Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022 - 24

24 * Plastics News, October 22, 2022
22 * Plastics News, October 16, 2019
SHOW DAILY
Lanxess cautiously optimistic for coming year
SHOW DAILY
Milliken commits to 'science-based'
net zero carbon emissions by 2050
By Shahrzad Pourriahi
Plastics News Europe
As a major supplier to the automotive
industry, German specialty
chemicals company Lanxess AG is
upbeat about the prospects of the
automotive market despite a signifi -
cant decline in demand, particularly
in Europe, so far.
By Sarah Kominek
Plastics News Staff
In a Q&A ahead of K 2019, Axel
Tuchlenski, head of global product
and application development in the
High Performance Materials business
unit of Lanxess, told Plastics
News that the industry was " close to
bottoming out " the downturn, adding
that his company was " cautiously
optimistic for the coming year. "
Despite the subdued automotive
market, Lanxess has continued with
expansion plans, having recently
increased production capacity for
Tepex-branded continuous fi ber-reinforced
thermoplastics (CFRT) by
50 percent in Germany, according to
Tuchlenski.
Spartanburg, S.C.-based industrial
and chemical manufacturer
Milliken & Co. is committing to net
zero carbon emissions by 2050 using
science-based accounting of
emissions.
The Science Based Targets initiative,
a United Nations-backed
collective of international organizations
working to help companies
set emission reduction targets,
approved Milliken's 2050 net
zero goal and its more-near-term
2030 goals. Milliken's plan, in line
with SBTi's requirements, is " consistent
with climate science and
the Paris Agreement, " breaking its
reduction goals into three scopes
of emissions.
Scope 1 includes all of the company's
direct emissions including
on-site fuel consumption such as
gas boilers and fl eet vehicles. Scope
2 includes all direct emissions from
electricity generation purchased
for Milliken's operations.
Milliken has already been working
toward carbon emission reduction
before it explored a net
zero commitment, CEO Halsey
Cook said at K 2022. Since 2018,
the company stopped using coal
as a fuel source when it invested
$25 million in a cogeneration facility,
its largest site globally, that
uses steam for power generation
for industrial processes.
That capital investment " reduced
our Scope 1 and 2 emissions
already, " Cook said. It will
also work to reducing natural gas
consumption in operations.
Scope 3 includes all other direct
emissions from activities
within the company or occurring
from sources it does not control
" including the carbon inherent in
Axel
the materials that we are purchasing
from our suppliers, " he said.
Working with SBTi helped Milliken
accurately account for all
its emissions, Cook told Plastics
News in an interview. " We actually
weren't emitting as much carbon as
we thought; that's the good news. "
SBTi also helped Milliken to
" learn what to look for " when setting
its targets to achieve reductions
" that are consistent with
the pathways science tells us will
limit global temperatures' rise to
1.5°C, " Cook added.
Tuchlenski
Lanxess AG
HALL 6/C76
technology and the thermoplastic
composites of the Tepex brand.
At K, we will be exhibiting a highLanxess
is bringing its high-tech
plastics and more to K this year.
On Oct. 18, Tuchlenski will be
joined by Greg Mulholland of Citrine
Informatics, a U.S.-based artifi cial
intelligence company, to present
the two companies' groundbreaking
technologies in the use of AI
for developing customer-specifi c,
high-performance plastics.
Q: What is Lanxess offering at K
this year? What would you say is
the highlight of the Lanxess booth?
Tuchlenski: Among other things,
the High Performance Materials
business unit will present new
products and applications for electromobility.
New materials include
orange-colored, heat-stabilized and
fl ame-retardant compounds for
high-voltage applications and materials
that can be used in applications
that are particularly sensitive
to electrocorrosion.
Other examples are halogen-free,
fl ame-retardant materials for components
such as cell holders or battery
end plates.
When it comes to lightweight construction,
Lanxess is concentrating
on the new hollow-profi le hybrid
strength seat shell and a Tepex front
end carrier with integrated functions,
both of which exhibit excellent
crash resistance.
We will also be presenting new
compounds for the economical
blow molding of, for example, air
ducts for turbocharged internal
combustion engines and liners for
hydrogen and natural gas-powered
vehicles. At our plastics technology
center in Dormagen, Germany, we
put a state-of-the-art blow molding
facility into operation and established
a global team that develops
materials for special applications.
Some of the many highlights at
our stand will certainly include a
tank fl ap made of Pocan, a glass ballfi
lled PBT that can be painted in line
and is characterized by very good
surface quality and high toughness.
