DSM Engineering Plastics (India), a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Royal DSM N.V., has commenced operations at its new plant at Ranjangaon near Pune. Built on a 25-acre site, the new facility will manufacture engineering plastic components. An important step towards increasing presence in India, the plant, though delayed due to external reasons, according to Nitin Kothari, managing director of DSM Engineering Plastics (India), would triple capacity for the production of Akulon PA6, Arnite PBT and PET, and Stanyl PA46. Claimed to be the largest compounding facility in the country, the materials produced at the plant will find application in the manufacture of moulded components for automotive, electrical and consumer goods industries. 

Speaking on the eve of the inauguration, Nico Gerardu, member of the managing board at DSM, said, "DSM is holding on to its course and strategy as defined earlier". Stating that 2008 was a record year in the company's 105-year long history, Gerardu said sales in the 4th quarter of 2008 went negative, influenced by the recession that hit the auto, construction and electronics industries. Emphasizing on cash over profitability, Gerardu explained that DSM's 2010 vision was about focusing on life sciences and material sciences - an overlap of the two. 

Drawing attention towards most societal elements looking at answers about coping with issues like climate and energy, health and wellness, and functionality and performance from material sciences, Gerardu remarked: "There is a need for cars that are efficient and have a small carbon footprint. DSM Engineering Plastics could play an important role here." Stressing upon sustainability and innovation as important elements of the DSM strategy, Gerardu said his company's sales growth was driven by new innovations. "We project an innovative sales growth towards Euro 1 billion by 2010." 

In India, DSM has a polymer testing lab and support facility. R&D being an integral part of DSM, according to Nitin Kothari, the Pune plant will have CAE centre for structural design and application development of new parts. While answering a media query, Kothari said the Pune facility would have an automotive development centre in the near future. Auto industry amounts for a significant business share of DSM in India. 

Roelef Westerbeek, president of DSM Engineering Plastics, in his speech, said his company's vision was to be a world leader in engineering plastics. "We are certain that we will be a market leader in India because of our knowledge and understanding of this business. We would be leveraging our global relations to do business in India, and we are already doing that," he expressed. 

Explaining that making cars more eco-friendly, sustainable, light and compact and efficient were driving automakers, Wetserbeek said his company was committed to making halogen-free plastics. Speaking to APF, Westerbeek said, 20 per cent of automotive plastics in the near future would be bio-plastics. At DSM we are developing a portfolio of bio-plastics. In collaboration with a French company, we are making chemical derivatives, free of oil. We take bio-mass and make enzymes, and bio-plastics." 

Recounting that bio-polymers would contribute significantly in the future, Westerbeek stated that DSM is a world leader in enzymes technology. "We could use that capability to make bio-engineering plastics. At the moment, bio-plastics is having a limitation in terms of temperature", he added. "As new developments happen, bio-plastics will be a substantial part of applications." 

Interestingly, among the conventional engineering plastics range of DSM, many of which would be compounded at the Pune plant, polymers like Stanyl PA46 and Diablo possess wear resistant properties and are used in the manufacture of gears, electronic power steering gears, electronic throttle control and transmission gears. DSM Engineering Plastics supplies 20 plastic parts to the Tata Nano via its clients who are also the tier suppliers to the respective platform. These include under-the-bonnet parts, transmission parts and cosmetic parts like door handles. Engineering plastics has found a way into high-temperature under-the-bonnet applications like cylinder head. Other than achieving 25 to 30 per cent reduction in weight, the use of engineering plastics also helped optimise the design, according to Vikas Vij, head of sales and marketing at DSM (India). The other areas where engineering plastics found employment in the Nano is fuel rails and 'primer-less' exterior parts that helped achieve substantial cost savings. In India, DSM's automotive clientele includes Maruti, M&M, Tata Motors, Honda, Toyota and others.