Solvay Expands Its US-Based SulfonePolymers Business

Solvay announces an ambitious expansion plan for its U.S.-based sulfone business, which focuses on polymer solutions for various critical life science applications, as part of its ongoing commitment to build capacity in this field to support a growing global customer base.

The full scope of the multi-year expansion plans will ultimately touch all of Solvay’s sulfone polymers including Udel polysulfones (PSU), Veradel polyether sulfones (PESU), and Radel polyphenyl sulfones (PPSU). The first major investment steps will include a capacity increase for Udel PSU of over 25% by 2024 at the company’s production site in Marietta, Ohio, with much of this increase expected online by early 2023.

Likewise, to strengthen Solvay’s leading position in the market, production capacity for dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (DCDPS) — an important common building block used in all sulfone polymers — will also be expanded by more than 25% by 2024, resulting in capacity increases at the company’s Augusta, Georgia site by end of 2022.

“This new multi-year program marks an important step in our strategy for future growth and affirms our number one position in the U.S. sulfone polymers market,” says Carmelo Lo Faro, president of Solvay’s Materials segment. “Essentially, the expansions will address the growth potential of our sulfone products in high-performance life-saving and life-sustaining areas, such as healthcare, water purification, and pharma processing.”

Key application market segments to benefit from these investments include hemodialysis, medical instruments, and pharmaceuticals — in both development and production, and water purification, where Solvay expects strong double-digit growth in terms of global demand. Moreover, high-performance sulfone polymers also play a growing role in residential and commercial heating and plumbing systems.

Solvay has announced a major expansion plan to boost its production capacity for sulfone polymers in support of a growing global customer base in life-saving and life-sustaining application markets. The first steps in this initiative will add more than 25% of capacity for both Udel polysulfones (PSU) and basic dichlorodiphenyl (DCDPS) at the company’s production sites in the United States by 2024.

# U.S.-based sulfone #polymersolutions  #globalexpansion #enlargeinvestment

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Making your supply chain work for you

 Arburg continued its successful interactive digital format “arburgXvision” with a new highlight. “Supply chain with tenacity – secure supply chains as a strategic advantage” was the main topic discussed by top-class experts Guido Frohnhaus, Arburg Managing Director Technology & Engineering, Werner Faulhaber, Arburg Divisional Manager Development, and Stefan Schrauf, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany (PwC). On top of this, Ralf Felisoni, Head of Procurement, explained to the audience what makes Arburg unique – namely the high in-house production capacity, the large internal network, and stable supply chains.

In social media, an audience of about 1,250 watched the eleventh broadcast live. Then, in a familiar manner, it was also made available in the mediatheque. In the follow-up (as of 21.02.2022) about 1,400 interested parties have taken the opportunity to view this broadcast on the event website or in the social media channels. This exceptional response shows that Arburg has hit the nail on the head with its choice of topics – the ultimate hot topic at present –, the first-class experts, and the new, more focused format. The one-hour, German-language program features a discussion session in the Arburg studio with two company representatives and an external expert, along with an in-depth look at the company, offering exciting insights into practical applications. Viewers could also participate in the program by asking questions.

Exciting survey results

The live survey results showed that the top subject of supply chains is a global issue: three-quarters of the participants said that they did not see supply chain disruptions as a short-term phenomenon. 45 percent currently rely on larger warehouses and 33 percent on multiple suppliers as a way of resolving the issue. 96 percent of respondents confirmed that secure supply chains have great or very great potential. This is something Arburg has been successfully relying on for decades, combined with a high degree of in-house production capacity at the central development and production site in Lossburg.

Central development and production

The experts thoroughly discussed the advantages of Arburg’s strategy during the program. “What we can do (better) ourselves, we better do ourselves,” was Guido Frohnaus’ mission statement. A global supply chain is optimized in regards to costs and time, but it breaks down quickly if one of the parties involved fails. Arburg, therefore, relies on local, stable supply chains and a high degree of in-house production in Lossburg. Some other important considerations are the fact that Arburg has remained loyal to its business partners for decades, practices active risk management, and considers a complete cost analysis of the entire supply chain.

