Extrusion Group™, LLC

Evonik Industries AG, National Industrialization Company (Tasnee) and Sahara Petrochemicals are planning to set up a joint venture to produce superabsorbent polymers in Saudi Arabia.
Their intention is to build a world-scale facility with an annual capacity of 80,000 metric tons at Jubail to start-up would be in the first quarter of 2013.

“This is an important step for the Evonik Group in the growing Middle East market and represents a significant expansion of our leading position in superabsorbent polymers,” said Dr Klaus Engel commented Dr. Engel.
Evonik is a world-leading producer of superabsorbent polymers as the key basic material for the manufacture of diapers and feminine hygiene products. (more…)

SCA is selling its Asian packaging operation in order to focus on the growth of its hygiene business in Asia.
The buyer is International Paper and the purchase price is approximately $200 million.
In 2009, SCA’s Asian packaging operation reported sales of approximately $250 million and had approximately 4,500 employees at 15 plants in China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“We are divesting our packaging business in Asia in line with our strategy of focusing on our hygiene products there,” said Jan Johansson, SCA president and CEO. (more…)

Press Releases

• Comprehensive financial restructuring measures agreed, which will strengthen the equity base of the company by up to CHF 1.3 billion and reduce net debt by up to approximately 77 percent (subject to approval by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 18 May 2010).

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Company Signs Distribution Agreement with Vulcan Plastics Technology Co. Ltd. Chinese Operations

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Apr 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Cereplast, Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!cerp/quotes/nls/cerp (CERP 5.06, -0.30, -5.60%) (“Cereplast” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, sustainable plastics, today announced that it has added one regional distributor, S&P Sourcing Co. Ltd. a Hong Kong-based company operated as Vulcan Plastics Technology Co. Ltd. (“Vulcan”) in China, to distribute Cereplast’s bio-based resins in southern China.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Vulcan is a leading supplier of high performance precision thermoforming machine, thermoforming tooling, and plastic raw materials in China. The company has its manufacturing and distribution facility in Shenzhen, China, which is operated as Vulcan Plastics Technology Co. Ltd. (more…)

A focus on real-life, actionable information for the entire wipes value chain highlights the recently announced agenda for the upcoming World of Wipes International Conference, set for June 21-23, 2010 at the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.

The annual Conference will offer three days of educational seminars, networking and the presentation of the prestigious WOW Innovation Award that will recognize and reward industry members who bring new and value-added processes and products to the wipes’ marketplace. (more…)

(Reuters) – Procter & Gamble’s (PG.N) biggest bet on a new diaper in 25 years has run afoul of some parents who say their babies suffered rashes and burns after using them.

And while the company insists its new product launch is off to a blockbuster start, it is also the target of hundreds of public complaints that pose a threat to an $8 billion brand built on trust.

Cathy Valentine, for one, says she may never buy a P&G product ever again. (more…)

Owens Corning a leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems and residential and commercial building materials, announced that the company has established an excellence center for technical fabrics at its manufacturing facility in Zele, Belgium. The 5,500-square-meter (about 60,000 square feet) facility will have both pilot- and full-scale state-of-the-art production equipment for developing, testing and evaluating new fabric technologies before production and use in customer processes.

In addition to equipment for weaving, stitching and assembling multi-axial fabrics, the center will have a laboratory for testing new fabric technologies in infusion molding and other closed-mold processes. (more…)

Twenty percent heavier basis weights in U.S. versus Europe

BRUSSELS, April 19 /PRNewswire/ — Packaging trends in Europe are compared with the U.S. since they occupy similar geographic areas, have similar climates and topographical features, and their containerboard companies supply many of the same global food, beverage and consumer goods companies.  However, average basis weights of corrugated are now 20% lighter in Europe than the U.S., as shown in the new study published today by RISI, The Future of Lightweight Containerboard in North America.  This reflects a proactive cultural change in Europe, with sustainability high on the agenda and government environmental initiatives with targets and penalties for non-compliance implemented across the supply chain, and supported by trade groups and NGOs.

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House wrap can be applied with sprayer, roller…

The traditional version of Tyvek, which DuPont has sold since 1982, consists of sheets of nonwoven polyethylene fibers that are wrapped around a structure to keep out air and water, while letting moisture vapors through.

The liquid version, dubbed DuPont Tyvek Fluid Applied Weather Barrier System, will have the same abilities, company officials said.

It can be applied with a sprayer or roller, and offers the same energy-conserving benefits, the company reported.

The liquid version is ideal for buildings with odd angles, hard-to-wrap skyscrapers and hard-to-tackle concrete structures, said Tom Schuler, president of DuPont Building Innovations.

“A spray gives you lots more flexibility,” he said. (more…)

With 80 plants in North America, Europe, and South America, and cumulative processing of more than 20 billion container units annually, Graham Packaging (York, PA) already is one of the world’s largest packaging processors and top blowmolders globally. Now, with its announcement this week of its acquisition of a domestic processor there, Graham is extending its already considerable presence to China.

Graham announced that its subsidiary, Graham Packaging Company LP, expects to acquire China Roots Packaging PTE Ltd., a plastics processor based in Guangzhou, from the company’s current owner, PCCS Group Berhad (Johor, Malaysia), a consortium of garment and textile companies. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2010. (more…)