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GE ADVANCED MATERIALS OFFERS LOWER COST OPTION FOR UNIQUE METALLIC LOOKS
24 August 2004 - GE Advanced Materials
| Using Visualfx resin technology to differentiate in appearance, Spanish appliance leader Fagor Electrodomésticos, chose Cycolac resin for its Innova luxury refrigerator line. The line, which features a unique metallic look and high performance, will be available in second quarter 2004 to consumers.
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Modern appliance manufacturers increasingly find themselves navigating between appealing design that will attract customers and low production cost that will maximize profit margin. Using Visualfx resin technology to differentiate in appearance, Spanish appliance leader Fagor Electrodomésticos, chose Cycolac resin for its Innova luxury refrigerator line. The line, which features a unique metallic look and high performance, will be available in second quarter 2004 to consumers. During the development process, Fagor quickly identified an element key to the success of the Innova line. All parts, from the internal and external displays to door trimmings, ventilation grills and roofs had to appeal to customers in look and feel, while maintaining a consistent colour. Colour match was vitally important, as the many parts had to match not just within each refrigerator unit, but across the complete Innova line as well. “GE Advanced Materials had the quality materials we were looking for,” said Losu Zabala, managing director of Refrigerators Business at Fagor. “Their materials allowed us to achieve the metallic look we desired, while keeping our own internal costs down. They also offered superior technical service compared to their competitors, saving us time and energy during the development process.” After working with GE Advanced Materials’ technical support resources in the development phase, Fagor chose CYCOLAC resin for the Innova refrigerator parts. CYCOLAC, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) thermoplastic resin, is widely recognized as offering outstanding flow, toughness, and dimensional stability even at elevated temperatures. Used in combination with Visualfx resins, Fagor was able to create a metallic look with a reflective sheen. Beside a unique aesthetic appeal, Visualfx resin gave Fagor the ability to maintain a consistent and high quality colour across each piece of the entire Innova line. As an added benefit, the use of Visualfx resin allowed a cost out opportunity by eliminating the need for an additional paint application. All Visualfx resins are formulated with the colour and effect inherent in the pellet to create colourful and exceptionally rich looking parts out of the mold. Fagor used a moulded-in colour option to achieve a flow-line free appearance. “The Innova line is just one example of the type of innovative product GE Advanced Materials can help customers produce,” said GE Advanced Materials Noryl & ESR marketing director, Dermot Ainsworth. “GE’s technical, product management and marketing resources were used by Fagor during its concept and design phase which helped enable Fagor to create its innovative refrigerator. This is crucial to help maximize the end result and achieve the always-present cost-out goal. Our globally available products and services helped deliver a materials solution for Fagor and allowed us to play a key role in contributing to the innovative nature of their unique and expanding product line.” ”We look forward to working with Fagor in the future,” said Ainsworth “by providing materials that can help them achieve their innovative and imaginative designs for products that maintain practical functionality for consumers.”
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About: GE Advanced Materials
GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicone-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Among its businesses are:• Silicones, which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe, offers silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, resins, and elastomers for a variety of industries such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, foam control, and consumer (http://www.gesilicones.com/gesilicones/am1/en/home.jsp); • Plastics is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, which serves customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging (http://www.geplastics.com/); • Quartz produces high purity materials for the semiconductor, fiber optic, lamp making and water purification industries. GE Quartz is a leading supplier of quartz materials to the semiconductor industry (http://www.gequartz.com/en/index.htm); Established in 1968, GE Advanced Materials’ Specialty Film & Sheet business is a leading supplier of high-performance engineering film and sheet products to the United States, Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and operates a worldwide network of sales, research, manufacturing and technical services facilities. Today, GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet employs about 600 people, and manufactures engineering sheet and film products at 12 facilities in 9 countries worldwide. Recent investments:
• 2003 New Roofing Structures Line in Italy, Europe
• 2003 New Coating Lines in China & Malaysia, Pacific
• 2002 Acquisition of Plastech, China
• 2001 New Film Lines in USA and Europe
• 2001 Acquisition of Carboron, Malaysia
• 2000 Acquisition of Matraplast, Canada
• 2000 Acquisition of Nim Plastics, USA Products:
GE Advanced Materials offers a variety of film materials are to meet different type of applications such as graphic film, coated products, electrical & electronic products, and specialties. The key film materials available today include:
• Lexan* Polycarbonate film
• Ultem* film
• Lexan* SLX film
• Valox* film
• Lexan* Illuminex* film GE Advanced Materials’ sheet product line includes a wide range of structures from solid sheet, multi-wall sheet and corrugated sheet through to coated sheet and laminates and combinations of each of these. The key sheet materials available today include:
• Lexan* Polycarbonate sheet
• Lexan* Solar Control IR sheet
• Margard* coated sheet
• Lexgard* laminated sheet
• Ultem* sheet
• Lexan EXL* sheet GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet, serves customers in a variety of industries including aircraft, appliances, automotive, building and construction, business machines, electrical & lighting, furnishing, greenhouse, industrial roofing, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications and packaging. In January 2004, in line with GE Corporate’ new brand architecture, GE Advanced Materials has announced the change of GE Structured Products business naming to GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet. |
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• For August 2004
• From GE Advanced Materials
• For Engineering Plastics
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