1. business and industrial
2. chemicals industry
3. plastics and polymers

NEWSLINER
THE CUSTOMER MAGAZINE OF SEKISUI
URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS COMPANY
A PERFECT
COMBINATION
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC
formed from two U.S. companies
SOMETIMES
LESS IS MORE
KYDEX® T-LW
NEW FORM
OF RAILS
FFU sleepers support train tracks
worldwide
APRIL 2015
EDITORIAL
CONTENTS
Exhibitions 2015­
CONTENTS
2
3
CONTENT OVERVIEW
10
If you wish to learn more about our
SEKISUI UIEP products, we will be
exhibiting at a number of trade fairs:
APAC REPORT
New sales company SEKISUI
Vietnam Pipe Solutions
EDITORIAL
by Ronn Cort
12
4
NEWS
Customers and material supplier
intensify cooperation
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC
formed from two U.S. companies
14
5
6
TRAVEL REPORT
EVENTS
Visit Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Collaboration: For the love of art and
science
16
PRODUCT FEATURE
US REPORT
FFU sleepers support train tracks
worldwide
KYDEX® T-LW
Copolymer technology and
ALEXTRA®
8
DESIGNLAB
18
CSR
SEKISUI Environment Week 2014
EUROPE REPORT
• Aircraft Interiors
International EXPO ­
Hamburg, Germany, 14 - 16 April
• APTA’s 2015 Bus Conference
Fort Worth, TX, USA, 3 - 6 May
• AWWA ACE15 ­
Anaheim, CA, USA, 7 - 10 June
• MD&M East
New York, USA, 9 - 11 June
• APTA’s 2015 Rail Conference
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
21 - 24 June
• Sewage Works Exhibition Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan, 28 - 31 July
• International No-Dig
Istanbul, Turkey
28 - 30 September
• Railway Interiors EXPO Prague, Czech Republic
4 - 5 November
Sewer rehabilitation in Budapest
NEWS
US REPORT
PRODUCT FEATURE
Page 4
Page 6
Page 16
A PERFECT
COMBINATION
SOMETIMES LESS
IS MORE
NEW FORM OF RAILS
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC
formed from two U.S. companies
KYDEX®
T-LW for commercial
aviation interiors
FFU sleepers support train
tracks worldwide
PUBLICATION DETAILS
Cover:
KYDEX®
Thermoplastics being
manufactured in
Bloomsburg, PA, USA
2
NEWSLINER
SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., Ltd.
Urban Infrastructure & Environmental
Products Company
Marketing Group
3-17, Toranomon 2-chome, Minato-ku
Tokyo, 105-8450 Japan
Tel. +81 3 5521 0741
E-Mail: [email protected]
Layout and typesetting:
Nowak & Schweickhardt GmbH
Ringseisstr. 8,
80337 Munich, Germany
THE BUSINESS IN PLASTICS
SEKISUI Chemical Co., Ltd. was established in 1947 as a pioneer of plastic
technology. Ever since then, it has been
contributing to society by replacing products made from materials like metal,
concrete and wood with those made of
plastic. At present, its business is organized into three categories: Housing,
High Performance Plastic Products and
Urban Infrastructure & Environmental
Products (UIEP).
Ronn Cort
COO and President
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC
The Housing business has a unique
position in the fabricated housing industry. It conducts business based on the
principle of providing environmentally
friendly housing for safe and comfortable living for at least 60 years. This
principle extends from manufacturing to
conserving household energy. For example, houses are fabricated in-factory
instead of onsite to minimize material
waste and damage to the environment.
And, more than 80% of the houses we
sell contain solar power generators that
reduce energy use and cost.
High Performance Plastics focuses on
providing high performance and intermediate materials for a wide variety of
industries such as electronics and automobiles through utilizing fine particle,
adhesion and precise synthesis technologies.
Urban Infrastructure & Environmental
Products chiefly serves municipal infrastructure by supplying construction materials and pipes for water supply and
drainage. Its overseas business (outside
of Japan) also includes pipeline renewal
and plastic sheets for applications such
as high performance plastic molds.
Our first operation outside of Japan was
initiated in 1962 when we established
the SEKISUI New York Corporation.
In the following year, we established
SEKISUI Plastics Corporation to manufacture expanded polystyrene paper.
This was the first Japanese manufacturer to establish operations in North
America – prior to Toyota or Honda and
before Sony came to the U.S.
During our accomplished history, our
product line has changed and expanded.
One of our main businesses in North
America is the plastic sheet business.
In order to increase its competitiveness,
we combined the former businesses
KYDEX, LLC and Allen Extruders, LLC
to create a new company, SEKISUI
Polymer Innovations, LLC (SPI). In this
issue, NEWSLINER focuses on this
unique plastics business. As a proud
member of the UIEP division of SEKISUI
Chemical, SPI continues its commitment
to its environmental and global responsibilities by manufacturing products that
are safer, cleaner, more sustainable,
and recyclable. With the position and
disposition of all our companies, UIEP
embraces our commitment to improving people’s lives and the environment
around the world while maintaining
sustainable growth as a company.
Ronn Cort
COO & President
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC
NEWSLINER
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NEWS
EVENTS
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC formed from two U.S. companies
A PERFECT COMBINATION
On September 16, 2014 KYDEX, LLC and ALLEN Extruders, LLC officially combined to become ­
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC.
