WEDCO's complete material processing solutions deliver quality, speed and cost-efficiency

DÜSSELDORF, October 25, 2001 – WEDCO is a subsidiary of ICO Incorporated (NASDAQ: ICOC) which was founded in 1970 as a small oilfield services company. Today, it is a leading provider of specialised processing and distribution services to the petrochemical industry worldwide, with facilities in North America, Europe and Australasia. WEDCO is a world leader in size reduction and related processing services, with over forty years’ experience in the field.

WEDCO has long been a pioneer in leading-edge methods of size reduction for all types of polymers and other materials. It has developed highly efficient proprietary equipment and processes for controlling particle sizes and enhancing material characteristics.

WEDCO has the most advanced Ambient grinding technologies in the world. Ambient grinding is an air-cooled system which is used mainly for grinding materials such as PE down to particle sizes of 500µ, the optimum size for rotational grinding. Ambient grinding can also be used for other materials and can produce particle sizes as small as 200µ. For materials which are sticky, ductile or which melt easily, WEDCO uses Cryogenic grinding. This process uses liquid nitrogen to obtain very low sub-zero temperatures and can produce particles down to 80µ. For the production of ultra-fine particles sizes (down to 2µ), WEDCO employs Jet milling. This uses pressurised air, but is most suited to brittle or friable materials such as waxes.

When it comes to R&D, WEDCO has state-of-the-art research, testing and product development laboratories. Using these facilities, it can offer services to its customers ranging from simple material evaluation to co-operative product development programmes. WEDCO's involvement in new material and product development means that it has the expertise to deliver the most cost-effective production methods and to reduce the possibility of downstream processing problems.

WEDCO supports its customers with complete material processing solutions, that encompass everything from material development, processing and packaging, through to warehousing, distribution and recycling. All are designed to provide each customer with a customised service, which delivers a consistent supply of the highest quality product at the lowest cost, with the greatest speed and efficiency.

To find out more about WEDCO's products and services, visit ICO Polymers in the American Pavilion in Hall 3, Stand 3E79-5 at the K2001 exhibition.