Sarlink has officially opened a new production facility in Genk, Belgium, doubling its global capacity. The expansion is timely as thermoplastic vulcanisate (TPV) material solutions are becoming more popular than ever, thanks to the material’s unique balance of properties and benefits.

Although technically part of the product group known as thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), TPV is the only true elastomeric thermoplastic. It is produced in a complex proprietary and patented process by blending large quantities of EPDM rubber into a small continuous phase of plastic, whilst at the same time chemically crosslinking the rubber phase and controlling the morphology. The result is a unique and extremely versatile product that has rubber properties yet can be processed like plastics. Sarlink TPV thus allows plastics converters to enter the traditional business domain of rubber processors. By replacing traditional solutions with TPV products, system costs can be significantly reduced - improving competitive positioning of Sarlink’s customers in the marketplace.
Sarlink Business Unit director and president David Huizing said an important trend in the TPV industry was that the application development activities were moving from the value chain to materials suppliers. Sarlink had made significant investments in application development facilities and resources, which were crucial for the successful conversion of other materials to TPV.
“Over the past couple of years, Sarlink has invested continuously in new capacity and new capabilities. We have now added a new, fully automated plant with state-of-the-art technology, doubling our global capacity. We believe the current economic situation does not change the underlying outlook for Sarlink, which is targeting growth based on our technological leadership position,” the official said.
Sarlink has production operations and laboratories in Leominster MA (USA) and Genk (Belgium), and sales/marketing and technical support offices in Detroit MI (USA), Leominster MA (USA), Sittard (The Netherlands), Shanghai (China) and Singapore as well as Japan where it operates through business partner Toyobo.