Strictly-Extrusion

Effective July 21, 2004, the Stuttgart-based Coperion Holding has appointed Mr. Günther Bachmann as the group’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Bachmann, aged 49, is an internationally experienced executive who previously held senior management positions in Asia and the U.S. He has a sound background in the mechanical engineering, equipment construction and service business.
Since his return from the U.S., Mr. Bachmann was employed by the HERAEUS Group where he last served as Chairman of the Executive Board of HERAEUS TANEVO AG.

Palram PALSUN Solar Olympic polycarbonate sheets reigned over all Olympic events at the main Olympic Stadium in Athens. The 24,000 square meter roof is constructed from 12 mm thick PALSUN UV2 Solar Olympic hard coated polycarbonate sheets. The 4750 sheets used to construct the roof weighed 380 tons and were installed ahead of schedule.

The PALSUN Solar Olympic Roof provided a brethtaking aesthetic frame for night time events, especially the opening and closing ceremonies. During the day, it protected 95% of the potential 90,000 spectators from the both the heat and harmful UV radiation of the relentless Athens summer sun.

The success of the project resulted from the close working relationship developed with the principle contractor, Gallop Skylight Designs. The result was a finished project that totally satisfied the reknowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, who designed the project.

This was but the latest successful example of Palram supplying prompt specialized themoplastic sheet solutions for architects, engineers and contractors.

Palram is a leading multi-national manufacturer and distributor of thermoplastic sheets extruded from polycarbonate, PVC and other matarials. Palram operates plants and other facilities on three continents under ISO 9001:2000 quality assurance certification. Palram employs 550 world-wide.

Uponor Corporation’s former President and CEO, Mr Jarmo Rytilahti, retires today on 10 September 2004, under the terms of his executive contract, upon reaching the age of 60. Rytilahti stepped down as CEO on 1 August last year, assuming the role of Senior Executive Advisor and reporting to Mr Pekka Paasikivi, Chairman of the Board.
Rytilahti served Uponor for 22 years, of which 8 years as Deputy CEO and 12 years as President and CEO.

Uponor’s Real Estate segment, which has reported to Rytilahti, will as of today be assigned to Mr Jyri Luomakoski, Deputy CEO and CFO.

Mr Kari Norbäck, member of Uponor’s Executive Committee, will retire, under an earlier agreement, on 1 January 2005. Norbäck is currently responsible for the company’s strategy, product and systems development and technology. He has been employed by Uponor for 31 years.
Effective as of 1 November 2004, Norbäck’s responsibilities in the Executive Committee will be assigned as follows:
- Jyri Luomakoski, Deputy CEO and CFO, will be in charge of strategic planning
- Mr Georg von Graevenitz, Executive Vice President, Marketing, will be in charge of product and systems development
- Mr Lauri Rintanen, Executive Vice President, Supply Chain, will be in charge of technology.

British Polythene Industries (BPI) said continuing polymer price increases could result in its 2004 full year profit being significantly lower than in 2003. The statement was made in BPI’s interim results, which were “in line with market expectations despite difficulties with raw material pricing”.
The UK films producer announced a pre-tax profit for the first six months of 2004 of E10.5m, compared with E11.8m for the same period in 2003. Sales from continuing operations were E278.5m, slightly up on 2003’s half-year figure of E277m.
The company has seen margin compression and volume loss as it has attempted to pass on polyethylene price increases to customers.
Raw material cost increases have also had an impact on cash flow, with an additional E15.9m required for working capital since the year-end. BPI’s borrowings increased to £59.6m E87.8m at 30 June, compared with E78.3m in June 2003.

