Fakuma 2018: PA 6.6 - NRC Group with strong supply partner
Adiponitrile (ADN) is an important intermediate for the production of PA 6.6. However, availability is currently impaired. The reason: production constraints in Europe and the USA. As a result, PA 6.6 has been in short supply for some time now. The NRC Group is in the favourable situation to represent with Asahi-Kasei a reliable producer with own integrated PA polymerization in Japan and a production volume of 76,000 tons per year.
As market leader for PA 6.6 in Japan, Asahi Kasei co-operates closely with the local and the European automotive industry. In order to better support automotive manufacturers in Germany, France and the rest of Europe, the Japanese group recently has opened the Asahi Kasei Europe R&D-Centre near Düsseldorf (Germany).
New local compounding in Germany
Since June 2018 Asahi Kasei is compounding in Germany in addition to the semi-aromatic 90G also PA 6.6 under the name LEONA™ 14G. This is a highly versatile heat stabilized grade that shows excellent fatigue resistance. LEONA ™ is available as 14G with glass fiber contents from 25 to 50 percent and as 90G still from 33 to 60 percent. Further, there are many other LEONA ™ grades in Asahi-Kasei’s portfolio, as listed in the below table.
Thanks to the Japan-EU Free Trade Agreement (JEFTA), which has recently been negotiated, tariffs are likely to be abolished from 2019 onwards. The cooperation between the NRC Group and Asahi Kasei will thus certainly continue to expand.