DYNAMIT NOBEL
Plastics business still sluggish in 1994-95 / High hopes for Smart Swatch car project
The plastics division of diversified chemical group Dynamit Nobel AG (HQ: D-53839 Troisdorf), now the chemicals arm of Metallgesellschaft AG, again failed to keep pace with other segments of its business during financial year 1994-95, which ended on 30 September. Group turnover rose 43% to DM 3.53bn and sales of the plastics business increased 37% to DM 847m. However, while overall earnings improved by 86% to DM 141m, profits on plastics remained flat.
The plastics segment's dependence on the automobile industry's model cycles continues to provide headaches, Chairman Dr. Axel Homburg told the press. But he said the group has been encouraged by its progress on the Iberian peninsula and, closer to home, the merger of subsidiary Menzolit GmbH with Fibron GmbH into Menzolit-Fibron GmbH (D-75005 Bretten). Spanish subsidiary Dynamit Nobel Iberica SA (E-08740 Barcelona) increased its sales 40% in the financial year just ended. In Portugal, cooperation partner Plastifils Plasticos de Figuera Lda (Quinta da Penha, Apartado 51, P-3081 Figueira da Foz Codex) brought onstream in June a new plant which will produce moulded parts for the new VW Galaxy and Ford Sharan vans.
In recent months, DN has won contracts which will bring it closer to its strategic goal of becoming market leader for painted automobile body parts made of plastic. The contract to supply moulded body parts for the new Smart Swatch Car, a joint venture between Mercedes Benz and Swatch maker SMH, is in Dr. Homburg's words "a particularly important" milestone (see Plasteurope.com No 20, 1995). The Troisdorf group hopes to finalise the deal with manufacturer MCC Micro Compact Car AG (MCAG, PO Box 121, CH-4800 Zufingen) by the end of 1995. It will spend DM 50m on a production plant to be built next to the Smart Car assembly plant at Hambach, France. DN also has become system supplier for Audi in Heilbronn, Germany.
Effective 1 October, Dynamit Nobel AG was transformed into a holding for five separate limited companies, each responsible for its own sales and earnings. Plastics operations are now part of Dynamit Nobel Kunststoff GmbH (D-91781 Weißenburg). Starting with the 1995-96 balance sheet, earnings figures will be published by each of the companies.
The plastics segment's dependence on the automobile industry's model cycles continues to provide headaches, Chairman Dr. Axel Homburg told the press. But he said the group has been encouraged by its progress on the Iberian peninsula and, closer to home, the merger of subsidiary Menzolit GmbH with Fibron GmbH into Menzolit-Fibron GmbH (D-75005 Bretten). Spanish subsidiary Dynamit Nobel Iberica SA (E-08740 Barcelona) increased its sales 40% in the financial year just ended. In Portugal, cooperation partner Plastifils Plasticos de Figuera Lda (Quinta da Penha, Apartado 51, P-3081 Figueira da Foz Codex) brought onstream in June a new plant which will produce moulded parts for the new VW Galaxy and Ford Sharan vans.
In recent months, DN has won contracts which will bring it closer to its strategic goal of becoming market leader for painted automobile body parts made of plastic. The contract to supply moulded body parts for the new Smart Swatch Car, a joint venture between Mercedes Benz and Swatch maker SMH, is in Dr. Homburg's words "a particularly important" milestone (see Plasteurope.com No 20, 1995). The Troisdorf group hopes to finalise the deal with manufacturer MCC Micro Compact Car AG (MCAG, PO Box 121, CH-4800 Zufingen) by the end of 1995. It will spend DM 50m on a production plant to be built next to the Smart Car assembly plant at Hambach, France. DN also has become system supplier for Audi in Heilbronn, Germany.
Effective 1 October, Dynamit Nobel AG was transformed into a holding for five separate limited companies, each responsible for its own sales and earnings. Plastics operations are now part of Dynamit Nobel Kunststoff GmbH (D-91781 Weißenburg). Starting with the 1995-96 balance sheet, earnings figures will be published by each of the companies.
15.12.1995 Plasteurope.com [20382]
Published on 15.12.1995