The creation of this new global business
is part of SEKISUI Chemical Company’s
long-term strategy to strengthen
current investment in the plastics
manufacturing and thermoforming
industry. SEKISUI Polymer Innovations
(SPI) is headquartered in Bloomsburg,
Pennsylvania, USA with a second
location in Holland, Michigan, USA.
SPI’s 300 employees serve customers
based in 34 countries across a diverse
spectrum of major industries including
aviation, transportation, agriculture
and heavy equipment, and industrial
equipment housings, among others. Our
cutting-edge, proprietary thermoplastic
sheet products are known by specifiers,
designers, fabricators, and original
equipment manufacturers for use in
diverse applications such as aircraft
passenger seatbacks and tray tables,
MRI machines, commuter rail window
shrouds, retail point-of-sale fixtures,
and metro bus rocker panels. SPI’s products are available in a wide range of
standard and custom colours, textures,
finishes, sheet sizes, and grades and
meet strict regulatory requirements like
flame spread and toxicity. Unlike glassreinforced plastics or high-temperature
thermoplastics, SEKISUI SPI products
can be recycled back into the industrial
recycling stream.
NEWSLINER
Collaboration between SEKISUI companies, local educators, and artists bring
science, technology, and ancient Japanese Noh theatre to rural Pennsylvania
On Saturday, August 2, 2014, SEKISUI
Polymer Innovations (SPI), SEKISUI
America Corporation (SAC), SEKISUI
Chemical Company and Bloomsburg
Theatre Ensemble collaborated to offer
free science workshops during Science
and Technology: For Real! for 4th
and 5th grade students in four school
districts surrounding Bloomsburg,
Pennsylvania, headquarters for SPI.
Chemists and engineers from SPI and
SAC taught hands-on experiments featuring the science behind products that
improve our lives and keep us safe.
Ronn Cort, COO and President SEKISUI Polymer
Innovations, LLC, at the foundation ceremony of the
newly formed SPI company.
KYDEX® thermoplastics are extremely durable thermoplastic alloy extruded sheet products (PVC/PMMA and
PC-based) with integral color and
ALLEN® thermoplastics product
lines include ABS, ABS-PC, TPO, and
Alextra® – a high-gloss, exceptionally
durable sheet that raises the industry
standard for aesthetics and extreme
weather resistance.
The complimentary products of the former two companies allow for bundling
solutions for customers. For example,
ALLEN® thermoplastics are non-PVC,
smooth for exterior applications (such
as tractor hoods) with high gloss, while
KYDEX® thermoplastics are mostly PVC,
textured products for interior applications (such as an aircraft passenger
seat armrest) , available with low gloss.
Sales teams from both product lines
and 100 professionals from the thermoforming industry gathered at a reception as COO and President, Ronn Cort
announced the new company name to
the world at the US Society of Plastics
Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming conference in Chicago, Illinois.
“By bringing KYDEX and ALLEN together under the new business brand
of SPI, we are setting a new standard
of excellence for the plastics industry
to think, design, and create,” said Ronn
Cort. “The combined research and development capabilities and products of
the many SEKISUI companies will continue to result in better solutions for our
customers.”
“By bringing KYDEX and ALLEN together under the new business brand of SPI,
we are setting a new standard of excellence for the plastics industry to think,
design, and create.”
­­­­­4
FOR THE LOVE OF ART AND SCIENCE
“This event was in recognition of
Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble’s Noh
Training Project 20th Anniversary
Celebration,” Elizabeth Dowd, Producing
Director of Noh Training Project and
Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble member
explains, “SPI and SAC have long been
supporters of the Noh Training Project
and this day was a terrific opportunity
to celebrate science as part of everyday
life.” Ronn Cort, COO and President
of SPI adds, “Sponsoring these events
aligns with our dedication as Japanese/
American manufacturing companies to
playing significant roles in our communities as employers and supporters of
Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM) education, art and
culture.”
The science class was held at the
Bloomsburg High School and included
four sessions highlighting products
manufactured by SEKISUI Chemical,
including S-LEC™ automotive film,
KYDEX® thermoplastic sheet, POVAL
soluble PVC and Calmmoon™ sound
dampening sheet. Over 30 students
learned about the science and technology of the products, what traits are
needed to become a scientist, and how
plastics contribute to our safety every day.
Students learn about thermoforming from Jym
Kauffman, SPI Applications Engineer, during
Science and Technology: For Real!
That night, Noh Training project presented a free performance of the Noh
play Hagoromo featuring projected
English subtitles, unusual instruments,
and magnificent costumes. The event
offered a unique experience in the
United States for area residents to
experience one of the oldest theatrical
forms in the world seldom seen outside
of Japan.
Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE)
is a non-profit, professional theater
founded in 1978 and located in the
heart of downtown Bloomsburg, which
sponsors the Noh Training Project. The
Noh Training Project (NTP) is a summer
three-week intensive, performancebased training program in the dance,
chant, music, and performance history
of Japanese classical noh drama. NTP
offers the most intensive and extensive
noh training available in the United
States and attracts students from all
over the world.
Tom Kapelewski , EHS Manager, SPI
demonstrates S-LEC™ safety film.
A student with Poval, water-soluable PVC
in the “Bouncy Bubble” experiment.
What students learned
• How S-LEC™ automotive film, a plastic layer laminated between two layers of glass in windshields, protects
passengers by preventing the glass from shattering.
• The properties of thermoplastics from watching their custom-designed KYDEX® thermoplastic samples transform from flat sheet to formed parts on mini thermoforming machines.
