COMPANY: Research & Development

The methodology of a large group adapted to a dynamic SME

Originally part of the Rhône Poulenc Group and then Tergal Industries, the Gauchy plant has always been a pilot site. Indeed, the majority of developments, such as speciality fibres or PET for packaging, have been tested and validated at this site before transferring to other plants in the Group.

Since it became independent in 1998, Tergal Industries has maintained a special relationship with the R&D support services of Rhône Poulenc but above all it has succeeded in tailoring its own R&D department to its structure and in promoting innovative developments.

So whether it is the optimisation of chemical synthesis, participation in wide-ranging projects aiming to cater for environmental issues or the production of a resin or fibre with specific properties, Tergal Industries continues to be innovative and file numerous patents.

 

From molecule to bottle and fibre

Tergal Industries offers its clients the support of its R&D teams based on pilot plants located at the most prestigious French universities.  Thanks to these pilots, the company can take an idea and use it to produce a specific resin, transform it into a bottle and study the physical, chemical and organoleptic properties of a finished product.  This technical back-up means that the performance of a new material can be evaluated and analysed if it meets a client's requirement.

Tergal Industries is also involved, through the BIOHUB® program sponsored by the Agence de l’Innovation Industrielle and piloted by Roquette Frères, in developing innovative integrated plastics from compounds produced from bio-resources and green chemistry.

And finally, Tergal Industries has a small fibre spinning business supplied by an extruder and can therefore produce batches of new fibres of a few tonnes for trials by clients prior to industrial validation.