News - Afera News... · 5 Afera News - November 2006 - nr. 2 Negresco Hotel, known for its...

Magazine for the European Self-Adhesive Tape Industry November 2006nr. 2

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NewsEditorial

Afera’s 49th Annual Conference in Nice

EditorialAfera’s 49th Annual Conference

in Nice

Afera Events coming upAfera’s 3rd Tape College

18-20 April 2007Afera’s 50th Annual Conference

3-6 October 2007

Afera Events coming upAfera’s 3rd Tape College

18-20 April 2007Afera’s 50th Annual Conference

3-6 October 2007

Newsfrom the Industry

UpdatePSTC Data Study –

A Model for the

Tape Industry

ReportingActivities of Afera’s Committees

ReportingActivities of Afera’s Committees

Newsfrom the Industry

UpdatePSTC Data Study –

A Model for the

Tape industry

3 Afera News - November 2006 - nr. 2

I have had the pleasure of attending two excellent events organised by our industry over thepast few weeks that have given me the opportunity to meet many new contacts and exchangeideas with colleagues from around the world. At the beginning of October I, like many of you,enjoyed a wonderful stay in Nice and this was followed later in the month with a similarlyenjoyable visit to PSTC’s Annual Membership Meeting in Palm Beach at the kind invitationof John Pufahl and Glen Anderson.

This year’s Afera Annual Conference was one of the best attended events we have ever organ-ised with over 180 participating. It was pleasing to see so many members present and also towelcome so many visitors from further afield. We were joined by friends from the UnitedStates, Japan, China, Taiwan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates who’s presence addedgreatly to the value of the conference. The quality of the papers was also extremely high andcontributed to the best working programme for many years. I believe this conference offeredgreat value to all those who participated and will help us to bring more people into the Aferafamily in the future.

My visit to the United States was an opportunity to present the Afera message to our col-leagues in the United States following in the footsteps of Peter Rambusch a few years earlier.Louise and I were made to feel most welcome by our hosts and being in such warm companymade my speech a lot easier. I learned a great deal from this visit and hope to use some of thisknowledge to the benefit of our organisation. In addition to setting out the actions that yourSteering Committee has taken to restore Afera to its rightful position as the voice of the tapeindustry in Europe I also had the chance to put forward and discuss some new ideas regardingthe increasingly global nature of our industry.

As you will have seen from the figures presented in Nice, Afera together with its fellow bodiesstriving for global technical harmonisation, PSTC and JATMA, account for only 50% of theworld’s tape output. The remainder being produced in China, Korea, Indonesia and otherSouth East Asian countries that do not have the established trade bodies that we enjoy. So, atthe same time as we reach out to smaller businesses within the European tape industry, itwould seem as if it is also time to more formally recognise tape’s global status. I envisage as afirst step the creation of some form of World Tape Forum with participation from all of the keyregions and their representative organisations. Such a body would help to ensure greater col-laboration at the world level, supporting the excellent work already done on internationalstandards as well as reaching agreement on standard segmentation for market reports. I wasencouraged that these ideas found great resonance with PSTC and look forward to discussingthese thoughts further with others.

In fact the precursor of a World Tape Forum perhaps started to take shape in Nice where Dr Yan Zhang kindly represented China in the Annual Global Test Methods CommitteeMeeting. This may yet be another reason that leads us to look back on our Nice conference asone that was particularly memorable.

President’s

Back by popular demand:3rd Tape College to be held 4in 2007

Editorial

Afera’s 49th Annual Conference 4in Nice

General Assembly Report 2006 10

PSTC Data Study – A Model 11for the Tape Industry

Activities of the Committees 12

Industry News 15

Calendar of Events 20

Advertisement Prices, Colophon 20

IN THIS ISSUE

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

4Afera News - November 2006 - nr. 2

Afera’s Technical Committee is organisingthe 3rd Tape College on 18th-20th April2007 at the Brussels Marriot Hotel in thecity centre. This expanded, 14-lectureevent is intended to build upon theimmense success of Afera’s 1st and 2nd

Tape Colleges held in March 2004 andAril 2005. Unique to Europe and modelledafter the PSTC’s Tape University 101, theevent attracts a wide range of participantsfrom around the globe for 3 days of intro-ductory technical lectures and network-ing.

Open to all tape industry professionals, theTape College was designed to offer anyonein the European tape business the chanceto polish their fundamental industryknowledge by ‘going to school’ with theexperts, exploring the basics of design,manufacture, application and testing withtape industry authorities. The target audi-ence is first-time attendees: Afera mem-bers; members of affiliated members; anexpanding section of Afera’s registered par-ticipant base, converters; and outsideindustry participants including customersof tape manufacturing companies, such asdistributors and end-users.

The Technical Committee Subgroupresponsible for organising the Tape Collegeis working hard to create a programmeline-up for the 3rd Tape College that will

expand on the original format and include10 of the same speakers as the 2005 event.4 new speakers have been approached.Lectures will cover tape product funda-mentals, coating technology for water-based adhesives, tape backings, hot meltPSAs, physical tape testing, release linerselection, radiation curing, UV anti-oxi-dants, surface treatment, coating and slit-ting equipment, rheology, and REACH& IPPC.

The 4 Session Chairman are Lutz Jacob ofExxonMobil Chemical Europe Inc.,Chrétien Donker of Eastman ChemicalB.V., Peter Broschk of tesa AG and RalfRoenisch of Henkel KGaA.

The Association is confident that bothnewcomers to the tape industry, as well asthose who want to expand their knowl-edge and increase their effectiveness, willbenefit from this educational course.Whether you are affiliated with a manu-facturer, raw material supplier, distribu-tor, converter, or end-user, this coursewill provide a basic overview of the tech-nologies of the PSA tape industry. R&D,technical service, quality control, manu-facturing and engineering personnel inparticular will greatly benefit from thiscourse.

The Tape College’s curriculum and setting

are so popular because the event is styledafter a university seminar. Participantsattend ‘classes’ in an informal, classroom-style setting. 14 Afera members have beenrecruited to participate as ‘professors’, lec-turing for 50 minutes on their area ofexpertise within the tape industry. Thevenue floor plan is arranged in a mannerconducive to class participation and activelearning. Participants have the opportunity to ask questions for 10minutes following topic presentations.

Participants experience a genuine sense ofcompletion at the conclusion of the eventwhen an informal, American-style gradua-tion ceremony is held and the ‘graduates’are individually recognised and awardedcertificates of completion by Afera’sTechnical Committee Chairman and theSecretary-General.

The Tape College will provide ampleopportunity for networking outside ofclasses. In addition to 3 buffet lunches, aspecial conference dinner with musicalentertainment is planned at RestaurantLe Manufacture in Brussels centre on thesecond evening of the TC.

The registration deadline is 28th

February 2007. Updated programme-and registration details will be availableshortly at afera.com.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: 3RD TAPE COLLEGE TO BE HELD IN 2007

AFERA’S 49TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN NICE

Presented by the ‘Western Europe’ Regionof Afera’s membership, this year’sConference took place in the beautifulRiviera resort city of Nice, bringingtogether the self adhesive tape industry’screative minds and decision-makers for anannual industry meeting.

OVERVIEWHosted at the Hotel Palais de laMediterranée on the famous Promenadedes Anglais, from 4th-7th October 2006,this year’s Conference boasted a recordnumber of attendees: 151 delegates and28 partners from 15 European countriesand regions plus the U.S., Canada,U.A.E., Turkey, Japan, China andTaiwan! The Annual Conference’s 3-dayworking programme focussed on the col-laboration of Afera’s members and variouscommittees, and included 12 lecturescovering the latest trends in the tapeindustry. This year’s schedule of eventsalso included the Annual Global TestMethods Committee Meeting. Together

with an inspiring social programme, greatweather, 5-star seaside accommodationand delicious French cuisine, the 49th

Annual Conference was, once again,deemed Afera’s most professional and suc-cessful Conference to date.

FEEDBACKThe participant survey conducted at theconclusion of the Conference yieldedextremely positive responses in bothareas of ‘hotel facilities and service’ and‘adequate time for networking’. Feedbackalso included a resounding ‘YES’ to thequestion, ‘Did this Conference meet yourexpectations?’ Although all of the pre-sentations received consistentlyfavourable marks, the highest-rated paperwas “2005 Pressure Sensitive TapeProduction in Europe & Asia Pacific”by Wolfgang Roessing (ExxonMobil,Germany), closely followed by“Successfully Navigating the RawMaterial Supply Chain” by Tom Brewer(Hydrocarbon Resin Service DeWitt &

Company, U.S.A.), and “China: Trendsin PSA Tape Manufacturing” by Dr. YanZhang (Kensinger Group, Inc., U.S.A.,and China National Adhesive IndustryAssociation). See reviews of these presenta-tions below.

Everyone agreed that the setting, theHotel Palais de la Mediterranée on thefamous Promenade des Anglais, with itsperiod façade and breathtaking oceanview, was ideal. The partner tour pro-gramme was a hit, especially the perfumecreation course in the medieval village ofEze and the tour of the Villa Euphrusside Rothschild & Greek Villa Kérylos.The group visit, wine tasting and dinnerat the renowned vineyards of Bellet wasinspired in its choice of picturesque set-ting. Because of the poor acoustics of thebanquet room, however, the evening’sentertainment, a French chanteuse, couldnot be fully appreciated. Friday night’scustomary concluding event, the Cocktailand Gala, was held at the world-famous


Negresco Hotel, known for its award-win-ning cuisine.

THURSDAY’S PROGRAMME

The Côte d’Azur’s EconomyAfter the opening of the Conference on5th October by Afera President MikeAyres of Advance Tapes InternationalLtd. (U.K.), Ségolène Pin of the Côted’Azur Economic Development Agencydelivered the first lecture entitled “TheCôte d’Azur: Creativity in Action?. Ms.Pin presented a strategic overview of theFrench region. The Côte d’Azur’s key eco-nomic figures include 421,400 jobs, aGDP of €19 billion and a turnover of€46.5 billion. Claiming 1% of the world’stourism, private tourism and business trav-el make up one of the Region’s mostimportant industries, with €5 billion intourist-related expenditures a year.

Other industries integral to the Region’seconomy include the nautical, high techand space sectors. Foreign capital is animportant factor in the Côte d’Azur’s eco-nomic profile. Most outside companiesand jobs come from other European coun-tries and the U.S.

Finally, the Côte d’Azur offers an incom-parable standard of living with regard toits natural beauty, productive environ-ment, cultural heritage and prestigiousevents. Who can resist 300 days of sun-shine a year, 115 kilometres of Rivieracoastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14ski resorts, 125 various sporting possibili-ties and 3,000 restaurants?

Chinese Trends in Tape ManufacturingChinese trends in PSA tape manufactur-ing was second on the working pro-gramme agenda, a very popular paper pre-pared by Mr. Wu, W-Q and Dr. YanZhang of the Kensinger Group, Inc.(U.S.A.) and presented by Dr. Zhang onbehalf of the China National AdhesiveIndustry Association.

Dr. Zhang explained that the total PSAproduction volume in China was over450,000 metric tons in 2005, with emul-sion (72%), solvent (14%), N. rubber(7%) and hot melt (7%) types of PSAsconsumed. The total output of PSA prod-ucts in China in 2005 was over 7 billionsquare meters (bm2), up 15% from 2004.