• How POVAL makes products such as film and packaging stronger while being biodegradable, when blowing ‘bouncy’
bubbles containing POVAL water soluble solution.
• The science of sound and how Calmmoon™ dampens sound in homes, railcars, and ships by suppressing vibration energy.
NEWSLINER
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US REPORT
US REPORT
Thermoplastic sheets for extreme environments
COPOLYMER TECHNOLOGY AND ALEXTRA®
ALEXTRA® is a high-gloss, co-extruded, exceptionally durable line of thermoplastic sheet products that since
2006 has raised the thermoplastic industry standards in regards to aesthetics and durability for extreme
weather conditions. These products offer equipment manufacturers in transportation, agriculture, personal
recreation, and marine industries a material solution to achieve a Class A surface appearance without compromising long-term performance.
These polycarbonate-based products
use copolymer resin technology to produce sheet products that have unrivalled
depth of image, robust weathering, high
regrind compatibility, excellent toughness, strong chemical resistance, high
heat resistance, and are easily thermoformed.
KYDEX® T-LW formed part.
Modified KYDEX® T-LW
SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE
In product development sometimes what you can’t see can make all the difference,
particularly in materials manufactured for commercial aviation interiors.
Lightweight requirements and materials are a focus for
commercial airlines as they continue to reduce fuel costs.
This year, SEKISUI Polymer Innovations released KYDEX®
T-LW, a second generation of KYDEX® T, a fire-rated PVC/
PMMA alloy thermoplastic sheet. Although the product looks
and maintains flammability compliance like the first
generation KYDEX® T, it features 10% weight savings as
compared to the original KYDEX® T; a significant gain
considering all the parts in which it can be used in commercial aviation interiors, including tray tables, trim, armrests,
and accent pieces.
KYDEX®
The weight savings in
T-LW comes from using a
proprietary additive, “Advancell Em,” a SEKISUI Chemical
Company technology used in multiple industries and
­­­­­6
NEWSLINER
applications. While many weight-reducing additives can
be negatively affected during production by atmospheric
conditions including climate and altitude, Advancell Em
utilizes chemistry that is climate independent, which keeps
the product performance consistent between production
runs, providing security and consistency of material performance in a finished component.
Fittingly, the release of KYDEX®T-LW coincided with the
formation of the new company SEKISUI Polymer Innovations,
which combined KYDEX, LLC and ALLEN Extruders, LLC.
A significant part of the development of KYDEX® T-LW was
possible because of collaboration with the research and
development center at SEKISUI Chemical in Kyoto, Japan,
the team responsible for creating Advancell Em.
ALEXTRA® meets the demanding performance requirements of extreme
environments in a diverse range of
applications including exterior components in heavy trucks; commercial
buses; agriculture equipment such
as tractors and crop sprayers; and
heavy equipment such as lift booms.
ALEXTRA® is available in two grades,
ALEXTRA®-MV (most versatile) and
ALEXTRA®-ET (extreme temperature)
in a wide range of high-chroma solid
colors and can be matched to painted
components.
Mike Ringquist, Sales Manager for
ALLEN® Thermoplastics, explains the
product’s benefits don’t stop there,
“ALEXTRA®’s combined characteristics
produce a unique balance of aesthetics
and performance, which can enable
customers to decrease costs and offer a
more environmentally friendly alternative to painted, in-mold coated, or gelcoated material systems.”
When multiple plastics are combined,
the result can yield properties distinct from those of a single material.
For instance, the capping used on
ALEXTRA® provides attributes such as
outstanding weatherability by blocking
UV wave lengths and improved chemical
and scratch resistance over polycarbonate. The substrate layers contribute to
outstanding ductility and lightness.
Ringquist elaborates, “Our team collaborates with customers to design the
right sheet composition for their programs. ALEXTRA® continues to be in
high demand in the markets we serve.
Its popularity is a result of its outstanding characteristics, which are only
outshined by its versatility.”
Snorkel lift
boom made with
ALEXTRA® ET.
What is co-extrusion?
Co-extrusion is a process where two
or more materials flow through the
same extrusion die to produce a single
sheet. Multiple layers of polymers that
are co-extruded produce products for
demanding applications where unique
properties, strength, weight, or cost are
paramount.
Agricultural Equipment Hood made
from ALEXTRA® Gold Winner for
heavy-gauge vacuum part at the
Society of Plastics Engineers USA
competition, 2012.
NEWSLINER
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EUROPE REPORT
EUROPE REPORT
The frame of the
winding machine is
adapted to the shape
and size of the pipe
to be rehabilitated.
Special shapes with a
diameter of 200-5500
mm can be rehabilitated along an installation length of several hundred meters.
Winding process during ­
controlled live flow
Sewer rehabilitation with the Spiral-Wound technology SPR™
underneath the Pozsonyi Street in Budapest, Hungary.
Sewer rehabilitation with SPR™ technology in Budapest, Hungary
QUALITY PROVES ITS WORTH
With the consistent application of Spiral-Wound technology for circular as well as custom-shaped
profiles along several kilometers and for several years, Budapest has developed into a model city
for Spiral-Wound pipe rehabilitation in Europe.
The bracing positions the SpiralWound pipe liner and prevents
buoyancy during the subsequent
grouting process.
