Proprietary plastic compounds for extreme conditions

Local production for the local market

Lapp's Indian site in Bhopal is to be further expanded in the coming years. © Lapp

But why India in particular as a location for compound production? There are several reasons for this: Around 50 percent of the products currently produced at Lapp's plants in Bhopal and Bangalore are adapted to the Indian market and meet local standards, especially with regard to the local price structure and technical features. "The requirements for cables and plastics are very high in India, so the main focus here is on solutions for very specific requirements, for example for Indian rail transportation," explains Matthias Lapp.

Accordingly, this also requires plastics that meet certain requirements, but the number of suppliers in this area is small. They would have to be transported from the manufacturers to India and through the customs of the individual Asian countries. The consequence: dependency on suppliers and long transportation routes with considerable_{CO2 emissions}. "That's why we decided to set up our own compounding plant, with which we can develop and produce materials in India and for India," says Matthias Lapp, adding: "And this has another decisive advantage: we can now determine exactly how the plastics should be composed and decide on the precise mixtures for our products ourselves." The raw materials for the compounds are preferably purchased in India. The Indian subsidiary commissions the formulas from the Swiss colleagues at Lapp Engineering. Once the experts in Switzerland have successfully completed the iterative process, custom production begins at the Indian plant.

But that is not the only reason for Lapp's decision to locate here. The provider of integrated solutions and branded products in the field of cable and connection technology has been present on the Indian market since 1998. While other companies focused exclusively on China for years, Lapp established close relations with what is now the world's most populous country at an early stage - and was absolutely right to do so. Not only does India have one of the largest and fastest growing populations in the world, but the Indian economy has also experienced steady growth in recent decades. Accordingly, the country has a large number of well-trained specialists and talented people, an ever-improving infrastructure and a growing middle class. While new market players in India still have to contend with barriers to market entry, Lapp is already established here and has literally grown with India's development. "The decisive factor here was our patient approach to the country and its culture," says Matthias Lapp. "India works differently to Germany and Europe. We recognized the pace at which business develops here and got involved. This has definitely contributed to our success." Accordingly, the company wants to further expand its strong position in India and is investing in the region and the Indian market. Accordingly, the new production facility in Bhopal covers an area of 36,000 square meters. Equipped with modern technologies, including an automated dosing system, large-scale production can be carried out here. "We are proud of our team in India and their commitment to innovation at Lapp," said Matthias Lapp at the inauguration of the plant in spring 2024, praising the joint efforts of the national company's employees.

PVC and special compounds from our own production

The recipes for the in-house compounds are developed by our partner Lapp Engineering in Switzerland. © Lapp

The plant focuses on the plastic polyvinyl chloride, or PVC for short, which is used particularly frequently for cable insulation and sheathing. PVC is an excellent insulator for electrical cables and protects against short circuits and electric shocks. It can also withstand high temperatures and is resistant to many chemicals, oils and solvents. As a naturally flame-retardant plastic, the particularly durable PVC reduces the risk of cable fires. It is therefore often the first choice for customers in the mechanical engineering and industrial sectors. Two of the three production lines in the newly opened plant are therefore also designed for this popular plastic.

In addition, Lapp's Indian colleagues produce special compounds for customer-specific solutions on a third production line at the site. This results in innovative compounds with unique properties for a wide range of applications, enabling the company to stay one step ahead of the competition and at the same time quickly meet new market requirements or standards. This is particularly important for customers who have to meet high legal or regulatory requirements in industries with strict safety and quality standards, such as aerospace or medical technology. For Lapp itself, this means above all being able to offer consistently high product quality and ensure efficient use of raw materials - without being dependent on the quality of an external supplier. Around 13,000 tons of plastic per year currently roll off the production line in the company's own production facility. Capacity is set to increase gradually over the coming years.

For Pascal Wolfer, the development and production of compounds at Lapp has now become a real passion. The compound developer explains: "It all works thanks to the great cooperation between Lapp's national companies and the colleagues who are dedicated to this project." The collaboration is intensive and includes the development of the formulations, the evaluation of the compounding equipment and the optimization of the production processes. In order to drive this process forward, he has already visited the production facility in India several times, with an Indian colleague actively supporting the Swiss development team on site.