The total market value of Chinese PSAproducts in 2005 was approximately $2billion. The export value of BOPP tapewas $300 million, and the total exportvalue of all PSA products was $500 mil-lion. Dr. Zhang pointed out that Chinahas become the largest BOPP and PVCtape producer and the second largest PSAproduct producer world-wide (behind theU.S.).

According to the speaker, the ChinesePSA market is projected to expand at anannual pace of 12-15% through 2010.Packaging tapes will continue to accountfor over two-thirds of the aggregated vol-ume due to China’s expanding manufac-turing industry. The significant growth ofChinese industry has been caused by threefactors: China’s emergence as the world’smanufacturing centre, rapid Chinese eco-nomic growth, and favourable industrialconditions created by significant amountsof foreign investment.

There are over 500 coating lines with over7 bm2 of PSA product output. These coat-ing lines are mainly distributed over threegeographical areas: Southern China(50%), Eastern China (37%) andNorthern China (5%). PSA manufactur-ers in China are foreign (20%), focusingon high end market applications (BASF,R&H, U.C.B., National Starch, Soken,etc.), Taiwanese (25%), focusing on mid-dle market applications (Eternal, Hontex,Runyi and Southern Resin), and domestic(55%), focusing on adhesive self-supply(over 100 producers).

Dr. Zhang said that among other types oftapes, the best opportunities lie in special-ty tapes, such as high performance double-sided tapes, which have a projectedgrowth rate of 10%-15% going forward.These tapes are increasingly important infastening and bonding applications suchas building construction, motor vehicleassembly, and electronics and telecommu-nications.

The strong demands in housing and motorvehicle markets in China, in addition tohealthcare, electronics and furniture mar-kets, will definitely drive the PSA tapeindustry forward. These factors are expect-ed to fuel the current high levels ofgrowth for a reasonably long period oftime in China.

Environmental RegulationThe third lecture of the day was“REACH: The Final Stages & BREF:New Permits”, presented by returninglecturer Paul Verspoor of SitmaeConsultancy (Netherlands). Under thiscomplex, expensive, yet revolutionary,European Chemicals Policy, all substancespresent in a preparation at or above onetonne need to be registered in a centraldatabase, irrespective of whether they areclassified or not. A technical dossier willneed to be prepared once the quantity of asubstance alone or in a preparationexceeds the 1 tonne threshold perimporter per year and a CSR (chemicalsafety report) if the quantity exceeds the10-tonne threshold. If the quantityexceeds 100 and 1,000 tons per annum,much more extensive testing will berequired.

The use of very hazardous chemicals willbe subject to an authorisation system.This concerns substances in the cate-gories: CMR categories 1 & 2 (substancesthat cause cancer, genetic mutations orreproductive problems), PBT (persistent,bioaccumulative and toxic) and vPvB(very persistent and very bioaccumula-tive). The number of tests required for theregistration of the 1-to-10 and 10-to-100tonne category has been greatly reduced,as existing data and OSOR (“one sub-stance – one registration”) can be utilised.

The European Council’s CommonPosition on the legislation will be dis-cussed in the Second Reading in theParliament in Autumn 2006; a plenaryvote is scheduled for 23rd-26th November2006. After final adoption of REACH,which is expected by the end of 2006, itwill probably enter into force aroundApril 2007 through REACH implementa-tion projects (RIPs). The new EuropeanChemicals Agency has to be fully opera-tional 12 months after the legislationenters into force.

Mr. Verspoor feels that REACH willadversely effect downstream users and EUimports. The legislation will unavoidablylead to the removal from the market of anumber of substances. It will also obligethe users of chemicals to apply over-restrictive and non-workable safety mea-sures in the workplace, to comply withexpensive storage requirements, and to

live with exaggerated new environ-mental requirements. Tape makersoutside Europe, however, will nothave this disadvantage. The bestremedy for European tape producerswould be an ‘early warning system’ towarn customers before a substancecan be taken off the market.

Mr. Verspoor dedicated the remain-der of his presentation to the subjectof the Integrated PollutionPrevention and Control (IPPC)Directive. The second draft of theBest Available Techniques ReferenceDocument (BREF) for the reduction


of solvent emissions within the frameworkof the IPPC Directive is finished. It willbe issued in November 2006 and present-ed at an official meeting of industry andMember States in December 2006.Following a few months of inter-service consultations by the EuropeanCommission and the translation of theexecutive summary into the EU lan-guages, official publication will take placein mid-2007.

The BREF on Surface Treatment UsingSolvents is over 600 pages, covering atotal 275 environmental techniques for 18different industries. The content of thedocument is based on collaborationamong Member States, industry andNGOs. Around 60.000 installations willbe required to operate with IPPC permitsby the end of October 2007.

Permits will cover all emissions, wholeplant, including air, water, energy, waste,storage, etc. of plants utilising more than200 tonnes of solvent per year. The cur-rent status of the document will not effectthe requirements of the IPPC Directivethat Member States and industry willneed to fulfil before October 2007. Mr.Verspoor pointed out that all the emissionranges specified in the BREF are a bitlower than those in the Solvent EmissionsDirective (SED).

The PSTCNext, the “2005 North American PSATape Outlook” was discussed by JohnPufahl of Adchem Corporation (U.S.A.)and PSTC’s current president. Mr.Pufahl’s lecture emphasised one of PSTC’skey objectives: to strengthen global rela-tions to build global standards. On thisnote, the PSTC is very pleased to be wel-coming Afera President Mike Ayres to itsannual meeting in October 2006 inFlorida. For more detailed information onMr. Pufahl’s lecture, see “PSTC DataStudy – A Model for the Tape Industry”,page 11.

Business InnovationThe last lecture of the day covered“Innovation that Matters: It’s a GreatTime to be an Innovator” and was deliv-ered by Erwin Knuyt of IBM BusinessConsulting Services (Belgium). How andwhere do you start innovating your busi-ness? Mr. Knuyt shared some of theknowledge gleaned from IBM’s research

and analysis, including thousands of clientconversations and engagements.

Earlier in 2006, IBM released a studyanalysing the responses from interviewswith 765 CEOs from companies repre-senting a variety of different geographicareas, a range of annual revenues, andeverything from SMEs to large, globalenterprises. Two-thirds of the CEOs saidthey would like to innovate, but they did-n’t agree on what. Many believe that thecutting edge business model is the sourceof a company’s competitiveadvantage. Others focus onupdating products and ser-vices, thinking innovationsin process and businessmodels are too short-lived.

87% of CEOs predictedthey need to enact moder-ate to major change in theirorganisations in the nexttwo years to address thepressures and opportunitiesbefore them, such as com-moditisation and competi-tion. Innovative realitieswere conveyed as follows: 1) Businessmodel innovation is key, 2) External col-laboration is indispensable, and 3)Innovation must come from the top!

In order to succeed, a company hasto differentiate itself. A variety ofmodern elements which drive inno-vation are now available to enter-prises of every size, in every field ofendeavour. These include ‘smartobjects’ (computing components),interconnectedness, supercomput-ing, information put to work, col-laboration and co-creation, market-place for expertise, and the virtualcorporation. Innovation will resultwhen these elements are integratedinto products, operations and cor-porate culture.

As corporations innovate in multipledimensions, broader implications are cre-ated—for privacy, piracy, digital rights,intellectual property, global trade, etc. Inour increasingly interconnected world,innovation leads to impacts on policy andsociety, including the entire ecosystem ofplayers and participants: academia andgovernment; researchers and advocates;employees, managers and shareholdersalike. It will effect practises in the work-place, education and responsibility in thesupply chain; as well as intellectual prop-erty, trade and financial regulations, safetyand security, etc.

Mr. Knuyt left his audience with five rec-ommendations for expanding their inno-vation agendas for the future: 1) Thinkbroadly, act personally and manage theinnovation mix. Create and manage abroad mix of innovation that emphasisesbusiness model change. 2) Challenge yourbusiness model to be different fundamen-tally. Find ways to change substantially

how you add value in your current indus-try or in another. 3) Ignite innovationthrough business and technology integra-tion. Use technology as a catalyst forinnovation by combining it with businessand market insights. 4) Defy collaborationlimits. Collaborate on a massive, geogra-phy-defying scale to open a world of possi-bilities. 5) Force yourself to look out-side…every time. Push the organisation towork with outsiders more often, making itsystematic at first and ultimately part ofyour culture.

FRIDAY’S PROGRAMME

Solvent Acrylic PSA vs. Hot Melt UVPSAThe first presentation of the morning was“A Total System Cost Comparison ofSolvent Acrylic PSA Versus Hot MeltUV PSA”, given by Alex Konya ofCytec Industries, Inc. (U.S.A.). Mr.Konya explained that there are a numberof market-driving factors for producingHM-UV PSAs: 1) environmental (noVOC emissions); 2) performance (theyachieve the previously unmet needs of thespecialty tape market; and 3) cost reduc-tion (higher run speeds and total lowersystem cost).

HM-UV PSAs are achieving greater coat-ing deposition and are approaching (andsurpassing) performance achievable withcommercially available merchant acrylicsolvent PSAs. In addition, lower coatingtemperatures are being achieved (warmmelt), and new chemistries and hybridsystems are being designed around end-market customer needs that have beenpreviously unmet.


A ‘total system cost’is produced by aninteractive modeldesigned to calculatethe value of theadhesive based oninputs, which canvary considerablyfrom coater tocoater, or for anexisting coater ver-sus an organisationinvesting in its firstcoater. The modelcompares the areaswhere there aremajor cost differ-ences between sol-vent coating andHM-UV coating. Itis not intended,however, to repre-sent all the costsincurred by a coatingoperation.

Mr. Konya reportedthat, according tohis model, at a levelof 50 gpm2, a€5.00/dry kg solventacrylic PSA is equiv-alent in value to a€15.10 HM-UVPSA. A €15.00/drykg solvent acrylicPSA is equivalent invalue to a €25.10HM-UV PSA. At alevel of 125 gpm2, a€5.00/dry kg solventacrylic PSA is equiv-alent in value to a€11.90 HM-UVPSA, and a€15.00/dry kg sol-vent acrylic PSA isequivalent in valueto a €21.90 HM-UVPSA.

The presenter notedthat the costs do nottake into considera-tion other value thecoater will receive(i.e. insurance, regu-latory, consolidation,facilities, etc.), andmulti-pass opera-tions for solventacrylics greater than125 gpm2 versus sin-gle pass operationsfor HM-UV PSA.Lastly, it was notedthat value does notequal price. Mr.Konya’s model showsthe theoretical pricea HM-UV PSAwould need to be,based on a given setof assumptions, forthe total system cost

to be equal to that of a coater using a SBcoating system.

European & Asian Pacific Trends inTape ManufacturingNext, the highest-rated presentation ofthe Conference was delivered by veteranpresenter Wolfgang Roessing ofExxonMobil Chemical Europe, Inc.(Germany), covering “2005 PressureSensitive Tape Production in Europe andAsia Pacific”. According to Mr. Roessing,world PSA tape production was at an esti-mated 27 bm2 in 2005, an increase of6.5% from 2004.