Flexible network under one roof

Ralf Felisoni explained how Arburg was able to ensure procurement and production during the difficult year of 2021, regardless of supply bottlenecks: “We can rely on our own large network and are able to work very flexibly with our colleagues from development, technical processing, assembly, and production to find alternatives for components that are difficult or impossible to procure and to plan and install these accordingly.”

Delivery capability and innovative strength

Werner Faulhaber used the example of the control system, which Arburg develops and builds itself, in order to explain this effect in the discussion session. The in-house PCB manufacturing made it possible to react quickly and flexibly to supply bottlenecks with redesigns.

Having development and production under one roof is not only beneficial in terms of delivery capability, but also in terms of sustainable spare parts supply and innovative strength. One example of this is the powertrain, where the acquisition of AMKmotion brings everything together under the umbrella of the Arburg family, enabling the company to successfully drive developments forward.

Successful strategy

Stefan Schrauf reiterated the success of Arburg’s strategy, which provides the company with a key distinguishing feature. He went on to explain that the impact of COVID-19 is leading to a shift in supply chain priorities: “We are seeing a clear transition towards more regionalized, resilient and sustainable end-to-end supply chain solutions.”

#Supplychain #broadcast #strategy #resolveissue

Milliken’s ColorDirection 2023 Bold Unity: evoking a sense of belonging and familiarity

The new 2023 collection is the work of thought-leaders and trend-watchers in the worlds of textiles, packaging, fashion, design, and marketing and a specially convened Milliken panel, analyzing what’s trending today and what is next.

Mixing the dreamlike with the ultra-real, the gentle unknown with the vibrant unmissable, Milliken ColorDirection 2023: Bold Unity combines a palette of boldness with pastel alter-egos, creating tones and contrasts that work together as a team.

Extravagant Orange

When it’s time to be sharp and fresh, nothing beats Extravagant Orange. It’s a powerful and universal color that brings brightness to a world still waking up to new possibilities. Both vibrant and clear it’s a rich sign that shouts for positive action and new hope.

Radiant Rose

Shining its bold strength through the color palette, Radiant Rose brings together a softer harmony of warmth and comfort. This is the tone of challenging norms and of working together to create new visual languages from an alphabet of color.

Lavender Embrace

A sure sign of luxury and ceremony, Lavender Embrace is the go-to color for effortless comfort, texture, and richness. In a time when the world is crying out for good news and extra care, this is the color that brings support and reassurance to the palette.

Unity Blue

The flagship color of the Bold Unity range, Unity Blue, is an unforgettable link to the oceans of possibilities within us, a time for exploration and trust in what is to come. With this classic blue, we reach out our arms to welcome the potential ahead, putting the past to rest.

Coral Moments

Adding a welcome note of freshness and light, Coral Moments is the spirit of playfulness for the consumer’s mind. Carefree walks with loved ones under bright summer skies, precious days collecting moments that will live forever in memory, all with the crisp bright comfort of this unmistakable hue.

Team Green

Working together with nature, society is building an era of growing respect and Team Green flies the flag for new generations of love for our planet. A statement that is both bright and rich, this shade represents the fertile and vibrant world around us.

Sharply Citrus

After quiet years in disconnected shadows, the world is starting to come together to be seen and to be bold. In contrast with the humble shades of softer colors, Sharply Citrus brings a call for attention and urgency that dares to be noticed. This is the color to make it happen.

For all these dazzling colors, our eye-catching colorants include:

Liquitint customized polymeric colorants that combine dynamic colors with excellent processability for multiple applications including home and laundry care. These water-soluble and non-staining colorants are compatible with the most challenging active ingredients, including additives and higher perfume levels.

Liquitint Agro advanced colorants for fertilizer. This range of non-staining liquid colorants provides a broad spectrum of color options with low inventory requirements and easy blending, thus reducing waste and increasing the saving potential for your operations.

ClearTint color concentrates for NX UltraClear polypropylene (PP) add vivid, transparent color and are compliant with safety requirements for food packaging.

Reactint polymeric colorants for polyurethane (PU) add appealing color to products without affecting the physical properties of the material.

KeyPlast colorants are a spectrum of bright, high-performance shades for a multitude of polymer and resin systems including ABS, PET in transparent, food-contact applications, and other transparent amorphous polymers such as polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), and acrylic (PMMA).

