Welcome to E-News Update from Plastics & Rubber Asia

icona, the engineering resin arm of Celanese, is another business that feels the time is ripe for growth, especially in China and India. Recent activities include product expansions through acquisitions, said Maria Ciliberti, Commercial Director Europe.

In its core POM line, Ticona is building a 50,000 tonnes/year facility in Al Jubail through its joint venture with Sabic, Ibn Sina. Also its move of its 140,000 tonnes/year Kelsterbach site for POM will be completed by 2011. This will be its single largest investment in Europe.

A growth strategy in green electronics, where it supplies its halogen-free LCPs and PCTs, has been pumped up by acquiring DuPont's Zenite LCP und Thermx PCT products. "The acquisition has accelerated our penetration into Asia, where most of Zenite applications are," said Ciliberti, adding that a LCP compounding facility will be set up in Asia in the future. Other Asian onslaughts will be through long fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (LFTs), having acquired FACT (Future Advanced Composites & Technology).

It has also added Vectra Trex LCP, designed for thermal forming and claimed to be the first LCP tailored for this. First-up is a 40% filled-grade with improved notched impact strength, targeted at baking equipment, vacuum-formed large-format sheets, sterilisable trays and semiconductor chip carriers.