The companies will cooperate on developing and distributing the OnFlex-U brand

The companies will cooperate on developing and distributing the OnFlex-U brand

PolyOne and Spain’s Merquinsa are to cooperate on the development and distribution of new thermoplastic polyurethane speciality compounds. The TPUs will be marketed under the OnFlex-U brand. Under the agreement, PolyOne will develop compounds based on Merquinsa’s Pearlthane TPU specialty elastomers. The partners plan to coordinate research and development efforts to expand OnFlex-U applications, and develop novel TPU compounds for extrusion and injection moulding markets.

Production of OnFlex U will begin in Europe and Asia during 2004. The OnFlex-U compounds are aimed at areas where halogen-free flame-retardant compounds are sought. Merquinsa TPU elastomers global business manager Jean-Marc Galvez said: “The market for TPU compounds is growing fast in automotive, industrial and ergonomic applications. We see great value in working with PolyOne, a strong market development partner for high-performance elastomer compounds.”