AL L
News and Updates from SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems Issue 3 | November 2020
ROUNDER
Products
Improving the Performance of Plastics
News The Circular Economy – a Circular Mindset
Inside Borealis Innovation Award
IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF PLASTICS
PRODUCTS
SWARCOFORCE glass filler beads serve to optimize the properties of plastics. EDITORIAL Dear readers, It used to be that the big overpowered the small and the fast overtook the slow. But now, cooperators are winning. Collaborative product development has become routine in companies. Globalization, faster development cycles and the increasing number of product features are a motivation to involve more partners in the important business sector of research and development. The growing complexity of products and their development also requires companies to cooperate in this respect in order to meet rising expectations which they can no longer fulfil on their own. In this issue, we will be introducing our Center of Competence to you. In this worldwide network belonging to SWARCO Road Marking Systems, experts specializing in different areas share their know-how to advance innovations. SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems is also working on its own innovation platform for joint product and process development with all stakeholders. We are looking forward to telling you more about this exciting, futureoriented project soon.
Glass filler beads are important filling agents for plastics, and are usually incorporated through compounding. The purpose of using glass beads to reinforce plastics is primarily to optimize and enhance their pressure resistance as well as abrasion and scratch resistance, to reduce warping and shrinking, and to improve their surface appearance. In hybrid combinations of glass-fibre and glass-bead reinforcements, the extra rigidity from the glass fibre comes together with the glass-bead reinforcement, which mitigates the plastic compound’s tendency to warp. Post-Industrial Waste The fact that SWARCOFORCE glass filler beads are able to meet expectations in this respect by using ecologically sustainable raw materials is a valuable and much appreciated asset, as it enables manufacturers to make green products, too. The raw materials used for SWARCOFORCE glass filler beads are subject to EU
guidelines on chemicals and hazardous substances and comply with the REACH regulation and the RoHS directive. The recycled material used for production consists solely of cuttings and scraps from high-quality industrial glass. For an external verification of the quality and environmental focus of its work, SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems uses an ISO 9001 certified quality management system. Particle-Size Distributions Tailored to Clients’ Needs SWARCOFORCE glass filler beads can be used with a very wide variety of surface coatings, which defines the interaction between the glass and the matrix material used. SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems is your competent partner for tailor-made solutions using micro glass beads as filling agents in industrial applications. Many different grain sizes are available, and the production process ensures narrow tolerance ranges. Customized particle-size distributions are possible upon request.
Technical potentials of using glass beads as filling agents for plastics, building materials, paints, varnishes and coatings:
Until then, have a good read! Hybrid combinations of glass beads and glass fibres combine the advantages of both reinforcement materials.
Silanizing the surface of glass beads enhances adhesion to the embedding matrix.
Glass beads increase scratch and abrasion resistance of product surfaces.
Glass beads improve warping and shrinking properties of thermoplastics.
Surface properties, such as product gloss level and haptics, can be influenced and enhanced with glass beads.
In plastics processing, the use of glass beads can reduce sink marks.
Robert Buchinger Business Development SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems
NEWS
The Circular Economy – the Regenerative Use of Resources The idea of a circular economy starts from the realization that we live on a planet with finite resources. This goes hand in hand with the fact that in the foreseeable future, these resources are going to deplete, and will therefore no longer be available. Nature is already giving warning signs in the form of obvious changes. But nature also continues to be our greatest teacher, on the micro and on the macro level.
CENTER OF COMPETENCE
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
The long view: thinking ahead for future generations The Center of Competence is a globally connected department of the SWARCO Road Marking Systems Division. The Center of Competence brings together all Research & Development departments and spearheads close cross-cutting cooperation between Sales, Production and striping companies. Within this worldwide network, experts specializing in different areas contribute their know-how and work together to leverage trends and further develop SWARCO Road Marking Systems’ innovations. The network acts as an interface pooling the power of innovation of our staff and external partners in various areas. As a global network, it makes an essential contribution to the company’s success and helps SWARCO Road Marking Systems further strengthen and expand its technological leadership.
At the Center of Competence, in addition to the scientific aspect, SWARCO Road Marking Systems’ traditional, yet future-oriented mindset shows prominently. Traditionally, the Division’s approach has been not to think only in the short term but to always have future generations in mind. In combination with highly efficient production processes, SWARCO Road Marking Systems’ glass beads have the smallest ecological footprint in the industry today. The Center of Competence also plays an important role in the new business segment SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems. Here, the focus is on catering to industry perfectly by utilizing high-grade glass beads as blasting media for cleaning, as filling agents for plastics or additives for building materials, paints and varnishes.