The Asia Pacific region, includingAustralia and New Zealand and excludingJapan, was the production leader with 13bm2, representing about 50% of globalproduction volume. China, with 5.5 bm2,and Taiwan, with >3 bm2, were top in theregion, both with a growth rate of around9%. The Americas and Europe, togetherwith approximately 6 bm2 of tape pro-duced, represented slightly less than 25%of world production, with Japan at 1.3bm2 accounting for the remaining 5%.

The global annual production growth rateof 6.5% was boosted by the outstandinggrowth (9.5%) in Asia Pacific. Productionin Europe declined by about 1.5% toslightly more than 6 bm2, reflecting thesluggishness of the Western Europeaneconomies, further strengthening of theexchange rate of the euro versus the U.S.dollar, and initial constraints on rawmaterials. Within Europe, no growth wasreported from any one country or group ofcountries in 2005.

Following many years of stagnation,Japanese production volume grew by 3%,reflecting the beginnings of economicrecovery in the country. After growing bymore than 5% in 2004, American produc-tion volume grew by only about 3.5% in2005. Referring to the production trendline of the past 15 years, the annual aver-age growth of about 1% over the last 5years is below the growth rate of the first 5years of the previous decade and very dif-ferent from the 7% Europeans were enjoy-ing during the second half of the nineties.

The packaging tape segment, representingthe bulk (>70%) of tape production vol-ume in Europe with 4.5 bm2 produced,continues to be the leading applicationsegment of the industry. The 2.5%decrease in production volume of packag-ing tape in 2005, according to the presen-ter, was due to industry restructuring,reduced export opportunities because ofthe strengthening of the euro against theU.S. dollar, and raw materials supply-demand issues. In Asia Pacific, the pack-aging tape production volume of morethan 11.5 bm2, mainly using bi-orientedpolypropylene as substrate, representedabout 80% of the total Asian production.

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rubber (and/or acrylics in the case of spe-cialty tapes) remained the most-used coat-ing technology in Europe with 2.8 bm2,accounting for 45% of total productionvolume in Europe. Hot melt technologyreceded in use last year because of theglobally limited SIS supply as of the firstquarter of 2005. European producersreduced their volume using HM technolo-gy by 6% to less than 2.4 bm2 and optedfor solvent coating in order to fill the gap.In Asia, a bit less than 70% of tape vol-ume (~9.5 bm2) is coated using water-based acrylics.

Mr. Roessing said that tape production inindustrialised regions is expected to con-tinue growing inline with GDP, while thatof the Asia Pacific region, with China asthe key driver, will exceed GDP. The lat-ter will result from the ongoing industrial-isation process with increasing exports offinished goods and the trend of packagingtape penetrating other box closing sys-tems. The tape industry is expected to seefurther intensified global competitionwith the key challenges of 1) raw materi-als returning to a balanced supply-demandsituation, and 2) the exchange rate of theU.S. dollar versus the other leadingregional currencies evolving.

Account ManagementHow can we improve account manage-ment in the self adhesive tape industry?This question was explored in the lecturedelivered by Steven Deroy ofVivens4CRM (Netherlands) entitled“Today’s Account ManagementDemystified”. Recent years have yieldedtons of concepts on sales and accountmanagement, yet Mr. Deroy has noticedthat many countries still struggle to gettheir sales organisations right. Training,processes or customer relationship man-agement (CRM) technologies alone donot produce results unless all three ele-ments are synchronised. Taking intoaccount the various characteristics of thetape industry, the presenter illustrated theinitiatives to be deployed at each stage ofthe selling cycle to improve CRM.

The strategic framework for successfulsales integrates the principles of ‘skills sup-port’, ‘methodology support’ and ‘systemssupport’ for a more customer-intimateapproach to account management in aB2B environment. The lifecycle of the

tape customer consists of the steps of‘engagement’, ‘transaction’, ‘fulfilment’,‘service’ and ‘overall management’.

In terms of driving demand, the tapeindustry is technical and highly fragment-ed, with expensive and limited externalsales resources. The challenge is toenhance customer service throughimproving the technical capabilities ofsupport people, effectively targeting mar-kets and utilising external sales. The pre-senter discussed a targeted approach tocampaign management through, forexample, trade shows, direct mail and

advertising. Leads generatedthrough the campaign shouldbe followed up throughimproved systems supportsuch as focussed technical callscripting combined with cus-tomer contact screens.

Six additional challenges weremapped out in a similar fash-ion, followed by Mr. Deroy’scall for realism: How can arealistic plan be developed tomove things forward morequickly? The tape industrybusiness environment requiresa more professional customer

interaction process. Isolated measureswon’t work; a customer-centric strategyshould be used as the basis of an integrat-ed approach, improving skills and behav-iour, methodologies and processes and sys-tems. Think hard and move quickly!Success breeds success!

Taiwan: Partner in Exploring theChinese MarketThe fourth presentation of the programmewas given by Joe Tang of AchemCorporation (Taiwan) and Chairmanof the Board of the Taiwan RegionalAssociation of Adhesive TapeManufacturers. Entitled “Your IdealPartner to Explore Within theGrowing Chinese Market”, Mr. Tang’stop-rated lecture detailed Taiwan’s PSAtape and label industries, Taiwaneseinvestments in China, China’s presentand future, and Taiwan’s role.

Described as a dynamic, vibrant anddiversified market, the Taiwanese tapeindustry includes over 36 PSA manu-facturers from various fields, with a tape

product range includingWOPP (1.83 bm2), SOPP(790 bm2), SPVC (224 bm2),crepe masking (260 bm2) andD/S (53 bm2). The Taiwaneselabel industry is characterisedby about 20 manufacturers ofaluminium foil, PVC, PET,PP; synthetic film stickers,laser/inkjet labels; and holog-raphy labels. The market sizeis rather small with a highdemand for customer service.

The China-Hong Kong regionmakes up 30%—the bulk—of

Taiwanese PSA product exports. Mr. Tangdescribed China as a “wild west” con-sumer market, with 1.3 billion people,10% GDP annual growth over the last 15 years, rapid growth in consumer spend-ing in the coastal region, and a rise indemand for quality over price (especiallyfrom the foreign-owned value-addedindustry). Taiwanese investors play animportant role in the Chinese PSA indus-try, with holdings in 19 companies, 25plants and 40 sales and distribution officesin the Bohai Gulf and Yangtze and PearlDeltas.

The Chinese market is characterised bymany investment advantages and risks.Mr. Tang emphasises that Taiwan canhelp foreign companies profit in theChinese market, for the following reasons:Taiwan’s industries are well-connecteddomestically and internationally; Taiwanhas integrity and respect regarding intel-lectual property; Taiwan shares the samelanguage and culture with China; Taiwanhas much experience with investmentsand operations in China; Taiwan has bet-ter financial means than its Chinesecounterparts; and lastly, Taiwan hasGUANXI—relationship—the magicword in doing business in China.

Taiwan’s business network in Chinaincludes more than $60 billion fromTaiwan (the unofficial amount being fargreater), over 50,000 Taiwanese-ownedbusinesses and over 500,000 businessmenfrom Taiwan on a long-term basis. Mr.Tang concluded by saying that theTaiwanese business network in China issolid socially, politically and economically,thus making partnership with Taiwan inthe Chinese PSA industry ideal.


The Raw Material Supply ChainNext, Tom Brewer of HydrocarbonResin Service DeWitt & Company(U.S.A.), in his very well-received lec-ture, attempted to address important rawmaterials supply and utilisation issues byproviding a fundamental understandingand tools to successfully navigate thePSA supply chain over the long-term.

According to Mr. Brewer, the last 12-18months have been characterised by globalsupply problems which probably greatlyeffected every PSA professional sitting inthe audience. Understanding the chemi-cal industry is important to successfullynavigating the supply chain. Known as acyclical business, the chemical industry isentering a dynamic period with higherindustry capacity utilisations in the downcycle.

Because of 2005 capital investments bythe chemical industrytotalling in value belowdepreciation, the Westernworld is deploying a “hun-ker down” strategy:improved profitability bylower costs, fewer invest-ments in capacity and high-er capacity utilisations. Allare actions which are dan-gerous to the industry out-look as they imply less relia-bility and more supply dis-ruptions. So your expecta-tion for any improved prod-uct supply over the next 2-3 years should be low.

Expansion projects for chemical capacityin the Middle East and Asia to serve thehigh growth Asian markets may divertexports from Europe to this region.However, over-saturation of the Asianmarket could redirect capacity to theWestern world. If this scenario plays out,then it has implications for the Americanchemical industry: It might depress capac-ity utilisations and lower prices or makeoffshore products cheaper.

Mr. Brewer suggested using capacity utili-sations to predict supply changes, such asin the case of isoprene, which goes intoSIS polymers. This involves determiningand analysing the relationship of suppliercapacity utilisation (%), industry capacityutilisation (%) and annual demandgrowth rate (%) variables in order to con-duct product development planning ortactical or strategic purchasing.

How can you avoid product deficits andprice hikes? The presenter suggested‘swimming way up the supply chain’—such as in the case of ethylene—lookingthree to four steps up the chain to avoid‘hidden storms’. You must look past yoursuppliers to their producers to assess thesupply vulnerability.

A strategy of resourcing, intimacy andrelationships (RIR) must be employed to

stay ahead of a company’s raw materialsupply. This involves resourcing the rawmaterial purchasing activity so it gener-ates competitive advantage. Maintain anintimacy with the chemical industry ‘as ifyou loved it’, and develop relationshipswith your suppliers ‘as if they were yourwife or family’.

In terms of SIS polymer supply, industryprojections suggest there are no supplyissues on the horizon. Yet the supply ofisoprene and crude C5’s supply will beshort through 2007. Because of this SISsupply problem, there are many formula-tion changes to move to alternate poly-mers systems, such as the SBS polymerbutadiene being used in place of isoprene.US domestic butadiene supply is expectedto be adequate for 3-5 years. Globally,there will be sufficient butadiene to for anadditional 5 years.

How does a company get started in tack-ling these raw material supply chainissues? Be active in obtaining the informa-tion you need. Subscribe to online ser-vices to get current information and pressreleases. Get data from suppliers, and thenvalidate it. Attend chemical conferenceswhere you can get industry projections.Purchase industry studies on relevantchemicals. Read industry journals. Cross-check your data with other resources.Build a supply chain map and understandthe weak links. Finally, Mr. Breweremphasised, develop a raw material acqui-sition strategy that gives your company acompetitive advantage.

JATMA & Japan Tape Market TrendsA profile of JATMA and Japanese TapeMarket Trends was given by visitingspeaker Akira Katakura of TeraokaSeisakusyo Co. Ltd. andCommunications Liaison for JATMA,the Japanese Adhesive TapeManufacturers Association. Established in1961, JATMA currently consists of 19PSA tape manufacturers and 69 ‘support’companies; its structure and activities arecomparable to those of Afera.

According to JATMA’s shipment data, itscompanies’ total production increasedfrom 1960 to 1991, and after the burstingbubble of Japan’s economy in the mid-nineties, production has continued to

decrease into the 2000s. Mr. Katakuraexplained that Japanese companies’ saleschannel is limited to Japan’s domesticmarket—that they are not competitivewithin the international tape market. Thelast two to three years have seen anupward turn in total PSA sales, but thiswill not rise significantly if Japaneseexports do not expand dramatically.