UK ancillaries firm UPM has taken a licence to manufacture a range of infrared rotary drum dryers, which allow processors to exploit the lower cost of amorphous PET compared with crystalline material.
The Slough-based company said crystalline PET is around £80 (E118) a tonne higher that amorphous, as it requires a two-stage crystallising and drying process. Trials have been underway with major PET processors to carry out these steps in one pass through the use of rotary drum technology.
Under licence from Urban Stricker at Munster-based 42 Inventions, UPM is able to make these dryers for the worldwide market for both PET sheet and PC automotive glazing applications.
A residence time of eight minutes gives a final moisture content of less than 0.01% and a power consumption of 115 watts per kg, which, as UPM points out, is only slightly higher than the average light bulb.

German show organiser fairXperts is to hold a new extrusion exhibition in Nuremberg next year, to be the third such event to be held for the European industry in 2005.
The Xtrusa event will run from 14 to 16 June, a date that falls between Demat’s Extruma in February and the new extrusion hall at P.E. Schall’s Fakuma exhibition in October.
The organiser said the event will cover the entire process chain and include all types of extrusion, including aluminium and food processing.
Nuremberg was chosen as the location on account of its proximity to eastern European markets and reasonable prices that should enable the participation of small and medium size companies, fairXperts claimed.
Apart from the new Xtrusa event, fairXperts also organises the ISGATEC sealing show, and parts cleaning and drying exhibition parts2clean.

New initiatives in wire & cable coating materials are announced by DSM Engineering Plastics, a business group within the DSM N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam:DSM) Performance Materials cluster. In addition to its existing family of Arnitel® copolyether-ester and copolyester-ester (COPE or TEEE) elastomeric wire coating materials, DSM is developing new grades for this segment. As well, the assignment of Francis Aussems as Application Development and Technical Service Manager with special focus on wire applications provides a dedicated resource to the wire and cable segment.

A broad selection of Arnitel TPE elastomer grades from DSM provides options for a variety of applications where temperature range, long-term heat resistance and flexibility are important.

Aussems brings to his new focus 15 of years experience in technical development within DSM. His extensive background in automotive, appliance, industrial and general wiring requirements, combined with solid technical grounding in elastomers, helps ensure effective collaboration with producers.

“DSM have always approached customer needs with an eye on successful applications,” Aussems said. “DSM’s special applications, special formulations, and ongoing technical and production support are all designed to help wire and cable producers keep their customers happy.”

Attributes and Applications
Arnitel U grades provide temperature resistance of 3000 hours at 160 °C, with peak temperatures up to 200 °C, and is often specified for robotic, electric motor and similar applications. Arnitel P grades exhibit good flexibility at low temperatures—as low as -40 °C. Arnitel E grades meet food and medical contact standards, ideal for medical robotics and food applications.

Master batches can be used not only for colour but also for enhanced resistance to UV, heat and hydrolysis, as well as flame retardancy including halogen free systems. Arnitel provides superior resistance to repetitive deformation and fatigue, especially important in robotics. The material, available in a wide range of modulus and viscosity levels, shows good chemical resistance to oils, other hydrocarbons and most chemicals used in cars and industry. Its good electrical properties ensure outstanding dielectric behaviours. Finally, processing of Arnitel grades is measurably easier than with TPUs or fluoroelastomers.

SGL Carbon has introduced a new glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pipe that uses a pure linear polyphenylene sulphide liner. The pipe is aimed at chemical plants where exposure to temperatures beyond 100°C is involved.
The company says the new Keraverin-PPS pipe fills a gap between systems using standard plastics materials and systems using more expensive fluoropolymers that can cover exposure up to 200°C.
It also believes the new pipe has good opportunities to replace expensive metal pipes using nickel, titanium, tantalum and special alloys.
SGL Carbon says only polyvinylidenfluride (PVDF) has been able to establish any significant use in chemical pipe systems. But the company claims PVDF systems have greater limitations when exposed to certain chemicals at high temperatures than has the new PPS-lined pipe.
Kerverein-PPS pipes have gone through chemical compatability tests that have included exposure to 50% sodium hydroxide at 110-130°C.
The new pipe has been developed by SGL Carbon together with Chevron Phillips Chemical, Georg Fischer DEKA and SGL Acotec, which will market the new pipe.

