Extrusion International 5-2024

59 Extrusion International 5/2024 “Primary Focus is on Circular Economy Solutions” An Interview with Mr. Cliff Zhang, Head of Foam Division, Vice President, Useon Technology Limited, at Chinaplas 2024 M r. Zhang, we notice that the first and second days of the Chinaplas trade fair are quite busy. Could you please share a fewwords about your focus and key areas of interest at Chinaplas? Our company focuses on five main areas. The first one is compound - ing. We specialize in twin-screw extruders designed for polymer compounding. As the second we can name foam extrusion. We of- fer commercialized foam extrusion products including XPS, XPET, and EPLA. Additionally, we produce oth - er foam extrusion products such as XPE. The third one is polyolefin pel - letizers. Our extruders are known for their high capacity, typically ex - ceeding 20 tons per hour. As for the fourth, it is circular economy: We employ model-to-model technol- ogy for EPS and other circular solu - tions, enhancing sustainability. The fifth one is sheet-directed extrusion: Our advanced technology simplifies PET sheet production by eliminating the need for pre-drying. Instead of the traditional two-step process, we directly feed PET chips or flakes into our twin-screw extruder, producing PET sheets efficiently. Which visitors are you hoping to connect with at Chinaplas, and from which countries do you ex- pect them to come? Additionally, what are the most appealing ex- hibits for them at the fair? Our primary customers are from the Middle East and Eastern Eu- rope, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece. In recent years, we’ve also seen increasing interest fromWest - ern Europe, including the UK, Swit - zerland, Spain, and Portugal. Our cost-effective solutions are particularly attractive to these cus- tomers. For instance, our foam ex - trusion machines are often priced at less than 50% of European ma - chines. We have customers who compare our machines with high- end German models and find no significant difference in the final product, which leads them to pur - chase more from us due to the cost savings. Additionally, our service and spare parts availability stand out. We maintain high standardization and keep a large stock of parts – such as 300 or 400 different diam - eters – that are often not read- ily available in Europe. We achieve this by delivering seven to eight lines per year and preparing two or three semi-finished products for quick shipment. In contrast, Euro - pean companies may deliver only one or two lines annually and can- not afford to keep such a stock. Our ability to maintain inventory and deliver quickly sets us apart from our competitors. EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGIES – INTERVIEW