Hydro Polymers buys high flow PVC business and plans new recycling operation

Hydro Polymers buys high flow PVC business and plans new recycling operation

PolyOne has sold its Vinakon high flow PVC compounds business to Hydro Polymers - which already makes the materials at its Newton Aycliffe site.

Vinakon dates back to 1991 when Geon and Hydro Polymers formed a joint venture to make high flow compounds. In 2000 Geon merged with M A Hanna to form PolyOne, which bought out Hydro's 50 per cent share, with Hydro retaining a long term contract to make the compounds for PolyOne at Newton Aycliffe. Now PolyOne has determined that this is not a core business in Europe, and has sold it to Hydro. Sales of Vinakon in 2002 were around Ј2 million.

It will be run as a separate sector within Hydro Polymers' PVC compounding site at Newton Aycliffe which, with an output of 370,000 tonnes a year, is the biggest single site PVC compounding operation in Europe. The company is currently spending some Ј2 million to expand capacity with the installation of a new high throughput compounder during this summer. The line that it replaces is to be reinstalled elsewhere at Newton Aycliffe and become the basis for a new recycled PVC business which is expected to go commercial later this year.

Hydro has already trialled its new Ecovin recycled material and is in the process of firming up supplies of feedstock.