Radici motors ahead to 2019 powered by strong automotive industry sales

RadiciGroup is looking ahead to a fourth consecutive year of growth in 2019 as it celebrates stable growth fuelled by the automotive industry.

The materials producer, which is experiencing over double-digit growth in 2018, said during Fakuma that it expects even higher sales in 2019, although it would not disclose figures.

The group’s rapid growth is being attributed in part to demand from the automotive industry, where at least 50 percent of Radici’s material applications are used.

The company says its focus on materials innovation for this sector will enable automotive manufacturers to realise efficiency gains through light weighting and metal replacement, helping to achieve all-important targets for carbon emissions.

New electric and hybrid vehicles are also providing Radici with challenges and opportunities in new product development.

“We– like the entire sector – are working on electric and hybrid vehicles,” explained Erico Spini, Global Marketing Manager of RadiciGroup Performance Plastics.

“As a supplier of raw materials, we are making an important contribution by developing flame resistant materials, such as Radiflam, for instance. We have made available to automakers innovative materials for battery covers, charging plugs and outlets, high-voltage connectors, as well as the battery cooling system, including Radilon RG, D and DT, Aestus and Raditeck.”

In addition to automotive, the Group is also active in materials development for both the E&E and household and consumer goods sectors. It said it will continue to focus on the development of materials for applications in both of these industries going forward.

“In the field of E/Eapplications, the key word is safety,” Spini continued. “That is why, in the last few years, we have focused on halogen- and red phosphorus-free flame-retardant compounds to be used for all those components (such as, power distribution boards, industrial control units and household appliance parts) that are required to ensure safety, provide flame resistance properties, insulation and absence of substances toxic to human health.”

“Under the consumer goods header,” Mr. Spini added, “we have products for extrusion, water management and the solar industry.”

The Group said that it is responding to customers’ design and materials replacement challenges by increasing its involvement in helping in the early stages of cost and performance calculations.

Regards materials supply amidst shortages, the company said it is working on developing speciality compounds that would match the performance of its polyamide 6 and 6.6 product lines.