RÖCHLING

German plant to be sold to Kasai Kogyo / Japanese company's first own manufacturing facility in Europe / Slovakian production under construction

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Global prospects for 2019 at best subdued / Job losses and plant closures expected / European manufacturers face big decisions

BIOPLASTICS

Consumer awareness advancing significantly / Global revenues could grow by more than 5% over next three years / US Plastics Industry Association report

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

The combustion engine lives on – for the time being / More upheaval in auto components supply sector / Automotive engineering plastics conference in Germany delivers fresh approaches for car interior / More requirements, more competition, more plastic

DR. SCHNEIDER

Expansion of production site in Poland / Improvements for automotive supply

ATERMIT

Turkish EPS specialist expands automotive activities / New factory for EPP/EPE mouldings

HEXCEL

Minority stake in CRP recycler Carbon Conversions / Strategic investment

ELECTROMOBILITY

VW, Daimler and BMW invest in battery production / Strong growth for plastic parts / Plans to set up brand-independent network of charging stations across Europe

KOCH INDUSTRIES

Full control over Guardian Industries / Purchase of outstanding shares brings leading global tier 1 supplier SGR into conglomerate's fold

NIFCO

UK subsidiary posts record turnover for financial 2015 / Investments boost capacity and growth / Brexit aids exports

SABIC

“Lexan” PC resin and plasma technology used by Toyota for rear quarter window / First use of “Exatec” in a commercial vehicle / Meeting driver visibility regulations

UNITED KINGDOM

"Brexit is stupid" / 52% of British population votes to leave the EU / Plastics industry reacts calmly / Important market in Europe / Many corporate headquarters likely to relocate to the continent

TI AUTOMOTIVE

Third plant for plastic fuel tanks commissioned in China

RÖCHLING

Sales approach EUR 1.6 bn / Duffner era comes to an end / Collaboration with Japan's Starlite / Composite undercarriage as next step in light-weighting / Investing several million euros in medical engineering

US FARATHANE

Acquisition of Shanghai-based injection moulder Boston Plastics / Deal follows purchase of Mexico's Tepso Plastics Mex / Global automotive ambitions

FARATHANE

US automotive OEM buys Mexican competitor Tepso Plastics Mex

PLASTIC OMNIUM

Automotive development centre in Japan

SIMOLDES

Plastics division builds new production hall in Czech Republic / EUR 30m investment to cater to rising regional automotive demand

TAKATA

Faulty airbag inflators used in cars from 11 manufacturers / Vehicle recall in US swells to 34m / NHTSA coordinating public information campaign

COMPOSITES

Fuel cell vehicles on the advance / Strong growth forecast for composite-made pressure tanks in the automotive industry / Many approaches seen at JEC 2015 / Carbon fibres and thermoplastics still have to make their mark

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Have your car and eat it too

FARATHANE

Large US injection moulder sold to investor Gores Group / Specialised in manufacture of components for the automotive industry

TAKATA

Airbag manufacturer in the crosshairs of US media / Almost 8m passenger vehicles recalled

CENTRAL EUROPEAN AUTOMOTIVE MARKET

Slovakia and Czech Republic en route to becoming key car production centres / Triangle between Prague, Bratislava and Zilina emerges as an OEM stronghold / Hyundai draws South Korean companies to Europe

BIOPLASTICS

Soaring US demand and agricultural developments in China boost global demand / PE one of fastest growing segments / BCC Research report