HEXPOL – A Material Difference

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Achieves ISCC PLUS Sustainability Certification

melissacohill — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 15:08:14 +0000

HEXPOL Middlefield has achieved The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) as a Rubber Compounding Processing Unit with mass balance chain of custody.

HEXPOL Middlefield ISCC Plus Certification Issued on 11.22.23

The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a certification program for the Circular Economy that focuses on the verification and traceability of sustainable materials. ISCC is globally recognized as the standard of choice for industry sustainability certifications.

This certification allows HEXPOL Middlefield to produce ISCC PLUS certified circular, bio circular and/or bio attributed compounds via mass balance accounting principles. This provides traceability of certified raw materials along the certified supply chain through sustainability declarations that create a chain of custody from origin to the end product.

Certification of supply chains is a vital part of an organization’s overall sustainability management. This ensures that the integrity and performance of the entire supply chain are aligned toward common sustainability goals and objectives from start to finish.

Companies and entities that obtain the certification must meet certain predetermined standards as required under the ISCC PLUS certification.

As the leader in the rubber compounding industry, HEXPOL Compounding Americas pursued the ISCC PLUS certification to make A Sustainable Difference in order to support its customer’s goals and initiatives while aligning with supply chain sustainability projects.

In addition, HEXPOL continues to work toward achieving strategic objectives to reduce environmental impact, to create safe and secure workplaces and to be a good corporate citizen.

HEXPOL’s cross-functional ISCC PLUS implementation team achieved this significant accomplishment in less than four months with zero nonconformities found during the certification audit.

Jason Yauger, Quality Manager – HEXPOL Middlefield
Cathy Rose, Quality Systems Manager – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Misty Mahan, Regional EH&S – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Ali Wolf, Sustainability Manager – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Jeremy Lawson, Managing Director – HEXPOL Middlefield
Tom Roberts, Director of Quality – HEXPOL Compounding Americas
Jerry Saxion, Director of Business Systems – HEXPOL Compounding Americas

“We are proud of the Middlefield and HEXPOL Compounding Americas support team’s dedication to achieving the ISCC PLUS certification. The Global Sustainability and Carbon Certification is a significant milestone that reflects our organization’s dedication to sustainable solutions.”

Jeremy Lawson, Managing Director – HEXPOL Middlefield

“This achievement of ISCC PLUS certification is part of HEXPOL’s ongoing sustainability effort and collaboration with customers and suppliers, as we continue to be fully committed to support sustainability goals and developing innovative products that provide a lower environmental impact that contribute to the circular economy. We believe that the ISCC PLUS certification is not only a validation of our efforts but also a strong message to the industry that responsible and eco-conscious manufacturing is not only already possible, but also necessary for a successful future.”

Jerry Saxion, Director of Business Systems – HEXPOL Compounding Americas

HEXPOL TPE awarded ISCC PLUS certification in Germany

jillbradford — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:20:22 +0000

HEXPOL TPE awarded ISCC PLUS certification in Germany

The compounding group HEXPOL TPE has added to its credentials: The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) was awarded to their site in Lichtenfels, Germany, in October.

ISCC PLUS is a global certification scheme providing traceability along the supply chain and guarantees correct and transparent use of the mass balance approach. All companies along the supply chain undergo the ISCC PLUS audit process, meaning when HEXPOL TPE purchases ISCC PLUS-certified raw materials, all upstream entities will have been verified. Sustainability declarations create a chain of custody from origin through to the brand owner.

Mass balance allows for a gradual increase of the non-virgin fossil share of polymer compounds with the target to reduce the use of fossil raw materials step by step. The certification allows HEXPOL TPE to produce ISCC PLUS certified bio, circular and/or bio circular attributed TPE materials via the mass balance approach.

We are pleased to add ISCC PLUS certified TPEs to our growing portfolio of biobased, biocomposite and soft polymer compounds with recycled content. This achievement further underscores HEXPOL TPE’s commitment to sustainability and enabling the defossiliation of the polymer industry.

– Jochen Schneider, Managing Director HEXPOL TPE GmbH

Mass balance versions of the Dryflex portfolio of TPE (TPS, TPO and TPU) materials will be available. Also in scope are the Epseal TPEs designed for food and beverage sealing applications. The mass balance TPEs offer a drop-in material alternative for customers. The technical properties, chemical composition and regulatory status will be the same as the corresponding fossil grade.

