Specialty Chemical Plastic Additives goes through this annual cycle and reports that try to predict base on interviews of those among the suppliers who have their own alternative facts and narratives. Overall the predictions are the same when the reality is always different. Basically paint it blue and call it new and repackage the products and call it a new name or add 50 ppm of something and call it a new product new substance; etc. Instead of providing solutions to problems that truly exist the vendors continue to provide solutions to problems that do not exist and add a new dimension of other issues they create that were predictable if they only had the expertise instead of a group of individuals that form a group of syncophants patting each other on the back of how great they have done. The problems today that have had no solutions include long term thermo-oxidative stabilization at 150C for PP and especially PE. OIT at 200 C and 190C that extends beyond the current norms, permanent broad wavelength protection for all plastics, permanent UV protection and inhibition of yellowing of condensation polymers, denucleation agents, post polymerization second order glass transition inhibitors for polyolefins, broad non warping colorants that are inexpensive and act as physical property enhancers, spectral enhancers that synergize with organic UVA currently on the market to can control bathochromic and hyperchromicity and much much more.
To me it seems that Ciba lead the way here for a long time and since their incorporation into what I believe is BASF now I haven't seen much advancement since 2008.
The integration by Ciba of ICI and Englehard and other companies followed by their own demise into BASF shows how fragile the specialty chemical business has become. When you purge good people out of your organization and have poor management you loose momentum and loose site of the customer base. There is no longer any good support from qualified experienced people only 3 ring binders given to agents and people for Q and A without thinking through the complex problems of plastic additives and their proper use. Developments are few and far between and anything new is no different from a red or blue or green fire extinguisher. Having spent 42 years in the plastic industry which should NOT be confused with one experience 42 times I can tell you the level of mediocrity today is at a all time high and the consequences are evident by the problems and failures that continue to grow daily. The pandemic put the brakes on the issue but its slowly returning with a vengeance. New opportunities for those who recognize the opportunities coming.
Specialty Chemical Plastic Additives goes through this annual cycle and reports that try to predict base on interviews of those among the suppliers who have their own alternative facts and narratives. Overall the predictions are the same when the reality is always different. Basically paint it blue and call it new and repackage the products and call it a new name or add 50 ppm of something and call it a new product new substance; etc. Instead of providing solutions to problems that truly exist the vendors continue to provide solutions to problems that do not exist and add a new dimension of other issues they create that were predictable if they only had the expertise instead of a group of individuals that form a group of syncophants patting each other on the back of how great they have done. The problems today that have had no solutions include long term thermo-oxidative stabilization at 150C for PP and especially PE. OIT at 200 C and 190C that extends beyond the current norms, permanent broad wavelength protection for all plastics, permanent UV protection and inhibition of yellowing of condensation polymers, denucleation agents, post polymerization second order glass transition inhibitors for polyolefins, broad non warping colorants that are inexpensive and act as physical property enhancers, spectral enhancers that synergize with organic UVA currently on the market to can control bathochromic and hyperchromicity and much much more.
To me it seems that Ciba lead the way here for a long time and since their incorporation into what I believe is BASF now I haven't seen much advancement since 2008.
The integration by Ciba of ICI and Englehard and other companies followed by their own demise into BASF shows how fragile the specialty chemical business has become. When you purge good people out of your organization and have poor management you loose momentum and loose site of the customer base. There is no longer any good support from qualified experienced people only 3 ring binders given to agents and people for Q and A without thinking through the complex problems of plastic additives and their proper use. Developments are few and far between and anything new is no different from a red or blue or green fire extinguisher. Having spent 42 years in the plastic industry which should NOT be confused with one experience 42 times I can tell you the level of mediocrity today is at a all time high and the consequences are evident by the problems and failures that continue to grow daily. The pandemic put the brakes on the issue but its slowly returning with a vengeance. New opportunities for those who recognize the opportunities coming.