Clariant News Document

News Release
Globalization To e-Commerce: Clariant Masterbatches Prepares For
The New Century
The plastics manufacturing marketplace is being influenced by fast-moving changes and emerging trends that will
affect all levels and sizes of businesses. Robert Fielding, senior vice president - Americas for Clariant
Masterbatches, recently indicated some of the most significant factors contributing to shifts within the plastics
industry.
"In our business we see increased globalization in manufacturing and an accelerated demand for product and
packaging innovation. In turn, there has been a shortening of both the product development and customer service
cycles," Fielding said. "And, in just the past year, e-commerce has become a significant force in how we conduct
our business both with and for our customers."
Clariant Masterbatches, the world’s leading supplier of color and additive masterbatches, has developed programs
within its organization to respond to these changes. The Company, through its international network of production
facilities, helps customers produce consistent plastic materials throughout the world. The shampoo bottle made in
Singapore must adhere to the same specifications for both quality and color as the identical bottle manufactured in
Ohio. The success of consumer goods -- from health and beauty aids to automotive dashboards and beverage
packaging -- is now often dependent upon the faithful repetition of distinct brand colors.
"We develop and transfer color and additive formulations from one geographic region to another," added Fielding.
"For our customers, Clariant’s extensive network of production sites and international presence make that
possible. We are uniquely positioned to formulate in centralized laboratories, test in primary facilities and then
move production to multiple sites around the globe."
Another major trend is an increase in the demand for product and packaging innovation. Manufacturers are
differentiating their products by signature or branded colors, special effects and shapes.
"We have seen a dramatic compression of the time it takes for a product to be designed and then introduced to
the market," noted Fielding. "Color match deadlines are shrinking, and customers are expecting a faster response
to their requests. The pressure is on to speed our delivery cycle while not risking a decrease in quality."
Clariant Masterbatches is now working with customers earlier in the design phase of a product to address these
issues. "We have found, especially in the highly competitive health and beauty aid packaging market, that the right
technical input from the color masterbatch producer can avoid costly manufacturing problems farther down the
line. Our participation may involve anything from color formulation to resin selection to suggesting modifications to
the shape of the bottle or container," Fielding said.
Along with increased pressure on product development is the parallel and rapid growth of e-commerce, which is
quickly revolutionizing the world’s business models. In the plastics industry the use of the Internet is redefining the
typical supplier/customer transaction.
"It is a new world -- on this front in particular," Fielding remarked. "The challenge is to define what e-commerce
can do to increase the efficiency for all parties -- big and small -- supplier and customer. This encompasses
everything from ERP systems to online order tracking to new inventory standards. We are actively investing in the
tools necessary to respond to current and future customer demands -- around the corner or around the world -- 24
hours a day, seven days a week."