Braskem supports launch of global-scale Acrylic Complex

Braskem will supply propylene and other inputs for BASF's project in Bahia Braskem, the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and the global leader in the production of biopolymers, will be present today, November 24, at the launch of the Production Complex for acrylic acid, butyl acrylate and superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in Camaçari, Bahia. With investments of around US$30 million, Braskem will be BASF's main strategic partner in the project, being responsible for supplying the new complex with propylene and soda.

Once the facility comes on stream, scheduled for 2014, Braskem's propylene and soda output will be routed to the domestic market, thereby reducing the surplus allocated to exports. This will benefit Brazil's trade balance by replacing imports, as well as favoring the entire acrylic acid production chain due to the project's production capacity and the size of the investment.

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Americhem to Present at Decorative Automotive Plastics 2011 Conference

Americhem Inc., a global provider of custom color and additive masterbatches, will provide an expert view on masterbatches for automotive trim during the inaugural Crain conference Decorative Automotive Plastics 2011 from November 30 – December 1, at the NH Frankfurt City Hotel in Frankfurt, Germany.

Martin von Wolfersdorff, Americhem’s sales & marketing director EMEA, will present on color harmony and material property enhancements with masterbatch. He will give recommendations for ensuring color consistency and also show case innovation themes like piano black mould-in-color, second generation scratch additives, light-weighting with chemical blowing agents, nGrain® woodgrain effects and natural fiber fillers.

“The current globalization of OEM programs and individualization in trim colors make color-at press an attractive and cost-efficient solution,” says Martin von Wolfersdorff. “ Ensuring color harmony across parts, programs, resins and regions is a challenge, but it can be accomplished through the company’s specialized experience with automotive partners, specification at OEM or tier 1 level, correct use of standards and supporting software tools like vDesign®.”

The Decorative Automotive Plastics conference, expected to attract 80 participants, brings together key industry leaders, designers and material engineers from the entire automotive supply chain for decorative automotive plastics, who will discuss automotive strategy, opportunities, design, manufacturing processes and products.

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INDA Announces New CAB 2012 Conference

Recognizing a need for an inclusive conference to service the needs of multiple production and bonding technologies and the converter segment, INDA, the leading Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, will hold their new CAB™ 2012 Converting and Bonding Conference from April 17-19, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville, S.C.

CAB™ 2012 is an expansion and replacement of INDA’s highly successful Needle-punch® Conference. The new conference will encompass the full range of nonwoven bonding technologies, including needle-punch, chemical, spray, foam, powder, stitch, thermal, through air and ultrasonic, plus the latest in converting technologies and applications.

“Our Needle-punch conference served the industry well for many years. However, to respond to industry needs, the conference was expanded to include all other bonding technologies and converting,” explains INDA President Rory Holmes. “We expect CAB™ to be valuable information and networking event for a wide range of nonwovens producers, converters and their customers.”

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Foss wins New Hampshire High Technology Council 2011 Product of the Year

Foss Manufacturing, a leading innovator and pioneer in the specialty fibers, Nonwoven and needle-punch fabrics industry, announced today that the SpectraShield™ 9500 Surgical N95 Respirator Mask won the New Hampshire High Technology Council's 2011 Product of the Year honor.

The mask's antimicrobial effectiveness is powered by Fosshield® featuring Sciessent's Agion® antimicrobial technology - a first-of-its-kind, safe and natural antimicrobial. The SpectraShield™ mask has FDA 510K clearance and NIOSH approval, making it the first and only antibacterial respirator mask of its kind to achieve FDA clearance in the United States.

Unlike antimicrobial agents that are applied via topical chemical coatings or include actual metals, the patented, non-leaching and non-metallic anti-microbial technology in Fosshield® is blended right into the fabric. Fosshield® fiber is the first and only antimicrobial technology to successfully use a balance of silver and copper ions in a fiber.

The key to the respirator mask's effectiveness is the unique combination of silver and copper ions in Fosshield ®. The Fosshield ® ions are given a positive charge to bind to a microbes' ion charged surface. Thus, Fosshield® ions attract any microbe that may be present on the fiber and disable their critical functions (metabolism, respiration, and reproduction).

With this silver and copper ion fiber system, the Nexera Medical, Inc. SpectraShield™ mask has also gained European CE clearance as an FFP2 and FFP3 antiviral respirator offering 14 days of reusability opposed to the three to four hours offered by other masks currently available on the market.

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Focus of China-Japan Hygiene Entrepreneurs Joint Meeting

Representing member companies at the China-Japan Hygiene Entrepreneurs Joint Meeting, Pierre Wiertz, General Manager of EDANA, stated that, “As emphasized yesterday at the APEC summit by Chinese President Hu Jintao, the solution to the current global economic challenge lies in determined action from both emerging and developed countries, recommending more rigorous economic policy and continued innovation in developed markets on one hand, and more emphasis on growth of domestic consumption in emerging markets-who have high savings-on the other hand.”

EDANA believes that increased cooperation and trade are required to improve the global economic situation, not protectionism, and it is in this spirit that the Board of EDANA has decided to further raise the international profile of EDANA and to take initiatives to support the growth of nonwovens and related industries globally.

In 2011, EDANA has been present in international industry meetings such as the China-Japan Hygiene Entrepreneurs Joint Meeting in all 4 BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and are also expanding our offer of international conferences including Filtrex Asia (in the area of filtration) next month, and others for the next two years in Turkey, Russia and India again.

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ITMF Releases Q3 Report on Global Yarn and Fabric Production

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has released its third quarter trade report on global yarn and fabric production. According to the association, the strong global recovery in yarn and fabric production continued into the third quarter of 2010, after hitting their low point in the first quarter of 2009. Both global yarn and fabric production rose compared to the second quarter of 2010 as well as to last year’s third quarter. Output increases of yarns could be observed in Asia and North America while Europe and South America recorded reductions. Fabric production grew in Asia and South America but shrank in Europe and North America.

Global yarn stocks rose in the third quarter of 2010 as compared to the previous quarter, even though Asia’s yarn inventories fell slightly. Compared to the third quarter of 2009, yarn stocks worldwide increased as a result of much higher stocks in South America and despite lower stocks in Asia and Europe. Global fabric inventories came down in the third quarter as compared to the previous one mainly due to lower stocks in Asia and Europe and despite higher stocks in North and South America.

Yarn orders fell both in Europe and Brazil compared to the second quarter of 2010. When comparing to the third quarter of 2009 Europe’s yarn orders were higher while those in Brazil dropped significantly. Fabric orders in Brazil grew compared to the previous quarter, while Europe’s were slightly lower. In comparison to previous year’s third quarter Brazil and Europe recorded higher yarn orders.

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