LNP Engineering Plastics Europe BV (PO Box 13, NL-4940 AA Raamsdonksveer), a subsidiary of Kawasaki Steel Corporation, has taken over Eurostar Services SA (Rue de la Ferme St. Ladre, F-95470 Fosses) from Ferro Corporation. Eurostar Services SA is one of the leading compounders of engineering thermoplastics, and offers a wide selection of reinforced polyamides and polypropylenes which are particularly suitable for the automobile industry as well as the electro- and household appliance industries. LNP Europe produces engineering thermoplastics at two sites in Europe (Raamsdonksveer and Thornaby, GB). Eurostar Services will be its third European factory resulting in substantial growth for LNP.

LNP produces long and short glass-fibre reinforced compounds, carbon-fibre reinforced materials and self-lubricating and electrically-conducting plastics from most types of thermoplastic polymer. As already reported (see KI 1146), LNP took over the "Verton" long glass-fibre reinforced thermoplastic business from DuPont in 1994.

Talc-filled polypropylene, produced by Eurostar under the trade name of "Ferrolene", is not part of the agreement between LNP and Eurostar/Ferro. The manufacture of this product will remain part of the European Ferro business.

READER SERVICE: Catalogue "Engineering Plastics" of LNP: PIE-No. 38770 – technical brochures: internally lubricated thermoplastics "Lubricomp": PIE-No. 38771 – blends PA 6.6 "Lubriloy": PIE-No. 38772 – thermoplastic compounds for electrostatic dissipation "Stat-Kon": PIE-No. 38773 – structural compounds "Verton": PIE-No. 38774.