­­­­­8
NEWSLINER
The Spiral-Wound technology from
SEKISUI SPR is already a familiar
rehabilitation solution for the city of
Budapest. Since 2010, approximately
18,861 m lengths of round as well as
custom-shaped profiles have been rehabilitated in Hungary of which 5,869 m
are beneath the Budapest city centre.
With the latest large profile rehabilitation, the Spiral-Wound pipe system
showed its potential again by rehabilitating 565 m of the egg-shaped sewer
with dimensions of 1400 x 2100 mm. The
trenchless rehabilitation was carried out
together with the construction partner
Agriapipe in the north-east of Budapest
in summer of 2014.
The 565 m long sewer section was rehabilitated with the SPR™ Spiral-Wound
method by winding a steel-reinforced
profile strip of PVC-U into a new watertight liner directly within the host pipe.
Once one of the Spiral-Wound pipe
spools was used up, the new profile
strip was joined in a portable butt welding unit.
The winding process was carried out
during controlled live flow in the old
sewer. Heavy rainfall posed a challenge
occasionally as the water level rose to
1 m and the winding process had to be
interrupted briefly. Since the winding
machine always remained stationed in
the old sewer, winding could resume
promptly after the water level had dropped and the pipe was cleaned.
Host pipe condition class type II
Durable corrosion protection ­
of the concrete structure
The combined wastewater sewer,
which has been in operation since 1907,
exhibits material fatigue due to non-stop
operation over the years as well as
cracks and damage from corrosion.
The egg-shaped sewer in need of rehabilitation is located under the very busy
main road, Pozsonyi Street, in the 13th
district of downtown Budapest. For
rehabilitation through standard manholes, only a few meters around the
access needed to be blocked off for the
equipment and the rehabilitation vehicle. There was hardly any hindrance for
traffic above ground even though the
rehabilitation project underground was
rather large and many metres in length.
The statically defined annular space of
50 mm to 80 mm between the SpiralWound liner and the host pipe was
filled with a high-strength grout to
re-establish the static features. Since
the Spiral-Wound pipe liner is not a
temporary aid for installation, but rather
remains a fixed design component of the
rehabilitation solution, it permanently
protects the host pipe and the filled-in
annular space grout against mechanical
abrasion and attack by the combined
wastewater. The smooth and abrasionresistant surface of the SPR™ liner will
improve the hydraulic capacity and compensates for the minimal cross-section
reduction of the host pipe.
With each rotation,
the winding machine
connects the tongues
and grooves of the
SPR™ profile strip to
create a high-peformance, watertight
pipe.
NEWSLINER
­9
APAC REPORT
APAC REPORT
The Vietnamese market
Vietnam is situated at the center of
ASEAN countries and continues to enjoy
strong economic growth. As a result of
its social stability and abundant labor
force, numerous foreign enterprises
including Japanese companies are
establishing operations in Vietnam.
At the same time, however, infrastructure including water and sewer systems
is underdeveloped and considerable
growth in this market is expected.
SEKISUI Chemical decided to establish
SVPS as a local sales company in order
to promote business by improving
understanding of local standards,
controlling systems and acceleration
of decision making.
The opening of SEKISUI's new sales office in Vietnam was
celebrated with its employees and invited guests.
Headquarters of the new Vietnamese sales
company SEKISUI Vietnam Pipe Solutions.
Characteristics of Vietnam
New sales company SEKISUI Vietnam Pipe Solutions Co., Ltd.
WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS FOR ASIA
SEKISUI Chemical strengthens its presence in the Asian water infrastructure market with the new
sales company SEKISUI VIETNAM PIPE SOLUTIONS Co., Ltd. (SVPS).
The new sales company SVPS focusing
on the water infrastructure industry was
established in Vietnam in December
2014. The affiliate headquartered
in Hanoi, Vietnam, is responsible
for the marketing of the water and
sewer system products of SEKISUI’s
Urban Infrastructure & Environmental
Products Company in Vietnam as well
as the Asian countries. With a comprehensive sales and marketing strategy,
SVPS will contribute to increase the
market share of SEKISUI in the area of
water and sewer systems in Asia.
Together with its business partner Tien
Phong Plastic Joint Stock Company
­­­­­10
NEWSLINER
(TifoPlast), SEKISUI has already started
to penetrate into the Vietnamese Market
by taking advanced capabilities of
TifoPlast and by supplying products and
services matched to the needs of the
Vietnamese market in 2013. Tifoplast
is a major plastics manufacturer in
Vietnam with a strong sales network
who is supplying products under the
brand of SEKISUI as OEM including
plastic pipes.
The new SEKISUI sales office in
Vietnam, SVPS, will intensify the business for water and sewer system projects using OEM products manufactured
by TifoPlast and products imported from
the SEKISUI Chemical Group. The products are used in private homes as well
as the public building sector. Plastic
pipes, water chambers, fittings or any
other water and sewer infrastructure
products are promoted not only to
Vietnam but also to other Asian countries. For this purpose, SVPS will collaborate with TifoPlast to conduct sales
in Asian countries. Moreover, SVPS will
also cooperate with local construction
companies and deploy the advanced
pipe construction and quality control
techniques that SEKISUI Chemical established in Japan with the aim of handling comprehensive projects for water
and sewer industries.
The culture of Vietnam is one of the
oldest in Southeast Asia. Due to 1,000
years of Chinese rule, Vietnam was
heavily influenced by Chinese culture
in terms of politics, government,
Confucian social and moral ethics, and
art. Vietnam is considered to be part of
the East Asian cultural sphere.
