The Urethane Blog

German Chemical Industry Wage Agreement

New tariff package for the chemical industry
4.5% for 19 months: flexible introduction

2012-05-24 P-IR-12-05-24

• More working time flexibility thanks to new demographic corridor
• Progress in working time arrangements to suit each phase of life

 

The 550,000 employees in the chemical industry will see their remuneration rise by 4.5%, with a one-month deferral in the increase. The tariff agreement will run for 19 months. This was agreed after two days of tough negotiations in Berlin between the Chemical Industry Employers’ Association BAVC and the Mining, Chemicals and Energy Union IG BCE. The rise will apply from month two, but may be delayed for up to another two months for economic reasons in instances where a works agreement is reached. Companies have the option of allowing employees to share in their economic success in month one.

 

For the first time a demographic corridor has been agreed that will make it possible to agree weekly working hours of between 35 and 40 hours on an individual and collective basis where this is appropriate for demographic reasons. Companies will also be investing more than EUR 200 million by 2015 to extend working time arrangements to suit each phase of life.

 

The elements of the tariff package in detail:

 

Salary increase: 4.5% for 18 months after a one-month wage standstill

 

Tariff remuneration for employees in the chemical industry will rise by 4.5%, with a one-month deferral in the increase. Apprentices will enjoy a disproportionate EUR 50 increase to make the industry more attractive for those starting their career. The increase will take effect on July 1, 2012 in the tariff districts of Hessen, North Rhine and Rhineland-Palatinate. In the Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin (West), Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein tariff districts and in Lower Saxony and Westphalia, it starts on August 1, 2012. In Saarland and the tariff district East, the start date is September 1, 2012. The district remuneration agreements each run for 19 months and expire at the end of December 2013, January 2014 and February 2014 as the case may be.

 

Working time: demographic corridor to provide more flexibility

 

For the first time a demographic corridor has been agreed that will make it possible to be more flexible in structuring weekly working hours for demographic reasons. This provides for the option to agree on a working week of between 35 and 40 hours under a voluntary company agreement or subsequent individual arrangement. Management and trade unions will not need to grant their consent where this is used for individual employee groups. Working hours in excess of the regular 37.5 hours per week will normally be compensated with time in lieu, but may be paid.

 

Over EUR 200 million for working time arrangements to suit each phase of life

 

In addition to the existing demographic fund, companies will also invest EUR 200 per tariff employee between 2013 and 2015 in a company fund to finance instruments that permit working time to be structured to suit each phase of life. This can be used for such purposes as long-term working hours accounts, the new "Reduced Fulltime 80" model and other appropriate ways to encourage working arrangements suitable to each phase of life, including for seniors. The employer and employees at each company will be able to decide on how the funds are used. The amount may be reduced by up to EUR 100 in total for economic reasons.

 

New option model "Reduced Fulltime 80" – conversion of age-related working hours reductions

 

Age-related working hours reductions in the chemical industry (a 3.5 hour reduction for shift workers after the age of 55 and for others, a 2.5 hour reduction from the age of 57) can be used in future to work for longer and more flexibly. In the Reduced Fulltime 80 model, employees contribute their existing entitlements to age-related working hours reductions. At a later date they receive a 20% reduction in working hours with monetary compensation. This compensation will be financed by the age-related working hours reduction contributed and the new company fund, as long as it has cash available.

 

When they contribute their age-related working hours reduction, employees initially continue to work full time; the company therefore has extra labour capacity for several years. For their part, employees enjoy a greater reduction in hours at the end of their working life. The employer and employees at each company decide when working hours should start to be reduced.

 

Alternatively, they may agree that the money for working hours reduction can be used at particular phases of life, e.g. to make it easier to combine work and family life. Where this is the case, the monetary compensation will be decided at company level.

 

Bringing on the next generation: making the industry more attractive

 

To make the chemical industry even more attractive for young people starting their career, social options are being expanded. The industry is keen to take steps towards dealing with the looming shortage of young specialists by offering opportunities for young people not yet ready for an apprenticeship, a good level of training, secure prospects on completion, regional job-finding platforms for apprentices who cannot be offered a position upon completing their training and the new offering "Professional Compass Chemistry."

