German distributor and compounder Albis Plastic (Hamburg; www.albis.com) has formed a joint venture with William Barnet (Spartanburg, South Carolina / USA; www.barnet.com), a specialist in the production, recycling, and trading of fibres, yarn and polymers, with Albis Plastic as the majority shareholder. The JV will be headquartered in Duncan, South Carolina.

Albis Barnet Polymers will recycle, repelletise and market post-industrial raw materials, as well as use them in the compounding of “Altech Eco” recyclate compounds. Both companies will make significant investment in recycling technology and producing high quality sustainable materials.

Through the agreement, Albis will construct a production facility for engineering compounds at the jv site, with an initial capacity of 15,000 t/y and completion scheduled for the second quarter of 2017. South Carolina is a hub of the US automobile industry, making the site an ideal point of access to a key market, the companies said.

Albis Plastic will acquire Barnet Europe’s existing polymer business, including production sites in Obernburg / Germany and Humenné / Slovakia. Through these investments, Albis will increase its global production capacity in compounding and repelletisation by 60,000 t/y.