RadiciGroup at NPE: innovation, sustainability and ecodesign to grow in North America

For RadiciGroup the NPE trade fair (Orlando, Florida, 6-10 May) is an important platform for strengthening and expanding the collaborations in the polymeric material value chain in North America, focusing on innovative and sustainable proposals that cater in particular for the automotive sector, but also increasingly for electrics/electronics, appliances and power tools.

With an established industrial presence in the United States and in Mexico, RadiciGroup is a key player in the North American automotive market, from which the largest share of its sales in the United States and Mexico derives. RadiciGroup is one of the few integrated producers in the polyamide supply chain, with a proprietary site not only in Wadsworth (USA) but also in Ocotlàn (Mexico): in the last few years, the sales network, marketing team, technical and quality support of both facilities were strengthened with the goal of enhancing not only the product offering but also the efficiency of the customer services, with fast and prompt response times.

In addition, thanks to its global expertise in the automotive sector and in the development of high-performance materials suitable for the most extreme situations, RadiciGroup is expanding its range of solutions for key and expanding markets such as electronics, household appliances and power tools where the requirements for chemical, mechanical and functional properties are very stringent.

"The year 2024", stressed Edi Degasperi, North America Country manager of RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers, "opened very positively in the USA, and we are also starting up some large projects that will allow us to continue the year with satisfaction. In Mexico, the start-up was a little slower than expected but, thanks to the work of the past few years, several projects will kick off soon and we therefore expect a significant recovery in volumes in the second half of the year, subject to some uncertainties related to sustained inflation and a presidential election year that could change the mood of the market. However, we are confident, also given our continued commitment to researching and proposing solutions that maximise our technical and environmental performances".

The decision to purchase electricity from renewable sources, through the Renewable Energy Certificates system, at the Wadsworth site from 2024 onwards (as was done at the Italian, German and Brazilian plants), goes precisely in the direction of environmental sustainability. This is an important step towards the reduction of Scope 2 emissions from the American site, with positive impacts also on the Global Warming Potential of the materials produced at the site.

In addition, the group can boast a long tradition in the production of products with a reduced environmental impact, not only bio-based materials with even better technical performance in certain applications, but also the Renycle range which includes numerous grades of engineering polymers made from pre- and post-consumer polyamide recovery without compromising quality, reliability, traceability and safety.

"As an integral part of our approach to sustainability", added Degasperi, "we promote the concept of eco-design among our customers and help them to put it into practice: this implies taking environmental aspects into account from the earliest stages of the product development process, in order to support a circular economy model. Thanks to our Engineering Service, we are able to predict the behaviour of the manufactured products already in the very early stages of their development, so as to optimise their design and environmental performance, also taking into account their end-of-life."

The electrification of the car is also a topical issue in North America where significant investments are being made in the production of batteries and all components related to electric vehicles.

"It is our intention to participate in these projects in order to drive change and to make available products that have been developed and tested specifically for e-mobility applications: I am referring, for example to the development of a range of orange-coloured products for the production of components suitable for high electrical voltages, to UL-certified flame-retardant materials for components in battery systems, electric motors and power electronics, or to metal replacement solutions for lightening the car and thus reducing consumption and increasing driving range”, Degasperi concluded.