In an interview Ajay Durrani, Country President, India and Managing Director, Covestro (India) Private Limited with Chemical Today magazine talks about the ways in which polyurethane is becoming an integral part of technological advancements to make light-weight automobiles, laptops & gadgets, aeroplanes & wind turbines. The opportunities that polyurethane offer are endless.
By Debarati Das
Tell us about the journey of Covestro and the changes that the organization went through since it started functioning as an independent entity from Bayer MaterialScience.
The transition has been a big change for Covestro. Earlier, it used to be an umbrella company of Bayer where we were a part of the overall business. Bayer was into CropScience, HealthCare and MaterialScience, and all the businesses had their own functioning with a different strategy and vision.
However, in September 2014, Bayer AG announced its plans to focus on its life sciences businesses and that Bayer MaterialScience would be floated as an independent entity at the stock market, which eventually came to be known by the name - Covestro.
The simultaneous change ushered in by this decision was in the company’s mission and values. Covestro’s mission is to make the world a brighter place through its sustainable solutions and innovations that are more eco-sensitive.
The core values of Covestro rest on the 3Cs - Curious (asking the right questions), Courageous (taking courageous decisions to make us successful), and Colourful (respecting opinions and bringing diversity in the organization). In fact, the name (Covestro) has been coined over the three core principles of the company: COllaboration, inVEStment and STROng. We believe in being a collaborative, investment-driven organization that helps us to be strong in whatever we do.
What kind of growth do you see in the polymer industry in the next decade?
Polymer is a diversified industry. The market for basic polymers such as LDPE, HDPE, polypropylene etc. is growing at the rate of 20 per cent in India. However, Covestro deals with very high-end polymers like polyurethane, polycarbonate etc.
We strive to ensure that each polymer is different from the other, and therefore, each solution has a varying growth rate in different industries. The three core sectors for Covestro in India are automotive, electronics and construction. These industries are on an exponential growth trajectory due surge in demand for the efficient and eco-sensitive products.
Tell us about the innovations that Covestro has bought into the automotive industry and the electronic industry in India.
Globally, automotive light-weighting is a serious point of deliberation for OEMs. The endeavour is to reduce the weight of the car by 20 to 25 kgs which can improve the fuel economy. Covestro manufactures polymer composite solutions that help reduce the overall weight of the car. For instance, Stepney covers were earlier made of certain wood stocks. Our products have reduced its weight by 25 to 30 percent.
In addition, manufacturers are constantly working on potential opportunities to use polymers in a headliner, bumper beam, boot space, battery, gear shift adaptor, seat assembly etc. Utilisation of polymers in both interiors and exteriors of the automobile offers myriad opportunities for innovation. Other than automotive, electronics is another fastest growing sector in India and we have innovative solutions for manufacturing mobile covers, laptop covers etc.
Tell us the ways in which Covestro is working in the area of reducing the energy consumption of buildings and constructions.
Over 40 percent of world energy is consumed by buildings. It is imperative for the construction industry as well as materials industry to look at various innovative ways to reduce the energy consumption. One way to do this is by insulating buildings to improve their energy efficiency. Studies suggest that proper insulation can save at least 20 percent of the energy consumption. Panels made of polyurethane are one of the most efficient insulating materials.
For constructions where panel insulation is difficult to achieve, foam-based applications can be utilised. These applications significantly reduce the energy consumption inside the building. The polycarbonate sheets from Covestro are light-weight, transparent and multiwall, and hence are being adopted in a major way for combining architecture and insulation.
Recently, Covestro made Asia’s first polyurethane rotor blade for wind turbines in China. Can you tell us more about the solution?
The solution uses our composite materials which significantly reduces the weight of the rotor blade. These solutions are apt for industries where weight is one of the critical factors. The blades are fabricated through a special process using polyurethane resin and glass fibre fabric. Further, application of coatings, composites and foam solutions from Covestro can bring down the weight of the rotor blades and increase its energy generation efficiency.
What are the other trends that polyurethane or the polycarbonate industry will witness in future?
IT or information technology is witnessing a very rapid and significant transformation. Solutions are being developed to reduce the overall weight of a laptop while keeping the dynamic strength of particular applications intact. The second biggest trend witnessed is in the healthcare and electronics sectors. The use of drones, for instance, is rising which requires very light-weight material. The energy sector, particularly, renewable energy is another potential area where our solutions can be used to build lightweight solar panels, etc.
Tell us about the ongoing/upcoming innovative projects of Covestro
As mentioned, we are working on ultra-light-weighting solutions for the electronics as well as healthcare and energy sectors. Our latest path-breaking solution is the use of CO2 to manufacture polyols. This solution will initially be used to manufacture polyurethane foam mattresses. In future, the solution could be adopted for various applications across industries. This project is unique because it actually reduces the burden of carbon dioxide in the society and is in line with the organization’s motto to make the world a brighter place.
What is the future dynamics of Covestro?
Innovation is in Covestro’s DNA and we will continue to use it to create solutions which will make the world a brighter place with a sparkling solution. Our focus will be to participate in solutions which are sustainable and transformational. So whichever industry would seek materials for increased efficiency, we will be ready to contribute with a solution.
Read More: Making the world a lighter place
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