RadiciGroup Specialty Chemicals and RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers, strongly vertically integrated in the polyamide supply chain, will showcase their latest high-tech solutions developed for various sectors at Fakuma 2023 in Germany.

The products include materials for e-mobility, for the electrical/electronic sector, for the solar industry, and for the white goods sector (i.e. household appliances).

Considering the significance of the Automotive industry in Germany, the Group selected Fakuma as the platform to introduce RadiciGroup AutoInsight. This new, intuitive and efficient tool offers a comprehensive 3D map, clearly illustrating the main applications of RadiciGroup’s engineering polymers, yarns, fibres, and nonwovens targeted at the automotive sector, placing particular focus on their use in e-mobility applications.

“We are increasingly focused on high-tech applications,” says Erico Spini, Global Marketing Director of RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers.

“In the electrical sector, the Radiflam A FRX product range has grown to include excellent versions for laser marking, without compromising on the other properties that make these product families particularly suitable for applications such as terminal blocks. For electric vehicles, we are introducing a hydrolysis-resistant material, based on PA6 and reinforced with 35% glass fibre. This material is suitable for prolonged contact with coolants up to 90°C. We have also developed additional flame-retardant products, which are perfect for use in the domestic appliance sector. These are grades with a high GWIT (robust glow wire family) on both base PA6 and PA66. Significant enhancements have been implemented here compared to previous products, without compromising on ‘processability’.”

A number of applications for three rapidly developing sectors will also be showcased at the exhibition.

Furthermore, the Group is consistently working to increase the availability of pre- and post-consumer recycled engineering polymers, as well as those derived from renewable sources. In collaboration with our customers, we are exploring solutions to enhance both technical and environmental performance. This is made possible with the assistance of our Engineering Service, which blends the expertise and experience of RadiciGroup specialists with the most sophisticated computer simulation systems. The goal is to drive the success of innovative projects, such as those involving metal replacement.

“We have always adopted a proactive, solutions-provider approach towards our customers,” reiterates Cesare Clausi, Global Sales Director of RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers. “Our products are utilised across a range of markets, each with its own unique characteristics and demands. However, if we wish to pinpoint a shared characteristic, it would undoubtedly be sustainability. In this context, particularly in Europe where there was an economic slowdown in 2023, it is vital to intensify efforts to address the requirements of the energy transition. And it is equally important to set ourselves binding targets to reduce environmental impact. Measuring emissions and especially setting decarbonisation targets are prerequisites for becoming significant partners of large companies.

“In terms of our global strategy,” Clausi continues, “beyond Europe, which remains our most significant region, our long-term approach of bolstering our production presence in Asia and America has proven beneficial. The recent inauguration of our new plant in Halol, India, which is already operating at full capacity, is a testament to this. This strategy has provided us with the opportunity to capitalise on the resurgence of demand in the most responsive markets in the short term.”

Clausi concludes: “This allows us to be cautiously optimistic about the anticipated growth prospects for next year. Above all, it instils in us a sense of confidence as we look forward to the long-term effects that the consolidation of our global footprint will bring, particularly in terms of partnerships with our customers.”