TPE compounder Hexpol TPE (Malmö / Sweden; www.hexpoltpe.com) is pouring more investments into Germany including expanding plant capacity at its site in Lichtenfels / Germany with a new twin-screw production line. Investments are also being made in infrastructure, sub-systems and equipment to support further expansion of the business.

The new line in Lichtenfels is expected to come onstream in early 2018 and will add around 5,000 t/y, putting Hexpol's global TPE capacity in excess of 80,000 t/y. The Lichtenfels plant was operated by Müller Kunststoff until the Swedish parent company renamed it Hexpol TPE under a global rebranding exercise last December (see Plasteurope.com of 14.12.2016). The new line will increase production capacity of TPS-, TPO- and TPU-based thermoplastic elastomer compounds in order to meet growing demand from the automotive, consumer and footwear industries.

Peter Ryzko, managing director in Germany, said alongside the capacity expansion, investments are being made in product safety, research and development resources, which are housed in a technical centre at Lichtenfels. “We work in some highly specialised and sensitive application areas, where the technical support, customised compounds and analytical data we provide is essential. We’re also seeing a growing need for in-depth knowledge of regulatory and industry standards as well as global and national legislation,” he said.