KeyPlast RESIST is a high-performance colorant, designed especially for coloring engineering polymers such as polyamides (PA), polybutylene terephthalates (PBT), polypthalamides (PPA), polysulfones (PSU), and other high-heat glass filled and flame-retardant resins and alloys. These colorants perform well in high-temperature processing and application conditions typically associated with high-performance polymers.

#colordirection #teamwork #eyecatchy #milliken

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Bühler strengthens market positions in 2021

The key markets of Bühler in the food, feed, and mobility sectors underwent fundamental transitions driven by changing consumer requirements and enabled by new technologies. As a result, the demand for sustainable solutions has clearly increased.

As part of the long-term innovation strategy of Bühler, spending on R&D over the last 3 years including the “coronavirus years” increased to more than CHF 400 million (2021: CHF 141 million, 5.2% of turnover). Bühler has positioned itself as a key enabler and partner for its customers, supported by collaborations with key partners in industry and science.

New drivetrains and new designs dominated the automotive industry. The new processing technologies of Bühler’s Die Casting business area with high locking force production cells resulted in accelerated growth in this market; the Grinding & Dispersing business area, which established its market segment Battery Solutions a decade ago, experienced a record order intake in 2021, attributable to the boom in lithium-ion batteries for e-mobility. Similar positive market demand was noticeable in Bühler’s food and feed businesses, for example, processing solutions for plant-based proteins or for dairy alternatives were in high demand and contributed to growth in Bühler’s Value Nutrition business.

New types of chocolates, pralines, and various confectionery and snack products required new applications which the Bühler Consumer Foods segment (which includes the technologies of the former Haas business acquired in 2018) created. Also, Bühler’s Milling Solutions business grew in the wheat and rye and specialty segments, with processing solutions for high-capacity plants as well as for special applications for local niche markets. Digitalization and cloud-based services acted as key enablers to improve the performances of existing assets of customers all over the world, and this also addressed the need for improved sustainability and CO2 emission reductions.

Strong order intake

On the Group level, order intake increased by 16% to CHF 3 billion. Because of the time gap in the plant business between order entry and turnover, the upward trend on orders is not yet visible in turnover, which remained stable at CHF 2.7 billion. The same is true for profitability, which amounted to CHF 146 million, reflecting an EBIT margin of 5.4%. Net profit amounted to CHF 113 million, also slightly better than last year.

Orders on hand by year-end 2021 increased strongly by 27.2% to CHF 1.9 billion. “Our innovations, both for plants and services led to growth in our order book. Our strategy to position ourselves as an innovative solution provider for material transformation has been paying off,” says Stefan Scheiber.

All three business segments of Bühler contributed to this positive development. Grains & Food grew orders by 12% to CHF 1.8 billion, Consumer Foods by 6% to CHF 584 million; and Advanced Materials showed the strongest growth of 37% to CHF 620 million. The business areas with the highest growth rates were Die Casting, Grinding & Dispersing Grain Quality & Supply, and Milling Solutions. From a regional perspective, the Americas, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and India experienced the strongest upswing. China represented the single largest market for Bühler in 2021.

Global network, and passionate people key to success

The global network of Bühler with 30 factories, 103 services stations, and 24 Application & Training Centers across the globe was key to being successful in a very dynamic business environment. This allowed Bühler to secure on-time deliveries, also in times when supply-markets were difficult and logistic chains partly interrupted. In 2021, the company executed over 2,000 customer projects, and as part of this Bühler produced and delivered around 50,000 machines and key components. This was only possible thanks to the expertise and dedication of Bühler’s employees, and their focus on customer success.

In 2021, Bühler continued to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of all employees, while maintaining our focus on training and education. With nearly 12,500 staff across the globe, flexibility and resilience became key success factors in response to public health challenges and all related limitations. Bühler continued its commitment to its global apprenticeship program and to the development of employees on all levels. The same was true for the training of personnel of customers, both in Bühler schools as well as in dedicated training centers.

Bühler Service portfolio in growing demand

It has long been Bühler’s strategy to be in the region for the region with our global Services & Sales organization. This strategy was key to our ability to continue important service offerings at all times for our customers globally. Having experts present in all key markets proved yet again to be a key success factor. Understanding the challenges our customers were facing in the different countries and continents has allowed Bühler to make decisive steps towards providing an even more customer-centric approach in its service offering.

