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The partnership brings competence to the entire value chain from sourcing, compounding, and sales to technical services, said the companies.

Clare Goldsberry

September 10, 2020

2 Min Read
gears showing strategic partnership concept
Image: Coloures-Pic/Adobe Stock

With the aim of developing and producing high-quality polyolefin compounds with recycled content for global distribution, Swiss trading group Meraxis and the Budapest-based MOL Group have entered into a strategic partnership. Meraxis will supply the MOL Group, an integrated Central and Eastern European oil, gas, and petrochemical company, with high-quality, post-consumer recycled materials suitable for blending with virgin polyolefin resins.

Leveraging the combined compounding knowledge of Meraxis and MOL, a new product portfolio will be developed at Aurora Kunststoffe GmbH, a member of the MOL Group in Germany. Both partners will share distribution responsibility. The partnership brings competence to the entire value chain from sourcing, compounding, and sales to technical services, said the companies.

“MOL Group is a key strategic partner for us,” said Meraxis CEO Dr. Stefan Girschik. “As one of the leading polymer manufacturers in Europe, MOL Group has been committed to a closed-loop, circular economy for many years. We aim to use the combined expertise of the two companies to meet increasing demand for high-quality plastic recyclate in the automotive, construction, and packaging industries. The potential offered by recyclates in the manufacture of high-quality plastic products is still far from exhausted. Strategic partnerships like this allow us to take a step toward optimized recycling management,” said Girschik.

MOL Group has been expanding its petrochemical business for many years. It entered compounding with the acquisition of Aurora Kunststoffe in November 2019 and continues its “Enter Tomorrow 2030” strategy, aiming to transition from a traditional fuel-based business in its Downstream division to a higher, value-added petrochemical product model. The company aims to establish itself as the market leader for recycling and compounding in Central and Eastern Europe.

Meraxis, the result of the merger of two global Swiss companies — MB Barter & Trading and Rehau GmbH — has been in the market for one year, focusing its efforts on expanding its portfolio of prime and recycled materials. Meraxis works with numerous partners and suppliers to offer global companies re-granulates and re-compounds in the required quality and quantity.

“Compounding is an important avenue for the transformational journey to become a leading chemical player in the Central and Eastern European region,” said Gabriel Szabó, MOL Group’s Executive Vice President of Downstream. “As regulations and customer preferences are continuously changing, MOL Group has identified the importance of using recycled material, no matter the industry. The partnership will allow us to quickly develop recyclate re-compounds that meet customer requirements and complement our virgin compounding development,” said Szabó.

About the Author(s)

Clare Goldsberry

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

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