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May issue.

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PolyOne expands in South America, adds new specialty TPE capabilities

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Sao Paulo, Brazil – PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers announced at Feiplastic 2013 the installation of new state-of-the-art TPE production capabilities in South America. Located at PolyOne’s facility in Diadema, Sao Paulo, Brazil, these new capabilities, operational in June, will significantly reduce the amount of lead time required to serve South American customers and Brazil’s rapidly growing economy. Further, they will enhance the company’s ability to support global OEMs by enabling local product trialing, development and production. “As one of the first global TPE suppliers to offer specialty TPE solutions and technical support locally within Brazil, PolyOne is dedicated to helping its customers in the region penetrate new markets, become more competitive, improve their speed to commercialization and successfully grow their businesses,” said Walter Ripple, general manager, PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers. “Our new local capabilities enable us to increase responsiveness, flexibility and TPE customization options. Customers can expect the same high standards for quality, consistency and performance for which our materials are known globally.” Target growth markets include transportation, healthcare, consumer goods and packaging. The new manufacturing capability represents the company’s continuing commitment to Brazil and the greater South American market, which began with the 2011 acquisition of Uniplen Indústria de Polímeros Ltda. (Uniplen), a leading Brazilian producer of specialty engineered materials and distributor of thermoplastics. PolyOne GLS has been serving customers in South America for more than a decade. This expanded geographic footprint is consistent with its dedication to providing specialty TPE solutions to customers anywhere in the world. - * Email

Trelleborg launches survey to find the inhibitors to innovation

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Trelleborg, Sweden - Innovation is often credited with evolving industries, product differentiation, attracting key talent and, critically, improving the bottom line. However, what happens when internal innovation stagnates? Trelleborg’s online survey will explore the issues facing business with regards to innovation and attitudes to outsourcing. The outsourcing of product R&D has long been a topic of discussion – many understand the benefits such as speed to market, budget control and specialist expertise, but leading producer of specialty polymer coated and calendered materials, Trelleborg, recognizes that some remain hesitant. Johan Frithiof, commercial director within the Engineered Fabrics business of Trelleborg, said: “We understand that there is a mix of views across the industry. To many, outsourcing is the ideal way to manage their product innovation, but some feel inhibited by it. We are keen to understand what inhibits innovation, by sourcing genuine, honest insights directly from the engineers and buyers within the marketplace. So we decided to compile a report which will reflect the true views and opinions of engineers and OEMs across a number of industries.” Contributions towards to the report can be made through the survey which can be completed here: http://www.smart-survey.co.uk/v.asp?i=78315xqdbg. - * Email

Bridgestone wins design patent rights lawsuit in China

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Tokyo, Japan - Bridgestone Corporation announced that it has won a lawsuit against Qingdao Genco Industrial Group Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, Shandong Province, regarding infringement of design patent rights. Qingdao Genco Industrial Group Co., Ltd.'s catalog included a tire featuring a Bridgestone patented truck and bus tire tread pattern. Bridgestone Corporation filed a lawsuit in the Qingdao City Intermediate People's Court alleging that Bridgestone's design patent rights had been violated. Subsequently, the court released a decision that affirmed Bridgestone's claims of patent infringement by Qingdao Genco Industrial Group Co., Ltd. The decision was not appealed by Qingdao Genco Industrial Group Co., Ltd., and as a result the ruling stands. The Bridgestone Group will continue working to maintain and enhance the value of its brands by taking the necessary actions to protect its trade secrets and intellectual property. This includes reporting patent infringements to the appropriate authorities and seeking proper redress through the court system. - * Email

Ashland Inc. enters into $150 million accelerated share repurchase agreement

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Covington, KY - Ashland Inc. announced that it has entered into a $150 million accelerated share repurchase agreement (ASR) with Citibank, N.A. Under the ASR, Ashland has agreed to repurchase an aggregate of $150 million of its common stock from Citi, with immediate delivery of approximately 1.3 million shares based on current market prices. The ASR is part of the company's recently announced $600 million common stock repurchase program and reflects Ashland's continued commitment to return capital to its shareholders. The total number of shares to be ultimately repurchased by the company under the ASR will be based on Ashland's volume-weighted average stock price during the term of the ASR, less an agreed discount. The term of the ASR is expected to be between one to three months, and the actual number of shares purchased will be determined at the completion of the ASR. The ASR is being funded with cash on hand. - * Email

T&W Tire joins Michelin commercial service network and Michelin retread technologies

