Richard Altice is the new president and CEO of PLA producer NatureWorks (Minnetonka, Minnesota / USA; www.natureworksllc.com). The company's board of directors made the decision several days ago, with Altice succeeding Marc Verbruggen, who retired in 2017.

Altice served as senior vice president and president of the Designed Structures and Solutions segment at PolyOne (Avon Lake, Ohio / USA; www.polyone.com). The former Spartech segment was acquired by Arsenal Capital Partners (New York / USA; www.arsenalcapital.com) last year – see Plasteurope.com of 24.07.2017. Prior to PolyOne, he was vice president of Hexion’s speciality epoxy business that focused on coatings and composites.

NatureWorks is currently expanding business with its "Ingeo" brand of PLA compounds. Among other things, it is developing grades for 3D-printing filaments, the first of which were launched in 2015 – see Plasteurope.com of 19.05.2015. The company is also working on materials for refrigerator drawers and coffee capsules.