NEWS €1m plant upgrade at Sitraplas


German technical compounder Sitrap- las has announced a number of investments across both its pilot plant and production facility on its site at Bunde totalling close to €1m. Pilot plant investments include a


third compounding extruder, a ZSK26Mc18


model from Coperion, as


well as extending its pelletising options to include underwater pelletising


alongside its strand and dry cut systems. The new underwater system can also be used in its production plant. Production investments include


upgrading its Brabender dosing systems with the addition of a DDSR40 2.0 loss-in-weight twin screw unit, which provides improved accuracy when handling difficult to feed materials. A new MBM mixer has


been installed to improve homogeni- sation of sensitive compounds. “With our investments in machinery and systems at the Bünde site, we can respond even more flexibly to cus- tomer requirements and increase sustainability at the same time,” said Sitraplast Managing Director and owner Tim Hencken. �www.sitraplas.com


BASF targets cost savings


BASF reported an 11% increase in sales for 2022 to €87.3bn. EBIT, however, was down by 11.5% on 2021 at €6.9bn as a result of the challenging market environ- ment caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on raw material and energy prices. The company said it will


initiate a cost savings programme through 2023 and 2024 that will focus on “rightsizing” its European cost structures. Focused on non-production areas, these are expected to impact on around 2,600 positions and


IMAGE: BASF


Avient sales up in 2022


Avient reported total sales of $3.97bn for 2022, against $3.32 bn in 2021, and an adjusted EBITDA of $591m. “Orders in Eu-


BASF aims to make savings at its Verbund HQ in Ludwigshafen


realise annual savings of €500m.


In addition, the company


said that changes to the Verbund operational


structure at its site at Ludwigshafen in Germany aim to reduce fixed costs by €200m by 2026. �www.basf.com


Hubron looks to graphene


Black masterbatch specialist Hubron and graphene technology firm Graphenest have initiated a strategic part- nership to explore develop- ment and commercialisation of graphene-based polymer masterbatch and com- pounds for EMI shielding applications in areas such as electronic enclosures. “The combination between Graphenest technology and Hubron’s


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masterbatch and compound expertise will boost the innovation towards the best conductive polymers, specially made for the e-mobility and electronics industries,” said Robert Laurent, Technical Director at Hubron. Graphenest co-CEO


Bruno Reis Figueiredo said: “The usage of polymeric compounds based on graphene that can effectively


COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2023


shield high concentrations of microwaves and millime- tre waves (5G/6G) will be crucial in the near future.” The new product line will


start with a graphene-based PP suitable for use as an EMI shielding solution for medium-high and high frequencies (5G and beyond) to replace conven- tional enclosures. � https://hubron.com � https://graphenest.com


rope and Asia were slightly better than expected at the end of the year. In addition, demand for composites including Dyneema applications for personal protection were also higher,” said Robert M Patterson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “That being said, versus the prior year, global demand conditions and inventory destocking negatively impacted nearly every industry and region.” Patterson said focus on


controlling costs had resulted in $90m of additional free cash, which was used to pay down debt in December. As a result, it ended the year with net debt to adjusted EBITDA leverage of 2.9 times, below previous guidance. �www.avient.com


www.compoundingworld.com


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