NEWS
DS Smith expands in US
The Plastics division of UK packaging specialist DS Smith is investing $4m to expand its Worldwide Dispensers injection moulding facility at Lester Prairie, Minne- sota, in the US. This is due for completion in spring 2018. The company said that the investment will expand the current facility to over 7,400 m2 and will see high preci- sion injection moulding and assembly assets added. A 186 m2
product
development lab will also be constructed on site to support the development of new products, tool and part designs and rapid prototyping which the company says is carried out in 48 hours or less. �
www.dssmith.com
BASF to acquire Solvay’s PA business
BASF has agreed to buy Solvay’s integrated PA business for €1.6bn. This is subject to consultations with the relevant social bodies, customary regulatory approvals and consent by Solvay’s current joint venture partner, Invista, which operates the Butachimie adiponitrile operation in France. It is expected to close in Q3 2018. For Solvay, CEO Jean-
Pierre Clamadieu said the sale “marks a tipping point in the profound transforma- tion journey we began four years ago”, reinforcing it as a diversified speciality chemicals group. BASF said the deal would complement its engineering plastics portfolio and expand its position in the transporta- tion, construction, industrial and consumer sectors. In addition, BASF will
Solvay, CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu: sale marks a tipping point
secure better access to the Asian and South American markets, increased poly- merisation capacities and backward integration into adipodinitrile, the key raw material for PA66. Solvay will retain its upstream interme- diates and its downstream textile PA business in Latin America. In 2016, the business
being transferred had net sales of €1.315bn and EBITDA of about €200m. It has some 2,400 employees, just over half in France, and operates 12 production sites, four R&D locations and ten technical support centres. It will now be integrated into BASF’s Performance Materials & Monomers divisions. Separately, Solvay has announced plans to start manufacturing polyetherk- etoneketone (PEKK) resins under the Novaspire trade name at its site at Augusta, USA, from 2018. No capacity details were given, but the company said that demand for thermoplastic compos- ites and 3D printing components in aerospace and other markets is growing rapidly. �
www.basf.com �
www.solvay.com
Sabic opens new PP pilot plant in Geleen
Sabic has opened a new PP pilot plant and announced a new investment in a high-tech PP extrusion facility. Both are at the former DSM facility at Geleen, Netherlands. This is the site of the company’s Global Technology Centre for Europe, which is one of 21 it operates worldwide. The pilot plant is already operating and will design next gen-
eration PP materials using gas-phase polymerisation technol- ogy, developing grades with improved balance in stiffness and impact resistance, flow properties and other properties specific to target applications. Sabic said it plans to concentrate on impact grades, random copolymers and homopolymers, while also experimenting on advanced catalysts. The highly automated PP extrusion line, meanwhile, is
Sabic’s Geleen Technology Centre will design next-generation PP materials using gas-phase polymerisation technology
4 INJECTION WORLD | October 2017
expected to be in operation in Q4. It will supply advanced materials for lightweight applications in industries such as packaging, appliances, automotive and healthcare. �
www.sabic.com
www.injectionworld.com
PHOTO: SABIC
PHOTO: SOLVAY
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