 

Lead negotiator Hansen: "A fair compromise after tough negotiations"

 

Hans-Carsten Hansen, the lead negotiator for the BAVC, said: “The negotiations were tough, but fair and constructive. Ultimately, we achieved our objectives: a realistic compromise on remuneration and more flexibility in working hours. We went to the absolute limit with remuneration. However, we were able to limit the cost burden by means of the length of the agreement, the deferral month and the variable introduction of the higher tariff. This gave us the desperately needed room to manoeuvre for small and mid-sized companies and many downstream processing operations.”

 

He added: "We have made substantial progress in the area of demography and working hours. The demographic corridor will create more flexibility for companies and employees. The Reduced Fulltime 80 option allows companies to keep more capacity for the time being and offer a greater step down for senior employees later. This will mean we can work longer and more flexibly in future. This is a smart switch in the way working hours are handled. After this tariff round we also want to develop a new ground plan for working time arrangements to suit each phase of life. Demography is a long-term issue for both employers and employees.”

 

BAVC Chairman Voscherau: "A strong tariff policy from strong social partners"

 

The Chairman of the BAVC Eggert Voscherau described the agreement as "an important signal that goes beyond the industry itself. At an extremely uncertain time, we are ensuring that companies enjoy calm, predictability and planning certainty. We have not allowed ourselves to be carried away by the politically-charged, overheated atmosphere surrounding tariff negotiations. We stuck to our guns and reached an agreement specific to our industry. This is important for our industry, important for Germany and important for Europe."

 

"By reaching this tariff agreement we are meeting our shared responsibility for the future of the industry: the employees are enjoying a fair share of the industry’s business success, which is a plus point at a time when there is stiff competition for scarce skilled labour, and we are also helping to bring about a much needed change of mentality on working hours in a society that is ageing. This is a strong tariff policy from strong social partners," Voscherau concluded.

http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-IR-12-05-24

China Upholstered Furniture Market

TDI RMB and USD Markets Seem to Diverge

2012-05-28 [Source: Pudaily]

PUdaily.Shanghai-As we know, the largest demand for TDI comes from the upholstered furniture industry in the downstream. According to the statistics published by China Furniture Association, the graph below has showed China upholstered furniture output from March 2010 to December 2011. From this, we can see the demand for upholstered furniture in different periods.

It is implied that the downstream foam demand has been increasing till June. But there is something disharmonious we should admit that this year the output of upholstered furniture in April (3260176.15 units) is lower than that in March (3260176.15 units), which is confirmed by askci.com. A few reasons may lie in buyers' resistance against high feedstocks costs since the middle of April and unsmooth sales of upholstered furniture in Q1.

Last time, we mentioned that Bayer's turnaround of its TDI plant tightened supply, resulting in the scarcity of Shanghai resources. In June, BASF TDI facility will conduct maintenance, which may upset again market insiders. Nevertheless, good news also exists. Two newly-built TDI units are going to come on stream therefore the supply tension will alleviate to some extent.

Apart from the outage of Bayer's TDI facility, there are also other reasons to explain TDI shortage in the domestic market. First, high TDI USD quotations make traders reluctant to bring imported materials into the mainland so stocks are tight in South China. Second, many home-made products have been exported to the outside for higher profit margins due to roaring TDI prices in Middle East and Africa. However, please kindly note that this situation may not last for long.

In recent days, to our surprises, TDI RMB and USD markets seem to diverge. In RMB market, TDI quotations keep going up and then stay at firm levels while the USD quotations continue to decrease, not only in Hong Kong.

On May 15, a trader in Middle East said the TDI price had come down and thought the market would continue to soften. Actually, the quotation decreased to USD3300/ton on May 24.

On May 16, another importer in Africa said: "According to many customers, European suppliers are trying now to decrease their offers and the demand in Africa slows down because of hot season. During this period, most of African customers stop making orders." At that time, many buyers were purchasing at USD3450/ton CFR Casablanca.

As Middle East and Africa has ended uptrend of the TDI market, players are waiting for the price to further decrease, creating unfavorable conditions for TDI exportation of home-made resources. Meanwhile, it will become easier for Hong Kong stocks to get into the domestic market if TDI USD quotations continue to slide down.

Editor: Zoe

Email: xjq@chem366.com

http://www.pudaily.com/News_view.asp?NewsID=31288

PFA Announces Two New Hall of Fame Inductees

(Loudon, TN - May 24, 2012) - The Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA) announced the induction of two new members to the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame during its Spring General Business Meeting in Baltimore, Md. last week.

Pictured above: New inductee to Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame: Charles D. Moeller, Chairman of Flexible Foam Products, Inc. Moeller is still actively involved in the company.