The recently renewed and expanded services portfolio – including new digital services and Service Level Agreements – grew in orders by 15% to CHF 746 million. Combined with Bühler’s Single Machine business, the Service business represents about one-third of the overall turnover. Orders on the online platform “myBühler” grew by 50% to CHF 90 million; nearly 100 customer sites are now connected to the Bühler Insights platform; and RemoteCare contracts, of which customers make use of online support functions, have increased by a factor of 6 to nearly 400. Nearly 160,000 service orders were carried out.

“It is not only that we grew volume, but that we changed the character of our Service business to specific value additions for our customers, enabling them to improve the performance of existing and new assets. This, at the same time, is a key contributor to improved sustainability in the value chains of our customers,” says CEO Scheiber.

Further strengthening of financial position

Despite the stable turnover volume, Bühler managed to further improve its financial position. Driven by a strong operating cash flow which stood at CHF 256 million at year-end, net liquidity more than doubled to CHF 329 million. Consequently, the equity ratio rose to a strong 47.2%. “Our balance sheet is stronger than before the coronavirus crisis,” says CFO Mark Macus.

“This financial strength gives our customers and stakeholders security in a volatile economic environment and enables us to continue executing our strategy, including strategic investments into assets and innovation. We are a reliable partner for our customers – in critical times, this is more important than ever.”

Accelerated impact in 2022

Political tensions, climate change, supply chain issues, and rising inflation continue to be key factors impacting the economic climate, and it is unlikely that these issues will change in the foreseeable future. At the same time, new market opportunities continue to emerge. Bühler considers itself well-positioned to continue a growth path in the running year and beyond.

“During the past two years of coronavirus crisis, we have learned to master the demanding environment with a strong purpose and value orientation, with a positive mindset, and a focus on innovation and on people,” says Stefan Scheiber. The upcoming Bühler Networking Days, which are planned to take place end of June 2022, underpin this positive mindset. “We look forward to again bringing decision-makers and partners from the global food, feed, and mobility industries together. We would like to create a positive, accelerated, and sustainable impact together with our partners.”

#newtechnologies #sustanability #Servicebusiness

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FRANZ HINTERECKER IS HANDING OVER HIS POSITION AS CEO TO OLIVER ZINTNER

With Oliver Zintner (49), KRAIBURG TPE is opting for company seniority and experience at the top management level. A university-trained chemist, he joined the management team in 2007 as Head of Corporate Purchasing before taking over the role of Director of EMEA in 2010.

In this position, he has been responsible for the company’s strategic development and operative business for 11 years, reporting directly to the CEO. Before joining KRAIBURG TPE, Mr. Zintner worked for companies such as Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Huntsman. “KRAIBURG TPE has immense responsibility toward its staff and customers and is facing major tasks along with the associated opportunities,” explains Mr. Zintner.

“Our customers are aware of the excellent products and services we provide. That’s exactly why we’re already working on solutions for the issues of the future. It’s this inevitable process of change that drives us forward.”

“We believe in continuity, and we’re in the lucky position that we represent and are continuously developing a sustainable company. I’m looking forward to this new role and I’m sure we will continue KRAIBURG TPE’s success story,” explains Dr. Monika Hofmann.

Also a university-trained chemist, she has been a member of the managerial staff since 2012. She is the Head of Corporate Purchasing and was responsible for global purchasing. She succeeds Oliver Zintner as Director EMEA starting at the beginning of this year.

Franz Hinterecker (63) is taking on new responsibilities as a member of the Board of Directors at KRAIBURG Holding SE from January 1. Mr. Hinterecker joined Gummiwerk KRAIBURG GmbH & Co. KG in Waldkraiburg in 1986 and has managed KRAIBURG TPE’s interests since 1999, after his return from Malaysia.

In 2001, the KTPE division was successfully split off and converted into an independent company. “Customers’ requirements for TPEs are increasing, and KRAIBURG TPE’s quality, service, and worldwide network have become established and are appreciated,” says Franz Hinterecker. “KRAIBURG TPE has a stable position in this market environment and it’s a good moment to hand over the operational business after 23 years.

I’m pleased that Oliver Zintner has taken up the new challenges and I’m sure he’ll go on extending the company’s success with the KRAIBURG TPE team.”

#Handover #position #Boarddirector #Responsibility