For the last decade, the total volume ofpaper-, cloth- and film tape has accountedfor more than 90% of production, accord-ing to JATMA data. In the same period,paper- and cloth-based tape sales havedecreased and film-based and double-sidedtape sales have increased by 150% in vol-ume. Film-based and double-sided tapesrevenues have increased by more than250%. Since 2001, imports have expand-ed by 135% and exports by 220%, accord-ing to Japanese Tariff Association data.Exports total 5.9 times imports. The topthree exports are PET, PVC and PP, whilethe top three imports are PVC, PP andpaper. Exports to Korea, China andTaiwan have greatly increased.

In the film tape field, the production shareof PVC and Cellophane has decreasedwhile PP has increased. In the paper field,production remains unchanged, Kraftwith 90% and rice paper with 10% of thetotal. The Japanese market tends to focuson production of its original products:Kraft adhesive tape, rice paper adhesivetape, cloth adhesive tape and cellophaneadhesive tape.

The key market sectors and materials inJapan for PSAs are: Flat Panel Display(FDP): liquid crystal, phase, brightnessimprovement film, PSA sheet and protec-tion sheet. Semiconductor: Silicon waferfixation and protection sheet. Auto: seal-ing, VHB, masking and fixation. Medical:drug delivery system, taping tape.Construction: explosion-proof, UV shieldand waterproof tape. Label: IC tag.Equipment trends focus on cleanness, thincoating, wide coating and decreased VOCemissions. There is also focus on solvent-free, high transparency and removableadhesives.

Mr. Katakura concluded by saying thatwhile Japan’s exports have increasedremarkably lately, it is important that the


country develop a competitive advantageto maintain this upward trend. If Japanwould introduce to the export market atechnically superior product, its sales fig-ures would jump.

Latest IMDS Development on Self Adhesive TapesThe last paper of the Conference wasdelivered by Rainer Weber of HenkelKGaA (Germany) and IndustrieverbandKlebestoffe e.V. (German AdhesivesAssociation), entitled “Latest IMDSDevelopment on Self Adhesive Tapes”.Mr. Weber, a product safety specialist whoholds the I.V.K.’s mandate to negotiatetape materials manufacturing enhance-ments with the automotive industry, pre-sented a short survey of standardised tapeformulations established in the internatio-nal automotive material database “IMDS”.

The International Material Data Systemwas established as a universal materialinformation system covering all materialsused in the automotive industry. Since itscreation in 1999, IMDS has become anobligatory part of the materials informa-tion demanded by nearly all automotivemanufacturers.

OEMs demand of their suppliers: entry ofevery material supplied, disclosure downto basic chemical substances, relaying ofall material information along the supplychain, and control of correctness of allmaterials information within the supply

chain. For the tape industry, this meansthat OEMs must publish all basic materi-als in the manufacture of self adhesivetapes and any adhesive and sealant mate-rials.

The mandatory system carriesthe risk to suppliers their con-fidential information such asproduct know-how or formula-tions could leak unmonitoredinto automotive in-housedatabase systems linked toIMDS. For this reason and forpurposes of legal compliance,both suppliers and manufac-turers in the automotiveindustry developed productgroup categories with genericnames and standard formula-tions. This practise limits thewide range of different trade

products with a similar chemical sub-stance base and simplifies data entry intoIMDS.

The first group categories which havebeen agreed upon among suppliers and carmanufacturers recently were lacquers andbulk adhesives. Following a period ofnegotiation between the I.V.K. and theautomotive industry, some standardisationenhancements were agreed upon concern-ing self adhesive tapes. Mr. Weber thenpresented a slide containing these newtape formulations to the audience, empha-sising that these enhancements allow thetape manufacturers to use standardisedformulations for their tapes delivered tothe automotive industry. The materialsand parts having been completely pub-lished, from the supplier’s side, IMDS hasultimately enhanced communication withOEMs and encouraged co-ordination ofactivities among the suppliers’ associationsworld-wide.

ANNUAL GLOBAL TEST METHODSCOMMITTEE MEETING

After the closing of the AnnualConference by Mr. Ayres, followed by abusiness luncheon, a two-hour AnnualGlobal Test Methods Committee

Meeting was held to discuss global har-monisation of PSA test methods andspecifically, the status of the ISO proce-dure for certification of 4 harmonisedTM. Participants included members of theAfera, the PSTC and JATMA TechnicalCommittees, plus a representative of theChina National Adhesive IndustryAssociation and one of AFNOR, theFrench Standards Association. Detailsconcerning the meeting proceedings canbe found in the “Activities of theCommittees” on page 14.

SPONSORS

Afera’s 49th Annual Conference onceagain provided a platform from whichmembers could conduct business-to-busi-ness marketing by sponsoring the event.Afera had the privilege of organising theevent with the support of the followingsponsors: Gold Sponsors: 3M, Rohm &Haas Company, tesa and TrocellenGmbH. Silver Sponsors: certoplastVorwerk & Sohn GmbH and HexionSpecialty Chemicals, Inc. BronzeSponsors: Evotape SpA, ExxonMobilChemical Europe Inc. and Novacel.

SLIDES, NOTES & ADDITIONALINFO.

The proceedings of the Conference pro-gramme were distributed to the partici-pants, and the corresponding slide presentations can be found on afera.com(members-only section). A detailed 49th

Annual Conference programme, as well as this article, can also be found atafera.com.

NEXT YEAR’S ANNUALCONFERENCE

Hosted by Afera’s ‘Iberian Peninsula’Region of membership, Afera’s 50th

Annual Conference is set to take place inat the Hotel Majestic in Barcelona from3rd-6th October, 2007.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY REPORT 2006

The annual General Assembly was thefirst item on the agenda of the first offi-cial day, 5th October, of the 49th AnnualConference in Nice. Attended byapproximately 60% of Afera’s member-ship, this year’s General Assembly wascalled to order by Afera President MikeAyres, who then conducted the first voteresulting in the approval of the GA2005 Minutes recorded at the AnnualConference in Vienna. The current andfuture activities of the Committees were

then presented by the Chairmen in turn,as laid out in the “Activities of theCommittees” on pages 12-14.

After a review of the financial balancesheet of 2005 and the latest estimate for2006, the GA voted to approve the bud-get for 2007, as well as to keep member-ship fees the same for the 6th consecu-tive year. The composition of theSteering Committee remainedunchanged, with all Representatives

intending to serve out their termsthrough 2007. According to Afera’smanagement rotation schedule, JoaquimPuig, SC ‘Iberian Peninsula’ RegionalRepresentative, will assume thePresidency for the term of 2007-2009.Mr. Ayres concluded by announcing thedate and venue of the 50th AnnualConference: 3rd-6th October 2007 at theHotel Majestic in Barcelona, Spain.


The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council(PSTC) was grateful for the opportunityto share the results of our high-altitudeanalysis of the 2005 pressure sensitiveadhesive (PSA) tape industry for NorthAmerica at the October Afera AnnualConference in Nice, France. We continueto welcome input from Afera, as well asother global tape organizations, as we putforth this study as a model forcapturing a true global pictureof the tape market.

PSTC worked with TheMartec Group, a strategic tech-nical market research and con-sulting firm with offices aroundthe globe, to design and con-duct the research. Martec isexperienced in the PSA tapemarket, having worked withmany of our individual mem-ber companies. The challengesto broad data collection pro-grams should not discourage usfrom attempting to get ourarms around the whole picture;instead, we should acknowl-edge the challenges and do ourbest to rein them in. We iden-tified four challenges up front.

Unified System for TapeClassifications. The first chal-lenge was how to define PSAtape categories for data collec-tion and then further identifythe tapes that fall into thosecategories.

Ability and Willingness to Share Data. Wefelt market domination, niche marketsdifficulties and complacency with estab-lished company methods were among thepotential stumbling blocks to good, accu-rate reporting.

Individual Company Tracking SystemDifferences. While some companies trackin square meters, other companies in theUSA still use system measurements track-ing in yards. There is also intra-industryprivate labeling, which potentially dupli-cates data collection for the same product.

Raw Materials Usage. When data is col-lected from only suppliers, it is difficult todifferentiate between raw materials goingfor PSA tapes vs. PSA labels.

Recognizing these challenges, Martecdeveloped an excel sheet template withproduction data stating the high range vs.the low range for each category. Martec

then telephoned each PSTC manufactur-er and supplier member company torespond to consistent questions.

STUDY RESULTSFigures 1 and 2 show overall 2005 mea-surements and estimates of market changeby 2010 for the four identified categories:industrial, specialty, healthcare and retail.

The data collected allowed us to classifyagreement of total dollars by the statedcategories for 2005 production. For exam-ple, in the industrial category, 2005 pro-duction broke out as follows:76% - Packaging11% - Masking9% - Cloth4% - PVC Electrical

Market trends and drivers in the industrialcategory included:

• Rising corrugated box sales have beenfueling an otherwise mature market- Strong global economy and expand-

ing international trade- Growth of Internet-based retailers

like Overstock.com, E-bay, etc.• PVC tapes continue to be imported

from China/Taiwan; most productionin United States is limited to highergrades of PVC tape

• Exports of OPP masking tape; prolifer-ation of specialty grades

Based on the above, we anticipate a 2 per-cent compound annual growth rate in theindustrial category.

Additionally, we were able to share somedata on tape backings and adhesives – seefigures 3 and 4.

NEXT STEPS

PSTC acknowledges the need to work further with its marketing committee andto reach out to Afera’s marketing commit-tee to properly and consistently definesegments, categories and other informa-tion as we discuss this initial study andplan for the future. The goal is that withthis effort, we can all better understandthe annual global volume for PSA tapes.PSTC committees and staff will do thiswork throughout the remainder of thisyear and into 2007 and beyond. We invite Afera member companies tofurther discuss our study in your commit-tee meetings as well and to come back toPSTC to offer comments, recommenda-tions and input.

It is PSTC’s vision to be a world classNorth American trade association dedi-cated to building global alliances andbringing increasing value to its membershipand the tape industry. This study is one waywe are working toward that vision.

Please send your thoughts to [email protected].

PSTC DATA STUDY – A MODEL FOR THE TAPE INDUSTRY

JOHN J. PUFAHLPRESIDENT, PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE COUNCILCO-CEO – PRESIDENT, ADCHEM CORPORATION

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STEERING COMMITTEE UPDATE

Special Guest• Afera President Mike Ayres welcomed Afera external consultant

Paul Verspoor of Sitmae Consultancy (NL).

Finances• Continued financial success in 2006 was highlighted.• Afera’s overall costs have remained in-line with the annual budget.• A fund of €€50,000 has been earmarked for Afera’s 50th

Anniversary projects. The remainder of 2006’s surplus will be puttoward next year’s Annual Conference.

• Future budgets will include REACH consultation fees, Afera Newscopy journalism fees and new annual tape segment survey produc-tion costs.

• 2007 membership fees will remain unchanged for the 6th consec-utive year.