Following independence from China
in the 10th century, Vietnam began
a southward expansion that saw the
annexation of territories formerly belonging to the Champa civilization (now
Central Vietnam) and parts of the Khmer
empire (modern southern Vietnam),
which resulted in minor regional variances in Vietnam's culture due to exposure to these different groups.
During the French colonial period,
Vietnamese culture absorbed various
influences from the Europeans, including the spread of Catholicism and the
adoption of the Latin
alphabet. Prior to this,
Vietnamese had used
both Chinese characters
and a script called Chu
nôm which was based
on Chinese but included
newly invented characters meant to represent native Vietnamese
words.
In the socialist era, the cultural life of
Vietnam has been deeply influenced
by government-controlled media and
the cultural influences of socialist
programs. For many decades, foreign
cultural influences were shunned
and emphasis placed on appreciating
and sharing the culture of communist
nations such as the Soviet Union, China,
Cuba and others. Since the 1990s,
Vietnam has seen a greater re-exposure
to Asian, European and American culture and media.
Some elements generally considered to
be characteristic of Vietnamese culture
include ancestor veneration, respect for
community and family values, handicrafts and manual labour, and devotion
to study. Important symbols present in
Vietnamese culture include dragons,
turtles, lotuses and bamboo.
NEWSLINER ­11
DESIGNLAB
DESIGNLAB
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC celebrates opening
of FSTLab at its Bloomsburg, PA facility
A Color Technician in the
SPI designLab™ thermoforms a color sample on
a mini thermoforming
machine.
Customers and material supplier intensify cooperation
DESIGNLAB™: SIGNALING THE FUTURE
ROLE OF MATERIAL SUPPLIERS
The success of the designLab™ is more significant than what it has brought to the company and
its customers; it is a forerunner of the changing role of suppliers in the thermoplastics industry,
and in manufacturing in general.
The SEKISUI Polymer Innovations (SPI)
designLab™ at the company’s headquarters in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania,
is a 6,000 square foot design center that
includes a color development laboratory, research and development labs, an
exhibit space, meeting hall, and collaborative working areas. The designLab™
team intentionally immerses itself in the
world of design and color by welcoming
design professionals and project teams
to its home base at the designLab™ and
by visiting customers and design houses
all over the world.
Close collaboration has always been the
core of the company’s brand promise.
As Customer Collaboration Manager
charged with connecting customers with
company tools and resources for their
project’s success, Bernadette Chupela
sees the designLab™ as an extension
of the company’s mission, “The designLab™ is a dedicated space and resource for designers and project teams
to begin, refine, or extend a design.
For years we’ve witnessed good design
coming from a fluid exchange of ideas.
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NEWSLINER
The designLab™ drives innovation in our
products through collaboration among
ourselves and with our customers. Our
process is hands-on and flexible. It
works for businesses of all sizes and
across industries: from major design
firms for aircraft interiors to startups with a nascent product idea.”
MATERIALS TESTED FOR THE FUTURE
The U.S. based manufacturer of design-forward thermoplastics officially opened a state-of-the
art materials testing facility, called FSTLab at its Bloomsburg, PA facility in May, 2014.
The FSTLab is a space where suppliers,
engineers, processors, and end users
collaborate with SEKISUI Polymer
Innovations’ (SPI) research, development, and design teams on new fireresistant technologies and materials,
and where SPI engineers perform regulatory tests on products throughout the
development cycle.
The FSTLab includes collaboration areas
and six testing laboratories. Worldwide,
thermoplastics are often required to
meet flammability regulations. The term
“FST” refers to flame, smoke development, material toxicity, and heat release
testing. Understandably, the aviation
and mass transit industries have some
of the most stringent FST requirements.
The FSTLab will be utilized during
product development by two SEKISUI
Chemical Company Sheet business
brands, KYDEX® thermoplastics and
ALLEN® thermoplastics.
In 2012, the company opened the
designLab™, a 6,000 square foot design
center that includes a color development laboratory, research and development labs, an exhibit space, meeting
hall, and collaborative working areas.
Since its opening, the designLab™ has
been a center of inspiration and collaboration for designers and product development teams worldwide. The FSTLab is
the perfect extension and complement
to the designLab™ for product ideation
and development.
COO and President Ronn Cort
believes the success of the
designLab™ is a clear indicator of how the relationship between customers and material
suppliers is changing. “Many
designers and project leads
tell us they’re tired of material
suppliers who say ‘tell me
how much business there will
be and I’ll tell you if we can make
it.’ Suppliers can no longer wait
for customers to request what they
need,” concluded Cort. “It’s about creating something new, together, and then
having your customers tell you they
want to use it.”
(L to R) Vijay Yadav, Vice President of R&D, SPI;
Ronn Cort, COO and President of SPI; and
Mr. Nishiie, Executive Officer and Division
Leader for Public Works and Infrastructure
SEKISUI Chemical Company celebrate the
opening of the FSTLab.
A color mill in the
SPI designLab™.
NEWSLINER ­13
TRAVEL REPORT
TRAVEL REPORT
Enjoy a meal and a ­
well-deserved rest­
After a long day of taking in the sites, we
recommend visiting The Inn Farmhouse
& Brewing Company at Turkey Hill. This
bed and breakfast offers the weary traveler a unique and relaxing lodging and
dining experience.
A production at Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble.
See a show:­
Centre of Bloomsburg with its historic
buildings, the popular “Old Main” and the
Market Square.
