Sirmax starts first TPE compounding plant in Poland

Kutno, Poland - Italian compounder Sirmax has strengthened its position in northern and eastern Europe with the opening of a new production plant in Kutno.
 
Marking Sirmax’s 12th manufacturing unit globally and second production facility in Poland, the €30m plant is dedicated, for the most part, to the company’s new thermoplastic elastomer (TPEs) family of products, Sirmax said in a statement 2 Dec.
 
Marketed under the Xelter brand name, the new soft and flexible compound is suitable for automotive applications, including gaskets, interior components and accessories, as well as seals and gaskets in household appliances.
 
Presented as a “viable, sustainable alternative to vulcanised rubber”, the new range is claimed to be 100% recyclable and suitable for a broad portfolio of applications.
 
With a production area of 12,500 square metres, the new plant will initially have three production lines for elastomers, one of which will be exclusively dedicated to R&D, the Cittadella, Padova-based group said.
 
In addition, two lines will produce fire-resistant thermoplastic resins and two will manufacture engineering compounds.
 
The unit will have an additional 12 production lines, and the capacity to produce 30 kilotonnes per annum of TPEs, when fully ramped up, Sirmax added.

“The choice to build our first elastomer plant in Kutno was mainly dictated by its geographical centrality," said Sirmax Group's CEO Massimo Pavin.
 
The plant, according to Sirmax, is strategically located to supply to France and Germany as well as to the eastern European states.
 
With the aim to position Xelter TPEs “at the pinnacle of the market” in terms of quality and consistency, Sirmax divisions in the US, Brazil and India will collaborate to offer the product to their existing customers in those markets.