 

Inductee Charles D. Moeller, Chairman of Flexible Foam Products, Inc., of Spencerville, OH, was recognized as one of the flexible polyurethane foam industry's leading entrepreneurs. Moeller built his business from a polyurethane pouring facility he originally acquired in a business exchange, into one of the largest flexible polyurethane producing companies in the world. Although Moeller, still actively involved with the business at the age of 85, was not able to attend the ceremony, his son Lewie Moeller, President of Flexible Foam Products, Inc. accepted the honor on his behalf. Three of Mr. Moeller's daughters and one of his granddaughters also attended the ceremony. 

 

As founder of Flexible Foam Products, Inc., Spencerville, Ohio, Charles D. Moeller is one of the flexible polyurethane foam industry's best known entrepreneurs. Raised as a farmer in Ohio, Moeller worked in a sheet metal company after serving in the Navy. Once he had worked his way to foreman, the only way to advance was to buy the company, but when the price tag proved too high, he started his own, establishing Ohio Decorative Products in 1950 at the age of 23. At the time, Moeller was also selling wheat, corn, beans and livestock and created his own agricultural research laboratory. He made the leap into polyurethane foam when he traded the agricultural research company for a polyurethane pouring facility in 1971 in a business exchange with the Diamond Shamrock Company. Moeller commented that his instincts told him flexible polyurethane foam had serious potential. Two years later, he jumped in with both feet by starting Flexible Foam Products, Inc., and proceeded to grow the company into one of the largest flexible polyurethane foam producers in the world, with 13 production facilities and nearly 1,000 employees. The company remains a family-run business, with Moeller actively involved in daily operations.

 

The Albrecht Bäumer Company was inducted for the development of the loop slitting machine and other innovative foam cutting technologies. (Pictured above: An early loop slitter.)

Also inducted was the Albrecht Bäumer Company which
was recognized for its role in advancing the flexible polyurethane foam industry with the development of the loop slitting machine and other innovative foam cutting technologies. Accepting the honor was Philipp Schuster, General Manager of Bäumer America, Inc., the son of the late Matthias Schuster, former CEO of the Bäumer Company, and the great-grandson of Albrecht Bäumer, company founder and namesake.

 

The Albrecht Bäumer Company was recognized for its role in advancing the flexible polyurethane foam industry with the development of the loop slitting machine and other innovative foam cutting technologies. The Bäumer Company was started in 1919 by Albrecht Bäumer as a small mechanical workshop in Wuppertal, Germany and later relocated to his hometown of Freudenberg. It began as a sewing shop, but transitioned into manufacturing at the encouragement of Bäumer's daughter Ursula, and her husband Hans Gunther Schuster. The company first made oil cans for sewing machines and other small lubrication applications, and evolved to manufacture felt cutting machines. The Bäumer Company's felt cutting experience proved to be instrumental in the development of horizontal and vertical foam cutting machines, which were first shipped to the United States in 1954. Bäumer's early loop slitter was the first machine that was able to produce continuous rolled foam sheet goods. This was accomplished by gluing polyurethane foam blocks end to end and loading the foam onto a Ferris wheel type of machine for peeling using a horizontal blade. The company's loop slitter invention helped the flexible polyurethane foam industry later develop markets for carpet cushion, quilting foam, and other goods requiring sheet foam on a long roll. Still family-run, Bäumer continues to focus on specialty machines for cutting, processing, and transporting polyurethane foams and similar materials. It has 300 employees in its facilities in Germany, the United States, Japan and China; representatives in some 50 countries; and annual revenues approaching $60 million dollars. 

Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame Ceremony: From left: Lynn Knudtson, President of the Polyurethane Foam Association; Philipp Schuster, representing the Albrecht Bäumer Co.; Charles Moeller's children: Charlene McCullough; Lewie Moeller, President of Flexible Foam Products, Inc.; Marcia Elliott; and Teresa Moeller (seated).

 





The Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame, housed virtually at www.pfa.org, recognizes individuals and corporations that have significantly contributed to the growth and betterment of the flexible polyurethane foam industry in North America.

 

 

Coatings Show Breaks Attendance Records

American Coatings Show & Conference 2012 sets new records

With 427 exhibitors and more than 7,500 overall participants from 69 countries (2010: 328 / 6,700), the third edition of the American Coatings Show & Conference broke all of its previous records for visitors, exhibitors, and footprint.

