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Plastics Additives & Compounding July/August 2008
"Waste is the enemy"
The need to keep costs in check while remaining flexible enough to produce an ever wider variety of speciality products in the shortest time has never been more important for compounders and masterbatchers. One approach that we introduce in this issue of Plastics Additives & Compounding is the concept of lean compounding. Waste is the enemy in the world of lean compounding and its avoidance can help companies achieve their goals, argues Wim Spook of Matcon Group Ltd. Starting on page 26, he suggests that relocating to a lower cost economy is not necessarily the only way to sustainable profitability. Smarter manufacturing without waste can also reap rewards.
Nevertheless, in recent years relocating has been a favoured option and China has often been the destination. However, increasingly this is not merely for reducing costs. International companies are establishing Chinese operations to serve their global customers with their own manufacturing facilities there. In addition, manufacturers are supplying domestic Chinese firms that are both exporting and serving the local market in a country that is projected to be world's largest consumer and industrial market over the next few decades. Up until recently setting up a manufacturing operation in China meant a joint venture. However, changes in Chinese law mean that wholly foreign owned entities are now possible. Our article on pages 30-35 looks at what a number of companies are doing to increase their presence in China.
One of the current areas of healthy growth in the plastics industry is the increasing use of wood-plastic composites. While they have been prominent in North America for some time, their acceptance in other parts of the world has taken longer. However, volumes are growing in Europe and elsewhere, and the market is being driven by increasing consumer desire for customized outdoor living space. Our latest report on developments in wood-plastic composites starts on page 20.
Elsewhere, we look at POSS as a plastics additive. POSS offers a number of interesting benefits for plastics, however, in this issue we look at its effect as a flow aid for high temperature polymers. Our final feature highlights some new flame retardant compounds solving some specific issues in wire and cable compounding for the railway industry.
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