For our customers working in highly regulated markets such as care, food contact, toys and baby products, ISCC PLUS certification is an important step. It means we can replace the fossil polymers in our compounds with the mass-balanced version to create a one-to-one replacement. This is because the mass balance versions use raw materials with bio, circular or bio-circular characteristics, but which have the same quality, processability and purity as those of fossil origin.

– Dr. Kevin Ament, product safety and ISCC coordination at HEXPOL TPE GmbH

This expands the mass balance offering from the HEXPOL TPE group following the ISCC PLUS certification awarded to their Swedish site in 2021.

About HEXPOL TPE

HEXPOL TPE is an international polymer compounding group specialising in Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) for key industries such as consumer, medical, packaging, automotive and construction. We were among the 1st companies to produce TPEs in Europe, and more than 50 years later, the possibilities continue to inspire us – yes, we're self-confessed TPE freaks! Our international teams work with customers around the world, developing new polymer combinations and creating customised materials that are safer, more durable, more sustainable. As part of the HEXPOL Group of companies, we share an extensive global footprint. Covering Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America, enabling us to support our customers worldwide.

New Commercial Directors to Lead Americas

melissacohill — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 16:06:45 +0000

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Announces Changes to Its Commercial Team Leadership

Under the direction of Bruce Wynd, Chief Commercial Officer, HEXPOL Compounding Americas (HCA) welcomes the addition of John Chimenti as its Director of the Industrial Segment and Sean Sullivan as its Director of the
Automotive segment.

These two new hires will complete the leadership of the Commercial Segments of HCA.

Please click here to read the article as printed by Rubber News.

HEXPOL TPE + almaak collaboration

nahim — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:30:05 +0000

almaak and HEXPOL TPE Collaborate on 2K Adhesion-Synchronised Materials

As the plastics industry meets at Fakuma 2023, the polymer compounders almaak international and HEXPOL TPE announced a partnership optimising 2K material combinations tailored for automotive.

TPE materials are used for two-shot or overmoulding soft-touch overlays onto rigid substrates to meet functional, ergonomic or aesthetic requirements. The adhesion of standard TPE is limited to olefin-based substrates like polypropylene, which have limitations regarding heat and rigidity performance. However, chemically modified TPEs allow adhesion to a much wider range of engineering thermoplastics. Enhancing property characteristics to meet more demanding component requirements.

Volker Krebs (almaak international) and Thomas Köppl (HEXPOL TPE) at Fakuma 2023.

almaak’s products include PC/ABS, ABS, PC, ASA, PBT, PA6, PA6.6 and their blends, including materials with up to 100% recycled content. These have been adhesion tested with HEXPOL TPE’s portfolio of thermoplastic elastomer materials.

Automotive applications include interior, exterior and technical parts such as seals, grips, trim, console and interior carrier, grommets, electronic housing, and noise and vibration dampening.

“TPE materials for multi-component processes need to be adhesion synchronised with substrates, especially polar technical thermoplastics, For example, PBT is increasingly used for electromobility applications and has difficulty adhering to TPE. Glass fibre reinforcement and flame-retardant additives make it even more challenging. The collaboration between almaak and HEXPOL TPE delivers tested material combinations that ensure chemical compatibility and adhesion performance”

–Thomas Köppl, group product manager, HEXPOL TPE

The engineering thermoplastics and TPE combinations have been tested according to the VDI 2019 standard, which measures the adhesion between materials. TPE is moulded onto the thermoplastic and peeled off at a 90° angle. The required adhesion peel force is measured and describes the adhesion quality. Even for substrates which make bonding difficult, such as PBT, it is possible to get a good adhesion if the substrate and TPE are compatible. For example, Dryflex UV 65.01B220 TPE achieves an adhesion peel force of 3.3 N/mm on Anjacom PBT 455-GF30.

The support package offered by almaak and HEXPOL TPE includes tooling and processing advice. This is because processing conditions (2K or insert moulding, temperature, injection speed) as well as tool design (geometry, adhesion area, flow length) can also impact adhesion performance.

“Through this collaboration, we offer the best solutions for combining hard plastics and soft TPE. It gives our automotive customers a great competitive advantage. Our material testing and development means customers will know from the start that our materials function perfectly together”

–Volker Krebs, application technology almaak international

About HEXPOL TPE

Our international teams work with customers around the world, developing new polymer combinations and creating customised materials that are safer, more durable, more sustainable. As part of the HEXPOL Group of companies, we share an extensive global footprint. Covering Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America, enabling us to support our customers worldwide. www.hexpolTPE.com

HEXPOL TPE Contact for Press Enquiries

Jill Bradford
Group Marketing & PR Manager, HEXPOL TPE
jill.bradford@hexpolTPE.com

About almaak

The plants in Krefeld and Doberlug-Kirchhain can produce around 60,000 metric tons of engineering thermoplastics (PC/ABS, PC, ABS, PA, PA/ABS, PBT/ASA, PBT, PP etc.) per year on 18 production lines with a flexible hourly output of 25 kg to 1,500 kg.

