BYK Additives & Instruments signs marketing agreement with ITENE

Sales organization of BYK now responsible for global distribution of ITENE technology on the US, European, and many Asian packaging markets

Wesel, October 31, 2014 – BYK Additives & Instruments has concluded an exclusive agreement with the Spanish technology research center ITENE of Valencia on the production and marketing of new, innovative clay-based additives for the packaging industry.

The technology developed by ITENE enhances the barrier properties, the mechanical resistance and the thermal stability of packaging materials based on polylactic acid (PLA).

The agreement means that the sales organization of BYK Additives & Instruments is now responsible for the global distribution of this ITENE technology on the US, European, and many Asian packaging markets.

“This agreement with ITENE is a major breakthrough for us. Now we can achieve a sustainable expansion to our additives portfolio for bioplastics and the packaging industry,” explained Thorsten Kröller, Head of Business Line Plastics Additives at BYK Additives & Instruments. “Production of these barrier additives will commence next year at our US plant in Louisville, Kentucky.”

“This new technology is a result of our research and commitment in the development of new packaging materials,” said Javier Zabaleta, CEO of the Packaging Research Center ITENE. “With this agreement, we will be able to provide the market with new solutions to improve packaging material properties,” he concluded.

 

About BYK Additives & Instruments

BYK Additives & Instruments is one of the world’s leading suppliers in the field of additives and measuring instruments.

Additives are chemical substances which, when used in small quantities, improve product properties such as scratch resistance or surface gloss. Manufacturing processes are also optimized by the addition of additives.

The coatings, inks and plastics industries are among the main consumers of BYK additives. Yet with oil production, the manufacture of care products, paper surface finishing, the manufacture of adhesives and sealants, or construction chemistry, too, BYK additives improve the product characteristics and production processes.

Testing and measuring instruments from BYK can effectively evaluate the quality of color, gloss and appearance as well as the physical properties of paint, plastic and paper products and are an important part of quality control.

As a globally operating specialty chemicals company, BYK has production sites in Wesel, Kempen, Moosburg and Schkopau (Germany), Deventer and Denekamp (Netherlands), Widnes (UK), Wallingford, Gonzales, Louisville (USA) and Tongling (China).

BYK‘s instrument section (BYK-Gardner) is based in the Upper Bavarian town of Geretsried.

Today the company employs around 1,800 people worldwide and forms part of the ALTANA Group.

About ITENE

The Packaging, Transport & Logistics Research Centre ITENE provides business solutions from an overall perspective of the supply chain, from raw materials to the design and development of packing and packaging systems, the optimization of transport and distribution of goods to delivery to the end consumer. ITENE develops tailor-made additives (clays, cellulose, whiskers, etc.) addressed to reinforce conventional and biodegradable polymers and its applications to the packaging industry with the aim to add competitive advantages to current packaging materials. The applications of these reinforcements can improve different properties as thermal and mechanical strength, open new market opportunities for companies and also save costs through significant weight and material volume reductions.

Source

BYK Additives & Instruments, press release, 2014-10-31.

Supplier

BYK Additives & Instruments
Technological Institute for Packaging, Transport and Logistics (ITENE)

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