Mobility for the Masses
BASF to strengthen its automotive business in India

When, at the beginning of May, BASF issued an invitation to journalists to visit India, Polymotive was one of the party. The occasion was a BASF India press conference at which the company announced investments and developments for the Indian market. The trip provided the opportunity to pay a visit to Messrs. Mahindra & Mahindra (see report page 12) as well as BASF Coatings in Mangalore and Bosch India in Bangalore and to obtain an all-round insight into the Indian automotive market and the Indian economic situation in general. In a country where there are currently 7 cars for every 1,000 inhabitants there is major development potential for the automotive industry. ....read more!

CO2 East and West
Challenges do not differ greatly

BASF‘s product portfolio already contains several standard types that are very well-suited for processing by means of the WIT. One example is Ultramid A3WGM53 for applications exposed to hot oil. On the other hand, merely optimizing the process technology of the WIT does not attain the desired objectives for all engineering plastics. This is why a hydrolysis-resistant PA 66 type (Ultramid A3HG6 WIT) has been developed within the scope of BASF‘s research project especially for processing by means of the WIT. ....read more!

Audi A4 Suppliers
Sekisui Alveo

Sekisui Alveo provides three serial applications for the Audi A4: motor undershield, wheelhouse cover and hush-panel (air condition gasket). The motor undershield consists of crosslinked polypropylene foam Alveolen NP FRG. This foam is said to offer numerous properties as an optimal acoustic absorption, thermal and chemical stability as well as compliance with the flammability test FMVSS 302. In addition Alveolen is much lighter than traditional components made of rigid plastic.
A different type of foam is Alveolit TLU, which is used in the A4 wheelhouse cover: This one is a crosslinked polyethylene foam. It was developed to reduce car weight and suppress the level of noise. The foam is used in a complex with fleece and is said to be perfectly formable.
The hush-panel (air condition gasket) under the dashboard on the driver’s side is composed of the Alveolen type NTC. This polyethylene foam contributes to acoustic insulation. .....read more!

Vehicle of the month:
Audi A4

The purpose of this section which we feature in every edition of our magazine is to present the results of design analysis of vehicles recently launched on the automobile market. This article was produced in collaboration with Mavel, a European leader in car design analysis. The aim of this article is not to present a detailed examination of a design (which is available in “Mavel’s report”) but rather to throw light on some noteworthy aspects. ....read more!

1 million autos in 2008
How the automotive industry is giving a fresh impetus for the Czech Republic’s economy

After touring the Czech Republic for Polymotive’s Regional Market Report, we can confirm that the Czech Republic is indeed an automotive hot spot: As the driving force behind Czech industry it is responsible for one fifth of total production and provides work for more than 120,000 people. Production increases, new industrial development spearheaded by foreign OEMs and the supply industry that follows in their train mean that the sector is able to expand further and is this year poised to break through the million barrier in motor car production for the first time. ....read more!

Light and easy does it

Materials experts at Škoda in an interview with Polymotive on selecting the right material in times of weight savings and cost pressures. ....read more!

Are plastics the new gold standard?
Faurecia’s strategy to meet customer’s requirements whilst staying competitive

The expansion of the automotive industry in central and Eastern Europe is like a magnet as far as the supplier industry is concerned; capacity is being shifted to these locations either for cost reasons or in order to get closer to the OEMs. Over the past few years, Europe’s number two automotive supplier Faurecia has also displayed a policy of consistent development as regards its commitment to this region. Polymotive visited Faurecia’s plant in Písek and talked to the interior systems plant manager Pascal Magueur about trends in relation to the vehicle interio. ....read more!

Beating the heat
Manufacturing of exhaust system parts

It may not be a new topic but lightweight is certainly hot in the automotive industry, especially when it comes to substitutions of metal in high-temperature areas like the exhaust system area. Josef Škrkon-Techplast, a.s., a leading Czech manufacturing company of technical plastic parts for the automotive and electronic industry, is specialized in the manufacturing of technically demanding parts like these. ....read more!

A breath of fresh air
Czech company J.P. Plast manufactures air duct systems using heavy duty Kautex machinery

The right ventilation concept is one of the deciding criteria as far as comfort in the passenger compartment is concerned. J.P. Plast, a company with its head office in Kyjov, Czech Republic, manufactures air ventilation ducts for instrument panels in large quantities and supplies customers on the home market with blow moulded components. ....read more!

Lightweight strength
EPP for various automotive applications

JSP is a global supplier of engineered plastic foams and related technologies, and a leading supplier of Expanded Polypropylene, sold as Arpro. We visited their production site in Cheb/Czech Republic, which has been in operation since 2006. The other production site in Europe is situated in Estrées-Saint Denis/France, moulded parts production is located in Obersulm/Germany. Besides many others JSP presented two innovations that are interesting to the automotive industry. ....read more!

Automated Solution
Heavy-duty injection moulding machines in increasing demand in Czech Republic

The engineering and systems construction sector is also benefiting from the dynamic development of the plastics sector, the industry sector exhibiting the highest increases in production, in the Czech Republic. We visited the engineering company Engel at their sales subsidiary in Prague and spoke with Managing Director Petr Stibor about the positive economic trend of the market. ....read more!

Read more about several products for the automotive industry
....read more!