Germany, France and Spain are the markets in which PA6 producer and compounder Aquafil Technopolymers (I-38062 Arco; www.aquafil.com) intends to considerably expand its market share over the short and medium term. At the end of 2003, the group´s Italian production with its current annual capacity of some 25,000 t was concentrated on the group´s Head Quarter on Lake Garda, a rationalisation prompted by the fire that completely gutted the Milan site in May 2003. An additional 10,000 t annual capacity is now to be added over next five years, explained CEO Alessio Carminati at an international press event held in Arco.

Aquafil Technopolymers is the materials arm of the Aquafil integrated man-made fibre company, which forms part of the Gruppo Bonazzi textile conglomerate (I-37036 San Martino; www.gruppobonazzi.com). It operates two production facilities for caprolactam in Slovakia, with current annual capacity running at some 40,000 t. In total 85,000 t of PA6 is polymerised each year in Arco and at three Slovenian sites. In 2003, 22,500 t of this was channelled into the production of material compounds and masterbatches. The lion´s share goes into carpet fibres while a further significant percentage is used for textile fibres. Production at the different Aquafil units is highly interlinked, ensuring the reciprocal use of products throughout the company and a high level of efficiency. Aquafil recorded sales of EUR 294m last year and thus accounted for a major share of Gruppo Bonazzi´s sales of EUR 442m.

Sales in the materials division totalled some EUR 60m. In addition to the 22,500 t PA6 produced in-house, some 16,500 t of additional raw materials (primarily PA66) are bought in and used for the production of compounds and blends, which resulted in an overall output of 39,000 t last year. Since it is the company´s declared aim to expand its materials business, the group has recruited a large number of young specialist management personnel from the industry over the past few years, including from GE Plastics Italia, Resinex and Snia. It is now better equipped to pursue its own developments and intends to offer PA6 with a stability value of 1.35 Cpk for automotive applications. Work is also currently underway into PA/PPO blends.

In its target markets, Aquafil is running its marketing via minority-holding joint ventures, allowing it to ensure the strength of its local partners while still guaranteeing a sufficient focus on its own needs. In Germany, Aquafil Polymers GmbH (D-21244 Buchholz i.d.N.) was set up with Polymer Service GmbH (D-21244 Buchholz i.d.N.; www.polymer-service.de) in 2001 (see PIE 18, 2002). As Eugenio Pederzolli, head of export marketing, told PIE, the company sold around 700 t of compounds in Germany last year. Sales are intended to be doubled in 2004.

• Plasteurope.com Service: Image brochures for Gruppo Bonazzi and Aquafil, PIE-No. 46351. Detailed presentation charts on the press meeting in Arco on Gruppo Bonazzi, Aquafil and Aquafil Technopolymers: PIE-No. 46352.