GE PLASTICS
Success in e-business / “GE Plastics at K 2001” / Three new product families / Interest in PA
Almost 50% of the orders placed with engineering plastic producer GE Polymerland ( www.gepolymerland.com) and GE Plastics (GEP, Europe: NL-4600 AC Bergen op Zoom; www.geplastics.com) now arrive via the internet. This was the figure reported by Art Harper, CEO of GE Plastics Europe, at the press conference held in Rüsselsheim, Germany, at the end of June in the run-up to “K 2001”. The GE Plastics e-business activities form an integral part of its presentation at “K”. While the trade fair is running, there will be a dedicated website (www.ge-k2001.com) offering live pictures from the GE stand, among other things. GE Structured Products ( www.gestructuredproducts.com), which takes in business with sheet and semi-finished products in PC, has announced the launch of its own e-business website over the next few weeks.
A further focal point of the trade fair presentation are three new product families in the field of polymer blends. “Noryl Ppx” is a PPE/PA blend designed to bridge “the gap between the basic properties of high-performance polyolefins and those of the higher-performance engineering thermoplastics”. It marks a good alternative to steel, for example, being noted for its high stiffness, impact strength and heat resistance. The automotive industry is the main focus of application. The first commercial applications for the “Sollx” polymer will be on display at “K” in the form of films for in-mould decoration; “Sollx” was first presented in April 2000 as “W4” for exterior applications in automotive engineering (see Plasteurope.com 9, 2000). The new “Xylex” material family is a blend of PET and PC designed to permit transparent and light-transmitting special effects without having to dispense with formability or chemical resistance. GEP sees applications in mobile phones as well as in consumer entertainment products.
Despite the non-materialisation of the Honeywell purchase by parent company GE (see Plasteurope.com 21, 2000), which was put to a stop through the objection of the EU Commission, Harper made it clear in Rüsselsheim that they were still very much interested in expanding in the field of PA for technical applications. This is still “uncharted territory” in GEP´s product portfolio. The company has so far been cooperating with Rhodia for different blends and for marketing. Honeywell took over one of the biggest players in this market when it acquired Allied Signal in 1999.
In the first half of 2001 the turnover of GE Plastics fell 6% to USD 3.66 bn, compared to the relevant 2000 period. Operating results fell 8% to USD 882m. According to CEO Jack Welch these figures are to be seen as the result of a worldwide economic downturn. In an interview on the US TV channel CNBC he said “the idea that the US slows down and nobody else catches a cold has been nonsense every time anyone says it.”
• e-Service:
Press information on the new blends as PDF document (584 KB)
A further focal point of the trade fair presentation are three new product families in the field of polymer blends. “Noryl Ppx” is a PPE/PA blend designed to bridge “the gap between the basic properties of high-performance polyolefins and those of the higher-performance engineering thermoplastics”. It marks a good alternative to steel, for example, being noted for its high stiffness, impact strength and heat resistance. The automotive industry is the main focus of application. The first commercial applications for the “Sollx” polymer will be on display at “K” in the form of films for in-mould decoration; “Sollx” was first presented in April 2000 as “W4” for exterior applications in automotive engineering (see Plasteurope.com 9, 2000). The new “Xylex” material family is a blend of PET and PC designed to permit transparent and light-transmitting special effects without having to dispense with formability or chemical resistance. GEP sees applications in mobile phones as well as in consumer entertainment products.
Despite the non-materialisation of the Honeywell purchase by parent company GE (see Plasteurope.com 21, 2000), which was put to a stop through the objection of the EU Commission, Harper made it clear in Rüsselsheim that they were still very much interested in expanding in the field of PA for technical applications. This is still “uncharted territory” in GEP´s product portfolio. The company has so far been cooperating with Rhodia for different blends and for marketing. Honeywell took over one of the biggest players in this market when it acquired Allied Signal in 1999.
In the first half of 2001 the turnover of GE Plastics fell 6% to USD 3.66 bn, compared to the relevant 2000 period. Operating results fell 8% to USD 882m. According to CEO Jack Welch these figures are to be seen as the result of a worldwide economic downturn. In an interview on the US TV channel CNBC he said “the idea that the US slows down and nobody else catches a cold has been nonsense every time anyone says it.”
• e-Service:
Press information on the new blends as PDF document (584 KB)
19.07.2001 Plasteurope.com [16588]
Published on 19.07.2001