“Every region now has compounding assets to support the business,” Nylon VP Isaac Khalil said Oct. 12 at Fakuma 2021.”We have a global footprint, but it’s all locally sourced and locally sourced.”
Houston-based Ascend, the world’s largest integrated nylon 6/6 maker, has made four acquisitions in less than two years, most recently buying French composites maker Eurostar for an undisclosed sum in January. Engineering Plastics.
Eurostar in Fosses has a broad portfolio of flame retardant engineering plastics and expertise in halogen-free formulations.The company employs 60 people and operates 12 extrusion lines, producing composites based on nylon 6 and 6/6 and polybutylene terephthalate, primarily for electrical/electronic applications.
In early 2020, Ascend acquired Italian materials companies Poliblend and Esseti Plast GD.Esseti Plast is a producer of masterbatch concentrates, while Poliblend produces compounds and concentrates based on virgin and recycled grades of nylon 6 and 6/6.In mid-2020, Ascend entered Asian manufacturing by acquiring a compounding plant in China from two Chinese companies.The Shanghai-area facility has two twin-screw extrusion lines and covers an area of approximately 200,000 square feet.
Going forward, Khalil said Ascend “will make appropriate acquisitions to support customer growth.” He added that the company will make acquisition decisions based on geography and product mix.
In terms of new products, Khalil said Ascend is expanding its lineup of Starflam brand flame-retardant materials and HiDura brand long-chain nylons for use in electric vehicles, filament and other applications.Electric vehicle applications for Ascend materials include connectors, batteries and charging stations.
Sustainability is also a focus for Ascend.Khalil said the company has expanded its post-industrial and post-consumer recycled materials with an eye toward improving consistency and quality, which can sometimes pose challenges for such materials.
Ascend has also set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2030.Khalil said the company has invested “millions of dollars” to make it happen and should show “significant progress” in 2022 and 2023.In this regard, Ascend is phasing out the use of coal at its Decatur, Alabama, plant.
In addition, Khalil said Ascend has “strengthened its assets” against extreme weather through projects such as adding backup power to its Pensacola, Florida, plant.
In June, Ascend expanded production capacity for specialty nylon resins at its Greenwood, South Carolina facility.The multi-million dollar expansion will help the company meet growing demand for its new HiDura line.
Ascend has 2,600 employees and nine locations around the world, including five fully integrated manufacturing facilities in the southeastern United States and a compounding facility in the Netherlands.
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Post time: Jun-25-2022