According to the organizers, the American Coatings Association and Vincentz Network, each of the biennial events has increased in attendance, thanks to a simple formula: connecting the world’s leading suppliers with the decision makers in the American coatings industry. The presentation of three important industry awards rounded off the event around developments in coatings, paints, sealants, construction chemicals, and adhesives in North America.

Exhibitors from 19 countries (2010: 17) displayed a comprehensive range of products on more than 91,000 net square feet of exhibit space (2010: 68,100 square feet) of all aspects of paint and coating formulation during the show held from 8 – 10 May 2012 at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis. Companies from abroad accounted for 35 % of the exhibitors, and in addition to the US, leading countries represented at the show included China, Germany, Canada, India, South Korea, United Kingdom, and Turkey.

The keynote speakers of the conference this year emphasized the ties between science and industry at the plenary session. More than 1,000 attendees learned at the conference from 7 – 9 May 2012 about the most recent research results and industrial developments in 16 thematically structured sessions – among them topics like the latest developments in smart and functional coatings.

The American Coatings Award, presented by the American Coatings Association and Vincentz Network, honors the most outstanding conference paper. This year, Dr. Antony van Dyk of Dow Coating Materials and Dr. Alan Nakatani from Dow Chemical received the award for their paper “Shear Rate Dependent Structure of Polymer Stabilized TiO₂ Dispersions“

The Roon Award, sponsored by the Coatings Industry Education Foundation, recognizes exceptional technical papers in the protective coatings field. The 1^st place went to Marshall Ming, Georgia Southern University, for “Smart Coatings for Self-Healing Corrosion Protection”, 2^nd place to Thomas Nelson, North Dakota State University, for “Catalyzed Crosslinking of Highly-Functional Bio-Based Resins”.

Dr. Stuart G. Croll, chair of the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University, was recognized with the J. Mattiello Memorial Lecture Award for his  contributions to science, technology, and engineering related to the coatings industry.

The next regularly scheduled American Coatings Show & Conference will take place on 7 – 10 April 2014 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, USA.

http://www.gupta-verlag.com/polyurethanes/news/industry/11600/American-Coatings-Show-Conference-2012-sets-new-records

Spandex Market Update

Will Spandex Market Rebound?

2012-05-24 [Source: Pudaily]

PUdaily, Shanghai-Currently, spandex capacity increases 30% and meanwhile, the overall global textile consumptions are not high due to European and American debts crisis. Therefore, the relationship between the supply and demands is unbalanced. Market players in spandex field are pessimistic with the market.

In late April, the spandex prices rebound slightly and some players predict that the spandex market will break the depressing situation. Currently, how to change the situation is paid more attentions.

Seen from the costs, though BDO prices continue sliding down, the restricted supports are disappearing. Meanwhile, some manufacturers have turnaround plans and some foreign facilities operate unstable, thus the stocks are tight. Besides, pure MDI stocks are also tight due to the maintenance. Therefore, the prices are trending upwards.

As to terminal demands, along with the coming of the slack season of textile, some factories begin to reduce or stop productions. Some buyers are intended to stock up as spandex prices are going upwards.

To the supply, the spandex prices are hiked by RMB 1000-2000/ton and this changes the sluggish situation that remains for a long time. What's more, some manufacturers are stimulated to expand capacity. It is known that the overall operation rates of the spandex industry are raised at 85%.

http://www.pu366.com/News_View.asp?NewsID=31239&KindDetailID=2

The Urethane Dinosaur Market

 

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn --  Don't look now, but T-Rex and company are back, and taking over the Minnesota Zoo! 

Dinosaurs! opening May 26, will include fifteen larger-than-life animatronic dinosaurs on the Northern Trail including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Giganotosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Pachycephalosaurus and more!  Each dinosaur is made of steel and a "skin" material composed of a special urethane compound good for protecting them in inclement weather - a must in Minnesota! Each dinosaur is fitted with its own "electronic brain" to activate and control movement and sound.

The exhibit runs May 26 - September 3, from 9:30am-5:30pm.  Cost is $4.00 ($3.50 for Zoo members).  Zoo admission is required.

http://www.kare11.com/life/contests/article/977011/310/Donuts-and-Dinos

More FR Publicity

Fight Over Flame Retardants In Furniture Heats Up

by Amy Standen

 

Enlarge Steve Mullis/NPR

More than 80 percent of furniture sold in the U.S. is treated with flame-retardant chemicals.

