Teknor Apex Establishes Thermoplastic Elastomer Division to Provide 'Total-System Support' for TPE Users

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PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, U.S.A., January 12, 2000: Teknor Apex, a leading compounder of custom and standard thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), has created a new division exclusively for these products and has expanded professional staff, production capacity, and new-product research to meet growing world demand for its TPE compounds.

Called the Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex, the new entity will function separately from other Teknor Apex businesses, according to Business Manager Suresh Swaminathan, though it will continue to benefit from synergies with them. "Focusing on TPEs alone enables us to expand our longtime commitment to providing total-system support to the users of our products," said Swaminathan. "The 'total system' embraces the entire process of developing an application and involves our working with designers, toolmakers, processors, and OEMs. While compounders commonly develop custom formulations for specific applications, we see our role more comprehensively, as a provider of custom solutions."

Some of the functions cited by Swaminathan as part of total-system support include: economic screening of an application, taking into account anticipated manufacturing cost, production rate, and other factors in addition to raw material cost; application engineering, prototyping, and performance testing; consulting on tool design; and process optimization.

Teknor Apex has appointed Charles D. Kutchin to the newly created position of Global Business Development Manager for the new division. "Although our company has supplied TPEs outside the U.S. for many years," Kutchin said, "the new division is a truly international operation that serves customers in specific end-use industries no matter where they do business."

Kutchin noted that Teknor Apex has taken several steps to expand its TPE program:

· New team of market specialists. Members of a newly formed team of Market Managers will focus on specific end-product areas such as appliances, automotive air bags and
steering systems, automotive sealing systems, building and construction, caps and closures,
consumer electronics, foot care, medical, oral care, safety equipment, sporting goods, wheels and casters, and writing instruments. Working with these managers will be regional specialists for Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

· Increase in TPE compounding capacity. Next door to a Teknor Color Company facility in Henderson, Kentucky, U.S.A., Teknor Apex is constructing a grass roots TPE plant whose two twin-screw compounding lines are scheduled for startup in the third quarter of this year. Teknor Color will develop color concentrates specifically for Teknor Apex TPE products.

· International cooperative ventures. Teknor Apex has embarked on two [previously announced] cooperative programs with other companies: 1) A joint venture with the Uniroyal Division of Crompton Corp. is developing thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) compounds which Teknor Apex will manufacture and market under its Uniprene (Reg. Trademark) tradename. And 2) a strategic alliance with DuPont Packaging provides for the joint development, manufacture, and marketing of cap liner compounds for the Americas.