Unmatched expertise in polymer science, plastics processing, and application development support, allows Teknor Apex to partner with designers, OEMs, and processors alike to develop customized solutions across many industries. With manufacturing facilities in the US, Europe, and Asia, Teknor Apex is a leading innovator in custom-engineered plastic and polymer compounds. In a recent interaction with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Mike Patel, Director of Marketing, Teknor Apex, shared the company’s overview, sectors catered, recent developments, and the company’s future plans. He also discussed other topics such as product portfolio, its sustainable practices and current trends in the wire and cable industry.

Wire and Cable India: Please tell us about Teknor Apex’s journey, major milestones, and crucial achievements.

Mike Patel: Teknor Apex has a rich history of innovation – one that began in 1924 and has carried confidently into the 21st century. Our history in wire and cable began with the sales of rubber to customers in New England in 1946 followed by rapid growth in PVC wire and cable applications, initially in the US and more recently globally. By partnering with our customers to develop their applications, innovating compounds to meet regulatory, and performance expectations to match an ever-growing electronics market, we’ve grown to over 3,000 active wire and cable compounds as of 2023 and ten thousands of multi-polymer solutions in industries including building and construction, consumer, industrial, medical and regulated, packaging and transportation.

Our people are the core of our success and consistently deliver on our purpose – to create sustainable solutions, engineered for our customers, with ingenuity and global stewardship. While we’ve evolved and have become a trusted partner who delivers custom compounds on a global scale; how our products are sold and how we treat our customers, partners, and employees still matters most to us and influences every decision we make.

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WCI: Could you shed some light on the product portfolio and its applications?

MP: Teknor Apex is a trusted partner in polymer development, catering to a wide range of industries such as bottles, boots, junction boxes, dashboards, earbuds, garden hoses, kayaks, toys, and decks. Our expertise in polyolefins, thermoplastic elastomers, and engineered thermoplastics makes Teknor Apex the top choice for seeking reliable solutions. Our wire and cable product portfolio features a full range of thermoplastic insulation and jacketing compounds including:

Apex® flexible and semi-rigid PVC for appliance wire, building wire, control cables, and data cables;
Elexar® thermoplastic elastomers for flexible cords requiring ultra-low temperature performance as well as electrical molded products such as boots, plugs, and connectors;
FireGuard® low-smoke, highly flame-retardant PVC for copper and optical fiber data cables for plenum applications;
Flexalloy® PVC elastomers for robotics, industrial cables, EV charger cables, and flexible cords;
Halguard® low smoke, halogen-free, flame-retardant compounds capable of meeting applicable UL and EU CPR requirements for infrastructure cables.

WCI: What is the USP of your company? What gives you the competitive edge?

MP: As a multi-polymer producer and custom compounder to many industries, we partner with our customers to understand their detailed application requirements and innovate with them. Our scientists have access to critical testing equipment and are supported by multiple laboratories with capabilities that enable us to understand the components of a compound, characterize critical compound attributes, and extrude end products such as cable insulations and jackets to identify optimized processing conditions and tooling.

In addition to our extensive lab and testing capabilities, our regulatory department provides product stewardship for the compounds we make to ensure we’re ahead of changing global regulations and always in compliance. Our portfolio includes one of the broadest ranges of UL-recognized wire and cable compounds in the industry and as a market leader – we are continuously innovating and raising the benchmarks for extrusion and molding solutions for wire and cable. The superior performance and excellent processing characteristics of our products are a testament to our commitment to the industry.

WCI: Could you elaborate on your market footprint and major clientele?

MP: With manufacturing facilities in the US, Europe, and Asia we are able to service global customers seamlessly regardless of where the original product development was undertaken. Our Singapore office is well staffed with experienced sales, marketing, and technical support professionals who are ready to help with the needs of the Indian market. Many of our customers are amongst the Fortune 100 companies, being market leaders in their respective industries.

WCI: Kindly share some of the company’s recent innovations or advancements.

MP: Teknor Apex is constantly innovating and looking for new ways to improve our products and services. Some of our latest advancements include:

Cycle-Tek™: In December 2022, Teknor Apex acquired Nu-Pro Polymers (branded Cycle-Tek™ through the acquisition), a company that works with clean post-industrial (PIR) and post-consumer (PCR) streams and converts them into new PVC compounds which perform equivalently to prime compounds. Since the acquisition, we’ve continued to find new sources of PIR / PCR and have evolved the product line with additional grades that include clear, natural, and black reprocessed compounds in a range of durometers.
BioVinyl®: Flexible PVC with Dow Ecolibrium: Relaunched in June 2023, BioVinyl® utilizes plasticizers based on renewable resources for applications as diverse as automotive window encapsulation, footwear, wallcoverings as well as wire insulations, and cable jackets supplying the compounds to manufacturers seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.
Halguard®: Low-smoke, halogen-free compounds capable of achieving EU CPR B2ca recognition for low flame spread and smoke contribution to fire.

WCI: How does Teknor Apex incorporate sustainable practices into its product offerings?

MP: At Teknor Apex, we understand that there isn’t one standard solution that can address everyone’s sustainability goals and we’re continuously working to deliver more options for our customers. As a custom compounder, our role is integral to the value chain, taking sustainable raw materials and developing high-value solutions which meet end-use performance requirements. We also partner with our clients to develop more sustainable products by providing engineering support for more efficient processes or introducing new technologies and recycling solutions.
In addition to developing more sustainable products, our manufacturing facilities are focused on responsible consumption of energy and decreased reliance on non-renewable resources. We’ve partnered with like-minded operations including Operation Clean Sweep, an international program designed to prevent pellets, flakes, and powder from entering our marine environment.

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WCI: Which trends in your opinion are the key drivers for the wire and cable industry? How do you see the industry evolving in the future?

MP: Wire and cable industry is evolving rapidly with new technologies and innovations happening around the globe. The key drivers according to me are the rise of electrification in a variety of applications, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, and smart grid infrastructure. Increasing demand for power and energy from residential, commercial, and industrial sectors is leading to an increase in demand for wire and cables. Increasing demand for high-speed data transmission driven by the rise of cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence and growing adoption of industry 4.0 is driving the demand for industrial automation cables to connect to various components in the manufacturing process. Adoption of fiber optic cables is also growing based on their high bandwidth and low attenuation.

WCI: What are your vision and plans for Teknor Apex’s future?

MP: With people at the core of our success, we will continue to consistently deliver on our purpose – to create sustainable solutions, engineered for our customers, with ingenuity and global stewardship. We will continue to partner and develop with our customers globally to develop compounds that meet the next generation of sustainable products and applications while staying ahead of the continuously evolving regulatory requirements. We are excited to continue innovating and to bring new and innovative products and services to market in the years to come.