New Members since January 2006• Active Member ATP Adhesive Systems AG, Switzerland• Associated Member F.lli Maris S.p.A., Italy• Other Participant

(Converter) GWK Klebetechnik GmbH, Germany• Other Participant

(Converter) Miarco SL, Spain

Membership• The 2 participants in Afera’s Converter Survey offered useful

insights into Afera converter-participant needs and preferences.Afera’s management will incorporate their input into theAssociation’s working plans going forward in order to raise thevalue of converter participation within Afera.

• The working overview of current member fees versus benefits forall categories of Afera membership has been updated and will besubmitted to Afera members.

• The SG continues to develop a database of tape producers in theMiddle East and Africa to assess the interest level of the marketplayers of these regions in Afera membership.

• Emilio Angeli, SC ‘Eastern Europe’ Regional Representative, hasattempted to form an Eastern European regional group of tapeproducers without success, due to lack of interest. The initiativewill be renewed new year. Turkish tape producers are apparentlyreluctant to organise themselves for fear of revealing competitiveinformation within their region.

• In 2007, Afera will weigh the proposal to create an alternativemembership region to include North Africa, the Middle East andEastern Europe.

• As the entire SC is up for re-election in 2007, a taskforce (incl.Peter Rambusch, Filippio Antonelli and Emilio Angeli) is draftinga plan to restructure the SC in 2007. Ideas include formation of amore balanced SC with 3 multinational and 3 SME members.

Co-operation with ADCCAT• Afera has agreed upon a special financial membership-participation

construction in which ADCCAT as an association, as well assmaller converter companies within its membership, will enjoymember privileges of Afera.

Next SC Meeting• Thursday, 8th February 2007, 13h-18h, Jolly Carlton Hotel,

Amsterdam

MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE

New MC Members & Special Guests• MC Chairman Eric Pass of Nitto Europe N.V. welcomed new

members Greg Robinson of 3M and Frederic Bodino of Rohmand Haas (formerly on the committee through Cytec Industries,

Inc.); and visitors Glen Anderson, Executive Vice President ofthe PSTC, and Chris Urheim of Rohm and Haas France.

Afera’s European Specialty Tape Market & End-User Survey• 59 copies of he March 2006 Survey have been sold compared to

68 copies sold of the 2003 edition.• Feedback and discussions have revealed that the parameters of the

existing study are too generalised. Although very helpful to new-comers in the industry, the Survey covers each segment very super-ficially.

• The MC is therefore looking into the possibility of conducting amore specific, comprehensive study of one tape segment eachyear, such as ‘Asian import threats and growth opportunities’,‘automotive sub-segments’, etc. Each specific survey would be con-ducted by an agency or consultant specialised in the topic to beresearched. The SG will conduct a member survey shortly to gathertopic ideas.

PSTC North American PSA Tape Industry Report• The PSTC has engaged the Martec Group, a global technical mar-

ket research and consulting firm for strategic, market-basedresearch and consulting services, to conduct a low-cost, high-levelanalysis of the 2005 PSA tape industry for North America.

• The PSTC is interested in working with Afera and JATMA tofacilitate the production of a global report. With the three inter-national bodies working in unison—using the same nomencla-ture—the global figures produced would be the most accurate todate.

Brand Recognition• Afera’s logo-link and by-line “Member of Afera” is now available

for publication on member websites.

Assogomma’s Blue Booklet• Assogomma’s publication Recommendation Regarding Choice,

Storing and Use of PSA Tapes will be published shortly in themembers-only section of afera.com.

Release Liner Manufacturers• Afera will incorporate release liner manufacturers, which former-

ly belonged to the organisation RLME, managed by L.A.M., intothe Association, because Afera’s tape producers purchase linersfrom these manufacturers. Many are already Afera members. Thosewho are not will be asked to join.

50th Anniversary Projects• The MC is planning the 2008 production of a glossy magazine or

book featuring high-quality graphics and texts on the diverse usesof tapes and Afera’s role in the industry. Available for sponsorshipby members, the publication is meant to be distributed to industrynewcomers, students and end-users, including membership clien-tele.

• Planned for 2007’s 50th Annual Conference Gala are entertain-ment acts involving special uses of tapes.

• Also in the works is an industry DVD presentation on ‘selling thesizzle of tape’.

• The task force for these projects: Eric Pass, Frederic Bodino,Oliver Nickel of FiberMark, Jörg Busch of Lohmann GmbH Co& KG, Arrigo Righetti of NAR SpA and the SG.

ICE, 27th-29th March 2007• Afera will not participate in ICE 2007 as an exhibitor but will con-

sider advertising in the event’s magazine and newsletter and/ordistributing Afera image brochures to attendees.

Afera News• The SG is seeking Afera member company internal distribution

lists in pdf-format.

ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEESAfera Committee MeetingsWhen: 3rd October (MC), 4th October (SC+TC), 6th October (AGTMCM) 2006Where: Hotel Palais de la Mediterranée, Nice, at the event of the 49th Annual ConferencePurpose: As the lifelines of the Association, Afera’s Committees meet at least twice yearly to discuss and develop their action plans for carry-

ing out Afera’s mission: To represent the interests of the self adhesive tape industry in the broadest sense.

At the start of each meeting, Afera’s policy for member compliance with competition law is reviewed, and the minutes of the respective formermeetings are approved.


• June 2007 issue plans include engaging a journalist to interviewand write one or more pieces focusing on various tape market sub-segments or captains of industry—their experiences and outlook.

Website• Afera’s overhauled website will be launched in late November

2006.• Cutting-edge features of the new site: online conference registra-

tion, online surveys with automatic reports, search tools, e-newslet-ters, an interactive forum, an online payment system and moredetailed web statistics.

Membership• Afera currently numbers 56 Active Members, 51 Associated

Members, 7 Affiliated Members, 3 Honorary Members and 10Other Participants.

• The MC is researching all industry shows and other events foropportunities of co-operation for Afera.

• Recruiters will target Afera member companies offering convertercourses for increased exposure of the Association during seminars.

Newly-revamped Afera website will serve as a perfect tool forrecruiting action.

Other Projects• The MC concluded there is no need within the tape industry or

among end-users for development of a Low Noise Test Method(TM).

Annual Conferences 2006, 2007• The 2006 Annual Conference had the highest attendance rate to

date with 151 delegates. The event received rave reviews fromparticipants. Wolfgang Roessing of ExxonMobil Germanyreceived the highest-ratings for his presentation on “2005Pressure Sensitive Tape Production in Europe & Asia Pacific”.See “Afera’s 49th Annual Conference in Nice”, pages 4-10, for a fullreview of the event.

• Hosted by Afera’s ‘Iberian Peninsula’ Region of membership, the2007 Annual Conference will be held from 3rd-6th October at theHotel Majestic in Barcelona, Spain.

Next MC MeetingThursday, 8th February 2007, 9h-13h, Jolly Carlton Hotel,Amsterdam

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE UPDATE

New TC Members & Special Guests• Chairman Lutz Jacob of ExxonMobil Chemical Europe welcomed

new members Jürgen Pomorin of Degussa AG and Michael Raidtof FiberMark; and visitors John Pufahl of Adchem Corporation(U.S.A.) and PSTC president, PSTC Executive VP GlenAnderson and MC member Greg Robinson of 3M U.K.

Test Methods - Global Harmonisation• The ISO certification process of the three globally harmonised

test methods (EN1939-Peel Adhesion, EN1943-ShearAdhesion, and EN14410-Breaking Strength and Elongation)continues. The TMs, which were developed by Afera and thePSTC and approved by JATMA, were submitted by Europe, via theCEN/TC253 and the AFNOR Secretariat. The ISO TechnicalManagement Board (TMB) then agreed to fast track the TMs.

• The ISO will distribute the TM documents to its voting bodies inAutumn 2006. According to DIN, the German Institute forStandardisation, Germany’s voting deadline was 18th September,while the other countries were to have submitted their votes by29th September 2006. 12 ISO countries world-wide each cast 1equal vote. 2/3 approval is required for certification of each TM.Abstentions are excluded. Each disapproving country must explainthe reason for its no-vote. Barring any difficulties, the documentsshould be ratified as ISO norms in 2007. The new edition of theAfera Test Methods Manual will include the certified TMs in theISO layout.

• The test method EN1942-Thickness is on track for integrationinto the ISO certification process. First it must be approved by theCEN; its members are currently voting on this TM. Thickness isexpected to enter into the ISO certification process in June orJuly 2007 and become a certified procedure by January 2008.

• Afera’s Peter Lloyd has taken up the chairmanship of CEN/TC253 for the next 3 years, ensuring the representation of Afera’sinterests. During this time, TC 253 will search for an appropriatesuccessor.

• In the future, Afera will entreat the involvement of JATMA,China and Taiwan in the earlier stages of the international stan-dardisation process to ensure a smoother ISO voting process.

• In February 2007, the PSTC and JATMA will submit lists of TMsto Afera to be studied and prioritised for ISO certification. A final,globally-prioritised list of TMs is set to be drafted by the nextAnnual Global Test Methods Committee Meeting in Orlando,Florida in May, 2007. The TM candidates for global standardisa-tion must first be approved by the ASTM and CEN before enteringthe ISO certification process.

• PSTC TM 171-Width & Length of Tape will be on the priori-tised list of TMs for ISO certification. A TC subcommittee (incl.Peter Broschk of tesa AG, Herman Delsiene of Nitto EuropeN.V., Lutz Jacob of ExxonMobil Chemical Europe and MikeKonieczko of Advanced Tapes Intl. Ltd.) has been formed toensure the clarity and uniformity of specifications of types and tol-erances of tapes used, as this TM tends to have the most discrepan-cies with customers. The PSTC has agreed to incorporate the AferaTC results.

• Considered a relevant and very accurate TM, Tack Rolling Ballwill be on the prioritised for ISO certification but must be furtherhoned in its description of ball size, weight, cleaning, tape length,etc.

• TM Insulation Resistance at High Humidity will not be pursuedby Afera for ISO certification.

• As stated above, the MC concluded there is no need within the tapeindustry or among end-users for development of a Low Noise TM.

Waste Management Initiative?• The SG developed and distributed a questionnaire regarding waste

management within the tape industry with the idea of setting up aEurope-wide system for waste collection. Results indicated thatEuropean national laws are rigid and diverse. In addition, the wastebyproducts of tapes production are too diverse for such large-scalecategorisation at this stage. Afera will not move forward with theinitiative at this time.

Co-operation with FEICA• Afera holds a seat on the European Technical Board (ETB) of

FEICA (Association of European Adhesives & SealantsManufacturers). The two associations enjoy important workingties.

• FEICA will be located in Brussels as of 1st Jan. 2007 on the premis-es of the European Chemical Council (CEFIC). Formerly closelyassociated with the IVK, FEICA has been restructuring itselfsince January 2006 and now offers direct membership to Europeanadhesives and sealants manufacturers as well as national associa-tions. The Association focuses on substances/chemicals while Aferafocuses on tape products.

• FEICA and Afera have plans to co-operate on a number of issues:1) In the area of adhesives for food-related applications, the deter-mination of an acceptable method on the measurement of migra-tion through the EU Project on Migresives II. 2) As part of theEuropean Chemicals Policy, participation in RIP 3.2.2: ‘ExposureScenario Exemplification Studies’ for REACH and input into theGlobally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling ofChemicals (GHS) legislation, which will take effect alongsideREACH. 3) Launch of international postgraduate adhesives edu-cation courses for industry professional and end-users.

