A. Schulman Expands Invision Soft-Touch Thermoplastic Elastomer Product Line
AKRON, Ohio--Nov. 21, 2002--A. Schulman Inc. has expanded its popular Invision(TM) thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) product family to include polymer chemistries encompassing styrenics, ionomers, and other specialty resins, the company announced today.
The product expansion gives customers in the automotive, consumer durables and non-durables, construction, industrial, electrical and electronic markets greater ability to match desired performance attributes to specific applications. Customers also benefit by being able to access a broader range of TPEs from a single-source provider.
"These new Invision(TM) grades provide greater versatility for our existing Invision(TM) customers, and open the door for customers in additional markets to benefit from the outstanding performance characteristics of the Invision(TM) technology," said Jeff McCoy, Business Manager. "For example, customers who require a broader range of durometer (softness) than available from a polyolefin-based TPE can choose a styrenic TPE, while those whose designs demand higher scratch and abrasion resistance can select an ionomer TPE."
The Invision(TM) line now includes the VX 5000 series (polyolefin), HX 7000 series (styrenic) and FX 9000 series (ionomer/specialty). The company plans to commercialize the grades for injection molding, extrusion and blow molding applications. All Invision(TM) products can be designed for compatibility with A. Schulman rigid plastics compounds.
Invision(TM) addresses market demand for compounds that are soft and supple in texture but do not sacrifice scratch resistance, weatherability, colorability, moisture resistance and other critical performance characteristics. Specialty TPEs for applications requiring bonding to engineering thermoplastics, high continuous-use heat resistance, and flame retardant characteristics are under development.
A. Schulman technical specialists possess a comprehensive knowledge of soft-touch applications, including part performance requirements, molding operations, tooling design and systems. They use this knowledge to shorten the customer's learning curve - and critical time-to-market - by helping customers seamlessly integrate the new compounds into their design and manufacturing operations.
ABOUT A. SCHULMAN
A. Schulman is a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins, which are used as raw materials in a variety of markets. The Company's principal product lines consist of proprietary and custom-formulated engineered plastic compounds, color concentrates and additives that improve the appearance and performance of plastics in a number of specialized applications.
A. Schulman has technology centers in North America and Europe devoted to new product development and color research. The Company's manufacturing facilities have their own product testing and quality control laboratories to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products to A. Schulman's global customer base.
Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, A. Schulman employs approximately 2,300 employees And has 13 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, Mexico and the Asia-Pacific region. A. Schulman stock is quoted through the Nasdaq National Market System (Symbol: SHLM).
Revenues for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2002, were $967 billion. Additional information about A. Schulman can be found on the World Wide Web at www.aschulman.com.