Globally connected knowledge exchange among all R & D departments
Nothing that dies in nature is nonrecyclable waste. It disintegrates, its materials go back into the ground or feed other living beings. In this way, it remains part of the larger whole. This may seem self-evident, but in view of the predominantly short-term economic decision-making worldwide, perhaps it is not. To bring about change, governments and economic players must make very significant efforts and usher in a new paradigm, which has to be innovative, connected to nature, and, most of all, socially responsible. A Circular Mindset Instead of producing flat glass by melting primary raw materials, SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems sources high-grade recycled glass from the flat glass industry, which uses 50% less energy. The recycled material used consists solely of cuttings and scraps from high-quality industrial glass (postindustrial waste). SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems has the necessary know-how to produce high-grade glass beads from these recycled products. Also, the origin and trajectory of the glass can be traced. To avoid transporting the raw materials over large distances, they are purchased in the region near the different production facilities.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
INTERNATIONAL
EMPLOYEES TAKE CENTER STAGE OUR MISSION
Markus Madner is in charge of the Middle East, Asia and Africa markets at SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems.
We leverage the universal benefits of glass beads for your special industry applications, in energy-efficient ways. OUR VISION
Industrial glass beads by SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems – the world’s preferred choice in all niches OUR VALUES
Efficieny, Diversity, Intelligence OUR MOTTO
Universal Efficiency
What do you do in your free time? I am a passionate motorbike rider and love to travel. What I enjoy the most is spending my free time in nature – going hiking, swimming or skiing. What motivates you? The fun I have doing this work, my passion for sales, and of course, success. My motto is: if you really enjoy doing something, then you’ll do it really well, too! (laughs) Markus Madner Sales Director Middle East, Asia & Africa SWARCO Advance
Markus, what is your background? After attending the HTL für Elektrotechnik, a technical college for electrical engineering, I also completed a commercial trainee programme as a shipping agent at Hapag Lloyd, one of the largest shipping and container transport companies in the world. Can you sum up your career so far? After starting my career in logistics, I worked in purchasing for several years. That was when I discovered my passion for sales, which is what I have now been doing for 17 years in different industrial companies – including in my previous position as a Key Account Manager in the automotive industry. In 2018, I was brought in to reinforce SWARCO’s sales team. Here, I am in charge of sales for the entire product range of the SWARCO Road Marking Systems Division and the SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems business segment in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
What kind of challenges have you been tackling? I like building things and seeing them evolve. Starting with developing or expanding different sales regions, setting up new business segments, or building every single client relation in the highly different cultural environments of Asia. These are exactly the professional challenges I face and enjoy tackling in my job here at SWARCO. What is the current state of things in your work? In my first two years at SWARCO, we already managed to double our turnover in the Middle East/Asia region, and we now deliver to almost every country in the region. I’m really proud of that! What are your future career plans? In my next steps, I’m planning to continue expanding the existing markets in those regions. There are still many opportunities in this respect. SWARCO is synonymous with high-quality products with excellent performance. That is what we have to bring to our clients. INSIDE
BOREALIS INNOVATION AWARD Using biopolymers in road marking systems
SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems ais@swarco.com www.swarco.com/ais
IMPRINT: Responsible for content: SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems, Industriestraße 10, 3300 Amstetten, Austria, www.swarco.com/ais Idea, design and artwork: Kommhaus, www.kommhaus.com Photos: SWARCO Advanced Industry Systems, SWARCO Road Marking Systems, www.shutterstock.com/marre, Marnikus | English translation: Irina Pálffy-Daun-Seiler | Printed by www.druck.at Subject to change without notice. No liability for errors or misprints. | We are deeply committed to gender equality. For the sake of brevity, only one gender may be used on occasion. However, this does not imply any discrimination against the other gender. If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, please send an e-mail to ais@swarco.com.
SWARCO Road Marking Systems always strives to develop and advance green and sustainable solutions for road markings. A collaborative product development project between the TGM Kunststofftechnik, a technical college for plastics engineering, and M. Swarovski GmbH has now been awarded the Borealis Innovation Award. The product development project, which was carried out at the TGM Kunststofftechnik’s
Follow. Like. Share.
laboratory as part of a student’s thesis, proved that significant amounts of the standard resin used in thermoplastic road markings can be replaced with biopolymers. These markings can be applied using conventional application techniques and machines as their flow properties can be maintained. The use of biodegradable polymers in thermoplastic road markings could make a significant contribution to further reducing environmental pollution.