May 23, 2012 from KQED

If you pick up a cushion from any sofa or piece of furniture that has foam, you're likely to find a small white tag that reads: "This article meets all flammability requirements of California Bureau of Home Furnishings technical bulletin 117."

The law, referred to as TB 117, was passed in California in 1975. It says that the foam inside upholstered furniture must be able to resist a flame, such as from a cigarette lighter or a candle. Rather than make different furniture just for California, big furniture makers adhere to those standards in all 50 states and even Canada.

Some scientists and lawmakers are now starting to think this policy, designed to make us safer, might actually have the opposite effect.

A Law Backed By Industry

There's really only one way to take foam and make it flame retardant: with chemicals. Not trace amounts, either. You have to put as much as 2 pounds of flame-retardant chemicals into the foam of each sofa.

According to the American Home Furnishings Alliance, more than 80 percent of furniture sold in the U.S. contains foam treated with flame retardant chemicals.

The problem, chemists say, is that the chemicals don't just stay inside the sofas — they turn up in household dust and in human blood and breast milk. Some of these chemicals cause cancer in lab animals, and studies suggest connections between some of the chemicals and abnormal brain development in humans.

Usually, once the fire gets to the foam, the sofa's going to burn. It'll burn just as well with the fire retardant as without it.

- Donald Lucas, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Over the years, the most worrisome chemicals have been phased out, but they're still present in older furniture. Meanwhile, new chemicals come online and scientists scramble to test them. For these reasons, California lawmakers have tried five times to change this law.

"It's enormously frustrating," says state Sen. Mark Leno, a Democrat.

Leno's recent bill had the support of furniture makers, firefighter groups and doctors. All of them wanted the chemicals out of furniture, but the bill died in committee. Every lawmaker who voted against it had received campaign contributions from the chemical industry.

Leno says it's the same every time one of these bills comes up. He goes from office to office, trying to drum up support from fellow lawmakers.

"In the waiting room of the office I'm leaving is a lobbyist for the chemical industry. So they'll have the last word," he says.

Do The Chemicals Work?

Last year, a burn doctor from Seattle named David Heimbach was a star witness hired by the chemical industry to testify to California lawmakers. He described a 7-week-old girl he treated who was burned in a fire started by a candle that ignited a chemical-free pillow.

It turned out that there was no 7-week-old burn victim and no candle fire. After a Chicago Tribune investigation, Heimbach admitted he made up the story.

So do flame retardants actually prevent fires?

"What we found is the addition of the fire retardants really didn't reduce fires significantly, or at least we couldn't tell that it reduced it at all," says Donald Lucas, a flammability scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

Lucas says the reason flame retardants don't stop fires is that fires don't start inside the sofa — they start on the surface of the sofa, on the fabric. And the law says nothing about the fabric, just the foam.

"Usually, once the fire gets to the foam, the sofa's going to burn," he says. "It'll burn just as well with the fire retardant as without it."

Lucas points out that today, there are better ways to make furniture fire resistant using special fabrics or fire barriers between the fabric and the foam. After four decades of the existing law, California regulators say they're looking into it.

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/23/153308887/fight-over-flame-retardants-in-furniture-heats-up

Chicago Trib Series Energizes Lautenburg Advocates

Democrats Push for Chemical-Law Overhaul Opposed by Industry

By Mark Drajem - May 22, 2012 3:02 PM ET

Three Democratic U.S. senators said they are seeking support from Republicans in a push for to overhaul regulations of toxic chemicals amid complaints from industry about the legislative proposals.

The Democrats’ measure would require safety testing of all industrial chemicals and force chemical makers to show that new compounds are safe. Under current law, the Environmental Protection Agency can only call for safety testing after evidence is presented showing that a chemical is dangerous.

“What we need to do is get more support,” Senator Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, said today at a Washington news conference with a group of mothers and children backing the measure, which is co-sponsored by 16 other Democrats and no Republicans. “We have the beginnings of a great issue.”

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the EPA requires companies to provide analyses of certain chemicals they make or use. Lautenberg, chairman of the toxics panel of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said rules in place since 1976 need updating.

Dozens of mothers and children headed to congressional offices today where they were scheduled to meet with lawmakers and staff members. They said they were carrying 125,000 signatures in support of the Lautenberg measure.

Advocates for the bill formed in response to an investigation by the Chicago Tribune this month about health dangers from flame retardants in products such as couches, mattresses and pillows.

