Exhibitor interview: Clariant
In this next interview we have Gabe Ashley, Strategic Marketing Manager from Clariant.
Clariant Additives is a leading global manufacturer of Additives for the Plastics Industry including Flame Retardants, Waxes, and Performance Stabilizers. They service customers in every region of the world.
What do you think sets your company apart from your competitors?
I joined Clariant this past summer, and what drew me here first was the portfolio of high-performance specialty additives. I now work with sales and technical teams and see they are extremely knowledgeable about the markets and customers they serve. I have seen these teams act quickly to help customers with urgent supply issues when other suppliers could not. With a focus on strategic marketing, we can further support and understand our customers’ markets and the pressures they face and can continue offering the best solutions.
Are there any new technology developments that your company is working on at the moment?
Clariant continues expanding the AddWorks portfolio of state-of-the-art additive combinations that target specific needs in various industries. A recent addition, AddWorks PKG 906 acts as a protective shield for polyolefin films, enabling the incorporation of higher rates of recycled content and enhancing the quality of the final film.
The Licocare RBW waxes are sourced from non-food competing, renewable resources. Combining these sustainability benefits with higher performance than conventional montan waxes, the RBWs are an ideal choice for any engineering plastics conversion process. FDA approvals are expected soon and will allow these waxes to be used in various packaging applications.
What are the biggest challenges facing the industry today and how can this be overcome?
The complexity of sustainability. The term is defined in a multitude of ways across value chains and applications.
No single approach exists today that is sufficient to meet vast industry needs, so we must explore multiple routes. Building circular economies, exploring substitutions for more eco-conscious materials, and increasing the durability and lifecycle of traditional plastics are complex challenges that cannot be solved in isolation. Collaboration across the value chain is key to developing practical solutions that can be implemented from polymer producers to Brands and consumers, all the way to the end of life of the material.
How do you see the sector developing in the next five to ten years?
New markets: I expect to see the continued growth of high-tech markets like E-mobility. We already see the industry move towards an application/market-focused approach, so I expect to see raw material suppliers continuing to engage with downstream players in these new markets to understand their innovative processes and unique needs. Moving into supplying innovative markets will require us to learn from the customer rather than past knowledge.
What are you most looking forward to at this years’ show?
I was born and raised in Cleveland, so I am always happy to come back to my hometown. Go, Guardians!
At the Expo, I look forward to learning more about plastics and the ways the industry is shifting with market drivers like sustainability. Meeting users and processors of Clariant products will be incredibly valuable for accelerating my education and deepening my understanding of the plastics industry.
Clariant will be exhibiting at the Compounding World Expo 2022.