PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2019

8 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 03/19 www.petpla.net A special year starts with specialities! To celebrate its 20 th anniversary, PETplanet has awarded itself a welcome present: our newly designed homepage is now online! The ebook features some of the key reports from the current issue, and is directly accessible online. Naturally, there is plenty of daily news from the industry, and on our twitter account you can follow the posts of our editors from around the world. Pack your bags and join us on our new Roadtrip to India! Delve into the Editour blogs to discover the adventures and market research from the various countries we have visited. Using the new event calendar you can easily locate all the important PET events and transfer them into your own schedule. Sign in for the brand-new Newsletter to be updated on events and other special features. In a new section called 20 years of PETplanet we will be presenting videos and a host of technology reports focusing on past, current and future questions! Also readily to hand you will find our WikiPETia database as well as the Pulse, the PET Price Index, to help you with your own research. Finally, with the new look, we are able to offer additional advertising formats offering you the ideal way to showcase your company! www.petpla.net Chem-Trend enhances R&D capabilities in Europe Chem-Trend, a market leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of release agents, purging compounds, and other process chemical specialities, announced the opening of an advanced research and development (R&D) laboratory space in Maisach, Germany. The new lab space will enhance Chem-Trend’s existing R&D capabilities and joins Chem-Trend’s network of innovative laboratories across the globe. Chem-Trend’s parent company, Freudenberg Chemical Specialities (FCS), has invested roughly € 40 million ($ 45.5 million) into the expansive new facility – spanning almost 10 acres. Various parts of the facility will be used by FCS’s Chem-Trend, Klüber Lubrication, and OKS business units. The integrated space includes areas for R&D, warehousing, train- ing, dining, and administrative services. This major investment primarily aims to amplify excellent service, enhance technical support, and advance develop- ment capabilities for its customers over the long term. The expanded lab space - especially the new test field for product development, evaluation, and demonstration - is key to delivering elevated service to customers, with a special focus on Europe-based OEMs, states the company. www.chemtrend.com Retal celebrates solar powered facility Renewable energy was celebrated at the official opening of the largest roof-mounted solar powered plant in the Baltic States at global plastic pack- aging manufacturer Retal’s Lentvaris fac- tory. Attended by many of Lithuania’s leading business people inter- ested in green energy, the event, called “Solar Energy and Lithuanian Business: Good Practices and Challenges”, was held on February 7, 2019. Installed by contractors I + D Energias Lietuva in autumn 2018, the power plant is expected to reduce Retal’s CO 2 emissions by 733.6t/a. Giedrius Viederis, Director of Retal Lithuania, opened the event, where he explained that this project was driven by the obligation to both conserve the environment and consume clean energy. Thanking the partners and representatives of the Lietuvos Verslo Paramos Agentūra – Lithuanian Business Support Agency (LVPA) for financing the project, he said, “Today, Retal is also taking a step forward. The ceremonial opening of the largest roof-top solar power plant in the Baltic States is the result of a three-year project by many people to implement our idea.” Guests included Marius Skuodis, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, Rytis Kėvelaitis, Adviser to the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania, representatives of the Lithu- anian Business Support Agency LVPA, Arnold Gaudiešius Ruta Jakubauskienė, Director of the Large Business Customer Depart- ment, and representatives from companies from across Lithuania interested in the use of renewable energy. Guests were given a tour of the roof-mounted solar panel plant and had the opportunity to learn about the technology used and ask questions of the suppliers involved in this project. Retal’s solar panel roof stands out for its exceptional safety and the quality of the materials used for its installation – all the solar modules have been manufactured in the European Union, giving the plant a twenty-year warranty. The power of the power plant is 1.4MW and the value of the project exceeds one million euros. www.retalgroup.com