Travel Report
VISIT BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA,
HOME OF THE HEADQUARTERS OF SPI
The SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC (SPI) headquarters is located two and a half hours west of New York City­
in the small, historic town of Bloomsburg. The only incorporated “town” in Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg is home to
14,000 residents.
The area is known for its rural beauty with rolling farmlands, state game
lands, state forests, nature preserves,
and the Susquehanna River which at
464 miles long, is the longest river on
America’s east coast that drains into
the Atlantic Ocean. A diverse economy includes Geisinger-Bloomsburg
Hospital, Bloomsburg University,
several manufacturing companies, and
a downtown community of small businesses including theaters, shops, bars,
and eateries.
We invite you to go for a stroll, relax,
and stay awhile…
Visit Market Square: ­
Start out in the middle of town at Market
Square. The character of our downtown is evoked by two and three-story
brick commercial buildings, all erected
along Main Street before 1900. The style
The Stroup
fountain in
downtown
Bloomsburg,
PA.
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NEWSLINER
of the buildings varies, but many of
them share common features: narrow
sash windows, ornamental brickwork,
wrought-iron details, and prominent
cornices. The focal point of downtown is
Market Square with its 60-foot American
Civil War monument honoring Columbia
county residents who fought in the war
and the Stroup Fountain, originally
installed in 1892. On weekends townspeople gather here to shop for seasonal
goodies at local farm stands.
Treat yourself to a matinee or evening
theatre performance. Visitors and
Bloomsburg residents are fortunate to
have Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble
downtown (BTE to locals). Founded
in 1978, BTE is unique in the United
States and rare in the world as a professional, resident ensemble operating
for 36 consecutive years. Productions
are year-round and range from classics to contemporary. Their Theatre in
the Classroom program has brought
theatre education to over one million
elementary school children during its
36-year history.
Take a hike: ­
If you are a nature lover, we recommend a hike at Ricketts Glen State Park,
a National Natural Landmark located
minutes outside of town. The Falls
Trail System boasts a series of wild,
free-flowing waterfalls, each cascading through rock-strewn clefts along
ancient hillside. Winding trails provide
access to breathtaking views including
the 94-foot Ganoga Falls, the highest
of 22 named waterfalls. Old growth
timber and diverse wildlife add to the
park’s beauty. Ricketts Glen is one of
the most scenic areas in Pennsylvania
and is comprised of 13,050 acres spread
across three counties.
No visit to Central Pennsylvania would
be complete without seeing a covered bridge or two. Covered bridges
were intentionally built and painted
to look like barns to ease livestock as
they crossed water. Pennsylvania has
the most remaining covered bridges
in the country, with 19 in Columbia
county alone. No two bridges are alike
and each has its unique history. Stop
by nearby Orangeville, a tiny hamlet
famous for its twin covered bridges.
Built in 1884, the picturesque East and
West Paden bridges are one of the only
two remaining twin covered bridges in
the country.
Turkey Hill hosts a critically acclaimed
fine dining restaurant featuring scrumptious desserts. If you prefer a more
casual atmosphere, a brewpub offers a
casual alternative serving pub fare every
night, with an on-site brewery. The
main house, an 1839 brick farmhouse,
is reminiscent of an old world European
bed and breakfast and houses two wellappointed guestrooms; sixteen more
surround the quaint courtyard complete
with gazebo, duck pond, and two resident ducks.
Columbia county has 19
remaining covered bridges.
Head back to town and stroll through
the campus of Bloomsburg University.
It enrolls nearly 10,000 students and
is one of 14 public universities in the
Pennsylvania State System of Higher
Education. The scenic campus
features 54 buildings on 282
acres. If you want to stay an
extra night, enjoy a professional musical performance
at the Haas Auditorium.
One of the many
scenic waterfalls
at Ricketts Glen
State Park.
The Inn at Turkey Hill.
NEWSLINER ­15
PRODUCT FEATURE
PRODUCT FEATURE
FFU (Fibre reinforced ­
Foamed Urethane)
Thermosetting Resin Foam
(Hard Urethane Resin)
Glass Reinforced Fiber
The 16 cm high corrosion-resistant FFU sleepers
withstand high pressure, carry axle loads up to
more than 45 tonnes and are practical approved
for speeds up to 300 km/h.
FFU sleepers support train tracks worldwide
NEW FORM OF TRACK
FFU synthetic wood sleepers are conquering the underground and train tracks all over the world.
FFU has already been used in Japan for 30 years and is nowadays installed along approximately
1,400 km of tracks at bridges and turnouts in an increasing number of countries globally.
Started in 1987, almost all turnouts
and bridge bearers on the Tokaido
Shinkansen are now made from FFU,
carrying 270km/h trains every 3 to 5
minutes. As a first application in Europe
the railway operators of the Austrian
capital Vienna have been convinced of
the electrical resistance, extrusion and
static capacities of the FFU synthetic
wood for 11 years now. Started in 2004
different types of FFU repaired several tracks of the Vienna underground
network, switches, bridges and tunnels
to withstand the more than 20 tons of
load annually by transporting 1,5 million
underground passengers every day and
900 train passengers every 3 minutes.