The American Chemistry Council, a Washington-based group for companies such as Ashland Inc. (ASH), Dow Corning Corp. and Shell Chemical LP, opposes Lautenberg’s bill, said Scott Jensen, a spokesman. The bill imposes an unworkable safety standard and mandate the disclosure of confidential business information, according to the group.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-22/democrats-push-for-chemical-law-overhaul-opposed-by-industry.html?cmpid=yhoo

Chemical Release at Polyurethane Specialties

Chemical release forces Lyndhurst evacuations

Sunday, 20 May 2012 16:18 Jerry DeMarco

CLIFFVIEW PILOT SCOOP: Several houses and multi-family buildings were evacuated and people treated at the scene after the accidental release into the air of an acid by a Lyndhurst chemical company that produces polyurethane.

Chemical Polyurethane Specialities (CLIFFVIEW PILOT photo)

Although authorities have not yet determined the cause, the initial suspicion is that pipes used to transfer the adipic acid powder at Chemical Polyurethane Specialties on Schuyler Avenue might have failed just after 2 o'clock this afternoon, releasing the substance into the air through roof ducts.

It was a full 20 minutes to an hour before police were called, Lyndhurst Police Chief James O'Connor told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

Firefighters, a Bergen County hazardous materials team and the state Department of Environmental Protection were called to scene.

Although no serious injuries were reported, some people we treated at the scene, said O'Connor, who is also the area's emergency management coordinator.

The chief said several residents have been evacuated from the area.

A private contractor was summoned to handle the cleanup.

"Once that's done and we're able to get up there, we'll know for sure what happened," O'Connor told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

 

http://www.cliffviewpilot.com/bergen/3819-chemical-release-into-air-in-lyndhurst-prompts-evactuations

BMS Helps Design Cup Ball

Bayer MaterialScience and Adidas Develop the Official Soccer Ball of the 2012 European Soccer Championship

Pittsburgh, PA, May 21, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The games at the European Soccer Championship will be played to the rhythm of the “Tango 12,” a cutting-edge synthetic ball that is fast, robust and precise. The adidas ball sports a new design and is based on proven materials from Bayer MaterialScience.

The surface texture of the official European Championship ball feels like denim, allowing for better ball control. The players are quite taken with this innovation. “I really like the new structure because it provides good grip,” says Johan Elmander, a player on the Swedish national team. “The ball’s weight is also optimal, making it easy to control.”

Advanced internal structure
The shell is made up of five layers with a total thickness of 1.1 millimeters. These layers make the European Championship ball robust and accurate. The middle layer – an Impranil® foam containing millions of gas-filled microcells – is responsible for the optimal contact of the “Tango 12” to the foot. The upper layers protect the foam from external influences and help keep the ball looking new longer.

Another specialty material from Bayer MaterialScience is used for a patented thermal adhesive layer that makes the ball virtually impermeable to water. “Even in heavy rain, its weight increases by no more than 0.1 percent, which means that the players are able to control it better,” says Thomas Michaelis, project manager for ball development at Bayer MaterialScience.

Not only did the ball deliver impressive results in comprehensive laboratory tests, it also impressed both amateurs and professionals in eight countries who played with it during a year long test phase. “Never before has a soccer ball been subjected to such exhaustive testing,” says Michaelis.

The ball’s name and design are every bit as traditional as its insides are modern. The Tango debuted at the 1978 World Championship in Argentina, and its successors provided for plenty of goals at subsequent championships in the 1980s.

Classic design
The new ball sports the classic black and white design updated with colorful accents. The host nations’ national colors – red and white for Poland, yellow and blue for Ukraine – have been immortalized in the triangles. Another unique feature is that unlike its predecessors, it does not have a glossy surface – matte balls are currently in vogue.

The “Tango 12” isn’t just the official game ball of the European Championship, however. It is also being used in the German Bundesliga, the Champions League, Major League Soccer in the United States and the Primera División in Argentina.

The design is modified for each, but the structure and properties remain the same. Bayer MaterialScience and adidas want to continue their successful collaboration. The two companies are currently working on the next advancement.

Bayer MaterialScience’s involvement in sports goes beyond soccer. Safer, more stable, faster – sports equipment such as skis, snowboards and inline skates also benefit from high-tech plastics. This also applies to other sporting goods. Raw materials from Bayer MaterialScience can be found in goggles, helmets, shoes and racquets.

http://www.pr.com/press-release/413950