(K-Interview) Coperion: Industries may move out of Europe amid high energy prices
Customers are saying they see a big influence from the surged gas prices that also affect raw material prices and energy prices especially in Europe, Peter von Hoffmann, General Manager, Large Business Unit Engineering Plastics, Coperion, told Adsale Plastics Network (AdsaleCPRJ.com) at the K 2022 fairground.
“At the same time, the demand is softening a little bit. This is not such a favorable condition we have to say it,” he added.
On the other hand, Americas and Asia have been better than in Europe. The Chinese market is stable and good for Coperion which remains optimistic about this market.
He opined about the European market – industries may shift to Americas and Asia. “I think Europe will have the challenge of high energy cost that will definitely affect us. That may lead to certain industries going to other areas. At the same time, we see good markets like I said in Americas and Asia. So we may see a shift of industries out of Europe into other areas,” he explained.
Peter von Hoffmann also talked about the application industries. He sees the electronics industry still running strongly, and he also expects there will be a huge demand for plastics in the automotive industry due to the emerging of electric vehicles.
The twin screw extruders can produce battery separator films very efficiently and change the production from conventional discontinuous to continuous method, he said.
He also mentioned biopolymer sector where he sees high interest and Coperion is selling a lot of equipment.
Meanwhile, recycling will continue to be a big trend. Coperion has reacted by acquiring Herbold Meckesheim, which specializes in mechanical recycling of plastics, and forming the Recycling Business Unit. The company thereby can offer complete systems for industrial-scale plastics recycling from a single source.
Peter von Hoffmann introduced Coperion’s equipment for plastics recycling, including the ZSK extruder, SWB feeder and deodorization system:
- ZSK Twin Screw Extruder
One eye catcher at the Coperion booth was the high performance ZSK twin screw extruder that is the heart of the recycling process. The extruder features high throughput rates with new energy-saving technology and high-end product quality.
- Smart Weigh Belt (SWB) Feeder
The SWB is a reliable gravimetric feeder from Coperion K-Tron that can feed large quantities of bulk material with a wide variety of flow properties at very high accuracy into the extrusion process.
- Deodorization unit
Unpleasant odors are often a challenge for plastic recyclates from post-consumer waste. In addition to odor reduction within the twin screw extruder, Coperion offers solutions for devolatilization of bulk materials downstream of the extrusion process.