The first installation in Germany took
place in 2008 with a switch at Chempark
Leverkusen. In 2011 German infrastructure provider DB Netz AG renewed a 9 km
track section as well as one bridge on
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NEWSLINER
the section with FFU sleepers to increase the line speed from 100 km/h to
120 km/h. In 2011, FFU bridge timbers
were installed on an American private
mining railway carrying axle loads up
to 38 tonnes and DB Netz installed two
switches with FFU in Wurzburg.
Stronger than wood
The Fiber reinforced Foamed Urethane
(FFU) sleepers are provided by Urban
Infrastructure & Environmental Products Company of the SEKISUI Chemical
Group. The lightweight and corrosionresistant construction material FFU
synthetic sleepers are manufactured
in Japan. Produced by pultrusion the
endless glass fibers are soaked in
polyurethane and hardened by higher
temperature to receive the natural
fibrous structure of wood. Having the
lightweight and workability of wood
but the durability of plastics, the FFU
sleep-ers with an height of 16 cm withstand high pressure, carry axle loads
up to more than 45 tonnes and are
practical approved for speeds up to 300
km/h. The Railway Technical Research
Institute in Japan tested regularly the
FFU railway sleepers since the year
1980 and proved that the strength
deterioration of FFU sleepers after 100
million load changes (approximately 1,5
billion load tonnes) will be similar to
that of new wooden sleepers. Further,
the laboratory testing of the Technical
University Munich shows that after 5
million load cycles no damage to the
sleeper could be determined and there
were no signs of fatigue. The 100%
recyclable sleepers minimize through
their long lifetime of 50 years not only
costs for restoration and maintenance
but also the installation costs and time.
Each railway line has different requirements on the customized sleepers,
which are fulfilled by the different product variants: the short, switch, bridge,
flat and regular sleepers with grooving,
surface grinding, bolt driving, chamfering, stepping or tapering.
which train speed of only 60 mph is permitted. The required construction height
of up to 37 cm was obtained by laminating single plies about 30 mm high by
410 mm wide. The precise installation
of the sleepers, each weighing up to
840 kg, was completed over a weekend.
Latest developments in efficiency
During the night of 2 - 3 May 2014, the
Swiss Rhaetian Railway (RhB) installed
a sleeper grid of FFU flat sleepers in the
ballast bed at a country lane underpass.
For the repair at the track section on
the line to Disentis were sleepers used
with a height of 120 mm and a length
of 15.7 m. The installation took place in
a 51 m long transition curve with maximum superelevation of 79 mm at the
end of the transition curve. In preparation for applying the FFU sleepers, the
existing bridge construction was partly
dismantled and a new ballast tray of
precast concrete parts was fitted. Once
the precast parts were braced the
ballast bed was constructed and the
In September 2014, FFU synthetic wood
was used for the first time in England
and they installed the largest dimension of 410 x 370 x 7450 mm (w/h/l),
which has been applied since 1980.
Network Rail has fitted two bridges on
the Hastings to Ashford track with this
longitudinal FFU baulks. In the Ashford
direction of travel, the Military Canal
Bridge, which has a length of 29.5 m, is
followed in close proximity by the 13 m
long Block House Bridge. Both open
steel-framed constructed bridges have
the same technical parameters. The
track with a superelevation of 1:264 lies
in a curve with a radius of 2,320 m at
The 100% recyclable
FFU sleepers have
been applied in more
than 15 countries on
tracks, rail bridges
and turnouts of
the rail network
worldwide.
FFU is a synthetic wood for railway
sleepers based on foamed plastics
reinforced with continuous glass
fibres.
Key features of FFU:
• High mechanical strength
• Workability like wood
• 12 cm high sleepers approved for 22.5 t axle loads and speeds up to 200 km/h
• Excellent electric insulation
• Long-time durability
• 100% recyclable
• Corrosion and water-resistant
• Customized and mm exact pro-
duction of lightweight sleepers
• Railway Technical Research
Institute proposes a lifetime
of 50 years
sleeper grid moved in. The modifications
of the bridge structure and track were
carried out within the track possession
of around 8 hours.
The first switch was fitted with FFU
sleepers in Switzerland at the Frutigen
railway station. This was the first of
three projects using FFU synthetic
sleepers that BLS Netz AG implemented in 2014. Holes for the supporting points on the synthetic wood
sleepers for the single switch were prebored at the SEKISUI works in Japan.
After the assembling of the switch at
the SBB AG Railway Technology Centre
in Hägendorf in Switzerland the new
switch made from FFU sleepers was
installed at a previously prepared ballast bed at the night of 7 - 8 April 2014.
To date, in total FFU have already been
applied in more than 15 countries
worldwide. In the future SEKISUI will
continue to contribute to solving infrastructure related problems including
environmental, economic and aging of
the infrastructure asset by its state of
the art synthetic technology.
NEWSLINER ­17
CSR
CSR
SEKISUI SPI Holland – ­
Michigan, USA
Armed with mechanical reachers,
gloves and trash bags, ten SPIHolland employees and four family members paddled out into the
Macatawa river marsh and picked
up every trash they could find. The
clean up effort was conducted in
support of the Outdoor Discovery
Center’s mission to protect the banks,
floodplain, marsh and wetlands
along the Macatawa River. Pulling
in Styrofoam, bottles, cans, buckets,
plastic chairs and even rolling out a
truck tire, the group did their part to
help protect the marsh for wildlife.
Employees and their families are active in
several eco activities all over the world to
do something good for the environment.