These products are mainly used in the automotive industry, in the electrical and household goods sector and in the construction industry.

almaak has many years of experience in dealing with secondary raw materials and is one of the leading suppliers of sustainable product solutions in Europe. In addition to top-quality products – from medical applications to highly technical innovations of virgin material – the company has for years focused on the development of compounds from sustainable raw materials, for which there is extensive series experience in almost all relevant applications. www.almaak.de

almaak contact for press enquiries

Sabine Mindermann
Executive Assistant to CEO, almaak international
s.mindermann@almaak.de

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Ellen Clunk Recognized by Rubber News

melissacohill — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:41:17 +0000

Congratulations to Ellen Clunk!

Ellen serves as HEXPOL Compounding America’s Chief Procurement Officer and was recently nominated by Rubber News for the Women Breaking the Mold Class of 2023.

Click here to read her full interview with Rubber News (Page 11).

This article is reprinted with permission from Rubber News.

Click Here to Learn More About the Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum being held November 13-14, 2023 in Scottsdale.

A Strong Partnership allows for Continued Reliability

melissacohill — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:58:25 +0000

HCA + Fluke = Maintenance Excellence

Please take a minute to read the below article regarding HEXPOL Compounding Americas (HCA) partnership with Fluke Corporation, the world leader in professional electronic test tools and software.

HEXPOL is utilizing Fluke’s eMaint software to standardize and optimize its maintenance excellence program. With 16 sites across North America, it is crucial that a reliable centralized platform is utilized for HEXPOL’s Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

This partnership has allowed HCA to improve their equipment reliability by managing assets and improving effectiveness in preventive, predictive, and condition-based monitoring of work orders. By having this platform in place, HCA has yet another measure to ensure quality, standardization, and on-time delivery to its customers.

https://www.emaint.com/works/hexpol-uses-emaint-to-standardize-maintenance/

Annual Report with Sustainability Report 2022

jillbradford — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:41:06 +0000

The HEXPOL Annual Report for 2022 with Sustainability Report is now available

I am proud of how well we continued to tackle global challenges in 2022. Our strong business model has once again been excellently executed by skilled and dedicated employees worldwide.

– Georg Brunstam, President and CEO

Download the Sustainability Report for indepth insights

Previous editions

Sustainability Report 2021
Sustainability Report 2020
Sustainability Report 2019
Sustainability Report 2018
Sustainability Report 2017
Sustainability Report 2016
Sustainability Report 2015
Sustainability Report 2014

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Install Solar Arrays

jillbradford — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 13:34:27 +0000

Sustainability = Operational Savings

By Ali Wolf, Sustainability Manager, North America

HEXPOL Compounding Americas (HCA) continues to provide funds to fulfill its progressive management practices by investing in its people and facilities to ensure HCA is thoughtfully positioned to deliver a material difference to its customers today and in the future.

In 2022, HCA realized operational savings and reduced its enterprise carbon impact to 1,039 MtC02, which is equivalent to 224 cars on the road annually.

The carbon impact reduction was a result of installing solar arrays at HCA’s Long Beach, City of Industry, Aguascalientes and Queretaro sites which led to 2% of our total carbon footprint (a total of 1.3MW).

Investing in our people, planet, and business performance; Sustains our ability to serve our customers.

Aerial View of HEXPOL AGS with Solar Panels Installed on Roof.

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Announces Leadership Changes

jillbradford — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 14:13:42 +0000

HEXPOL Compounding Americas Announces Leadership Changes

BURTON, Ohio – HEXPOL Compounding Americas (HCA), under the leadership of President and CEO, Gary Moore, has announced key changes to its Executive Leadership Team.

Bruce Wynd has been promoted from Director of Automotive to Chief Commercial Officer. Wynd will be supported by four Commercial Directors who will be responsible for the Automotive, Specialty, Industrial, and Silicone/Performance Additives markets. Saul Reyes will replace Wynd as the Director of Automotive, Chris Airhart will continue as the Director of Industrial, Chris Poirier will continue to direct the Silicone and Additives business, and newly hired Brad Donat will serve as the Director of Specialty. These four market Directors will be supported by a highly skilled commercial and technical team.

