DSM'S AKULON PA6 IS CHOSEN BY SAMSONITE FOR ITS "FLITE" RANGE OF SUITCASES

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DSM'S AKULON PA6 IS CHOSEN BY SAMSONITE FOR ITS "FLITE" RANGE OF SUITCASES
01 February 2005 - DSM Coating Resins

Samsonite, a world leader in travel, provides innovative solutions in luggage, handbags, backpacks, computer cases and other travel accessories. For some critical components in their Flite range of suitcases, Samsonite chose two Akulon PA6 grades as the preferred material. "We were looking for a materials solution provider who had the right set of knowledge of applications and materials to match our requirements. Our global standards on luggage were what we wanted to adhere for high reliability to meet our warranty promises. DSM helped us in that assurance, both in materials and the applications knowledge to bridge our requirements.", Mr. P. Bhattacherjee (Manager Purchase, Samsonite South Asia Pvt. Ltd., India).

"We were looking for a materials solution provider who had the right set of knowledge of applications and materials to match our requirements. Our global standards on luggage were what we wanted to adhere for high reliability to meet our warranty promises. DSM helped us in that assurance, both in materials and the applications knowledge to bridge our requirements.", Mr. P. Bhattacherjee (Manager Purchase, Samsonite South Asia Pvt. Ltd., India).

Akulon K224PG6, a 30% glass reinforced and toughened polyamide is used for the wheel housing that functions as the axle of wheel as well as wheel covering. The cover needs adequate stiffness to hold the wheel in position at all times. It also needs to be tough, even at very low temperatures, due to the impact loads it experiences during operation.

The pull handle has a lockable, adjustable height mechanism for user comfort and convenience. The locking mechanism has two components that rely for their performance on Akulon. The locking cylinder acts as a bush for the locking plate and also uses Akulon K224PG6. The locking plate needs to be extremely strong to withstand the high loads required to provide secure locking at all times and Akulon Ultraflow KFHG12, a 60% glass reinforced polyamide grade met those requirements.

"The vast knowledge that we have with us has come from decades of innovating in materials and applications. With Akulon, we were sure that we could meet Samsonite's requirements of stiffness and toughness at very low temperatures and high loading conditions and guarantee its performance." – Mr. Shailesh Gupte, Business Development Manager – India.

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About: DSM Coating Resins
DSM Coating Resins is one of the business groups making up DSM’s Performance Materials cluster. It specializes in the development, manufacture and sale of resins for coating systems. It is a global supplier of polyester resins for powder coatings, can coatings and coil coatings. The company also plays an important role as a resins supplier to the decorative coatings market, protective and maintenance coatings market, and industrial coatings markets. DSM Coating Resins has production sites in many countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

DSM's activities are grouped into three clusters: Life Science Products, Performance Materials and Industrial Chemicals. DSM Nutritional Products will remain a seperate entity for the time being. The group has annual sales (pro forma, including the recent acquisition - renamed DSM Nutritional Products) of approximately EUR 8 billion and employs in the region of 25 000 people around the world. Its headquarters are based in The Netherlands.

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