industrial organization. It is a subdivision of the industrial chemical
group, called Fachgruppe Kunststoffe, or Group 13 of the 19 trade groups
in the chemical division. This subdivision controls casein and cellulose
plastics as well as synthetic resins, and is further divided as follows:
(1) Casein plastics, (2) cast phenolic resins, (3) molding compositions,
(4) resins for lacquers, (5) celluloid and zellon, (6) transparent
sheeting, (7) linoleum, and (8) miscellaneous (such as vulcanized fiber,
bottle caps, and die-casting resins).
There are two cartels distinct from the national organization, which
expressly excludes all functions and activities of cartels. One cartel
represents the firms interested in molding compositions and the other
those interested in synthetic resins for other purposes. Some of the
producers are members of both cartels.
Foreign trade.
Imports of synthetic resins are negligible, although the duty of 4.6
cents per pound (25 marks per 100 kilograms) on imports into Germany is
not prohibitive. Exports have increased practically every year since
1930, when they were first recorded separately.
Table 23 shows the quantity and value of exports in recent years.
TABLE 23.—_Synthetic resins: German exports, 1930-37_
-------+----------------------+----------------------
| Hardening resins | Nonhardening resins
+------+---------------+------+---------------
Year | | Value | | Value
|1,000 +-------+-------+1,000 +-----+---------
|pounds|1,000 | 1,000 |pounds|1,000|1,000
| |marks |dollars| |marks|dollars
-------+------+-------+-------+------+-----+---------
| | | | | |
1930 | 2,549| 1,973| 472| | |
1931 | 3,775| 2,757| 651| | |
1932 | 3,162| 2,112| 501| | |
1933 | 4,009| 2,625| 801| 6,628|3,566| 1,088
1934 | 4,924| 3,162| 1,246| 7,076|3,415| 1,346
1935 | 4,948| 2,993| 1,206| 6,921|3,445| 1,388
1936 | 6,392| 3,501| 1,411| 7,764|3,820| 1,539
1937[1]| 8,706| 4,402| 1,770|10,866|5,389| 2,117
-------+------+-------+-------+------+-----+----------
[1] Preliminary.
Source: Consular reports.
German exports of synthetic resins are, for the most part, destined
to European countries, most of which have increased their purchases
considerably in recent years. Exports to Latin American countries have
increased recently, especially to Brazil. Table 24 shows the distribution
of exports in recent years.
TABLE 24.—_Synthetic resins: German exports, by countries, 1934-37_
[Thousands of marks]
------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-------
Destination |1934 |1935 |1936 |1937[1]
------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-------
Austria | 259| 352| 446| 593
Belgium | 215| 259| 297| 420
Czechoslovakia | 347| 345| 604| 825
Denmark | 316| 391| 473| 540
France | 626| 651| 680| 734
Great Britain |1,247| 563| 596| 844
Hungary | 240| 135| 182|([2])
Italy | 252| 359| 523| 615
Netherlands | 530| 572| 645|1,031
Spain | 225| 302| 178| 57
Sweden | 415| 457| 463| 691
Switzerland | 721| 705| 714| 749
Other European countries | 370| 618| 706|([2])
Argentina | 250| 207| 194|([2])
Brazil | 46| 77| 109|([2])
Other Latin American countries| 17| 18| 75|([2])
All other countries | 501| 427| 436|2,692
+-----+-----+-----+-----
Total |6,577|6,438|7,321|9,791
------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----
[1] Preliminary.
[2] Included in all other countries.
Source: Official German statistics.
GREAT BRITAIN[14]
As in most other countries, the history of the synthetic-resin industry
in Great Britain begins with the acquisition of rights by a British
concern to manufacture under the original Bakelite patents. The Damard
Lacquer Co., Ltd. was probably the pioneer maker of phenolic resins in
England. The principal product was a baking lacquer sold under the trade
name Damarda, marketed for and used principally as a coating to prevent
corrosion on brass. The outbreak of the World War created such an urgent
demand for laminated materials that this firm started production of
them for the British Government. In 1926 this concern was merged with
Mouldesite, Ltd. and Redmanol, Ltd., under the name of Bakelite, Ltd.
Production.
Statistics of production of synthetic resins in Great Britain are
available only for 1934 and 1935. They are given in table 25.
TABLE 25.—_Synthetic resins: Production in Great Britain, 1934 and 1935_
-------------------------------------------+---------------------
Type | 1934 | 1935
-------------------------------------------+----------+----------
| _Pounds_ | _Pounds_
Solid, liquid, cured, uncured, and hardened|25,558,400|13,283,200
Molding powder, 50 percent or more resin | |25,872,000
Laminated sheets, rods, blocks, tubes | 1,164,800| 1,646,400
+----------+----------
Total |26,723,200|40,801,600
-------------------------------------------+----------+----------
Source: Great Britain. Board of Trade, Census of Production.
