Borealis increases black PE80 and PE100 supply efficiency for European pipe manufacturers

Borealis, a leading provider of innovative, value creating plastics solutions, announces the start-up of additional capacity for black high density polyethylene (HDPE) for drinking water and gas pipes at its Schwechat facility in Austria. The additional volume puts Borealis in the unique position of ensuring short delivery times and reliability of supply of the latest, high quality pipe materials for manufacturers in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. The extra unit will allow Borealis to source black HDPE pipe compounds from three of its manufacturing locations - Schwechat, Stenungsund (Sweden) and Porvoo (Finland).

"The need to further invest in infrastructure with more efficient pipe networks for drinking water and gas is an important issue for Central and Eastern Europe," comments Jane Toogood, Vice President business unit Pipe, Borealis. "Having Borealis' black PE pipe compound production closer to hand puts us in the unique position of offering a more convenient supply of top quality pipe materials to the manufacturers, utilities and local councils operating in the region."

Available in PE80 and PE100 grades, BorSafe bimodal black HDPE compounds deliver consistent, long-term performance to drinking water and gas pipes, exceeding the requirements of the relevant European standards, EN12201 and EN1555. The overall high quality of the pipe material derives from Borealis' proprietary Borstar® technology, a multi-modal process that allows tailoring of the pipe grade to achieve specific performance and processing benefits, such as high strength, low-sagging performance for production of thick wall pipes and high output potential.

"PE pipes are the preferred choice all over Europe for water and gas distribution thanks to the many benefits they provide, like their ability to prevent leaks and reduce the wasting of valuable resources," comments Christophe Salles, Application Marketing Manager for Drinking Water and Gas, Borealis. "This is of particular relevance to regions like Central and Eastern Europe where ageing pipe systems show leak rates of up to 40%. The increase in our black PE compounding capacity at Schwechat not only puts our supply capabilities closer to our customers, but it also improves our flexibility to deliver the precise material solutions demanded by the market."

Borealis has been a leading supplier of PE material for pipes for more than 40 years and is committed to developing innovative pipe materials that can help preserve valuable natural resources. For more information visit www.waterfortheworld.net.

For further information please contact:

Kerstin Meckler
Head of Communications, Borealis
Vienna, Austria
+43 1 22 400 389
kerstin.meckler@borealisgroup.com