TPI April 2009

news business & market

Uniform standard for high-performance resin

event held in China. The product is the first random polybutene-1 co-polymer based on the company’s proprietary processing and catalyst technology designed for use in customer under- floor heating and surface cooling systems. Customers report that the resin offers superior flexibility, durability and creep resistance, as well as reduced jointing and fitting requirements.

Pipe convertersWavin Hepworth, Aikang China, George Fischer and Weixing have announced that they will develop uniform standards for LyondellBasell’s recently launched Akoafloor PB-R 509 polybutene-1, which represents a new high-performance class of resin used in under-floor, low-temperature pipe heating and cooling systems. According to Dr Mattis Gosmann, LyondellBasell’s marketing manager for polybutene-1 in Asia Pacific, “ Achieving this company standard for pipe converters is a necessary first step in the development of a Chinese National Standard for the commercialisation of a new class of resins for pipe applications. Our Akoafloor PB-R 509 resin is a new alternative to incumbent materials, offering the performance and reliability customers demand in sustainable pipe heating and cooling systems. ” The initiative is also supported by Chen Jiaqi, chief secretary of China’s National Technical Committee of Standardization for Plastic Products, and Wei Ruoqi, director of the Chinese National Test Center of Polymer and Building Materials. “ We discovered that Akoafloor PB-R 509 provides excellent processability, with reduced tooling modification requirements, ” commented Frank Huang, production manager of Wavin Hepworth. “ Furthermore, the resin only requires one to two days of aging time, which we believe will help shorten our lead time. ”

Shi Guojun, vice general manager of Zhe Jiang Weixing New Building Materials Co Ltd, said, “ Under-floor heating is a rapidly-expanding market in China. We believe Akoafloor will provide this market with a premium and competitive solution that meets end users’ needs for safety and reliability. ”

LyondellBasell Industries – The Netherlands www.lyondellbasell.com

LyondellBasell launched Akoafloor PB-R 509 in May 2008, at a customer

New chief executive officer and chief financial officer

RathGibson, a manufacturer of welded, welded and drawn, and seamless stainless steel, nickel, and titanium tubing, has appointed Michael Schwartz as chief executive officer (CEO). Mr Schwartz joined RathGibson in April 2008 as president and chief operating officer, and assumed the position of interim CEO in August 2008. Before joining RathGibson, Mr Schwartz served as president and CEO of Airoom, Inc. In addition, he brings over 15 years of experience with companies within Lennox International Inc, including president and COO for Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration, Lennox North American Distributed Products, and Armstrong Air; vice-president for Heatcraft Commercial Products; and sales and marketing director for the Heatcraft Heat Transfer Group. RathGibson has also announced the appointment of Jon Smith as chief financial officer (CFO), as of 3 February 2009. Mr Smith joins RathGibson from the engine and transmission components group of Magna Powertrain. As Magna’s senior director of finance, Mr Smith led key business initiatives around strategy development and implementation, process standardisation, and structural cost improvements. As RathGibson’s CFO, Mr Smith will provide enterprise- wide leadership across the functional areas of IT, finance, accounting and tax, while also maintaining existing relationships with respective business unit controllers.

RathGibson – USA www.rathgibson.com

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Tube Products International April 2009

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