Capital invested in the British industry is reported as 15,000,000 pounds
sterling and direct employment as 20,000 people.
_Tar-acid resins._—Many large moldings are made in England, such as large
radio cases, desk files, trays, and drain boards. Cast phenolic resin
production has just been started in England.
Among the novelties recently produced in England is a toy railway molded
of tar-acid resin. The trains and track spacers are of nonconducting
resin; the molded rails are made conductive by a thin covering of metal
which is pressed in and secured at the ends. Two trains may be run on the
same set of rails at different speeds, or one can go forward and another
backward, since the two outer rails are separate conductors, the third
rail acting as a common return.
Molded piano parts are being tried in an attempt to solve the troubles
hitherto encountered with wood, owing to variations in humidity. Resins
have long been used in facing the keys, but the production of piano
action parts has presented many technical difficulties. The secret of
success with molded resin parts lies in molding the joints in position
when the main body is molded. There are 88 sections in each piano.
_Urea resins._—British Cyanides, Ltd., well-known makers of synthetic
resins in England, acquired the Pollopas patents for the manufacture
of urea resins in the United Kingdom, in certain continental European
countries, and in the British Empire except Canada. The agreement called
for a full exchange of patents and other information with the other
licensees of the Pollopas patents. These arrangements were made for
the purpose of consolidating the patent position and for the pooling
of technical data already existing on manufacture, with the object of
improving quality.
_Acrylate resins._—An outstanding development in Great Britain has been
the production of the thermoplastic resins known as Diakon and Perspex.
These are made from methyl methacrylate and are developments of the
Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd. Diakon is for molding powders and
Perspex is in the form of cast sheets, rods, tubes, and optical forms.
These new commercial resins are considered the best combination thus far
obtained of strength, transparency, and light weight. Applications in
England include fittings for aircraft, transparent inspection covers for
machinery, medical equipment, instrument windows, lenses and prisms in
optical systems, and aircraft windscreens. They are used in subways for
lenses for deflecting and diffusing light and in battery cases and coil
forms.
The general properties of the acrylate resins include transparency
to both visible and ultraviolet light, almost unlimited color range,
resistance to acids and alkalies, and superior electrical properties.
_Aniline resin._—Panilax is an aniline-formaldehyde condensation
product made in England. It has high electrical and thermal insulating
properties, great mechanical strength, is odorless and odor repelling,
and practically unaffected by water, oil, and alkalies.
Organization.
Most of the British producers of synthetic resins are members of the
British Plastics Federation, Ltd.
Several years ago a 10-year contract was made between the Imperial
Chemical Industries, Ltd. and the Toledo Synthetic Products Co. (now
Plaskon Co.) of Toledo, Ohio. This agreement provides for an exchange
of all technical and commercial information on urea-resin products and
processes and the granting of free licenses under present or future
patents.
Agreements probably also exist between the British Bakelite Co. and the
American firm on tar-acid resins; between Nobel Chemical Finishes, Ltd.
and E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. on alkyd resins; between British
Thompson Houston Co., Ltd., and the General Electric Co. on alkyd resins;
between Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd. and du Pont on acrylate
resins; and between Beetle Products Co. and American Cyanamid Co. on urea
resins.
Foreign trade in resins.
British imports of synthetic resins, by principal sources, are shown in
table 26.
TABLE 26.—_Synthetic resins: Imports into the United Kingdom, in selected
years, 1930-36_
[1,000 pounds]
--------------------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
Source | 1930 | 1931 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936
--------------------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
British countries. | 1 | ([1]) | 5 | 2 | 19 | 24
Germany | 508 | 1,621 | 2,267 | 2,259 | 1,476 | 914
Netherlands | 679 | 667 | 151 | 114 | ([2]) | ([2])
UNITED STATES | 119 | 229 | 656 | 902 | 986 | 1,056
All other countries | 65 | 281 | 246 | 257 | 323 | 435
+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
Total |1,372 | 2,798 | 3,470 | 3,534 | 2,804 | 2,429
--------------------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
[1] Less than 500.
[2] Included in “All other countries.”
Source: Official statistics of the United Kingdom.
British exports of synthetic resins to principal countries are shown in
table 27.
