Growing demand in Europe, and mainly among the automotive OMEs, has prompted the latest round of growth in Turkish compounder Epsan Plastik San. Tic AS.
The Bursa, Turkey-based company completed the €120,000 investment in the first quarter of this year, to increase its offerings of polyamide 6 and 6.6 compounds to Europe, South East Asia and North America.
With the expansion, Epsan's recycled materials' capacity has reached 5,500 tonnes, or 15% of its total production capacity.
According to the Turkish compounder the investment was made to upgrade the existing line at its Gemlik plant, in west Turkey.
With the addition of the equipment, the line has been upgraded into “one step process of fibre waste into compound as well as to keep compounding prime EP.”
In response to a PNE query, the Turkish compounder said "growth of demand in Europe in general, and mostly automotive OEMs' interest in more recycled products with good stable quality," was the reason behind the expansion.
“We have been listed with our Eplon (eco-friendly grade) to a major French automotive OEM with these grades,” the Turkish compounder confirmed to PNE.
In a statement on 25 May, Epsan technical production manager Ercan Ubay said his company could see a trend within the automotive industry towards eco-friendly solutions for some of the demanding applications such as fans and shrouds and manifolds.
Epsan believes that with its current ‘one step processing', its Eplon compounds are able to reach to higher mechanical properties and have a better cost position.
“With one step processing the post industrial nylon goes trough heat melting process only once instead of the double heat step process which is considered an old technology in the industry,” added Ubay.
Epsan is an independent compounder which specialises in the production of high performance polyamide compounds with 2 plants in Bursa, Turkey.