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Special support services for Terlux® customers |
Design – Aesthetics – Packaging
Special support services for Terlux® customers
Presented by Sven Riechers, Marketing Terlux®
Trade Press Conference K 2004, June 22, 2004, Ludwigshafen, Germany
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Raw material producers on one side, converters and OEMs on the other. In the market for specialty products in particular, such simple customer-supplier relationships no longer really exist. Today, along the entire value chain, guarantees and support services are demanded that decide the long-term success of a product. Because of this, BASF will in future offer its Terlux® customers a new, customized service package in applications areas where especially high quality standards are demanded. Terlux is a transparent ABS, a copolymer of methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene (MABS), and one of BASF’s younger resin specialties.
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Tough requirements in the cosmetics, toys and medical segments
Cosmetics packaging, toys and medical products are typical segments in which demands are particularly tough. Here, more is demanded of the raw material producer than simply on-time delivery and global availability of high-quality resin. Global competition characterizes the supply side - the resin makers - as much as it does the demand side - the converters and OEMs. In recent years, compliance with international technical standards and ever more complex approval procedures have become real challenges. That’s why BASF has decided to support its customers in these segments with services tailored to their specific needs.
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Close cooperation
Solutions to all processing and product-compliance criteria can only be found if the plastics supplier and processor work closely together. Apart from global availability - and sometimes delivery at very short notice - requirements include complete consistency and high purity of the resin formulation - which in turn requires high quality standard in the up-stream processes and chemical precursors. Demands are passed up the chain from user to parts supplier to resin manufacturer; this sequence must be backed by a system of guarantees, which only a raw materials producer can provide. To provide such guarantees, BASF can introduce additional quality controls into its production process if necessary. Thus, for example, the consistency of the resin formulation - particularly important for medical products - can be assured by regular chromatographic analysis. To do so, the plastic producer must in future cooperate even closer with his up-stream suppliers.
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Guaranteed formulations and international technical approval
The Terlux customer service package includes the following (figure 2):- An obligation to make a customer-specific resin formulations available for up to 8 years
- An obligation to control up-stream suppliers and assure the purity of ingredients
- International technical approval for the plastic being used (for example, biocompatibility tests in accordance with US Pharmacopoeia Class VI, European Pharmacopoeia, ISO 10993),
- An obligation to inform customers at least 24 months in advance of any changes to resin formulations
- Testing the compatibility of the plastic with specific chemicals
- Support during manufacture of the item; e.g., suitable adhesives, sterilization methods.
- Engineering advice on the design and development of parts,
- A new colour-matching service (ColorCompetenceCenter) that will guarantee results within a few working days.
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Partner with specialty plastics
BASF sees great promise in the market for specialty plastics - the medical segment alone is expected to grow by five to 7% per annum. Such markets demand special products with tailored sets of properties and a high level of service along the entire value chain - in some cases that could mean the end-customer being supported by BASF in matters concerning raw material quality and the quality control process. The individual marketing of specialty plastics is also about responding to customer wishes quicker and with greater flexibility. With its strategy for specialty plastics, BASF combines the capabilities of a big, well-known maker of quality resins with the advantages of a small supplier, able to respond quickly and flexibly.
BASF's range of specialty styrenic resins comprises Terlux, the transparent ABS (MABS); Luran® S, an acrylonitrile/styrene/acrylate copolymer (ASA); the high-temperature ABS Terluran® HH (high heat); Styroflex® (SBS); and the blend Terblend® N (PA+ABS).
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