BERGAMO, Italy — August 1, 2018 — We are committed to continuously enlarge our products portfolio and capacities for the benefit and support of our valued business partners. Due to the growing of our global businesses and the aim to provide the most efficient and cost-effective services possible, RadiciGroup Comfort Fibres Business Area is delighted to announce a yarn twisting capacity expansion in its manufacturing facility at SC Yarnea srl Savinesti (Romania).

This expansion addresses the increasing demand for high-value yarns and for tailor made solutions where innovation, consistent quality, and quick responses are essential to compete in the global business arena. Full capacity from the end of July 2018.

These are the main features of the new manufacturing facility:

• Process: filament yarn twisting;
• Spindles: more than 4,000;
• Count range: up to 600 dtex;
• Twist range: 50 – 2500 tpm;
• Yarn: flat, textured, mass and spool dyed;
• Package: tubes, cones, hanks; and
• Polymers: Polyamide, Polyester, PBT, PLA, mixed Polymers.

Innovation, Efficiency, Quality and Sustainability: the main pillars for RadiciGroup Comfort Fibres to strive towards the realization of innovative value-chain.

The Business Area is active in the production sector of polymers and staple fibres in PA6, polyamide 6, 6.6 and Bio yarn; as well as virgin and recycled polyester yarn, used mainly in the clothing, furniture and car interior markets.

Posted August 1, 2018

Source: RadiciGroup

HOUSTON — August 1, 2018 — Ascend Performance Materials, the largest global fully integrated producer of nylon 6,6 resin, announced today the purchase of Britannia Techno Polymer (BTP), an engineering plastics compounder based in the Netherlands. The acquisition provides Ascend with a leading engineering plastics manufacturing base in Europe and an expansion to its growing portfolio of proprietary compounds.

“Our new partnership with BTP provides Ascend with a sixth manufacturing location and a dedicated footprint for serving our customers throughout Europe with enhanced compounding capabilities and broader application development expertise,” said Phil McDivitt, president and CEO of Ascend. “Most importantly, BTP shares our commitment to safety, quality, innovation and customer service. Together, we will expand our offerings and continue to provide the levels of reliability and technical service customers have come to trust.”

BTP was founded in 2006 by Andrew Leigh. The company is an engineering thermoplastics compounding and tolling company specializing in the production of proprietary nylon compounds. Its certifications include ISO 9001 and TS 16949.

“This purchase will allow us to better serve our European customers and expand our compounding capacity and capabilities,” said John Saunders, Ascend’s European leader. “We have a long relationship with BTP and look forward to realizing greater operational efficiency and experience. We are excited to have Andy Leigh and the BTP team join Ascend.”

BTP’s employees will transition immediately to Ascend. Leigh will join Ascend’s global management team as director of compounding technology.

“This is an exciting chapter for both companies,” said Leigh. “We look forward to expanding Ascend’s reach and gaining world-class operational management.”

Posted August 1, 2018

Source: Ascend Performance Materials

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — July 31, 2018 — Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., a developer of spider silk based fibers, announces today that work has begun under the collaborative agreement signed between the company and several farming cooperatives in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. As part of the agreement reported earlier this month, these farming cooperatives have now begun planting mulberry. This mulberry is the key input for the company’s newly formed subsidiary, Prodigy Textiles, its proprietary hybrid silkworms, and the commercialization of the company’s recombinant spider silk materials.

Silkworms are voracious eaters, consuming more than 100 kilograms of mulberry leaves for every kilogram of finished silk produced. For this reason, transportation logistics and local sourcing of mulberry are core to the company’s strategic plan. Under these agreements the company expects that as many as 2,500 hectares (~6177 acres) of mulberry will be planted near the company’s new factory, supporting Prodigy Textiles spider silk production for several years to come.

“Planting these mulberry fields means that we are now able to support rearing our hybrid silkworms at Prodigy Textiles,” said Jon Rice, COO. “Access to large quantities of fresh mulberry is a core piece of our production growth strategy and was a key element of our decision to select Vietnam for commercializing our spider silk technology. The local farming cooperatives have the existing capacity to meet Prodigy’s mulberry needs over the coming months. These additional plantings provide us with the confidence that we will be able to maintain our scale up plans for years to come, while also providing these farmers with sustaining and reliable income.”

Posted July 31, 2018

Source: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc.

BANGKOK, Thailand — July 31, 2018 — Indorama Ventures Public Co Ltd. (IVL), a global chemical producer, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Sorepla Industrie S.A., a plastics recycling facility in France. Founded in 1991, Sorepla Industrie is one of the largest recyclers in Europe. The facility consists of three production lines; Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET), Recycled High Density Polyethylene (rHDPE) and food-grade Pellets, with a combined capacity of 52,000 tonnes/annum. Regardless of the fluctuations in the quality of post-consumer feedstock, Sorepla can offer consistently high quality recycled PET material that meet customers’ specific needs in Packaging and Fibers. The company employs a total of 58 employees.

This acquisition is strategically in line with the company’s objectives of long-term sustainability. The addition of Sorepla will further solidify IVL’s position as one of the leaders in recycling in Europe and opens up new opportunities to serve increasing demand for food grade rPET. While IVL has a significant recycling presence in France through its subsidiary, Wellman France Recyclage in Verdun, the acquisition of Sorepla gives the company additional capabilities to deliver food grade rPET to serve increasing demand among major brand owners for more sustainable packaging solutions. Due to Sorepla’s proximity to our existing recycling business,  synergies of management and supply chain are expected to benefit IVL businesses.

rPET resin is widely used for food and beverage packaging as well as fiber applications in Europe, a sector in which IVL holds a leadership supplier position. The demand for food-grade rPET in Western Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2018-2021, and is currently outstripping supply. A growing emphasis on sustainability and circular economy objectives among packaging and consumer product manufacturers is expected to be amongst the key factors driving market growth. Recycled PET is well-known to be hygienic and is approved for food-contact applications in most countries around the world.

Commenting on the acquisition, Aloke Lohia, Group CEO of Indorama Ventures, said, “Indorama Ventures plays a key role in promoting the circular economy and environmental sustainability globally. We believe that the recycling of PET packaging is one of the most responsible solutions for the preservation of resources and the reduction of PET containers in landfills. Indorama Ventures is playing its part and investing in recycling solutions globally.

With a comprehensive European network for bottle sourcing and good supply chain efficiencies, we feel that this acquisition will contribute as an attractive platform for strong future growth in the sustainable recycling business with the potential to expand globally.”

Posted July 31, 2018

Source: Indorama Ventures