessories for mini-figures — using a sugarcane-derived bio-PE. Last year, it announced plans to remove single-use plastics from its boxes. �
www.lego.com
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: LEGO
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