3rd Tape College• 18th-20th April 2007, Renaissance Hotel Brussels• 14 1-hour lectures with 10-minute Q&A sessions each• Discounted registration fee available until 28th February 2007• The event will be promoted via press release (January 2007), direct

mailing and afera.com• 4 Session Chairs: Lutz Jacob of ExxonMobil Chemical Europe

Inc., Chrétien Donker of Eastman Chemical B.V., Peter Broschkof tesa AG and Ralf Roenisch of Henkel KGaA

• For additional information, see “Back by Popular Demand: 3rd TapeCollege to be Held in 2007”, page 4.

Environment - REACH• The first reading of the REACH legislation in the European

Parliament took place on 17th November 2005. Following its politi-cal agreement on 13th December 2005, the European Counciladopted its Common Position on 27th June 2006. The EuropeanCommission Communication stating the Commission opinion onthe Common Position was adopted on 12th July 2006.

• The European Council’s Common Position on the REACH legisla-tion will be discussed in the Second Reading in the Parliament inAutumn 2006; a plenary vote is scheduled for 23rd-26th

November 2006. After final adoption of REACH, which isexpected by the end of 2006, it will probably enter into forcearound April 2007 through REACH implementation projects(RIPs). The new European Chemicals Agency has to be fullyoperational 12 months after the legislation enters into force.


• In dealing with REACH, the best remedy for tape producers wouldbe an ‘early warning system’. The Parliament has proposed such asystem: the intended uses of the substances to be included in thepre-registration and an obligatory two-year advance warning to cus-tomers before a substance can be taken of the market. Whether theCouncil accepts these amendments remains to be seen.

• Afera is a member of the CheMI platform and most recently,DUCC (Downstream Users of Chemicals Co-ordination), organ-isations lobbying REACH.

• Afera has participated with FEICA in the RIP 3.2.2 ‘ExposureScenario Exemplification Studies’ to test description of use andexposure registration scenarios as downstream users (DUs). Afera’sinvolvement in the project has been co-ordinated by Dr. DirkLamm of tesa AG.

• Members must be informed on the relevant requirements ofREACH for their businesses. Afera plans to engage a specialisedconsultant to advise and assist Afera members in implementingREACH.

• For more information on REACH and its significance to the tapeindustry, see the summary of Afera consultant Paul Verspoor’s envi-ronmental report in “Afera’s 49th Annual Conference in Nice”,pages 4-10.

Environment - GHS• A draft proposal for a regulation to implement the Globally

Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals(GHS) into E.U. law was published on the internet by theCommission services on 21st August 2006. A public stakeholderconsultation then took place until 21st October 2006. FEICA andDUCC have both given their input into the draft regulationregarding downstream legislative consequences at national levelsand the necessary transition period for substances. The new legisla-tion will replace, after a transitional period, the currently existingprovisions on classification and labelling of chemicals.

Environment – IPPC• The second draft of the Best Available Techniques Reference

Document (BREF) for the reduction of solvent emissions withinthe framework of the IPPC Directive, is finished.

• The document will be issued in November 2006 and will be pre-sented at an official meeting of industry and Member States inDecember 2006. Following a few months of inter-service consulta-tions by the European Commission and the translation of the exec-utive summary into the EU languages, official publication will takeplace in mid-2007.

• Around 60,000 installations will be required to operate with IPPCpermits by the end of October 2007. Permits will cover all emis-sions, whole plant, including air, water, energy, waste, storage, etc.of plants utilising more than 200 tonnes of solvent per year.

• For more information on the IPPC BREF and its significance to thetape industry, see the summary of Afera consultant Paul Verspoor’senvironmental report in “Afera’s 49th Annual Conference in Nice”,pages 4-10.

Environment – Other Issues• Afera is actively monitoring the legislative processes of ELVs (End-

of-Life Vehicles) and IMDS (International Material DataSystem), to name a few. Information on these and other publicaffairs issues going forward will be available on the newly restyledafera.com in the ‘Public Affairs’ section.

• For more information on IMDS, see the summary of RainerWeber’s (of Henkel KGaA and the I.V.K.) report in “Afera’s 49th

Annual Conference in Nice”, pages 4-10.

Next TC Meeting• Wednesday, 7th February 2007, Jolly Carlton Hotel, Amsterdam

3RD ANNUAL GLOBAL TEST METHODS COMMITTEEMEETING

AttendeesAfera:• Lutz Jacob, ExxonMobil Chemical Europe Inc., Afera TC

Chairman• Hubertus von Voithenberg, tesa AG, TC Member• John Türk, BASF Aktiengesellschaft, TC Member• Peter Broschk, tesa AG, TC Member• Chrétien Donker, Eastman Chemical B.V., TC Member• Herman Delsiene, Nitto Europe N.V., TC Member• Jürgen Pomorin, Degussa AG, TC Member• Peter Lloyd, CEN/TC 253 Chairman, ISO Certification Process

Advisor• Astrid Lejeune, Afera Secretary-General

PSTC:• John Pufahl of Adchem Corporation (U.S.A.), PSTC President• Glen Anderson, PSTC Executive VP• Kiran Malhota, Adchem, PSTC Test Methods Committee ChairJATMA:• Akira Katakura, Teraoka Seisakusyo Co. Ltd., JATMA

Communications LiaisonCNAIA:• Yan Zhang, Kensinger Group, Inc., U.S.A., Senior Advisor of the

China National Adhesive Industry AssociationAFNOR:• Frédérique Louise-Alexandrine, Dept. of Management &

Consumer Services

ISO Standards of Harmonised Test Methods• AFNOR Rep. Frédérique Louise-Alexandrine reviewed the sta-

tus of the 3 TMs (Peel Adhesion, Shear Adhesion, and BreakingStrength and Elongation) in the fast track ISO certification pro-cedure, as described above in the MC report under “Test Methods -Global Harmonisation”.

• Time schedule of TMs:- Stage 40.00: Distribution of the proposed documents as an

enquiry draft (DIS): 30th September 2006- Stage 50.00: Distribution of the proposed documents as final draft

International Standard (FDIS): 31st March 2007- Stage 60.00: Publication of ISO standards: 30th September

2007.• Following the publication of the TMs as ISO standards, they will

enter a maintenance stage in which the standards must bereviewed for modification every five years.

• JATMA Rep. Akira Katakura shared some observations concern-ing the surface roughness of the test plates used for EN1939-Peel Adhesion TM: Chemsultants (on behalf of the PSTC) andNihon Tact (on behalf of JATMA) created a BA panel to run sometests on surface roughness. Results were varied. JATMA would liketo study surface roughness in more depth, including how to mea-sure the roughness of the Afera BA panels and peel adhesion by theindividual BA panels, especially with low peel adhesion tapes.When the TM is reviewed during the ISO maintenance phase, ameasurement requirement for surface roughness could be added ormodified. JATMA was promised 12 additional Afera test panelswith which to conduct further research.

• EN1942-Thickness: Some editorial changes were applied toclause 6 of the Thickness TM, concerning the diameter of thesmaller plane surface of the micrometer and the range of the pres-sure exerted by the foot.

• The CEN/TC is currently voting on the submission of theEN1942 systematic review. Once the TM is confirmed, theCEN/TC 253 will issue a resolution to inform members ofEN1942’s status. Then the new EN1942 will be put forward by theISO for adoption as a New Work Item Proposal (at DIS stage).Best case scenario: ISO submission by June or July 2008 andfinal publication by the ISO in January 2008.

• Expenses for the ISO certification for this TM (~?25,600/3/3) willbe shared among Afera, the PSTC and JATMA.

Future Global harmonisation of PSA Tape Test Methods• Must internationally, industry-recognised TMs undergo ISO certifi-

cation? Why? The international tape organisations agreed that ISOrecognition is necessary to better ensure that they are globallyaccepted and used. Prior to submission to the ISO process, all TMsmust be approved by the ASTM (U.S.A.) and CEN (Europe).

• PSTC Rep. Glen Anderson pledged to supply Afera and JATMAwith a prioritised list of TM for potential international harmoni-sation.

• CNAIA Rep. Yan Zhang will discuss current and future TMs inthe context of ISO certification, as well as China’s potential role infuture harmonisation processes, at CNAIA’s annual meeting inNovember 2006.

• Afera, the PSTC and JATMA, hopefully with the support ofCNAIA and the Taiwan Regional Association of Adhesive TapeManufacturers, will work globally on answering the following ques-tions:- Which TMs should be harmonised?- Which TMs will be submitted for ISO certification?- Which TMs will each counterpart use strictly for its own regional

purposes?

Next ITMC Meeting• May 2007, Hosted by the PSTC during its annual meeting,

Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.



NEWS OF THE INDUSTRY

BASF AG - GERMANYBASF to increase prices for dispersionsEffective November 1, 2006, BASF willincrease its prices for acrylate and XSBcopolymer dispersions in Europe by ?60 to?80 per metric ton. The products are usedas polymers for adhesives, fiber bonding,architectural coatings and construction.This is the company’s reaction to consid-erably increased raw materials, energy andtransportation costs that can no longer becompensated by efficiency improvements.

CALEMARD - FRANCEOur New GEMINI II can improve con-verters Flexibility, Productivity, Qualityand therefore costs !Flexibility:• Complete line or stand alone unit• Each spooling position is independently

driven and tension controlled.• All production parameters can be preset

in recipeProductivity:• High spooling speed (200 m/min)• Maxi spool dimensions 500 x 600 mm• Cantilevered shafts for easy

loading/unloadingQuality:• Perfectly straight product path without

any distortion to preserve the productcharacteristics. The spool is movingback and forth, the product remainsfixed.

Perfect and low tension regulation thanksto pneumatic preloaded dancers control-ling «brush-less» motors.

DEGUSSA - GERMANYDegussa, market leader for UV siliconerelease coatings, has improved the proper-ties of its cationic curing silicone releasecoatings. The silicone polymers TEGO®

RC 1403 (easy release) and TEGO® RC1412 (tight release) now offer a possiblecure speed,that differs by a factor of two to threecompared to the predecessor productsTEGO® RC 1402 and 1411. The increasein cure speed is that efficient, that theaddition level of TEGO® Photocompound1465 N to the silicones can be reducedfrom 2 % to 1.5 %.

For more information pls contact YvonneWeidner at Degussa, Goldschmidt GmbH

in Essen (++49-201-173-2490;[email protected]) or visitthe relevant website http://www.tego-rc.co.EASTMAN CHEMICAL B.V. -NETHERLANDSEastman Chemical Company announcedthe appointments of two GeneralManagers for the European, Middle East& African regional Businesses. Theappointments are effective October 1st,2006.• Erwin Dijkman has been named

General Manager Adhesives EMEA.Dijkman is currently Business DirectorPCI EMEA.

• Rene Smit has been appointed GeneralManager Coatings EMEA. Smit is cur-rently General Manager AdhesivesEMEA.

Erwin Dijkman, 37,joined Eastman in2003 as Sales ManagerIntermediates EMEA.He has held various

commercial and business developmentpositions at companies in both TheNetherlands and Latin America. Dijkmanhas a Bachelor degree of BusinessAdministration from NijenrodeUniversity, the Netherlands School ofBusiness and a MBA from EmoryUniversity in Atlanta, USA.

