The plastics business of US conglomerate General Electric (Fairfield, Connecticut / USA; www.ge.com) will see some changes following the merger of the business groups GE Plastics (GEP, Europe: NL-4600 AC Bergen op Zoom; www.geplastics.com) with “Silicones” (www.gesilicones.com) and “Quartz Materials” (www.gequartz.com) to form GE Advanced Materials (GEAM) – see PIE 26, 2003. At a press conference to introduce the new entity – perhaps significantly in Düsseldorf – Golnar Motahari Pour, president of GEP Europe, said GE will concentrate its resources in future on enhancing direct customer contact, whereby the emphasis will be on training, seminars and applied research. Hence, GEP will not exhibit at the upcoming “K 2004” plastics exhibition in the German city.

According to Motahari Pour, the advanced materials company plans to launch a large-scale product offensive. Germany and China are seen as particularly important markets. In 2003, GEP held sales steady at USD 5.2 bn – with Europe accounting for 1.3 bn – but was unable to improve results, as hoped. Over the next few years, the US group will invest several hundred million euros in its European production facilities. Projects include a long-awaited second production line for the “Lexan” polycarbonate at Cartagena, Spain. A new USD 135m plant for the polyetherimide “Ultem” is to go on stream at Cartagena in 2007 (see PIE 26, 2003). In Munich, GE´s “Europe Technology Center” will be inaugurated this June, and by 2005 some 150 research staff should be working there, predominantly for GEAM.

The 50:50 joint venture between GE and European rival Bayer (D-51368 Leverkusen; www.bayer.com) to develop polycarbonate automotive window glazing, Exatec (Europe: D-51429 Bergisch Gladbach; www.exatec.de), will not be affected by the groups´ intensified battle for market share in PC, Motahari Pour commented. GEP is world´s largest producer, Bayer European leader. However, she said GEAM wants to intensify its own applied automotive glazing research at Munich.