ExxonMobil Chemical will present its broad range of polyethylene (HD, LD and LLD), specialty copolymers, ethylene elastomers and metallocene catalyzed products as well as its technology, supply and service capability in Hall 6, Stand Number D11 at K 2004 in Duesseldorf, Germany.
Within the Polyethylene business, the first in the new family of Nexxstar resin formulations will be featured. Reshaping end-of-line packaging, novel Nexxstar resin formulated stretch hood packaging solutions represent a major step change within the industry. Additionally, new grades will be highlighted, most notably two new low gel grades for Exceed mLLDPE which are ideal for high quality lamination and converter film, a new PE resin for medium voltage wire and cable insulation and a new PE resin for wire and cable applications.
ExxonMobil Chemical will also demonstrate that it has one of the broadest complementary portfolios of ethylene elastomer products in the industry including Vistalon EPDM, metallocene-based EPDM, Exxelor CMP, Exact plastomers and Vistamaxx specialty elastomers and Santoprene TPVs. In particular, Vistamaxx specialty elastomers are a “new to the world” novel polyolefin family of products and are tailored to enhance a broad range of products and processes. With a new metallocene ethylene elastomer plant, the organization will demonstrate its state-of-the-art technology, flexible multi-product platform and global supply. Other features at K 2004 will be:
• non-woven and film applications for Vistamaxx specialty elastomers
• new low density grades of Exact plastomers
• Vistalon EPDM with conventional EPDM produced by Ziegler Natta technology and a new generation of metallocene-based products
• Exxelor CMP – polypropylene modified through compatibilization with glass and natural fiber fill PP compounds and wood fiber composites
• Very soft engineered TPVs, low lead TPV grades and new developments in foaming technology will highlight the numerous innovative solutions utilizing Santoprene thermoplastic rubber, while additional Santoprene TPV successes will be illustrated by more than 50 automotive, consumer and industrial applications on display
In the Polypropylene sector, ExxonMobil Chemical will focus on new products in the context of its total-solutions approach to help add value through innovative solutions. The company will demonstrate its long-term experience in demanding applications such as appliance, automotive, health care, nonwovens, OPP film and packaging. An outstanding example on the stand will show the benefits of this approach in the innovative-engineered Exxtral™ PP solutions recently unveiled in the new Peugeot 407.
The company will also emphasize its strong track record as a leader in metallocene polypropylene (mpp) technology and the ongoing broadening of its Achieve mpp product line to offer additional options.
Another new development to be on display that benefits European packaging manufacturers is ExxonMobil PP5122E1. This resin is a clear alternative for sheet and thermoforming applications that offers the solution of high transparency.
Other innovative solutions to be described include work with molders in the U.S. to take a fresh look at the advantages polypropylene can offer in injection stretch blow molding applications. Recent studies show ExxonMobil PP9505E1 can offer new flexibility in balancing the attributes of stiffness, heat resistance, clarity, organoleptics, cost and processability.
Solutions offered through the company’s polypropylene presence in Asia and the Middle East will also be discussed.

The market situation in the Telecommunication and Fiber Optics industry has continued to be very difficult during the first 6 months of 2004.

During this period, Nextrom received new orders worth of CHF 12.0 million (first 6 months 2003: CHF 6.2 million). The order backlog amounted to CHF 8.2 million at the end of June 2004 (end of June 2003: CHF 6.9 million).

Gross sales for the first 6 months amounted to CHF 7.9 million (first 6 month 2003: CHF 10.3 million).

Since the market has continued to be more difficult than anticipated and the expectations for a market recovery have been continuously postponed, the company has decided on a new restructuring program, which will be carried out in September-October.

Nextrom Holding SA, in Morges, Switzerland, is the world’s premier supplier of manufacturing solutions and services to the Fiber Optic industry. The company is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SWX) in Zürich. For further information on the company, please visit www.nextrom.com (http://www.nextrom.com).