Rene Smit, 49, joinedEastman, through theacquisition in 2001 ofthe Resins businessfrom Hercules

Incorporated, a US Chemical Company.Within Hercules he spent 19 years in vari-ous sales and marketing positions and atlast, as vice president for Europe. WhenEastman acquired Hercules’ resins busi-ness in 2001, Smit became GeneralManager of Eastman’s EuropeanAdhesives organization. Smit has a BScdegree in Chemical Engineering.

Technical Information:Tape manufacturers are looking for alter-native polymer systems due to the impactof Isoprene availability on the supply ofSIS (styrene- isoprene- styrene) blockcopolymers. These polymers are an essen-

tial part of most hot melt pressure sensi-tive adhesive formulations.Eastman Chemical developed a conceptusing a blend of SIBS and SBS blockcopolymers in HMPSA tape formulations,thus minimizing the amount of Isoprenemonomer needed. Such a blend needs aspecially developed aromatically modifiedC5 hydrocarbon resin, the newly devel-oped Piccotac 7590-N HydrocarbonResin. This concept offers good opportu-nities for cost reduction while maintain-ing adhesive performance

GHEZZI & ANNONI - ITALYCompany News:Ghezzi & Annoni S.p.a is currently pro-ducing machine #1000.It is with great satisfaction that G&A isable to announce the construction of it’sthousandth slitter-rewinder which hasbeen sold to a major corporate in theUSA.This RSE 180 is a new generation highspeed sliter-rewinders that has completedthe current range of machines G&A pro-duces. These new machines will enableG&A to reach new goals difficult to imag-ine just a few years ago by offering it’s cus-tomers ideal solutions for their specificproduction needs.

Technical Information:G&A’s new high speed RSE 180 has thecapacity of 14 second cycle time with arewinding speeds up to 600 m/min. Theseresults have been obtained with new ten-sion control systems that allow a signifi-cant increase in the rewinding speed pre-venting machine down time due to webbreaks.The RSE can be supplied with widths upto 2100 mm, it has the capability ofrewinding rolls with a maximum OD of180 mm.The success of this machine has also beenconsolidated because of the new ATI 30Accordion Tower & Individual roll shrinkwrapper, that together with the high speedLS 55 for flat packs, now fulfill the needsof high speed slitting.

Market information:“2006 sees a growth in the market”, saysEliseo Annoni (president of G&A) , whoproceeds to confirm that markets such as


East Europe, Central & South America aswell as AISA have grown in 2006. Thismarket trend seems to be confirmed for2007 but there could be some variationsin function of the Euro / USD exchangerate that may occur and open more salesin the USA that is currently suffering thedifficult exchange rate with the Euro.

ICAP-SIRA CHEMICALS AND POLYMERS S.P.A. - ITALYNew Acris 700 series PSAs from Icap-Sira for Graphic Arts and TechnicalTapes.ICAP-SIRA Chemicals and PolymersS.p.A, is pleased to announce the launchof it’s latest generation of PressureSensitive Adhesives, the Acris 700®

series.

The Acris 700® series are a family of highmolecular weight and self cross-linkingsolvent based acrylic Pressure SensitiveAdhesives exhibiting superior adhesionand cohesion properties at extreme tem-peratures.Their long term durability and excellentshrinkage make Acris 700® series the pre-ferred choice for outdoor, heavy-dutyapplications.

These properties make the Acris 700®

series ideally suited to:1. High Performance Technical Tapes:

double-sided tapes and transfer tapesfor: assembly, automotive, building,communications, DIY, electronic, furni-ture and graphics applications.

2. Graphic Arts: laminates for digitalprinting, computer cut sign and mark-ing films, vehicle marking and full cov-erage of cars, buses and train wagons,and several additional applications.

The Acris 700® series include four totallynew products:Acris 700® is the premium permanentPSA especially designed for Graphic Art,where long term most demanding applica-tion conditions are requested.Acris 700® main features are:• excellent anchorage to PVC films (cal-

endered monomeric/polymeric and cast)• excellent shrinkage resistance• excellent ageing• excellent conformability• excellent die cuttability• easy repositionability• clean removability• optically clear

Acris 720® is the universal grade perma-nent PSA especially designed for GraphicArt and High Performance TechnicalTapes, where cost effectiveness is the dri-ving request for the specific application.Acris 720® main features are:• excellent anchorage to PVC, PET, PE

and PP Corona treated films• good shrinkage resistance• good ageing• excellent die cuttability• good conformability• easy repositionability• clean removability• optically clear

Acris 750® is especially designed forHigh Performance Technical Tapes, show-ing superior adhesion and cohesion atvery wide service temperatures.Acris 750® main features are:• excellent anchorage to PVC, PET, PE

and PP Corona treated films• optically clear• compatible with UV absorbers and UV

developing agents

Acris 770® is a tackified acrylic pressuresensitive adhesive especially designed forHigh Performance Technical Tapes inapplication with non polar substrates.Acris 770® main feature is:superior adhesion and cohesion perfor-mances on low surface energy films andsubstrates for a wide range of coat weightlevels, up to 100 g/m2 and more.

Further Information ContactICAP-SIRA Chemicals and PolymersS.p.A.Eros MoriPSAs Business Development ManagerDirect Phone: +39-0331-496316Cell. Phone: +39-346-5002175E Mail: [email protected]

ICHEMCO SRL - ITALYA second plant for the production of spe-ciality hot-melt adhesives has been con-firmed and will be put on stream by yearend. Further to that, a resolution forexpanding activities to a new range of spe-cialty water based, solvent-less and UVcurable adhesives has been taken.This decision will require importantinvestments for new plants and modifica-tions of some production/warehousingdepartments; deadline: July 2007.For more information about new products,pls contact dr Luca Toscani at

[email protected] or [email protected].

Technical Information:A) The hot-melt p.s.a. production range

has been added with:TACKMELT A45: suitable for PUfoams (polyether and polyester)TACKMELT A47 M4: very goodresistance to high temperatures (120 °C)TACKMELT A43 A: high quick-stick and tack, mainly for labels

B) The UV-curable acrylics availablenow are:UVACRIL P1: permanent p.s.a. forlabelsUVACRIL P2: permanent p.s.a. formedical applicationsUVACRIL R1: removable p.s.a. forlabels

C) New water based special p.s.a.:TACKWHITE AP15: for protectivefilms with outstanding water resis-tanceTACKWHITE A623 SF2: very goodwettability of siliconized paper, forpermanent labels

D) New release agents:RELEASE PP 100 D: special 100%powder non silicone release agent,particularly purified version, suitablefor most delicate printed PE protec-tive filmsRELEASE W40 G2: very goodcost/performance release agent forgeneral purpose masking tapes

E) Testing equipmentWe are introducing two new peeladhesion testers formChemInstruments, the leader produc-er of lab equipment for testing PSAproducts: the PA-1000-180, perform-ing 180° peel¸ while the PA-1000-90does 90° peel; perfect for “quick stick”tests. Rather cheap machines, the PAseries is perfect for testing on produc-tion lines. Nonetheless, they offergreat precision and can be connectedto the ChemInstruments „EZ-Lab“software to make graphs and statis-tics, exactly like their bigger versionAR1000, previous market leader.

LOHMANN GMBH & KG CO - GERMANYThe 21st forum of the “AustralianFlexographic Technical Association”(AFTA) took place in the middle ofAugust in Melbourne. The company


Lohmann/Germany, one of the worldwideleading manufacturers of plate mountingadhesive tapes, was represented there also.The Lohmann Liaison Office in Australiaand the distribution partners Flexcor andGMS Pacific presented the new standardof performance for the compressiblemounting of flexographic printing plates.The next “AFTA”event Lohmann willattend is the 5th Conference of the“Asian Flexographic TechnicalAssociation” (AFTA) in Shanghai from7-11th November 2006. Lohmann willcombine this conference with a customerand distribution partner meeting.

Technical Information:After having reviewed every singlematerial component of its successfulproduct series DuploFLEX andDuploFLEX plus, the pressure-sensitivetape manufacturer Lohmann/Germanyhas implemented a multitude of addi-tional and significant improvements.The adhesive system is a completelynew development capable of holdingthe plates firmly in place during theentire press run even when using smalldiameter cylinders. The most significantadvance has been achieved through thedevelopment of a new generation ofhighly resilient polyethylene foams forthe DuploFLEX 5.11 – 5.41 ultra series.

MONTA KLEBEBANDWERK GMBH - GERMANYMonta Klebebandwerk GmbH, theGerman worldwide well-known ISO-cer-tified producer of high quality adhesivetapes has changed ownership structure inJuly, 2005. Mr. Gerhard Spilger, salesmanager and longstanding partner of Mr.Johann Amoser at 50 %, retired from theactive business after having worked inMonta for more than 25 years. His busi-ness shares were taken over by JohannAmoser who is now the sole shareholderand managing director of MontaKlebebandwerk GmbH.

Extensive investments especially in a newcoating line as well as new slittingmachines will improve quality and serviceof this traditional company existing formore than .... years.

Further state-of-the-art technologies willbe implemented within the next years inorder to satisfy customers’ special demandseven in the future.

Monta is now looking forward to work tocapacity and to respond a 100 % to themarket’s requirements.

NEENAH GESSNER GMBH - GERMA-NYNeenah Paper Completes Purchase ofFiberMark’s German OperationsALPHARETTA, Ga., Oct 11, 2006 -Neenah Paper, Inc. today announced thatit completed the previously announcedpurchase of FiberMark’s German sub-sidiaries for $218 million. The transactionwas financed through $160 million ofavailable cash and $58 million of newdebt drawn against the company’s existingsenior credit facility.

The acquired businesses will operate aspart of Neenah Paper’s technical productsbusiness under the name NeenahGermany. Neenah Germany will be com-prised of two subsidiaries, Neenah Gessnerand Neenah Lahnstein. These businesses,with three mills located near Munich andFrankfurt, produce a wide range of prod-ucts, including auto and other filtermedia, non-woven wall coverings, mask-ing and other tapes, abrasive backings,and specialized printing and coating sub-strates. In 2005, combined net sales fromthese units were approximately $221 mil-lion.

“This acquisition, coupled with the sale ofour Terrace Bay pulp operation in August,makes Neenah Paper a much different andstronger company than we were at thestart of the year, as we continue to executeour strategy to transform into a leadingpremium fine paper and technical prod-ucts company,” said Sean Erwin, ChiefExecutive Officer and Chairman of theBoard. “With today’s closing, our integra-tion plans can now move forward quickly;and we are more excited than ever aboutopportunities in Neenah Paper to createvalue both for our customers and ourshareholders.”

NOVAMELT GMBH - GERMANYThe new plant of Novamelt-Jowat LLClocated in North Carolina, USA, startedproduction on time at of February.Novamelt also opened their new technicalservice centre at the same location, whichwill enable US customers to coatNovamelt products on a pilot coating linesimulating label stock, tape and any otherself adhesive coating processes.

Novamelt is furthermore pleased toannounce the appointment of PeterHölzle as a Business Manager. Peter’sresponsibilities are to grow and supportthe company’s business in pressure sensi-tive hot melts with particular focus in theGerman and Eastern European markets.

