PolyOne

PolyOne adds color to first European-built PT Cruiser® Passenger Car from DaimlerChrysler

DÜSSELDORF, October 25, 2001 - Demonstrating its ability to provide customers with global support, PolyOne Color & Additives Europe is supplying color concentrates for a range of interior trim parts in the Chrysler®-brand PT Cruiser® passenger car, which had its production launch in Europe in July.

Already successful in the U.S. where it was introduced in early 2000, strong global demand for the PT Cruiser sedan led extension of the vehicle’s production to DaimlerChrysler’s Eurostar® Assembly Plant at Graz, Austria. In translating the program to Europe, DaimlerChrysler (DCX) and its Tier One interior parts supplier, Lear Corporation, sought to maximize local content in respect to color concentrates and thermoplastic resins; PolyOne, as the colorants and resin supplier to Lear and the project in the U.S., was a natural partner.

PolyOne was already a major supplier to Lear in the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Asia, when Lear was selected as the principal supplier of interior parts to the U.S. version of the PT Cruiser car. Lear believed that with PolyOne’s global capabilities and manufacturing facility in Toluca, Mexico, where the PT Cruiser vehicle is assembled, the program would be ideal for both companies to work jointly on, and this proved to be the case in meeting DaimlerChrysler’s requirements.

PolyOne Corporation, Avon Lake, Ohio, worked with Lear and DaimlerChrysler in the U.S. to obtain approvals on new materials and colors. Approved formulations were then transferred to PolyOne Mexico for sampling and approval at Lear. PolyOne supported molding trials in U.S. and Mexico, illustrating the depth of PolyOne’s organization to both Lear and DaimlerChrysler and the automaker was completely satisfied with the appearance and consistency of color.

When the PT Cruiser program was to be extended to Europe, Lear and DaimlerChrysler again asked PolyOne for support. The challenge was to achieve the same color and properties, especially weathering performance, for new resin grades.

Preparatory to the transfer and to guarantee success in Europe, Automotive Key Account Manager, Evaline Cooijmans and Color Laboratory Manager, Didier Galle, from PolyOne Color & Additives Europe, visited their counterparts at PolyOne in the U.S. to review the PT Cruiser color requirements. They also met with key people at Lear and DaimlerChrysler to review program timing, material and color specifications, as well as ways of controlling color. A visit was made to Mexico to see the parts molded at Lear in Monterrey, and to PolyOne Toluca to further familiarize themselves on color requirements.

PolyOne in U.S. supplied formulas and DaimlerChrysler provided color masters (masterbatches? Or master samples?) to PolyOne Color & Additives’ European Automotive Laboratory at Tossiat, France. Subsequently European color concentrate plaques were sent to DaimlerChrysler in the U.S. for color approval. The PolyOne U.S. laboratory, being equipped with a weatherometer set to DaimlerChrysler specifications, undertook the accelerated weathering tests of the new formulations.

Once the approval was obtained, a material sample was manufactured in the European lab and sent to the various U.S. toolmakers making the tools for Europe. Tools were then checked in the European production environment with both the European color concentrates and European resins to determine final grain texture and fine-tune the concentrate in respect to both color and processability.

PolyOne team members from Europe and the U.S. participated to the first moldings at Lear Germany and co-operated in the optimization of processing conditions. The ability of PolyOne to transfer technology and meet customer needs globally has, in respect of the PT Cruiser vehicle, contributed to what DaimlerChrysler has characterized as being ‘its best ever launch in terms of meeting quality goals’.

PolyOne is featuring the company’s vast portfolio of products for the plastics industry and end-use applications for a broad array of market segments in the new hall 6 stand 6C40 he

Reader enquiries

PolyOne Corporation
33587 Walker Road
Cleveland
Ohio
U.S.A.

+1 440 930 1000

www.polyone.com


Notes for editors

About PolyOne:

PolyOne Corporation, with revenues of approximately $3 billion, is an international polymer services company with operations in thermoplastic compounds, specialty resins, specialty polymer formulations, engineered films, color and additive systems, elastomer compounding and thermoplastic resin distribution.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, PolyOne has more than 9,000 employees at 80 manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and joint ventures in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Information on the Company’s products and services can be found at www.polyone.com.

Related images

PolyOne adds color to first European-built PT Cruiser® Passenger Car from DaimlerChrysler

 

Editorial enquiries

Siobhan Ahern
PolyOne Corporation

+32 83 660 211

siobhan.ahern@​polyone.com

Alan Flower
EMG

+31 164 317 025

aflower@​emg.nl

 

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