NEWS
Gabriel- Chemie adds PVs
Masterbatch supplier Gabriel-Chemie has completed a new photo- voltaic installation at its site at Gumpoldskirchen in Austria in move that the company said shows “how to successfully combine plastics with sustainability, at the same time sending out a clear signal for climate and environmental protection”. The installation, which
was part funded through the European Regional Development Fund, comprises 2,671 roof- mounted photovoltaic panels covering an area of 4,487m2
on its production
and warehouse buildings. It will supply up to 903,500 kWh/yr of energy to the plant and the power grid. �
www.gabriel-chemie.com
A rendering of the new Orion logistics centre in Germany
US machinery shipments down 20% in Q1 2020
US shipments of primary plastics processing machin- ery fell by 19.6% in Q1 of this year compared to Q4 of 2019, according to the latest report by the Plastics Industry Association’s Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES). At $254m, the result was also 6.9% lower than in Q1 2019. Shipments of injection moulding equipment were 23.6% down on the previous quarter, following a large number of shutdowns driven by Covid-19 in March. Twin-screw extruders declined marginally by 0.8%. However, shipments of single-screw extruders rose by 15.5%. US machine exports were 1.6% up at $358.5m, while imports rose by 0.5% to $746.3m, slightly narrowing
the trade deficit to $387.8m. According to the CES’s
quarterly industry sentiment survey, 18.5% of respond- ents expect conditions to either improve or hold steady in Q2 and 22.6% expect this to hold for the next 12 months. Both figures are, however, massively down on expectations expressed in Q4 2019 before the pandemic struck. “The coronavirus pan-
demic continues to disrupt the manufacturing and service sectors of the economy, both impacted by the plastics industry,” said Plastics Chief Economist Perc Pineda. “However, the demand for plastics remains fundamentally healthy, particularly in the medical and consumer essentials spaces, and the economic slowdown is transitory.” �
www.plasticsindustry.org
Orion investing in Cologne
Carbon black specialist Orion Engineered Carbons plans to “top out” its new logistics centre this month at its largest manufacturing plant in Cologne, Germany, which produces 160,000 tonnes/yr in over 100 differentiated grades. The new centre is expected to be commissioned in December. When complete, the central warehouse will cover an area of 8,850 m2 �
www.orioncarbons.com
. Aimplas tackles odour with microbes
Spanish plastics industry centre Aimplas is trialling a technology that uses microorganisms to eliminate odours from plastics recycled from post-consumer dairy packaging. The technology is part of the
association’s work in the Enzplast project, which aims to develop sustainable processes for production,
10 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2020
recycling and composting of plastics. Results to date indicate that a reduc- tion in odour intensity can be obtained. The researchers have also found
that treating polyurethane-type polymers with selected microorgan- isms can improve biodegradation by up to 70%. Other work has shown that incorporating polymer-supported
enzymes in a molten polymer can improve biodegradation of various bioplastics under aerobic and anaero- bic digestion conditions. The Enzplast project is now in its second year and is supported by the European Regional Development Fund. �
www.aimplas.net
www.compoundingworld.com
ORION ENGINEERED CARBONS
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