Early investments in recycling pay off for Mocom

Orlando, Fla. — Mocom Americas is using its access to recycled content to offer sustainable materials to its customers.

"Our 2017 acquisition of Barnet gave us mechanical recycling assets and access to fiber waste," President and CEO Tony Smith said at NPE2024 in Orlando, May 6-10. "That back integration has helped us supply sustainable products."

Mocom owner Albis formed a recycling joint venture with resin and fiber supplier William Barnet & Son LLC in 2016 before becoming full owner the following year. The acquisition of the JV included a recycling center that Barnet had operated in Duncan, S.C., where Albis had opened a compounding plant that Mocom now operates.

Jens Kaatze, CEO of Mocom Compounds GmbH & Co. KG of Hamburg, said "quality and consistency are key" when using recycled content in compounds. "You have to distinguish yourself by having consistent sources," he added.

In late 2023, Mocom Americas completed an expansion that increased its compounding capacity in Duncan by 35 percent. That expansion included a new extrusion line making compounds based on polypropylene, nylon and similar materials. These compounds are being used in a wide range of applications, including automotive interior lighting.

In sustainable products, Mocom's product mix includes Altech-brand compounds based on post-industrial and post-consumer recyclate of engineered resins and Alfater XL ECO, a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) based on post-industrial PP and/or bio-based materials.

Mocom was spun off from Albis, a leading European resin distributor, in late 2020. Mocom, Albis and recycler Wipag all are part of Otto Krahn Group. At NPE2024, Otto Krahn Group CEO Phillip Krahn said that the parent firm will look to grow Mocom both through organic growth and through potential acquisitions.

"We're seeing growth in both of those areas," he added. "The Americas are a good market for us."

Looking ahead, Smith said that most of Mocom Americas' customers are optimistic about the rest of 2024. "Consumer goods did well in the first quarter and we've closed a lot of new business in electric vehicles," he added. "Our customers are still bringing us good growth this year."

On May 16, Mocom announced the opening of a new plant making carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics in Gardelegen, Germany. It covers 128,000 square feet and has annual production capacity of almost 7 million pounds.

Officials said the use of recycled carbon fibers significantly reduces the CO2 footprint of materials made at the plant, which represents an investment of 10 million euros ($10.8 million).

"We prioritized future-proofing this new production hall," Kaatze said in a news release. "A photovoltaic system on the roof supplies electricity autonomously, and we will utilize our process waste heat for heating."

He added that the plant now operates one extrusion line and equipment for processing carbon fibers for compounding. The building also is designed to accommodate additional extrusion lines.