Customised Masterbatch Solutions
NEFA® MB – your technological lead
Seizing on an interesting product idea at Caparol Industrial Solutions led to a registered, patented method of producing novel colour/additive masterbatches. Here, we have consistently pushed on in a lengthy process in order to develop genuine added value for you from that first idea.
You can read how this came about in the interview with Dr. Matthias Hübner, who is currently Product Manager Masterbatches.
Question: Dr. Hübner, within the scope of your thesis you worked on a special project in co-operation with Caparol Industrial Solutions here in the company. What did this involve?
Dr. Matthias Hübner: The special feature with this project was the idea behind it. In line with the portfolio established at the Nerchau location, a further product group was to be developed, namely a special masterbatch for modifying plastics. Principally, these products are well-suited to the company, but they are not the primary product group which one would associate with a classical manufacturer of paints and enamels. What impressed me was the readiness and desire of opening up new markets with the development of a completely new product and of following and facilitating the path of implementation over many years. From a pure idea, co-operation made the development of a marketable product possible. At this point it should be mentioned that the intermediary function of POLYKUM e.V., a regional association of the plastics industry, had a positive influence.
Question: And what was special about this project for you personally?
Dr. Matthias Hübner: I was able to take on the development of a pure product idea right from the start and push on with it independently. Initial examinations soon showed that the idea had potential and that the subject would also supply plenty of material and content for a thesis. Consequently, I had all the freedom to carry out experiments and to include and implement my own ideas. Personally, I benefited a lot from that – but overall so did the product and the company.
Question: What did you find special in the co-operation?
Dr. Matthias Hübner: The special feature of the co-operation was working together very dynamically and in a tightly knit team. Working relationships were always very professional and on an equal footing. On the side of Caparol Industrial Solutions promising developments were passed on directly to plastics processors in order to carry out experiments in an industrial environment. As a result, we were able to try out many different customer prototypes in parallel to the development and push forward with the project towards our goal.