Evonik begun producing extruded PLEXIGLAS® sheets last month, a joint venture with Ampaglas Plastics Group at Elandsfontein, Johannesburg.
Last year May, Evonik entered into a joint venture with the South African plastics processor Ampaglas Plastics Group, and the partnership has further expanded the distribution network under the name Evonik Acrylics Africa (EAA).
Holger Morhart, Business Director of EAA said, ‘Over the past years we have continuously expanded the visibility of the PLEXIGLAS® brand in Southern Africa with the aim of becoming the market leader in this region. Producing locally means we are more flexible and can respond more quickly to customer requests and offer them more competitive products and better service. In doing so, we hope to further strengthen our good market position in this attractive growth region.’
The major market segments are construction, architecture, signage, lighting technologies, furniture, shopfitting and exhibition stand construction. PLEXIGLAS is well suited to intense solar radiation in the region: UV radiation causes plastic to become yellow and brittle, PLEXIGLAS is protected from this and enables a high degree of light transmission.
EAA has an initial number of 20 employees and a new extrusion facility, the company is set to produce several thousand metric tons of semi-finished colourless PLEXIGLAS that will remain free from yellowing for up to 30 years; for coloured products, colour fastness will remain for up to ten years. The material can be processed in all conventional thermoplastic processes and is 100 percent recyclable.