Components for high-quality furniture
fi ttings made of a material
from the new Durethan P series will
also be on display. Another highlight
is the heat dissipation connector,
which can dissipate a large
part of the locally generated heat
to the environment thanks to our
new thermally conductive Durethan
BTC965FM30. Also worth mentioning
is the innovative BAGS (Bolster
Active Grill Shutter) system, which
is made of Durethan for the new
Ford Focus. This was developed in
close cooperation with OEM and
Tier 1.
Q: Lanxess has been expanding
" In the near term, we've committed
to reducing absolute
Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas
emissions by 50.4 percent by 2030
and reducing absolute Scope 3
greenhouse gas emissions by 30
percent by 2030, " he said.
Since 2030 is only seven years
away, the company is already working
to meet those reduction goals.
Longer term, Milliken plans to
reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions
by 90 percent by 2050 from
its 2018 base year and to reduce
Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
by 90 percent within the
same time frame. In order to meet
the Scope 3 goal, Milliken will
need to collaborate and establish
transparency with its suppliers
while improving product analysis
and product end-of-life considerations,
Cook said.
" We'll share our progress as we
go, " he said, but most of these
goals are on the company's " to-do
list. " One of the items on Milliken's
to-do list is making emission reduction
requirements for its suppliers.
" We feel like it's possible, but we
still have to go toe to toe, " he said.
" It turns into a price discussion. ...
For now anyway, I think the price
of carbon is going to go up every
time, so I think taking carbon out
Tuchlenski
its CFRT technology
over
the past seven
years. Can you
please tell us
more about the
latest developments
in this
technology?
Any expansion
plans? New
products/applications?
Tuchlenski:
of
products will create pricing opportunities
in the future. "
Out of Milliken's top 100 suppliers,
45 percent " already have
some form of emission reduction
commitments, " Deidre Sandrock,
director of sustainability and innovation,
said. " So this lift isn't
from zero. ... We've already got
nearly half of that top hundred
supplier base ... [that are] committed
to the same values.
" Our Scope 3 emissions are estimated
to be almost three quarters
of [our emissions], which is
in line for chemical industry, " Sandrock
said.
But learning that estimation
through SBTi approval placed emphasis
the company's " upstream
engagement, " she added, and its
tools for carbon accounting of the
items it's purchasing.
The same emissions reduction
requirements will not be expected
of Milliken's customers, Cook said.
" If we've set the price and they
want to buy it, even though they
may not have environmental goals,
we know that because they're buying
our product and there's less
inherent carbon in that ... that's a
good thing for the world. "
Milliken's customers, especially
in the automotive sector, are
independently demanding carbon
emission reductions from the
company to decrease their own
Scope 3 emissions, he said, " and
they don't want to pay a dime
more for it. "
Those companies are also moving
back requirement dates for
those reductions, Cook added.
" 2050's not good enough; [automotive
customers] want 2035 and
you're not going to qualify if you
don't do it. "
Cook said he expects sustainability,
decarbonization and cirWe
have increased our Tepex manufacturing
capacity by approximately
50 percent to meet the strong
demand in the mass production
of highly loadable components for
light automobiles and consumer
electronics. For the expansion from
six to eight production lines, a new
hall with an area of around 1,500
square meters was built. The investments
amounted to a mid single-digit
million amount.
We regard the establishment of
the hybrid molding process with
variothermal molds for the production
of decorative components as a
major milestone in the fi eld of thermoplastic
composites.
Following the introduction of the
hybrid injection molding process
for structural components, primarily
in the automotive industry,
this is the next evolutionary step
in the use of Tepex, since in the
sports and electronics industries,
for example, the focus is not only
on mechanical properties but also
on the outstanding appearance of
fi ber composite components.
One example of Tepex's use for
mass production are laptop housings
of one of the world's three largest
computer manufacturers. In this
application, Tepex has substituted
both thermoset and magnesium
components with carbon fi bers in
six- to seven-digit quantities per
month. In addition, Tepex meets
the high requirements for fl ame retardance
(UL94-V0) as well as high
torsional and bending stiffness.
Tepex is also becoming increasingly
established in the automotive
industry in the mass production of
lightweight structural components
such as front ends and bumper
beams, brake pedals and underbody
panels. A more recent application
example is two electrically adjustable
individual rear seats for a variant
of the Audi A8, whose seat shells
are manufactured using the hybrid
molding process from a polyamide
(nylon) 6-based Tepex dynalite.
