LANXESS commissions state-of-the-art silo installation for ABS plastics

The Lustran Polymers business unit officially opened a state-of-the-art silo installation for ABS plastics at its European headquarters in the Spanish city of Tarragona.

"The commissioning is a key milestone for us in our strategic realignment of the Lustran Polymers business. The development of the up to 600-cubic-meter-capacity silos means we can serve our customers even more effectively from Tarragona," said Stefan Michel, General Manager Lustran Polymers in Tarragona.

The new silo installation's special features include a complex washing system, which eliminates contamination and impurities from plastics, and a computer-based loading system. A camera installed on the silo's discharge outlet and mobile computers enable precision loading. It is thus no longer necessary for staff to climb onto the silo car to monitor the loading process. As well as saving time, this means an added boost for health and safety.

The installation was constructed while the production facilities were being extended without interruption to operations. Design and construction were managed entirely by Global-TALKE S.L. and an international project team. Global-TALKE, headquartered in Tarragona, is a joint venture established by logistics service providers TALKE Logistic Services and Global Spedition.

"We are confident that the installation inaugurated today is the first step on the road to future collaboration with Lustran Polymers in Spain," said Armin Talke, CEO of Alfred Talke GmbH & Co KG. "With our customer and supply chain oriented solutions, we are very interested in being among our customers' preferred partners on the Iberian Peninsula for future projects too."

From its base in Tarragona, Lustran Polymers supplies customers in Europe and Latin America with ABS specialties and pigmented plastics. In the last two years, LANXESS has invested a total of over €20 million in the site.

LANXESS's engineering plastics are used primarily in the automotive, electrical/electrical engineering, household appliance and medical technology industries. The Lustran Polymers business unit belongs to the Engineering Plastics business unit, which achieved total sales in fiscal 2006 of €1,708 billion.