SEKISUI`S Corporate Social Responsibility
SEKISUI ENVIRONMENT WEEK 2014
For the second consecutive year, the SEKISUI Environment Week took place at all world offices in
summer 2014. Companies of the SEKISUI Group planned eco activities for one or several days to raise
awareness about environmental protection. SEKISUI Environment Week was
established in 2012 during the Global
Children's Eco Summit. In support of
their aim of being a Global Environmental Top Runner that contributes to
enable the co-existence of ecology and
economy, SEKISUI Chemical has shown
great effort to mitigate the environmental impact of its business activities,
products and services for many years
now. It also wants to increase the environmental awareness of its employees
in business and non-business activities
worldwide. The employees of the overseas companies in America, Europe and
Asia-Pacific have shown strong commitment and team spirit in their
eco activities:
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NEWSLINER
SEKISUI Chemical – Suzhou, China
planted with 170 employees and
family members around 200 cherry
tree saplings at the 12th forestation
event at the Yuping Mountain Ecological Park in Suzhou. Since 2009,
many employees and family members
have actively supported Chairman
of the Board Naofumi Negishi
at the eco activity, which is
held twice a year, but this
year the total number of
participants exceeded
1,000 people. In addition to the main event
in China, unique environmental activities took
place at various locations: SEKISUI SPECIALTY
CHEMICALS MEXICO was also
active in forestation, Sekisui Aqua
Systems cleaned up around their
plant and Sekisui Heim Chushikoku
cleaned the roads and cutted the
grass around the office.
SEKISUI SPR Europe – ­
Schieder-Schwalenberg, Germany
planted fruit trees on the company site and invited children from
the day care centre of the SOS
Children's Village to built together bird and bat nesting boxes.
The bird and bat nesting boxes,
which were not installed at the
premises, were presented to the
biological station in Lippe (NGO
engaged in local environment education and protection). The Eco Day on
26 September was also used to analyze which species utilized the insect
hotels and nesting boxes from
the past years activities.
SEKISUI SPR Construction –
Altenberg, Austria
is supporting the e-car
Renault Twizy from the municipality of Engerwitzdorf to
move around by 100% electrical
power. Sponsors may also borrow
Twizy to cover distances in a more
eco-friendly manner. The recycling
of invalid documents not only cleared
up but created new storage with an
improved archiving system. Due to
the big success of last year, employees once again collected trash
along the nearby located riverbed
and the surrounding landscape in the
home municipality at the Eco Day on
17 October.
SEKISUI SPI Bloomsburg –
Pennsylvania, USA
collected 3,389 pounds
(around 1.5 tons) during a
recycling drive at their facility. Each employee who participated received a reusable
shopping bag and a CFL bulb and
was entered in a drawing to win a
set of recycle bins and a composter.
The company also encouraged their
community to recycle by donating two
recycle bins to the Bloomsburg Town
Park.
SEKISUI Emirates – ­
Abu Dhabi, UAE
was gardening at the company site of
the impregnation plant Mussafah
in the hot summer of Abu Dhabi on
24 August. Thus limited resources
employees worked together to provide significant cooling to the local
environment and to help to control
the dust by growing lawn. The hard
soil was also prepared for planting
the Iceberg lettuce flower by joint
hard effort. The recycled water
from the Cleaning Units is
used for the irrigation of the
lawn and flowers.
NEWSLINER ­19
SEKISUI CHEMICAL Co., Ltd.
Urban Infrastructure & Environmental Products Company
ADDRESSES
Entities of UIEP company
Asia Pacific
Europe
USA SEKISUI Asia Pipe Solutions PTE, Ltd.
Tel: +65 629 637 88
www.eslontimes.com/en/
SEKISUI SPR Europe GmbH
Tel: +49 5284 7050
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI Polymer Innovations, LLC
Tel: +1 570 387 6997
www.sekisui-spi.com
SEKISUI Rib Loc Australia Pty Ltd.
Tel: +61 8 8260 8000
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI SPR Construction GmbH
Tel: +43 7230 72130
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI SPR Americas, LLC
Tel: +1 678 510 1820
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI (WUXI)
Plastics Technology Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 510 8520 4282
SEKISUI SPR Germany GmbH
Tel: +49 5284 7050
www.sekisuispr.com
HEITKAMP, Inc.
Tel: +1 860 274 5468
www.eheitkamp.com
SEKISUI (QINGDAO) Plastic Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 532 8683 7875
www.sekisui-qd.com
SEKISUI SPR Austria GmbH
Tel: +43 7230 86860
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI (SHANGHAI) Environmental
Technology Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 21 5950 8999
SEKISUI SPR Poland Sp.Zo.o
Tel: +48 52 343 91 34
www.sekisuispr.com
YONGCHANG-SEKISUI Composites
Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 991 331 8888
www.china-frp.com
SEKISUI SPR Czech s.r.o
Tel: +42 0381 52 14 23
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI KNT (HEBEI) Environmental
Technology Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 318 861 9969
www.sekisuiknt.com
SEKISUI Refresh Co., Ltd.
Tel: + 82 31 881 3741
SEKISUI Industrial Piping Co., Ltd.
Tel: +886 4 2657 3688
SEKISUI Vietnam Pipe Solutions Co., Ltd.
Tel: +84 4 3939 2677
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SEKISUI SPR Romania s.r.l.
Tel: +40 213 26 25 12
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI SPR Slovakia s.r.o.
Tel: +42 12 544 10 852
www.sekisuispr.com
SEKISUI Eslon B.V.
Tel: +31 475 322 851
www.eslon.nl