Polykemi Swiftly Responds with Material Delivery to Manufacturer of Respirators

Sweden’s specialty compounder Polykemi AB (U.S. office in Evansville, Ind.) received an urgent call on the afternoon of Friday, March 20 from a customer in Switzerland, that required swifter than usual action directly related to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Swiss processor of medical equipment was in urgent need for a PP-based material used in respirators, for which demand has skyrocketed globally.

Within minutes after the customer’s plead, both Polykemi’s production and transport departments were informed. After a few working hours, the order was received and the material was planned for production. A couple of hours later, the material was produced, quality approved and in stock waiting for transport in the fastest possible way directly to the waiting customer. The material was sent from Polykemi Tuesday, March 24 and reached the customer the very next day.

The material Polyfill PPH GF5015HC FA Natural (sold in the U.S. under the Scancomp family of PP-based compounds in North America) is used for the filtration components of respirators. This specific grade consists of high-crystalline PP with coupling agents and 15% glass fiber reinforcement--all with Food Approval, suitable in this kind of medical parts. “We are very pleased that our flexible organization with short decision paths and distinct team spirit has enabled Polykemi to contribute in the fight against the virus,” said sales manager Mattias Persson.

Since 2014, family-owned Polykemi, which had had a strong presence in Europe and Asia with its broad range of thermoplastic compounds, began to offer its products here through a cooperative partnership with compounder Omni Plastics, Evansville, Indiana, which was acquired by Celanese Engineered Materials in 2017. Omni has been manufacturing Polykemi’s compounds based on their original formulations and quality specifications.

The Polykemi portfolio includes nearly every thermoplastic with the exception of PVC. Omni first began with the manufacture of Scancomp PP HC, a family of PP-based compounds that combine high crystallinity with state-of-the-art glass fiber reinforcements and coupling agents which are targeted to replace 30% glass-reinforced nylon 6 and PBT. The company also made from the start, Omni Scancomp PP HBK, a high-gloss, UV-stabilized family of PP compounds which are targeted to replace ABS.