NEWS


Teknor Apex adds capacity and lifts R&D support in Europe


Teknor Apex has completed its 50,000m2 compounding and


R&D expansion at its site at Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany, where it produces TPEs and engineering plastics compounds. Aside from the additional manufacturing capacity, the new


location is intended to be a European Centre of Excellence in terms of R&D and includes a well-equipped laboratory to support compound and application development. “We are excited about our new laboratory which serves as


a hub of innovation, serving the region as a source of customised formulations, application development exper- tise, and process optimisation,” said Suresh Swaminathan, President of Teknor Apex. The company says the new building meets the latest


certifications in terms of environmental and energy manage- ment, including closed loop water systems, heat recovery technology, and high levels of building insulation. � www.teknorapex.com


ADM and LG eye up bioplastics


South Korea’s LG Chem and US agro-products group ADM have signed a memorandum of under- standing (MoU) to set up a JV to explore US-based production of lactic acid to meet growing demand for plant-based products, including bioplastics. The first step, scheduled


for early 2022, will be to build a US-based facility to produce high-purity corn-based lactic acid on a commercial scale. The two firms said they also aim to collaborate on a second JV to use this material in the production of polylactic acid (PLA) polymer. � www.lgchem.com � www.adm.com


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Above: Teknor Apex’s new European Centre of Excellence at Rothenburg in Germany


Apollo to acquire Kem One


Kem One Group has entered into exclusive negotiations that are expected to lead to the sale of the PVC produc- tion business to investment group Apollo Global Management by the end of the year.


With eight sites in France and Spain and around 1,400 employees, Kem One is a major producer of PVC for construction, packaging,


and medical applications, as well as caustic soda. It produces both mass and suspension PVC, including specialities, and paste and post-chlorinated PVC grade. Ken One has been owned


by Alain De Krassny since 2013. It has implemented a long-term strategy to improve the quality and reliability of its production facilities, lower production


costs, and reduce its environmental footprint. He said this has left it “well-posi- tioned for future growth.” n Reuters reported anony- mous sources last month saying that Apollo had


made a €4.3bn bid for TiO2 producer Tronox. Neither party has made a public comment on the report. � www.kemone.com � www.apollo.com


Polyplastics invests in LCP


Japan’s Polyplastics has announced plans to build a 5,000 tonnes/yr polymerisation plant for liquid crystal polymers (LCP) at Kaohsi- ung in Taiwan, where it already carries out compounding operations in a 75-25 joint venture with local partner Chang Chun Group. The company, which already has a 15,000 tonnes/yr LCP polymerisation plant at Fuji in Japan, said the new plant will make the


COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2021


Taiwanese site an integrated producer of LCP products and is expected to start-up in 1H 2024. LCP is a high heat-resistant engineering plastic used mainly in electronic compo- nents such as connectors. Demand has grown rapidly in recent years and is expect- ed to increase further with the move to 5G, Polyplastics said. � www.polyplastics-global.com


www.compoundingworld.com


IMAGE: TEKNOR APEX


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