Technical Information:Novamelt has developed a new range ofUV-curable pressure sensitive adhesivesbased on thermoplastic rubber chemistry.This new technology combines many ben-efits of the standard thermoplastic rubberbased and UV-acrylic based hotmelt pres-sure sensitive adhesives such as high heatresistant and good tack and shear valueseven with very high coating weights. Afurther feature of this new technology isthe plasticizer resistance.

Market information:The market for adhesive raw materialscontinues to be volatile. The availabilityproblems with isoprene based polymers aswell as C 5 based hydro carbon resinstackifiers have led to shortages and thesituation will remain difficult for the fore-seeable future combined with soaringcosts. Furthermore, rosin ester tackifiersare in short supply too, as paper mills havestated to burn tall oil as an alternative toheating oil. Nevertheless Novamelt, withcareful planning, still remains confidentthat they will meet the demands of theircustomer’s ensuring where possible allproducts are delivered on time.

PLANATOL MILKER ADHESIVEGMBH - GERMANYBeing Director of Development andApplication Techniques at PLANATOLMilker Adhesive GmbH, Dr. Heinz-PeterMichels decided to leave the companywith effect from 31st October 2006 inorder to face new tasks. Dr. Michels leaveson amicable terms. New contact personfor application techniques is Dr. RainerFasolt, Director of Development at thePLANATOL group of companies of manyyears with big PSA expertise. First contactperson for all business partners remainsSales Director Dr. Jörg Dietrich. Theadhesive specialist PLANATOL took overthe company Dr. Milker Klebstoff in 2005to strengthens its market position. Inaddition to the PUR, EVA und PSAbased hotmelts and PVAC-based disper-sions, solvent-borne PSAs and waterbased, pressure-sensitive adhesives can


now be offered. With the purchasedturnover, the production and sales vol-umes in the PLANATOL group of compa-nies is increased to 10 000 tonsof specialadhesives per year. In the adhesive seg-ment, PLANATOL now sees itself as acomplete range supplier. More informa-tion: [email protected].

POLYMERLATEX GMBH - GERMANYPolymerLatex starts production ofLipaton® and Plextol® acrylic dispersionsin Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, UnitedArab Emirates (U.A.E.) to strengthensupport of customers in the Middle Eastand Africa

• PolymerLatex has established a produc-tion set-up in Jebel Ali, U.A.E.

• Increased proximity and flexibility as acommitment to local and regional cus-tomers

• Acrylic Lipaton® and Plextol® gradesproduced in line with highest Germanquality standards for customers in theconstruction, paints and adhesiveindustry

• PolymerLatex has started the manufac-turing of dispersions in Jebel Ali FreeZone. The TÜV certified facility (acc.DIN EN ISO 9001:2000) is ready tophase up production in June 2006.Out of this new facility, PolymerLatex isoffering a range of Lipaton® andPlextol® grades to the customers in thepaints and construction as well as in theadhesive industry. Our proximate salesrepresentatives will support you inapproving and applying the well estab-lished grades being used in Europe formore than 30 years. “We do see the local production inJebel Ali as a consequent second strate-gic step to strengthen our position inthis region. After setting up our branchoffice in Dubai last year, PolymerLatexis going to increase its support of thelocal and regional customers with thenew production. We are happy to offerour rewarded product quality and flexi-bility together with our well known ser-vices” said Stefan Brandt, Vice PresidentMarketing, Sales and ApplicationTechnology.

SEKISUI ALVEO AG – SWITZERLANDOn June 1, 2006, ALVEO was formally

renamed SEKISUI ALVEO. ALVEO hasbeen a member of the worldwide SEK-ISUI Chemical group, headquartered inJapan, since 1973. SEKISUI and ALVEOfoam technologies have evolved from theoriginal SEKISUI patents to bringcrosslinked polyolefin foams of unsur-passed quality.Global economic forces continue to pushmanufacturing companies to move closerto their markets. SEKISUI ALVEO willcontinue to invest in its staff in Europeand in its manufacturing plants inRoermond, Netherlands and MerthyrTydfil, England. We will continue ourefforts to work smarter and faster for ourcustomer, develop the best products foreach particular need, find the most cost-effective solutions, and serve the local and global needs for foams and related services.

STOKVIS TAPES B.V. - NETHERLANDSThree businesses purchased by StokvisTapesIn order to strengthen its internationalposition, Stokvis Tapes has purchasedthree tape businesses in three differentcountries.

1. EnglandIn England, Stokvis Tapes has pur-chased Chiltern Adhesive Products. Chiltern is active in the conversion anddistribution of technical self-adhesivetapes and the production of glue dots.The activities of Chiltern will be incor-porated into those of Stokvis Tapes UK.As a result Stokvis Tapes UK will beable to offer its customers a highlyextensive range of tapes as well as allconceivable conversion activities. AllChiltern employees will be taken overby Stokvis Tapes UK. The companywill be managed by the former ownersof Chiltern, Ann and David Worrall.Stokvis Tapes expects to purchase addi-tional businesses in England in theyears to come in order to furtherstrengthen its position in that country.

2. IndiaIn India, Stokvis Tapes has purchasedProstick Adhesive Tapes. Prostick is aleading converter and distributor oftechnical tapes. Prostick is prominentin the automotive industry, consumerelectronics, plastics and the opticalindustry, among other sectors. In order

to cater for the expected growth, thesales organization has been expandedconsiderably in recent months andbuilding work has begun on new busi-ness premises, which will eventuallyhouse all the business activities. Themachinery will be expanded with theaddition of new cutting, laminating anddie-cutting machines.

• EstoniaIn Estonia, Stokvis Tapes has purchasedFixus. Fixus was active mainly in thebuilding industry. Fixus has now movedto new premises covering an area of1600 m2. The organization has expand-ed considerably and the business nowhas cutting machines, flatbed die-cut-ters, rotary die-cutters and a qualitycontrol department. Besides activitiesin the building industry, the branch inEstonia will focus on consumer elec-tronics and other segments.

Stokvis Tapes is an international, inde-pendent tape specialist that currently hasbranches in sixteen countries. StokvisTapes has its own laboratories, and allbranches are ISO 9001-2000 certified. Infour countries the company is also certi-fied in accordance with the TS 169494standard, which is important in the auto-motive industry. Stokvis Tapes aims to fur-ther reinforce its international position bymeans of strong autonomous growth aswell as further acquisitions in existing andnew countries.

TESA AG - GERMANYTechnical Information:tesafilm® Mini DispenserThe new tesafilm® Mini Dispenser lets youmaster everything. It is small and handyand can simply be slid over one finger.This allows the tesafilm® tape to be un-wound from the roll and leaves both handsfree for repairing, creating or wrapping.

For additional information please contactReinhart MartinE-Mail: [email protected]

acResin® – the UV-crosslinkable hotmelt classof adhesive raw materials is all you need:� ecologically-friendly, being solvent-free and very low in residual

volatiles,� variable in adhesion properties – tailor-made products by adjusting

the UV-dose,� economical and cost-effective, since drying equipment is not

required, � higher in heat resistance, due to UV-crosslinking,� transparent, suitable for e.g. clear-to-clear filmic applications,� innovative.

acResin® – Expertise you can rely on.

a c R e s i n ®

Choose acResin® – no solvents!

BASF AktiengesellschaftRegional Business Unit Adhesive and Construction Polymers EuropeSales Polymers for Pressure Sensitive and Industrial Adhesives67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany

www.basf.de/dispersionenE-mail: [email protected]

For further information please contact us on our toll-free numbers and you will automatically be transferred to your regional contact person:

Phone: 00 800 - 227 66 257 or 00 800 - ACRONALSFax: 00 800 - 227 66 253 or 00 800 - ACRONALF

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AFERA News November 2006, No. 2Afera News is published twice a yearexclusively for the Afera and the PSTC(Pressure Sensitive Tape Council-U.S.A.) Members.Afera is the European Association promoting the interests of the selfadhesive tape industry.

Edited and published by AferaLejeune Association ManagementAstrid LejeuneEditor: Bathsheba Fulton van den BoschP.O. Box 85612 NL-2508 CHThe Hague, The NetherlandsTel. +31 (0)70 3123916Fax +31 (0)70 3636348E-mail: [email protected] site: www.afera.com

Steering CommitteePresident &Representative Northern EuropeMr. M. AyresRepresentative Iberian PeninsulaMr. J. PuigRepresentative Eastern EuropeMr. E. AngeliRepresentative Western EuropeMr. L. DerolezRepresentative Central EuropeMr. P. RambuschRepresentative ItalyMr. F. AntonelliChairman Marketing CommitteeMr. E. PassChairman Technical CommitteeMr. L. Jacob

Association Management for AferaAstrid Lejeune, Secretary-GeneralStephanie Feith, Secretarial SupportRichard Elings, Financial Support

Printing & DesignThieme Media Services & Van Marken Design

ADVERTISEMENTS NEXT ISSUES, JUNE & NOVEMBER 2007

Afera is offering advertising opportunities in the 2007 issues of AferaNews. The Newsletter is aimed to keep its members abreast of the latestdevelopments within Afera and the greater tape industry. Cover themessuch as ‘Coating Technology’, ‘The Environment with Relation to theTape Industry’ and ‘Tape Converting Equipment’ adds additional flavour.

PricesPrice per issue: 1.500 Euro for 1 full colour page and 750 Euro for 1/2 full colour page. The print runamounts to 1000 copies per issue.If you are interested please contact the Secretariat formore detailed information.Astrid LejeuneTel. +31 (0)70 312 39 16Fax +31 (0)70 363 63 48or by e-mail: [email protected]

CALENDAR

NEW MEMBERS OF AFERAConverter MemberGWK Klebetechnik GmbH – Mr. Z. Bouraada GermanyMiarco SL – Mr. M. Arnedo Garcia-Guzmán Spain

NOVEMBER 20067 – 8 Introduction to Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Technology

Workshop, Amsterdam, The Netherlands9 – 10 AWA European Self-adhesive graphic arts conference 2006

Amsterdam, The Netherlands11 – 13 China International Specialty Printing & RFID Expo,

Hangzou, China18 – 20 Print World 2006, Toronto, Canada20 – 24 Emballage, Paris, France

JANUARY 200724 - 25 Pharmapack, Paris, France30 – 1 Feb International Sign Exhibition, Amsterdam, Netherlands

FEBRUARY 200719 – 25 Graphispag, Barcelona, Spain

MARCH 20076 – 8 Dansk Emballage Messe, Odense, Denmark13 – 15 Middle East Coatings Show 2007, Cairo, Egypt13 – 16 Propak Africa 2007, Nasrec, Johannesburg, South Africa27 – 29 ICE International Converting Exhibition, Munich, Germany29 – 1 April Cosmopack, Bologna, Italy

APRIL 200710 – 14 Print China, Guangdong, China18 – 20 Afera Tape College, Brussels, Belgium

MAY 20077 – 10 European Coatings Show, Nürnberg, Germany14 – 18 Week of Learning, Orlando, FL - U.S.A.15 – 18 Total Packaging Show, Birminham, UK30 - 1 June FINAT/VskE Joint Congress, Berlin, Germany


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