Strong partnership with Borealis and Borouge brings Renault weight-saving benefits for key car platforms

22.05.2012

Borealis and Borouge, leading providers of innovative, value-creating plastics solutions, have introduced a new grade of polypropylene (PP) specified for use in lightweight bumper applications for two new Renault automotive platforms.

High flow Borcom^™ WH107AE was specified for the recently introduced Dacia Lodgy, a minivan produced at Renault’s new plant in Morocco and for the Renault Twizy, Renault’s first electrical car produced at its plant in Spain. Borcom WH107AE is already in use for new generation bumper applications in other Renault platforms including but not limited to the new Dacia Duster and Sandero in South America and Russia.

The specification of Borcom^™ WH107AE underlines a number of major benefits to Renault. These include:

• Reducing the thickness of parts and density of materials used for car bumpers makes a significant contribution to Renault’s strategy of overall vehicle weight reduction for fuel economy and lower emissions. “Thinner parts can make a substantial contribution to overall weight saving,” says Emmanuel Boissard, Borealis Senior Application Development Engineer. “However there can be absolutely no compromise on the part’s performance. Borealis has helped Renault to reduce the parts whilst retaining the necessary mechanical performance.”

• Borealis and Borouge are amongst the first suppliers of a portfolio of PP materials that are recognised as Togozaï materials, i.e. materials that fulfil Renault’s worldwide specifications. In addition to the commercialisation of Borcom WH107AE for exterior parts, Borealis and Borouge have also developed a complete new Togozaï portfolio for Renault interior applications.

• In addition, Borealis and Borouge deliver strong technical expertise and highly personalised support to Renault through a dedicated team for the development, ramping-up and production phases throughout the world.

“We know the automotive industry needs to address the global challenges of energy supply and climate change,” says Harald Hammer, Borealis Vice President Business Unit Mobility. “Weight reduction is a key driver and we are committed to finding new and innovative solutions to ensure that the industry’s targets are met without compromising on performance.”

About Borcom^™ WH107AE
Borcom WH107AE is a global automotive grade available from Borealis and Borouge. This new generation high flow PP was specially developed to meet new specifications for bumpers. The material’s main characteristics are high flow and low density for lightweight applications with excellent surface quality. The material helps to achieve substantial weight savings by making it possible to design lighter and thinner parts while maintaining the mechanical performance required for these specific applications. By facilitating reductions in part thickness and density, Borcom WH107AE can make a significant contribution to overall weight reduction for car manufacturers.

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For further information please contact:

Virginia Mesicek
External Communications Manager
Vienna, Austria
+43 1 22 400 772
virginia.mesicek@borealisgroup.com

Borealis and Borouge Mobility Business Units

Borealis and Borouge Mobility Business Units specialise in supplying advanced polyolefin plastics to leading manufactures in the automotive industry. The portfolio of products includes materials for exterior, interior and under the bonnet applications, such as bumpers, body panels, trims, dashboard, door cladding, climate control units, air intake manifolds as well as battery cases. Through close collaboration with our customers, innovative technologies and our extensive product portfolio, Borealis and Borouge have established a leading position in the automotive market across Europe, South America and Asia.

Both companies find that customer-driven innovation is the only way to achieve and sustain progress. Through foresight and focus on customer needs, we continue to provide innovative solutions for the automotive industry that add real value throughout the value chain. We also know the high value that our customers in the automotive industry place on quality and product consistency. We pride ourselves on the performance of our products, and through ongoing investment in upgrades and new plant programmes, we continue to set new records for output efficiency and product reliability.

They believe that responsiveness is the foundation of fruitful customer partnerships. The Business Unit Mobility ensures this through their resources of strategically placed global hubs: Borealis Belgium, Borealis Central Europe, Monza (Italy), two compounding facilities in Brazil, Itatiba and Triunfo and two in China, Shanghai and Guangzhou (end of 2012). In addition, they are supported by the innovation centres all over the world

Borealis and Borouge

Borealis is a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions that create value for society. With sales of EUR 7.1 billion in 2011, customers in over 120 countries, and around 5,300 employees worldwide, Borealis is owned 64% by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi and 36% by OMV, the leading energy group in the European growth belt. Borealis is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has production locations, innovation centres and customer service centres across Europe and the Americas.

Through Borouge, a joint venture between Borealis and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the world’s major oil and gas companies, the company’s footprint reaches out to the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the Indian sub-continent and Africa. Established in 1998, Borouge employs approximately 1,700 people, has customers in more than 50 countries and its headquarters are in Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Singapore.

Building on Borealis’ unique Borstar® technology and their more than 50 years experience in polyolefins, Borealis and Borouge provide innovative, value creating plastics solutions for the infrastructure (pipe systems and power and communication cables), automotive and advanced packaging markets. In addition, Borealis offers a wide range of base chemicals from melamine and fertilizer to phenol and acetone.

Today, Borealis and Borouge have a manufacturing capacity of over 5.4 million tonnes of polyolefins (polyethylene and polypropylene) per year having recently completed a 1.5 million tonne capacity expansion in Abu Dhabi. The Borouge 3 plant expansion will be completed at the end of 2013 with a further capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year (t/y) being fully operational in mid-2014. The companies continue to invest to ensure that their customers throughout the value chain and across the globe can always rely on product quality, consistency and security of supply.

Borouge and Borealis are committed to the principles of Responsible Care® and proactively contribute to addressing the world’s water and sanitation challenges through their Water for the World™ initiative.

For more information visit:
www.borealisgroup.com
www.borouge.com
www.waterfortheworld.net

Borcom and Water for the World are trademarks of the Borealis group.

Borstar is a registered trademark of the Borealis group.

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