“Bruce is a terrific leader with a depth of experience in technology, supply chain, and commercial management. His industry knowledge is unparalleled at HEXPOL Compounding Americas and we are thrilled he has agreed to lead the Commercial Teams,” said Gary Moore.

Newly hired Brad Donat has over 30 years of industry experience and has served in various leadership roles within the Chemical Marketplace. He most recently served as the Senior Account Manager, Carbon Black, for the Cabot Corporation based in Boston, MA.

“We are honored to have Brad join HEXPOL Compounding Americas,” said Wynd. “We are confident that his background of commercial success, market knowledge and experience will benefit HEXPOL’s customers and drive our growth in the Specialty marketplace.”

Current Purchasing and Supply Chain Director, Ellen Clunk, has been promoted to Chief Procurement Officer and will manage all aspects of the HCA supply chain. She has been with the organization for over 13 years, having started as a development chemist and then shifting into various purchasing roles within the company.

Additional changes to the HCA Leadership include the promotion of Andrew Chan from Director of Operations of the South and West regions, to the newly formed position of Chief Operations Officer. Chan will be supported by two Operations Directors, Ernesto Gutierrez overseeing HCA’s three Mexico sites, along with newly hired Kevin Brown overseeing HCA’s five Northern sites along with its two West Coast sites. Chan will also lead the Business Systems, Continuous Improvement and Engineering/Maintenance teams.

Kevin Brown joins HCA from Morgan Truck Body where he served as the Sr. Regional Director of Operations. Brown has over 25 years of industry experience which include leadership positions in Plant Management, Quality Control, and Operations.

“Kevin Brown’s exceptional leadership and organizational skills will truly benefit HEXPOL Compounding Americas Operations Team,” said Chan. “He is a hands-on manufacturing professional who truly understands continuous improvement, culture development and problem-solving.”

Moore also noted that, “These organizational changes will allow HEXPOL Compounding Americas to have clear visibility on the current and future needs of its customers.”

About HEXPOL Compounding Americas

HEXPOL Compounding Americas is a division of HEXPOL AB headquartered in Malmo, Sweden. HEXPOL is the leading global developer and manufacturer of quality polymer compounds. The company provides proprietary and standard rubber compounding solutions for an array of applications in multiple industries and markets.

HEXPOL LESINA CO2 neutral in scopes 1 & 2 emissions

nadjaelsayed — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:03:06 +0000

Preferred by Nature confirms HEXPOL Compounding Lesina s.r.o to be carbon neutral in Scopes 1 and 2 for the calculation year 2021.

Preferred by Nature is a non-profit organization working to support better land management and business practices that benefit people, nature and the climate in more than 100 countries.

According to the leading Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol corporate standard, a company’s greenhouse gas emissions are classified into three scopes.

Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources. In case of HEXPOL Lesina for example, stationary combustion like fuel use in production or mobile combustion like vehicles belonging to the company. The company is constantly looking into options to reduce scope 1 emissions further. However, unavoidable emissions (in case of Lesina 60 tons CO2e) are offset with the climate+ program of Gold Standard, where Lesina is supporting to provide clean water access to families in Laos with the carbon offset of 2021.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling. As HEXPOL Lesina is purchasing energy from renewable sources since 2018, there are no emissions to be reported in this category.

HEXPOL Compounding Lesina s.r.o now received a certificate which proves its carbon neutrality for scopes 1 and 2 emissions from Preferred by nature, an independent, third party.

Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions which occur in the value chain of the company like for example for all purchased goods and services, logistics, transport, business travels, waste generation etc.

Michael Jakubik, sales and marketing director of Lesina says: “We are proud of this achievement. Sustainability is anchored in HEXPOL’s core values and we are happy to provide a proof, that our efforts are paying off. Nevertheless, our journey does not stop here. We are working on several different measures to lower our scope 3 emissions. Developing products with a lower product carbon footprint or optimizing the resource-usage in our operations are just some examples from a whole list of activities “

About HEXPOL Compounding

HEXPOL Rubber Compounding produces a wide range of natural and synthetic rubber compounds to meet the exact requirements of its customers, across a broad range of industries. The largest end-customer segments are the automotive and engineering industries, followed by the building and construction sector. Other important customer segments are the transportation sector, the energy sector, the consumer sector and the cable and wire industry. HEXPOL Rubber Compounding is part of the HEXPOL Group, headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. The Group has approximately 5000 employees in fourteen countries.

HEXPOL Rubber Compounding – HEXPOL Silicone & Rubber Compounding