K 2019 has closed its doors on 23 October after eight exciting days in Düsseldorf, Germany. 3,330 exhibitors (2016: 3,285) from 63 nations proved impressively: plastics continue to be an innovative, indispensable material. But they also underscored the necessity of having operational circular economies along the complete material chain and to this end already presented numerous concrete solutions.

TactoTek and LS Automotive Technologies (LSAT) announced that LSAT has licensed design and manufacturing rights for TactoTek injection moulded structural electronics (IMSE) technology. The agreement includes rights to use TactoTek proprietary intellectual property and technology transfer that enables LSAT to design and manufacture IMSE parts in Korea and globally.

Wanhua stated on 2 November 2019, that it will pursue the goal of building a MDI plant in the US. The company previously pulled out of plans to build a new facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana, partly due to tariff war and resistance from residents and environmental groups.

Together with a number of international producers, the Lanxess subsidiary Bond-Laminates GmbH is participating in a project group that is collecting the standards-compliant material data of commercial composites in order to upload them to the Campus plastics database. The work of the project group is organized and coordinated by the Frankfurt-based AVK-Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e.V. (German Federation of Reinforced Plastics) and the Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH (Institute for Composite Materials) in Kaiserslautern.

Plixxent, a provider for polyurethane (PU) systems solutions, went into operation on 4 November 2019. With approximately 250 full-time employees at five locations in Europe, the group of companies covers the entire application range of PU systems.

BASF opened its Elastollan TPU development center in Wyandotte, MI, USA. It allows customers to create and test new TPU solutions without having to interrupt their own production facilities. Customers can evaluate formulations faster, shorten development cycle times, develop production-quality samples and, ultimately, increase their speed to market.

The European Diisocyanate and Polyol Producers Association Isopa announced that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published the outcome of the substance evaluation of MDI mixed isomers under the EU’s REACH regulation, carried out by Estonia, finding that there is no need for regulatory follow-up action at EU level. Isopa said it welcomes the conclusion which reaffirms that appropriate risk management measures are in place to ensure the effective protection of human health and the environment.

Faurecia announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to acquire the remaining 50 % of its SAS joint venture from Continental. This joint venture was established in 1996 and has become a key player in complex interior module assembly and logistics. The company employs 4,490 people in 19 facilities in Europe, North America and South America. Sales are expected to show strong growth in 2019 and should reach around EUR 700 million, according to Faurecia.

Albis Plastic announced that it is planning a strategic programme at group level. By mid-2020, the distribution and compounding businesses will be transferred to formally separated companies with their own growth and profit responsibility under the umbrella of a holding company.