ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Meet us on Stand 133 27-28 June 2018 Essen, Germany
EXPO 2018
Polycompound’s development centre was extended in 2014
Capabilities include clean area compound production Polycompound marks 30 years
Switzerland-based Polycompound marks its 30th
anniversary this year, underlining
the ongoing success of its co-kneader- based technical toll compounding business strategy with plans for yet more investment at its site at Sissach. This year will see the privately-
owned company add more production and warehousing capacity at its 6,000m2 site, enabling it to push annual produc- tion considerably above its current 9,000 tonnes. Its exclusive focus on toll production will, however, remain unchanged.
“Our partners want to be sure that
their know-how, their formulations, process details and marketing details are kept strictly confidential. This is not possible with a partner simply providing a secrecy agreement,” says Polycom- pound CEO Thomas Manetsch. “Our business model is an insurance for our clients that we will keep information confidential and safe.” The company also remains commit-
ted to co-kneader compounding technology. “The co-kneader is the right machine for our targeted markets,” explains Stefan Rohr, Head of Process Technology. “Thirty years of experience
have proven that high-filled shear sensitive materials are best compound- ed on this technology.” Polycompound’s expertise in co- kneader processing extends further than its own 30-year history. The company was set up in 1988 by four former employees of the Swiss co-kneader extruder maker Buss following its decision to end in-house toll compound- ing. The quartet took on one of the company’s co-kneaders – an MDK100 – and established Polycompound in space rented from Sissach-based agricultural products firm Nebiker. Their technical and cable industry
toll compounding business grew fast. In 1989, the original MDK100 (which is still in operation today) was joined by a larger Buss MBK140 line, taking annual production to more than 1,000 tonnes. A smaller MDK46 line was installed in 1991 to compound implantable medical compounds.
By the time of the company’s 10th
anniversary, Polycompound had added three more lines – MDK46, MDK100 and MDK200 models – and annual produc- tion capacity exceeded 5,000 tonnes. Expertise had extended to include
production of foam compounds, HFFR and semiconducting cable materials, and reinforced polyamides. Polycompound’s innovative approach
to technology continued into the new millennium. It invested in plant and extruder upgrades in 2007 to safely han- dle bio-based fillers and nanotube additives. It also replaced one of its MDK140 lines with a larger MDK200 system, pushing annual production over 9,000 tonnes. In 2014 the company’s development centre was extended, allowing it to offer customers the best possible tolling support, and was further upgraded with a new X-Com- pound co-kneader the following year. Today, the company operates seven
co-kneader compounding lines ranging from lab units to high volume produc- tion systems with capacities of more than 1,500 kg/h. Employment stands at more than 50 people, many of which have been with the company for more than 15 years. “Polycompound is continuously investing in production equipment and capacity, but also in our people,” says Manetsch. “Our people, our long term staff and our new employ- ees, are the base of our success.”
Polycompound AG, Hauptstrasse 1h, CH-4450 Sissach Tel: +41 (0)61 975 83 33
Fax +41 (0)61 975 83 40
info@polycompound.ch www.polycompound.ch
Polycompound’s founding quartet pictured in 1992. From left, Kurt Breitenstein, Hanspeter Lösch, Franz Brun and Othmar Kym. Lösch and Brun still sit on the board of directors
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
