DUESSELDORF, Germany—Global chemical producer Huntsman Corp. plans to install Castech hot cast elastomer processing machines at three of its regional technical centers
It will add the equipment at its facilities in Auburn Hills, Mich.; Everberg, Belgium; and Shanghai, China, the company said. The announcement was made at K Show.
The hot cast elastomer processing machines are produced by Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri, an Italian systems house that was acquired by Huntsman in 2015. Its Castech machines are used for efficient processing of hot cast polyurethane elastomers and microcellular elastomer foams, Huntsman said.
Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri revealed detail about the investment at K2016 in Duesseldorf, where the company is promoting its equipment portfolio alongside its proprietary range of Tecnothane engineering elastomers.
“Installing three Castech machines at strategic locations in our global R&D network is an important step forward in the globalization of the Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri business,” Riccardo Cira, commercial and marketing manager at Huntsman, said in a statement.
He said that when Huntsman acquired the systems house “it already had a very successful business model in place—focused predominantly on the European market for hot cast elastomers. With the team now embedded into Huntsman, our objective is to replicate their commercial achievements in other parts of the world.
“By installing a Castech machine in each region we are putting our R&D and prototyping capabilities exactly where our customers need them, increasing opportunities for engagement on innovation projects. We are also developing the team's global production and supply chain capabilities.”
Earlier this year, Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri said it was working with Raeder Vogel, a large global producer of wheels and castors, to expand Raeder Vogel's product portfolio to include a family of extra large, custom made wheels with a diameter in excess of one meter, it said.