Aquent Advance Material Technologies has been building its global footprint in functional polymers offering a complete solution offered for wire & cable and optic fiber industries. With its application lab for HFFR cable compounds in Italy and India, Aquent shows its commitment to the global wire and cable industry. This was revealed by Mr. Vishal Mehta, Managing Director, Aquent Advance Material Technologies Private Limited, during his interaction with the Wire & Cable India magazine.
Wire & Cable India: Kindly give us a tour of your company’s journey, its major milestones and crucial achievements.
Vishal Mehta: Aquent has been a first-generation start-up with focus on specialty solution for polymer industry. Our journey has been interesting and challenging. Started in 2004, in the past 20 years, Aquent has created a niche for itself in specialty polymers and elastomer space with application development and value solution offering at its core. Started with specialized distribution in specialty chemicals, hydrocarbon resin, we brought in polymers, elastomers, polyurethanes and functional polymers from global leaders to Indian customers. Extending our vision of offering solutions to customers, we invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing of functional polymers with process technology from the USA and a research centre in India. Today, we have one of the largest capacities to manufacture functional polymers in India. Through our collaboration with application lab in Italy, we have established core competency in functional polymers for HFFR cable compounds, optic fiber and engineering plastics. Innovation is the key to our expertise in Aadibond®- our functional polymers, which enables us in gaining customer’s positive feedback and loyalty, along with accolades from the industry.
WCI: What does Aquent’s product basket look like?
VM: Aquent has focused on specialty polymer and elastomer with functional polymers at its core. We are offering Aadibond® coupling agents and elastomers for wire and cable industry; Aadimer® OFC coating resins for FRP and ARP rod for optic fiber cables; Aadibond® Impact modifiers and compatibilizers for engineering plastic for automotive, EV and consumer goods industries; Aadimer®TL (TieLayer) and extrusion coating resins for specialty packaging for PE and PP; AadiCoat® adhesive resins for 3PL pipe coatings; and Aadiloy® carrier resins for masterbatch and compounders.
With our increasing focus on sustainability and circular economy, we offer AadiRegain® recycle resins for TieLayers for recyclable packaging, recycle resins for mixed plastics, rPET, rPP, rPE, rABS and AadiBio® bio polymers, chain extenders for bio polymers and compostable packaging to replace single-use plastics. We also offer resins and elastomers like EVA, polyolefin elastomers, metallocene elastomers and plastomers, TPU, hydrocarbon resins and EPDM for polymer industries.
Our other focused verticals are adhesives and coatings, renewables like solar energy and EV, TPE & TPV, high performance footwear, thermoplastic polyurethanes, infrastructure & road, hygiene and consumer goods.
Watch: RR Kabel | Solar Cables | Solar Plant | Renewable Energy
WCI: What is your opinion on Indian & global wire and cable industry? How is Aquent preparing itself to contribute to the growth of the industry?
VM: As per a recent survey, India is going to triple its wire and cable compounding capacity by 2026, for which the investments have already started. We believe the halogen free flame retardant (HFFR) compounds market is going to grow significantly in India and globally. With government’s focus on digital India and AI, the growth of optic fiber will be exponential.
We are focussing on products in HFFR applications with speciality coupling agents; elastomers and coating resins for FRP; ARP for optic fiber cable; and functional base resins for A2 & ACP panels.
Aadibond® coupling resins improve filler dispersibility, coupling of filler with polymer and compound homogeneity. Coupling resins improve LOI, mechanical properties like tensile strength and elongation, ageing resistance, oil resistance and low temperature flexibility.
FRP, in general, has very low bonding with a polyethylene outer jacket. Aadimer® OFC coating provide excellent bonding between FRP and polyethylene.
WCI: Kindly shed some light on your manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure.
VM: India manufactures world-class compounds, cables and automobiles, but all its specialty polymers and additives are imported. Aquent recognised this gap and need in the industry and invested in state-of-the-art functional polymer plant with the American technology in Silvassa. Aquent has completely automatic PLC controlled state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities with online testing and process controls to manufacture global quality functional polymers. We also have an application and testing lab in Italy to certify and develop products as per the European, Indian and global standards.
Our infrastructure is as per the global standards consisting of high performance reactive functional polymer plant with PLC control. Aquent adopted the most updated technology and safe process for functional polymer manufacturing with focus on innovative solution for multiple polymer handing.
Aquent is investing in expanding its capacity to reach to three lines in the next two years, which would help in servicing its global demand of functional polymers.
We collaborate with our customers on product & application development and build customised solutions for them with involvement of industry experts to build long-term relationships. Aquent believes in ‘Value Solution Delivered’.
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WCI: Please tell us about new product launches and other developments at Aquent.
VM: We have recently launched the functional polymers for base polymer A2 for 90 percent filler loaded core for ACP panels. We have also launched specialty coupling resins for HFFR compounds. Our coating resins for FRP and ARP have received fantastic acceptance in UV and thermal coating for optic fiber.
Our focus continues to innovate in sustainability with recycle resins for PCR, PIR and bio polymers.
We would also be going for expansions. We will have at least two more lines coming up in the next year or so, which would probably be ready for global capacity as well.
“Our vision is to make Aadibond® a global brand and customers’ first choice for functional polymers.”
WCI: Please share with us your plans to make the industry more sustainable.
VM: Aquent is committed to be responsible player in EPR and sustainability. With global focus on mechanical recycling of PCR and PIR, Aquent has developed its AadiRegain® recycle resins for design to recycle packaging and compatibilizers for recycle plastics and mixed plastics. AadiRegain® offers complete solution for rPET, rPP, rPE, rABS and multilayer packaging recycles.
With single-use plastics banned in India and globally, Aquent worked on its bio polymer chemistry and offered AadiBio® chain extenders and compatibilizers for bio polymer and bio compostables, which helps both in making quality bio compostable packaging and also recycle bio polymer streams back in systems by chain extenders. We are also working with our customers to meet their sustainability needs in automotive, wire & cable, and packaging industry.
WCI: Please tell us about your market footprint and client base.
VM: Aquent has customers spread all over the world. In the cable industry, we are associated with big names such as RR Kabel, KEI Industries, Shakun Polymers, and Alphagary. In optic fiber, we are connected with players like Indore Composite, HTL Limited, Runaya – STL, and Aksh Optic Fiber. Aquent Aadibond has received global approvals with customers in the US and Europe. We are working with leading global players like LyondellBasell, Radici, Kingfa and Ravago etc. We have started exporting our products to the US, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Mexico.
We are currently eyeing the European market with focus on Spain, Portugal, Germany, Turkey, along with North Africa. In May, we are also participating in NPE 2024 in the USA, which would help us enter into the North American, Mexican and Latin American markets.
We are expanding our footprint through collaborations with leading distributors like Biesterfeld Plastic for Germany, the UK and the rest of Europe; Ravago Petrokimya and Veser (a Vinmar company) in Turkey, and Triesa in Spain and Portugal. We are also working with TPI for Thailand as our distributor.