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Greenville, SC – Michelin Americas Truck Tires, a division of Michelin North America, Inc., announced that T&W Tire will become a strategic dealer of Michelin and BFGoodrich products and services. Joining Michelin as both a Michelin Commercial Service Network and a Michelin Retread Technologies franchisee will allow T&W to offer many different Michelin product lines including commercial truck, earthmover, industrial, passenger/light truck and commercial retreads to assist customers with their diverse equipment needs. T&W’s product offering will also include BFGoodrich commercial truck and passenger/light truck tires along with Uniroyal, and Riken passenger/light truck tires. Additionally, as part of the MCSN, T&W will offer a complete range of services, including Michelin OnCall 24/7/365 emergency road service. “We are pleased that T&W has joined the Michelin family of franchisees,” said Vic Koelsch, chief operating officer for Michelin Americas Truck Tires Division. “The addition of 14 T&W Tire locations in Oklahoma and Texas will significantly improve our overall service coverage and capability that will result in reduced costs and improved uptime for our fleet customers.” The addition of T&W brings the MCSN to approximately 550 locations across the U.S. Through this network, Michelin provides fleet customers with a comprehensive service package, including online reporting, reliable, high-quality service nationwide for trucking fleets at home or on the road, access to skilled technicians and professional equipment, all of which are backed by rigorous certification and audit standards. - * Email

Spain's Elix signs ABS, SAN distribution deal with Germany's Velox

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

London, U.K. - Platt's reports, "Spanish acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene producer Elix Polymers has signed a distribution agreement with Germany's Velox in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France, the company said. The agreement, which took effect from March 1, 2013, covers Elix Polymer's ABS and styrene acrylonitrile product and does not affect any of the existing partnerships of Elix in the polymer modifiers market, the company said in a statement. Earlier in April, Elix signed a similar distribution agreement with Alpha Metieres Plastiques for its ABS products in France and Maghreb. Elix owns a 180,000 metric tons/year ABS plant in Tarragona, Spain." - * Email

Braskem announces polyethylene caps

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Philadelphia, PA - Braskem, the leading thermoplastic resins producer in the Americas and the world's largest biopolymers producer, announces the launch of polyethylene (PE) caps for carbonated beverages. The product should reach the market in the second half of the year. The launch complements Braskem's product portfolio for the beverage segment, which already includes polypropylene and polyethylene for injection and compression molding processes for caps with or without liners. The new PE for carbonated beverage caps was developed at the Technology and Innovation Center in Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul by the product and application engineering teams and makes possible the production of caps with excellent sealing performance and that preserve the characteristics of the beverage, while also being sustainable, since it allows for reductions in packaging weight and is recyclable. The PE grade further enhances sustainability performance by offering the possibility of manufacturing caps using green polyethylene made from a renewable feedstock: sugarcane ethanol. With the launch, Braskem reinforces its capacity to innovate and accompany market trends by offering solutions that meet the needs of clients and consumers. "Braskem is constantly seeking new ways to take technology and innovation to its clients, which helps them offer higher-performance products to the market," said Paulo Sanches, head of the PE Injection Segment at Braskem. - * Email

Dow lab safety academy promotes safety mindset in future chemical workforce

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Midland, MI - At the Council for Chemical Research 2013 Annual Meeting in Arlington, VA, among leaders from industry, academia and the National Labs, The Dow Chemical Company unveiled the beta version of the Dow Lab Safety Academy, a digital learning environment that shares Dow’s best-in-class industrial safety culture and practices in a quick and accessible format. Explore the Dow Lab Safety Academy at http://safety.dow.com. The Dow Lab Safety Academy includes dozens of videos featuring lab safety guidelines for a variety of real-life scenarios, grouped under four comprehensive lab safety categories. The website also provides a collection of useful resources such as a chemical reactivity worksheet and an incident alert template, which help promote best practices for safety. In an effort to continually improve the content and usability of the website, Dow will be seeking feedback from partner universities and other users. "At Dow, our focus on safety is inherent in everything we do and every decision we make,” said Dr. William F. Banholzer, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Dow. “We routinely share safety best practices with our competitors since we all understand improving safety is in everyone’s best interest. The same is true for university research. Our hope is that by broadly sharing what Dow does internally we can help improve university safety as well as our customers, national labs or anyone conducting materials research.” Dow's best practices focus on incident prevention and on spurring a high level of engagement in safety awareness. In 2012, thanks to a combination of smart work processes and procedures, and a focus on safe behaviors, 266 out of Dow’s 350 sites went completely injury-free. “With its excellent safety record and well-known best safety practices, Dow is a reliable source for laboratory safety information,” said William Tolman, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. “The Dow Lab Safety Academy presents material that is highly relevant to academic researchers, with modules that focus on the types of safety issues we all encounter. It is an excellent resource for students and those working in the chemical industry.” As part of its laboratory safety initiative launched in early 2012, Dow has partnered with premier research universities to improve safety awareness and practices in the departments of chemistry, chemical engineering, engineering and materials. Through pilot programs with U.C. Santa Barbara (UCSB), University of Minnesota and Pennsylvania State University, Dow is working closely with graduate students and faculty to identify areas of improvement and help nurture a sustainable culture of laboratory safety. - * Email