Teknor Apex UK to Start Up a New TPE Compounding Line as Part of an Overall Expansion of its TPE Capabilities in Europe

Today’s Announcement Follows Recent Agreement to Acquire Sarlink® TPV Business

OLDBURY, WEST MIDLANDS, UK, November 3, 2010: Teknor Apex UK Ltd. is installing a new compounding line for thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) as part of a program to broaden the company’s capabilities to serve the European TPE market, it was announced by sales director Barry Galpin.

The production line will be located at the Teknor Apex facility in Oldbury, West Midlands, UK and have a nominal annual capacity of 3,500 tons. It will be used to supply styrenic TPEs, including Monprene® compounds for a wide range of consumer and industrial applications, Elexar® wire and cable products, and Tekbond® bondable TPEs for over-molding. An existing TPE pilot line at the same site will be used for R&D and small-lot orders.

The announcement of the new TPE line comes shortly after Teknor Apex closed a deal to acquire the Sarlink® thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) elastomer business from Royal DSM N.V. Sarlink has a strong presence in Europe, including a production facility in Belgium. Another recent TPE development at Teknor Apex is the rapid commercial growth of the innovative Medalist® range of medical elastomers, which are produced in the U.S.A. and readily available in Europe from Teknor Apex UK.

“Teknor Apex UK will now offer European customers a broad portfolio of TPE compounds backed by extensive experience in important application sectors like automotive, consumer products, industrial components, medical devices, and wire and cable,” said Galpin.