Strictly-Extrusion

One of Malaysia’s largest cast film manufacturers, publicly traded BP Plastics Sdn. Hhd., paid nearly 17 million Malaysian ringgits (37.5 million yuans) to add nine-layer extrusion capacity and boost its exports to the United States, Japan and other major markets.
The Batu Pahat, Malaysia-based firm added a nine-layer Battenfeld Gloucester extrusion line at the end of December and nearly doubled its manufacturing space, in a bid to tap into higher-margin products such as stretch cast film and grow beyond its Southeast Asian base. While Southeast Asia still will account for 80 percent of the firm’s sales. The company spent about 16.7 million ringgits ($4.5 million) on the extrusion line and related equipment, and additional funds building a factory to house the machine, giving the firm about 23,225 square meters of manufacturing space. All of BP’s film manufacturing is in Batu Pahat.
The company is one of the three largest cast film extruders in Malaysia, where the market is growing quickly and the country is becoming a significant exporter of cast film, with an estimated 15,000 metric tons per month.

Dow Corning has issued a Chinese-language version of its successful 32-page “Guide to Silane Solutions,” which combines technology expertise with market knowledge to help chemists and application engineers develop new materials with greater reliability and improved performance.
The guide covers the basics of silane chemistry and the concepts of coupling with organofunctional silanes. The guide also discusses performance advantages of silanes in fiberglass and composites, mineral and filler treatment, pharmaceutical manufacturing, plastics and rubber, adhesives and sealants, and water repellents and surface protection.
“China is a very important, growing market for our products and services,” said Thierry Materne, Dow Corning global technology and business development manager, Silane Products. “This guide can help new and existing customers create next-generation solutions to improve their performance and productivity based on the interface between silanes and other materials.” To obtain a copy of the guide, visit www.dowcorning.com/silanes.

India’s laminated tube producer Essel Propack Ltd. is expanding its U.S. presence with the acquistion of a majority stake in Tacpro Inc., a Campbell, California., tubing extruder and producer of medical devices.
Essel of Mumbai also is buying most of the shares of Avalon Medical Services Pte. Ltd., of Singapore. Tacpro and Avalon share common ownership. Tacpro in Campbell focuses on design, engineering services and rapid protoyping. Its high-volume manufacturing base is sister company Avalon in Singapore. Tacpro does custom extrusion in a range of thermoplastics, including polyolefins, nylons, polyurethanes, thermoplastic elastomers and polycarbonate. The firm can do simple and complex extrusions, including wire coating and profile production. Tacpro also produces medical balloons and catheters from nylons, PET and other materials. It braids metal wires for guides and other medical uses.
Essel claims to be the world’s largest producer of laminated tubes, with 21 manufacturing locations in 13 countries.

Sales of plastic window frames in German fell 8.3% in 2005 compared with the previous year, according to a market study presented by industry trade associations at the recent Fensterbau Frontale window system exhibition in Nuremberg. However, it is forecast that the rate of decline will slow to 2.1% in 2006. Sales of aluminium frames are expected to grow by 0.6% after a 4.7% decline in 2005, as the material predominates in non-residential buildings, where the window market is forecast to grow in 2006 by 1.2%. Meanwhile, the residential sector is expected to decline by 3.1% in 2006, compared with a 10% decline in 2005. Wood frames are forecast to do worse in 2005, with a 2.3% decline, following a 9.3% decline in 2005. The overall German window market consisted of 11.6 million window units in 2005, according to the study, where one window unit corresponds to an area of 1.69 sq metres. The market shares in 2006 of the various frame materials are expected to range from 55.5% for plastics, 19.6% each for wood and aluminium and 5.2% for the aluminium-wood combination.

Wavin, a TEPPFA member, has announced that it has sold its 25% stake in Iplex Pipelines (manufacturer and supplier of plastic pipeline systems in Australia and New Zealand). Purchaser is the Crane Group Ltd. an Australian stock listed company that already owns 75% of Iplex. The cash proceeds from the sale are EUR 61 million (AUD 104.5 million).

As part of the transaction, Crane and Wavin have entered into a ten-year technology agreement. This is an extension of the cooperation that has existed between the two companies since 1997.

The Crane Group was originally founded 130 years ago. Today it is a leading manufacturer of non-ferrous metal products and plastic pipes and fittings. It is also the largest distributor of plumbing supplies in Australasia.

Berstorff GmbH of Hanover, Germany, has delivered a complete line for the manufacture of rubber profiles for the automotive industry to a leading company in China. The special challenge of this project was to develop a line concept for the manufacture of profiles consisting of up to five different components.

PlasticsEurope and The European Plastics Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) have this week launched an information website on the economic and environmental benefits of plastic pipes. The Brussels-based organisations have created the website www.plastic-pipes.com to highlight that plastics pipes are sustainable, economic and durable. They said they “believe that the public are not fully aware of the many advantages of plastic pipes and that less sustainable and more expensive solutions are still being used”.
President of TEPPFA Roger Smith said: “This website will provide answers about the features and more importantly the benefits that have prompted the use and application of plastic pipe systems in our ever more environmentally conscious world. Furthermore, it will incorporate a proactive news gathering and distribution service that engages the media and encourages open dialogue on many fronts.” As well as discussing products and the industry, the website will publish the latest developments, such as new polymers, projects, case histories, environmental news, EU developments and business highlights.

Film producer Romar Packaging of Leeds has invested more than £500,000 in a CMG three-layer blown film line. The company, part of the Roberts Mart Group, expects to increase output by 1,750 tonnes a year. As well as providing additional production for current customer demand, Romar and Roberts Mart are planning to take the increased capacity into new sectors in collation shrink packaging, including bottled water and soft drinks, toilet tissue and kitchen rolls.
Much of the film will be converted by Roberts Mart where it can be printed with print repeats of up to 1,350 mm in up to 10 colours. The new line is the third coex line to go into the factory, and Romar plans to develop new products as lower cost replacements for monolayer films.
The film line is part of a wider investment by Romar, which has also bought a new reclaim machine for handling the trim and machine waste, two high speed doors to control the production atmosphere and further ancillary equipment to improve production.