On 19 August, The German Plastics Center (SKZ) invites to the next session of its online TPE conference. Due to Corona, the established industry event, which was originally planned to take place as a two-day event in Nuremberg in June, was redesigned into a series of twelve short online sessions of 90 minutes each. The individual sessions are recorded and can be accessed digitally by participants at any time.

Hexpol TPE have added more grades to their Dryflex Green family of biobased TPE compounds. The series now includes grades based on styrenic block copolymer (TPS) and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) technologies, with amounts of renewable content to over 90 % (ASTM D 6866-12) and hardness from 15 Shore A to 60 Shore D.

The German company Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH has developed a coil station for rubber with an integrated load cell and automatic weight adjustment. The system allows for separating the roll material from the release film without any elongation and cutting it precisely. At a deviation of over ±1 g, the cutting length is automatically adjusted. In clean rooms compliant with ISO class 8, the peripheral component may also be used.

Megafarma, an Azelis company, has been authorised by Celanese to distribute its emulsion polymers in Mexico. The non-exclusive distribution agreement includes the following products: Resyn, Tufcor, Vinac, Dur-O-Set, Avicor, Celvolit, EcoVAE, and Flexbond. Azelis said this new mandate further strengthens its strategic acquisition of Megafarma earlier in 2020 to expand into the Latin American CASE market. It leverages its existing Americas CASE assets, including application labs, digital platforms, technical and market intelligence, in the Mexican market.

In support of growing consumer demand, mattress expert Purple Innovation, Inc. has signed a lease for an additional 520,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on the East Coast. Before the end of 2020, Purple will create hundreds of new jobs by opening a new plant in Henry County, Georgia. The decision to open Purple's third manufacturing plant – and first outside of Utah – in Henry County came after an extensive search process to find the right location and state partner in this new venture, the company said.

Dow and Eco-mobilier, the French mattress and furniture EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) organization, have jointly announced a new collaboration for the collection and supply of post-consumer polyurethane foam for the Renuva Mattress Recycling Program.

Yutong Bus Co., Ltd., one of the world’s leading bus manufacturers, and BASF have jointly developed a PU-based seating for new-energy buses. Optimized to provide improved flame-retardant properties, the seating made with BASF’s Elastoflex PU complies with the European directive “ECE Regulation No.118” for flame resistance.

Cariflex Pte. Ltd. announced that it will be constructing a new large-scale polyisoprene latex plant at its Paulinia, Brazil, facility to meet the strong market demand from its medical and consumer product customers. The company’s Board of Directors had already approved the approximate USD 50 million capital project in April 2020.

Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB) is partnering with Switzerland-based HeiQ Group, a specialist in textile innovation, to create the US market’s first antiviral mattress.

Volkswagen AG and the automotive supplier Brose are planning to create a joint venture devoted to complete seats, seat structures and seat components. The Volkswagen subsidiary Sitech will become part of the JV. Brose will hold a 50 % stake in the company. Volkswagen AG and the Brose Group will each own half of the company.