Plastics News Europe - June 2019 - 25

ELASTOMERS

kneading process is superior to any
other compounding process for our
kind of materials," he noted. "More
details, however, are our "intellectual life-blood" and key to our offering. Anyway, we are still applying a
well-know, scalable production process to keep track with the growth
expectations we expect."

Growth ahead
As a manufacturer of TPE compounds
- actually, a kind of TPV, Kölbl clarified - the Rucothel team currently has
the wind in their sails. The market for
TPE is growing rapidly, buoyed by the
advantages it offers over other elastomeric materials. "Estimates have
put the value of the global TPE market at over $16bn, with a CAGR of
5-7% through 2020," said Kölbl.
"But specifically in the areas where
we focus on - customised polymer
blends of TPU and also polyolefin
thermoplastics with cryo-micronised
post-consumer rubber powder - we
expect even higher growth dynamics
due to the wide and fast customisation possibilities."
Rucothel provides a wide range of
high-performance elastomeric alloys
to extend or sometimes substitute
virgin TPO/TPV for industrial applications. Its prime feature is the ability to
create alloys that are "close to
high-performance TPU", enabling
applications to be accessed that
could previously only be addressed by
rubber. The price of the material is on
par with or under that of comparable
materials.
He added that a major growth
driver was the recyclability of TPE.
"And our starting point is a powerful recyclate. We are a real circular
economy player - and the importance of circular approaches is increasing dramatically."

Robust ramp up
As a result, Rucothel has now entered a very dynamic ramp-up phase,
as Thomas Kölbl described it. "The
window of opportunity for our material is currently wide open. Last year,
we made substantial preparations for
our market development, which also
required fundamental changes in our
company's value proposition and
structure."
One of the more visible changes is
the partnership with Dieter J. Angerer, who is based in Vienna.
"Dieter brought international corporate development experience, capital and - what I consider most relevant - the same passion for rucothel's
performance and potential to the
company. Together with a loyal and
experienced core team for technology and business development, we are
now executing an ambitious ramp-up

JUNE 2019

plan," Kölbl said. "We currently project a headcount increase to approximately 20 people minimum by the
end of 2020."
This year will also see the completion of the company's new Development and Customer Experience
Center, located
in Krefeld, Germany. The new
centre will function as a hub for
innovative material development in
close collaboration with customers. The
choice of location was relatively
straightforward: Krefeld is well
known for its materials processing industries and is, moreover, situated in
the heart of the "plastics state" of
North-Rhine Westphalia.
"Here, we are surrounded by industry peers and universities. This is
paramount for our innovation network-focused development approach," he stressed.
And while he is convinced that in
terms of value chain and offering, rucothel is a 'natural born global', for
now the focus of the company continues to be Europe - 'where we have
a decent supply chain, broad target
customer network and a positive attitude towards recycling'.

Positive market response
The response of the market to the
new compounds has been very encouraging, particularly in proven applications in the company's core
business of high-abrasion-exposed
products, such as conveyor belts,
wear plates, shock absorbers and
the like. The company is currently exploring the potential for use of its
compounds in other segments, as
well. Extensive testing is ongoing in
areas including power tools, house-

Sample products made from rucothel compound

hold appliances and HVAC applications, to name but a few.
"We are giving ourselves the time
and space to experiment with the
many interested industry players to
figure out which fit with the properties
of rucothel," said Kölbl. The company's market approach is also aligned
with the level of acceptance of the use
of recyclate of the relevant sector.
A promising sector is that of the
automotive - 'the sector with highest
growth', said Kölbl. The company sees
potential for its compounds for under-the-bonnet components, as well
as in metal replacement applications.
"The trend to substitute steel parts
due to increasing lightweight requirements, will also open up opportunities
to us." What about the health and
environmental concerns that have
been voiced about the use of recycled
tire rubber, for example in playgrounds
and sports fields - are these an issue in
the market? According to Kölbl, his
process uses valuable recyclable material, rather than pouring it on the
ground. In the second place, the recycled rubber is "encapsulated" in the
thermoplastic, which reduces environmental exposure of the rubber. That
said, the company closely follows the
developments in the research on all
health aspects and actively contributes
to further improvements.

In the future

Interlayer made from rucothel
compound

The company's main priority for the
next 2-3 years is to establish the new
R&D centre and further develop the
materials, while working with its customers to broaden and optimize its
offering. This includes the deployment of sufficient compounding capacity. The company is also evaluating the material's potential for use in
additive manufacturing. "And we are
considering material simulation technology as a strong add-on to our laboratory capabilities, when it comes to
anticipating customised material behaviour for specific customer applications," Kölbl concluded.

Plastics News Europe - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics News Europe - June 2019