JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #50 - July/August 2009 - 15

in partnership with JEC Composites E-letter distributor, while bigger players are served directly by DSM Composite Resins. We are also more specific in the level of service we provide to customers. This may mean stepping up our efforts for some customers, while for others it means offering a simpler package. JCM: You have just signed two agreements with Büfa. How do they fit into your overall strategy? M. E.: At the core of all our strategic considerations lies our intention to better serve our customers. Büfa and DSM both focus on developing and marketing specialty products for the composite market. The core competencies of both companies are in innovation, research & development and production. Together, we have created two joint ventures. The first is Euroresins – our pan-European distribution network – and the second is Büfa Gelcoat Plus – a developer and manufacturer of gelcoats, adhesive pigment pastes and fire retardant products. By pooling our resources in these core areas and outsourcing distribution to Euroresins, we can better serve our direct European customers while offering a complete product and service portfolio to the market. JCM: Circumstances are leading Euroresins to play a greater role, so how are tasks distributed? M. E.: We formed the new Euroresins joint venture after we identified a problem in the market, i.e. that large customers are being directly served by principals. However, a significant number of customers (including larger ones) prefer to work with one supplier capable of delivering the complete product and service portfolio (one-stop-shop concept). On the other hand, it is simply not feasible for large principals to deliver their products and services directly to medium-and small-sized customers. Establishing Euroresins provided a solution to both issues. JCM: How would you compare the relative importance of thermoplastic and thermoset resins within Euroresins? M. E.: Euroresins will only focus on the thermoset composite market. We will offer a full range of premium products including fibres, resins, gelcoats, catalysts, tools and ancillaries, etc. Thermoplastics are not part of our plan today. JCM: China is a key market for DSM Composite Resins. What specific activities are you conducting there? M. E.: We continue to invest in Asia through our highly successful Chinese joint venture, Jinling DSM Resins Co. Last year, we massively increased the Nanjing plant output as we seek to refocus on specialty resins in China. Despite the fact that Asia is also feeling the recession, our outlook for the Chinese market remains very strong, and we are almost doubling our local production capacity. This project will be completed by the end of this year. Furthermore, DSM recently opened a new DSM Campus in Shanghai. This new facility will become our local innovation centre in Asia, bringing us closer to our customers and helping us to attract new top talents. Our Sizing and Binder business is also located in this centre. JCM: Are you focusing your efforts on certain specific markets? M. E.: In the field of direct compounding, for example, we have established a strategic cooperation with Dieffenbacher, one of the leading manufacturers of complete system solutions for forming, and with the Fraunhofer Institut Chemische Technologie (applied research and product development up to pilot plant level). This cooperation should enable us to provide the market with a complete technology as early as 2009, combining advanced resins, direct formulations, machine technology and know-how for the automotive industry – both passenger cars and trucks– and other fascinating applications. In general, DSM composite resins will continue to focus on its core competency and goal: to provide innovative and sustainable products to the market. DSM will also continue its efforts to provide high-performance specialty products for high-tech and niche applications. Our main focus will remain on the automotive, tanks, pipes & relining, and infrastructure markets. JCM: Crises can also be a time of opportunity. Do you think that you can use this situation to grow stronger? M. E.: Yes, I do. I believe our commitment to innovation is crucial in the face of the current difficult market conditions. Innovation in itself is a commitment to the industry: by striving to create innovative solutions to ethical and sustainability issues, we ensure the future of the industry and its growth as composites replace less sustainable materials. All the measures we are taking will make us one of the fittest when the global economic crisis comes to an end. JCM: As the head of a key company, do you have a message for the market? M. E.: This crisis can also be a positive period for the composite market. Together as an industry, we should use the obvious advantages of composites and gain market share from metals. Composites are lighter, consume less energy, have lower system costs at lower construction rates (e.g. in passenger cars, trucks), and show higher performance and durability. Our composites should see the crisis as an opportunity rather than a threat. FREE subscription form www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription 26,583 copies total qualified circulation, BPA Worldwide, December issue 2008 No50 July-August 2009 / jec composites magazine 15

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #50 - July/August 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #50 - July/August 2009