Dow and Teknor Apex Announce Collaboration Agreement for Broad Range of Flexible Vinyl Applications
Houston, TX and Pawtucket, RI, U.S.A. - A change is in the air when it comes to products produced with flexible vinyl compounds. Dow Electrical & Telecommunications (Dow E&T), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, and Teknor Apex Company are excited to announce a joint market development agreement for flexible vinyl in several application areas. Under a joint Collaboration Agreement, Teknor Apex was granted exclusive marketing rights in North America for flexible vinyl compounds containing DOW ECOLIBRIUM(TM) Bio-Based Plasticizers in certain applications such as consumer and industrial products, certain medical devices(1), automotive components, and select wire and cable products. Teknor Apex plans to commercialize compounds made with DOW ECOLIBRIUM this year and will introduce the new compounds at NPE 2012 in April.
"Our relationship with Teknor Apex has provided Dow E&T with a unique opportunity to market beyond the power industry," says Thorne Bartlett, New Business Development Director, Dow E&T. "Working with a company like Teknor Apex will allow us to bring this sustainable technology to a host of consumer and industrial end products that utilize flexible vinyl compounds, including certain wire and cable construction applications."
Made from virtually 100% renewable feedstocks, the use of DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers in flexible vinyl compounds may help cable-makers and durable goods original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40%(2) if used instead of traditional diisononyl phthalate PVC plasticizers.
"Environmental Stewardship is serious business at Teknor Apex, and we are committed to the development of innovative compounds utilizing sustainable resources," said Louis R. Cappucci, Vice President, Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex. "Using DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers in our world-class compounds
will allow both Dow and us to help open doors for those OEMs looking for sustainable solutions in their end products. Compatible with a wide range of applications, footwear, flooring and profiles are among the first targeted areas for our new compounds."
More information about DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-based Plasticizers is available at www.dow.com/ecolibrium.
About Dow Electrical & Telecommunications
Dow Electrical & Telecommunications, a business unit in the Performance Plastics Division of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow"), is a leading global provider of products, technology, solutions and knowledge that sets standards for reliability, longevity, efficiency, ease of installation and protection that the power and telecommunications industries can count on in the transmission, distribution and consumption of power, voice and data. Understanding that collaboration is essential to success, Dow Electrical & Telecommunications works together with cable makers, other industry suppliers, utilities, municipalities, testing institutes and other organizations around the world to help develop solutions and create mutual value that will sustain these industries for years to come. For more information, visit http://www.dow.com/electrical.
About Teknor Apex
A privately held firm founded in 1924, Teknor Apex Company is an international polymer technology company and one of the world's leading custom compounders of plastics. For U.S. markets, the company also manufactures chemicals such as plasticizers and the nationally branded consumer product, Apex® garden hose. Teknor Apex is headquartered in Pawtucket, RI, USA, operates manufacturing facilities around the world, and sells in 90 countries. Six of the eight Teknor Apex business units focus on plastics compounding, including bioplastics; color concentrates; nylons; thermoplastic elastomers; toll and specialty compounds; and flexible and rigid vinyl. The company's operations in the US serve customers throughout the Americas. Subsidiaries in China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom serve customers in Asia, Africa, the Mideast, and Europe. Visit www.teknorapex.com.
1) Dow will not knowingly sell or sample any product or service ("Product") into any commercial or developmental application that is intended for:
a. permanent (Long term) contact with internal body fluids or internal body tissues. Long term is a use which exceeds 72 continuous hours (except 30 days for PELLETHANE* polyurethane elastomers);
b. use in cardiac prosthetic devices regardless of the length of time involved (cardiac prosthetic devices include, but are not limited to, pacemaker leads and devices, artificial hearts, heart valves, intra-aortic balloons and control systems and ventricular bypass assisted devices);
c. use as a critical component in medical devices that support or sustain human life; or
d. use specifically by pregnant women or in applications designed specifically to promote or interfere with human reproduction.
Additionally, all Products intended for use in pharmaceutical applications must pass the then current Pharmaceutical Liability Guidelines.
2) Based on lifecycle analysis (LCA) tests conducted by The Dow Chemical Company and third-party reviewed.
(TM) ECOLIBRIUM is trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow.
®Apex is a trademark of Teknor Apex
®The DOW DIAMOND is a registered trademark of The Dow Chemical Company