We are also continuing to work
intensively on the development of
standardized material parameters,
particularly in the automotive sector.
In this way, we can further advance
the simulation of the entire CFRT
process chain. Here we are now in
a position to accompany the entire
chain with simulation tools from
component design to the process.
Q: Another area of focus for
Lanxess has been compounding
activities. How is the construction
of the compounding plant in
Krefeld and the expansion project
in China coming along?
Tuchlenski: All expansion projects
in the compound area are making
good progress and are fully on
schedule.
We expect to commission the
plant in China in October. As things
stand at present, capacity expansion
in Germany will begin in mid2020
with ramp up.
If we've set the price
and they want to buy
it, even though they may not
have environmental goals,
we know that because
they're buying our product
and there's less inherent
carbon in that .. that's a
good thing for the world. "
cularity " will become the very basis
of competition in the future "
for all of Milliken's end markets.
The company hopes " low carbon "
will become its own grade of
polypropylene so its customers
know that parts from the material
have " inherently less carbon " in
the production of the clarifi ers or
other additives, he said.
" We're enabling [our customers']
sustainability
initiatives, "
Cindy Boiter, executive vice president
and president of Milliken's
chemical business, said. " We're
helping all the way through the
value chain. "
Despite stressful market conditions
over the last few years
due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
Milliken was able to continue its
sustainability goals uninterrupted,
Boiter said. " It's been a crazy
couple of years ... but you've got
to continue. ... It's the right thing
to do for the long term.
" We're ahead of the game in reducing
through 2030, " she added.
" We've got to continue to reduce
4.2-4.3 percent a year. Whatever
the market conditions are, we've
still got the goals.
tors, including local factors, which
cannot be predicted in the current
situation. In Europe, electric mobility
will continue to gain momentum
and demand will pick up again,
while the further development of
the diesel engine in Germany, for
example, can hardly be estimated.
Lanxess is cautiously optimistic for
the coming year.
Q: What measures are Lanxess
taking to mitigate the market
pressure?
Tuchlenski: Lanxess' global positioning
enables it to balance out
regional imbalances to a certain
extent.
This is being done in the current
situation. In addition, we have been
able to reduce excess orders from
2018 and are now back on the road
with normal delivery times for all
our compound products.
With regards to Tepex, due to the
very positive introduction of CFRT
worldwide in mass production
products, this business area is currently
booming.
Q: Finally, does Lanxess have
any expansion or greenfi eld projects
in the pipeline? If yes, can you
please elaborate?
Tuchlenski: At present, we have
Q: Lanxess was substantially impacted
by the recent automotive
decline in the fi rst half of 2019.
How do you assess the market for
Lanxess for the rest of the year?
How do you see the market developing
in the short term?
Tuchlenski: The signifi cant
decline in demand from the automotive
industry, particularly in
Europe, naturally also left its mark
on Lanxess.
However, we believe that we are
close to bottoming out here. External
factors such as the trade war between
China and the United States,
however, are diffi cult to assess in
terms of their further impact.
If no further trade barriers are
introduced, we expect demand to
settle at the current level for the
rest of the year. Further market development
will depend on many facPavilion
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Halsey Cook
Milliken & Co.
" It helps that we're privately
held, " Boiter said. " Our ownership
has much longer-term patience.
Sustainability has been on
the forefront ... so they're looking
way far beyond what some other
companies would be thinking.
Long-term patience pays off. "
" All of our capital now is examined
with the lens of sustainability
and what it will bring to these targets
that we've set ,which are very
ambitious and are going to take a
lot of investments, " Cook added.
" Nearly half the decarbonization
that's going to be required
is going to come from circularity
technologies, " Sandrock said.
The " whole purpose " of Milliken's
acquisition of German compounder
and concentrates maker
Zebra-chem GmbH in 2021 was to
advance its mechanical recycling
capacity, said Wim Van de Velde,
Milliken's global vice president of
plastic additives.
" We have technologies which
work together in collaboration
with the Zebra-chem site that allow
mechanical recyclers to put
their products in more applications, "
Sandrock said.
no further expansion plans in the
compound area of engineering plastics
apart from the capacity expansions
in China and Germany already
mentioned above. In the CRFT area,
we have just completed the expansion
of capacity as described above.
Audi A8 seat shells are
manufactured using the hybrid
molding process from a nylon
6-based Tepex dynalite. Compared
with a comparable metal version,
the seat shells are around 45
percent lighter. Audi AG photo
Taiwan Pavilion Page
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Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022

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