Otto Krahn Group GmbH announced on 2 November 2020 that from now it will operate as the holding company of the globally active Otto Krahn Group. It will in future define the strategic guidelines and at the same time take on the role of a professional service provider to support Group companies with the development of successful and sustainable growth strategies.

With the COVID pandemic continuing to have a detrimental impact on corporate travel, Smithers has decided to move their established industry event TPE & Silicone Elastomers World Summit 2020 to an online format. The new event will take place on the afternoons of 15-16 December, and delegates will still be able to move between both TPE and silicone online presentations by purchasing one Elastomers World Summit ticket.

On 22 October 2020, the first meeting of the exhibitors’ advisory board marked the kick-off to the next “K” in Düsseldorf, Germany, to be held from 19 – 26 October 2022. The body of experts has met to chart the course for the most important trade fair for the plastics and rubber industries worldwide and to enter into the concrete planning stage. The exhibitors’ advisory board supports Messe Düsseldorf in the preparations for K 2022 and provides consulting on basic conceptual and organisational issues. Here particular attention is paid to considering current developments as well as to the global economy and the discussion of forward-looking trends and technologies.

On 21 October 2020, Huntsman Corporation commemorated the official start-up of a new 22,000 t Terol aromatic polyester polyols plant at its systems house in Kuan Yin, Taiwan, with an opening ceremony at the site that was attended by key customers and employees.

Texon announced that footwear manufacturers looking to boost the amount of recycled material in their shoes, without compromising quality, now have a new insole technology at their disposal. According to the manufacturer, Texon Ecoline is a material that optimally combines strength and sustainability. Based on 85 % recycled polyester (rPET), it is 100 % recyclable and up to 32 % lighter than similar materials, but delivers the same strength and performance as heavier substrates.

The Board of Hexpol AB has appointed Georg Brunstam President and CEO for Hexpol AB effective 20 November 2020. The company said in a statement issued on 23 October 2020, that Brunstam is currently Chairman of the Board for Hexpol AB, and this assignment will end when he assumes his new role. Brunstam has previously been President and CEO for Hexpol AB 2007-2017.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) announced CoreTech System Co., Ltd. (Moldex3D) as a Preferred Partner on 1 October 2020. An SPE Preferred Partner is a converter, manufacturer, solutions provider or product distributor that has been recognised by SPE for demonstrated leadership and innovation in the plastics industry. Their products and services are valuable to SPE’s members.

US TPE compounder Star Thermoplastics Alloys and Rubbers will have very active participation in the upcoming 2020 TPE World Summit to be held virtually by Smithers on December 15th and 16th.

Mocom Compounds GmbH & Co. KG, a former division of Albis Plastic GmbH and part of the owner-managed Otto Krahn Group, is now operating as an independent company. With the entry into the commercial register, the last formal step of the spin-off of the compounding division has now been completed. This was announced by the company on 19 October 2020. The Otto Krahn Group also includes the plastics distributor Albis, the Krahn Chemie Group and the plastics recycler Wipag.

According to the German family-owned company Arburg, its Technology Days have been a unique and firmly established event in the international world of plastics since 1999. In 2020, due to the coronavirus and with significant foresight at the time, the company cancelled the event to avoid exposing visitors and employees to risk. The motto of next year’s event will again be “Wir sind da.” (“We are here.”). Arburg announced that it has decided to host next year’s Technology Days in the summer of 2021, from 9 – 12 June 2021, rather than in the spring.