Benvic returns to Fakuma 2024 with circular economy solutions

Consolidating leadership in developing innovative ecological solutions

A successful show experience last year and a new company mission statement launched in May 2024 – Redesigning plastics. For good. – indicate that Benvic is consolidating its leadership in developing innovative ecological solutions for polymer-based manufacturing and for a wider circular economy.

Once again, Benvic Product Marketing Manager Eric Grange leads Benvic’s presence at the show in Friedrichshafen, October 15-19^th, 2024.

He notes that all customers are now facing huge challenges in using eco-friendly materials: All factors must be considered – from design to manufacturing to disposal to second-life options. Benvic’s innovative DNA and sixty-plus years of compounding experience will become beneficial to this matter.

From PVC compounder to a solution provider

Over the past five years, Benvic has moved from being a ‘pure player’ PVC compounder to a solution provider across many polymer platforms, – especially in polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomers, and halogen-free polyolefin materials.

Eric says that Benvic can provide inestimable value today by supporting designers and manufacturers at every stage of product development and with many polymer materials so that the challenges of the circular economy are securely met.

Their expertise in these areas will be the centerpiece of their offering at Fakuma 2024. Visitors to Benvic’s Fakuma booth will find two strands of assistance – best described as :1. advisory/consulting, and 2. bespoke manufacturing solutions

The former includes Benvic’s up-to-the-minute legislative, environmental, and technical knowledge of the global manufacturing landscape –recently evident in Benvic winning the coveted EcoVadis Gold Standard certificate.

Future challenges in the global PVC cable industry for example have led  Benvic to help its legacy customers substitute new halogen-free polyolefins and TPE compounds – all at effective cost.

Upcoming bans and restrictions on certain polymer additives and fillers -- and developments in the EU REACH legislation – also mean that Benvic gives its customers advance warning of developments and steers them towards legally compliant future solutions and continuing business.

The new generation

Eric Grange points out that 'their know-how in these areas and their market positioning is not simply on behalf of PVC alternatives, but is also about developing new market segments, where custom materials have to be developed for specific needs or process optimization.’

At this point, Benvic know-how then becomes supported by Benvic’s material supply side - production, investment, and compounding capacity.

In PVC, for example, Benvic’s strong and historic capabilities have been recently transformed with the integration of validated post-consumer PVC materials. Investment in a dedicated manufacturing unit for this purpose with up-to-date equipment - especially in sorting operations – is now complete. This means that Benvic now offers a ‘double competence’ as a recycler/re-compounder. This capacity is now essential for companies who seek to lead with new generation materials.

In terms of polypropylene materials, Benvic has taken over a performing unit, sold by Celanese, covering design, testing, and manufacturing in the Ferrara plant. This unit has more than twenty years of successful operating experience and is ideally placed to offer PP-based solutions to diverse markets such as automotive, electrical appliances and others.

Today, Benvic operates as a 500 million euro turnover business - part of a larger ICIG grouping that covers a total of twenty-eight businesses, served by 6800 employees worldwide.

Benvic currently runs a total of 8 production sites in France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the UK, and the USA.  All of these are backed with strong laboratory and testing capabilities for various applications.

Eric Grange sums up by saying that ‘the continuing orientation towards the circular economy is leading global manufacturing to develop new solutions where recycled content and bio-sourced are the main alternatives.’

He adds that "Benvic is updating our compounding recipes constantly – using new ingredients whose composition, and availability vary all the time. Not only must we be innovative in materials design, but also be creative in sourcing, formulation, and eco-value – and all in the service of cost-compliant solutions. I therefore urge all in the industry to visit with us at Fakuma 2024 and join our mission to ‘redesign plastics for good".