Speaker interview: Dr. An Du, PMC Polymer Products
Head of this year's Compounding World Expo North America, we caught up with speaker Dr. An Du, Product Development Manager at PMC Polymer Products.
Dr. An Du is the Product Development Manager at PMC Polymer Products. PMC Polymer Products focuses on making flame retardant masterbatch and compound products for different markets and applications. In addition, the organization also make other types of masterbatch and compound products, such as anti-static, anti-blocking/slip as well custom materials. Dr. Du oversees the R&D and QC lab, focusing on both new product development and technical service.
For the flame retardant market, PMC Polymer Products provides solutions by both halogenated and non-halogenated materials based on the specific market and customer requirements. It also partners with key customers and suppliers for new developments.
What are the biggest challenges facing the market today and how can this be overcome?
The biggest challenge we are facing today is the lack of material source. All raw materials are hard to get with long lead time and high cost. In order to overcome that, we have to be very flexible and work with as many suppliers as possible. We should qualify more than one source for each key raw material and have a back up plan for all key products.
In your opinion, what do you consider to be the greatest development in your industry in the last decade?
In the flame retardant market, the last decade saw a big increase in non-halogenated development trend, especially in Europe and Asia. The trend is not very clear in the US yet. However, I believe all key players in this market are preparing by focusing on both halogenated and non-halogenated materials. In some cases, a single solution is not easy to achieve by going one direction. We have to be flexible, depending on the situation.
How do you see the sector developing in the next five to ten years?
The supply chain will probably need some time to stabilize and get back to normal. However, new development will still come along. I think custom-made products will be one of the key things. More companies will be more flexible than before and can tweak their products based on what the customers need.
You will be speaking at AMI’s plastics industry expos in Cleveland in November, could you give us a preview on what you will be talking about?
I will be talking about a polypropylene compound product line that we recently developed with great flame retardancy, meeting UL-94 V-0 and PHRR of less than 150 kW/m2 requirements using non-halogenated flame retardant and having an improved flowability for injection molding application.
Dr. An Du will be speaking at the Compounding World Expo conference in Cleveland.
Please note, the views expressed in this interview are those of Dr. An Du and do not represent the point of view of PMC Group and PMC Polymer Products as a whole in this market.