GENEVA, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Based on the commercial success of its environmentally-friendly acoustic materials with major auto makers, Polymer Group, Inc. (PGI)
today announced it is expanding the use of these substrates to other vehicle components.
Designed to silence interior vehicle noise, the company's Silonyx(TM) materials are currently being used in production vehicles by General Motors, Ford and Honda, including North America's best selling Chevy Malibu as well as the Ford Focus and Honda Civic models.
The company is featuring the expanded Silonyx(TM) line at this week's INDEX08 show here at booth 2131.
Introduced last year in trunk and wheel-well liners, the PGI materials are being expanded into package trays, hush panels, dash insulators and HVAC ducts. PGI also has enhanced the product offering in highly engineered wheel- well liners with Silonyx(TM) 4, a new four-layer product manufactured in a single-step process.
These substrates made from recyclable polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) provide a barrier to absorb sound and reduce noise in the interior compartment of a vehicle. In addition, the components themselves are recyclable.
PGI developed the unique one-step manufacturing process that combines the recycled materials with a facing material through multiple layering and needlepunching in a single step. This one-step process, and use of recyclable materials, produces a more cost-effective product.
The high-strength Silonyx(TM) materials range from 25 to 40 ounces and are lighter than traditional plastic parts, answering the market need for more efficient vehicles that consume less fuel.
"Silonyx(TM) materials have been a winning combination for OEM and Tier I automotive suppliers by providing a green, acoustic product that is light weight and cost effective," said Don Bokshan, PGI's automotive sales and marketing director. "Acoustic performance is helping auto makers differentiate themselves with consumers and succeed in today's competitive market."
Polymer Group, Inc., one of the world's leading producers of nonwovens, is a global, technology-driven developer, producer and marketer of engineered materials. With the broadest range of process technologies in the nonwovens industry, PGI is a global supplier to leading consumer and industrial product manufacturers. The company operates 18 manufacturing and converting facilities in 8 countries throughout the world. For more information, visit www.polymergroupinc.com
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements include: general economic factors including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, foreign currency translation rates, consumer confidence, trends in disposable income, changes in consumer demand for goods produced, and cyclical or other downturns; substantial debt levels and potential inability to maintain sufficient liquidity to finance the company's operations and make necessary capital expenditures; inability to meet existing debt covenants; information and technological advances; changes in environmental laws and regulations; cost and availability of raw materials, labor and natural and other resources and the inability to pass raw material cost increases along to customers; changes in selling prices to customers which are based, by contract, on changes to an underlying index; domestic and foreign competition; reliance on major customers and suppliers; inability to achieve successful or timely start-up on new or modified production lines; achievement of objectives for strategic acquisitions and dispositions; and risks related to operations in foreign jurisdictions. Investors and other readers are directed to consider the risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed by Polymer Group, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
For further information, please contact:
Dennis Norman
Polymer Group, Inc.
Vice President -- Strategic Planning & Communication
(704) 697-5186
normand@pginw.com