IN DISCUSSION | INPLASTICS
INPLASTICS: LUCOBIT AG was founded about five years ago.What induced you and your 'comrades-in-arms' to take this step?
Robert Riegler: When the BASF subsidiary ELENAC GmbH founded the company Basell GmbH,they made us an offer to take over a product that was well established in the market, and to continue with its development. By means of a management buy-out, we took over the brand name and patent rights for Lucobit®, including the production facilities. This enabled us to continue working with an experienced crew in marketing, research and production. What's more,we were also able to rely on a customer base that had grown over many years - pretty good starting conditions for a new company.
INPLASTICS:INPLASTICS: What is your interim assessment? Which developments has the company seen, and where does LUCOBIT AG stand today?
Robert Riegler: Looking only at turnover, our business has been tripled since then.On the one hand, this was possible because we were able to expand in the ECB area with a focus on sealing activities,mainly in Europe.On the other hand,we increased our product range and application markets with new developments as well as the acquisition of patents and partnerships,which allowed us to position LUCOBIT AG as an international manufacturer of flexible polyolefins.
INPLASTICS: In which areas will the future potentials of LUCOBIT AG be?
Robert Riegler: With our present four product lines, we can offer a range of more than 30 special materials, not counting all the specialized products and customized solutions. Especially in the area of soft and supersoft materials, we have recorded considerable growth. For example, thanks to modified post-processing, we can offer a wide range of PE and TPE materials in hardness classes which the suppliers of pure polyolefins do not provide. Here,we have a niche market that can be expanded in future.
INPLASTICS: What about the sealing activities?
Robert Riegler: Through the introduction of European standards we will be faced by far-reaching changes. For example, this will affect our product ranges Lucobit® (ECB) and Lucolit® (EBT), combinations of polyethylene and bitumen, which are used in particular for the manufacture rolls of colored roofing and sealing material, as well as Lucofin® (FPO/TPO). Some of the newly developed products will thus become fit for Europe. Moreover, the CE standard will stipulate the new material abbreviation EBT (ethylene bitumen thermoplastic) throughout Europe,which will greatly increase the marketing chances for this material. If one keeps price developments for raw materials in mind - especially for petroleum - the use of single-layer sealing sheets based on plastic materials will increase, indeed also due to their durable and reliable application and functional performance. In particular, the possibilities for coloring offered by Lucolit® will give us clear growth potentials.
INPLASTICS: Which role does the material ECB play at present for LUCOBIT AG?
Robert Riegler: ECB continues to be our most important mainstay, and we have calculated that in Germany alone, some 800 jobs are directly connected with ECB processing.The process developed by BASF to combine liquid bitumen with flexible polymers is still unique, and has proved its worth in practice.These polymers are produced in a special compounding plant with an output of 24,000 t/a.We are the only ECB supplier in the world, and new application areas for this material are being found continually, e.g. in the automotive industry,where ECB is used among others in sound-absorbing.
INPLASTICS: Are there any new developments also in this field as well?
Robert Riegler: Of course.At present, our research department is engaged intensively with the development of ECB/FPO compounds, which must meet the different European fire protection regulations. In spite of the tendency towards uniform European standards, the national building and construction codes of the member countries still do have a high significance. For instance,Germany, France, Great Britain and Scandinavia all have different regulations, which cannot be met by a single product quality.The developments are in an advanced stage, so that we are ideally prepared for the European market.
INPLASTICS: How do you evaluate the present economic environment in Germany and in Europe?
Robert Riegler: The weak economy, the imponderables of the international exchange rates, and rising prices for raw materials are obvious, but in the final analysis, a medium-sized company like us cannot influence these factors.Nonetheless, it would be fatal to compensate the price at the expense of product quality.When selecting a material, price considerations must not be allowed to displace quality requirements.Today, trust in the long-term quality of a product is a secure foundation for a company's future existence.
INPLASTICS: To conclude, let's risk a look into the future: Where will LUCOBIT AG stand after the next five years?
Robert Riegler: We want to expand LUCOBIT AG to one of Europe's leading suppliers of flexible polyolefins and their modified materials.We intend to achieve this, for instance,by means of development partnerships,which will provide unique special solutions that in turn will give our customers decisive competitive advantages. Admittedly, that's an ambitious aim, but we have already come part of the way.We want to establish ourselves and grow in those market segments that are trendsetting for us.This can be achieved by mutual trust, competence and the exchange of know-how with our business partners. What our product range will be then, cannot be predicted today. But one thing is certain: in future, too,our solutions will continue to be instrumental in ensuring the success of our customers. |
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