TABLE 27.—_Synthetic resins: Exports from the United Kingdom, in selected
years, 1930-36_
[1,000 pounds]
--------------------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
Source | 1930 | 1931 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936
--------------------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
British countries | 138 | 170 | 992 | 1,350 | 1,788 | 2,732
Sweden | 40 | 69 | 242 | 452 | 558 | 650
Denmark |([1]) | ([1]) | 99 | 140 | 159 | 150
Belgium |([1]) | ([1]) | 104 | 205 | 237 | 203
Italy |([1]) | ([1]) | 49 | 95 | ([1]) | ([1])
Argentina |([1]) | ([1]) | 28 | 198 | 156 | 238
All other countries | 104 | 171 | 366 | 505 | 735 | 1,084
+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
Total | 282 | 410 | 1,880 | 2,945 | 3,633 | 5,057
--------------------+------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------
[1] Not available; included in “All other countries.”
Source: Official statistics of the United Kingdom.
FRANCE[15]
Producers.
Statistics of French production and sales of synthetic resin are not
available. Larousse Commercial Illustré describes the French synthetic
resin industry as not important and estimates the output in 1930 at
2,000,000 pounds. The Revue Général des Matières Plastiques, most
important technical review in France, estimates the production in 1931 as
about 3,500,000 pounds.
The comparatively few French companies producing synthetic resins
are, for the most part, under British or German control. The types of
synthetic resin made in France, the trade names, and the names of the
manufacturers, follow:
_Bakelite._—Tar-acid molding compounds and laminating materials; cast
phenolic resins; Cie La Bakelite, Bezous, Seine.
_Plastose and Ferodo._—Tar-acid molding compounds; Société
Ferodo-Plastose, Saint Ouen, Seine.
_Pollopas._—Urea molding compounds and laminating materials;
Établissements Kuhlmann, Paris.
Foreign trade.
French imports of synthetic resins are classified under tariff item No.
0376 bis: Synthetic resins (solid or resinous products of the Bakelite,
Albertol, Plastose types, etc.) derived from the condensation of
aldehydes with phenols, amines, and amides. Several subclassifications
are shown: (_a_) Soluble in oil and not polymerizable, (_b_) which may be
rendered insoluble and infusible, and (_c_) infusible. Imports in recent
years, from principal sources, are shown in table 28.
TABLE 28.—_Synthetic resins: French imports, by types and by countries,
1931 and 1933-37_
[Pounds]
--------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
Source | 1931 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937[1]
--------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
|
| Soluble in oil
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
Germany |563,860|1,003,860|1,359,600|1,164,470|1,085,766| ([2])
UNITED STATES |174,900| 126,280| 185,680| 284,458| 162,699| ([2])
United Kingdom|184,800| 131,120| 80,520| 109,789| 18,960| ([2])
Austria | | 35,640| 162,580| 193,564| 575,180| ([2])
Netherlands | | 49,720| | 16,755| ([2]) | ([2])
All other | | | | | |
countries | 4,620| 5,720| 3,080| 11,023| 33,069| ([2])
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
Total |928,180|1,352,340|1,791,460|1,744,059|1,875,894|1,794,985
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
| Molding compounds
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
United Kingdom| 21,780| 71,060| 10,340| 11,243| 23,589| ([2])
Germany |248,600| 49,060| 20,460| 68,563| 39,242| ([2])
Switzerland | | 13,200| 31,900| 11,464| ([2]) | ([2])
UNITED STATES | 11,220| 18,920| 22,660| 20,062| 66,799| ([2])
Belgium | | 31,240| 49,500| 7,716| ([2]) | ([2])
All other | | | | | |
countries | 3,080| | 4,840| 6,173| 5,732| ([2])
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
Total |284,680| 183,480| 139,700| 125,221| 135,362| 105,380
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
| Molded, cast, and laminated articles
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
Germany | 12,980| 7,700| 4,840| 9,039| 17,857| ([2])
Netherlands | | | | 220| | ([2])
Austria | 4,840| 440| 220| | | ([2])
United Kingdom| | | 220| | | ([2])
UNITED STATES | | 220| | 220| | ([2])
All other | | | | | |
countries | 1,320| | | | 1,984| ([2])
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
Total | 19,140| 8,360| 5,280| 9,479| 19,841| 8,377
--------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+----------
[1] Preliminary.
[2] Not separately reported.
Source: Consular reports.
Exports of synthetic resins from France, by principal markets, are shown
in table 29.
TABLE 29.—_Synthetic resins: French exports 1931 and 1933-37_
[Pounds]
--------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
Destination | 1931 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937
--------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
Belgium |203,060| 224,180 | 186,780 | 113,757 | 165,565 | ([1])
Argentina | | 69,080 | 91,300 | ([1]) | ([1]) | ([1])
Switzerland | | | 16,940 | 12,787 | 37,258 | ([1])
Italy | 12,980| | | ([1]) | ([1]) | ([1])
All other | | | | | |
countries | 4,840| 29,260 | 15,180 | 54,895 | 36,376 | ([1])
+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
Total |220,880| 322,520 | 310,200 | 181,439 | 239,199 | 417,772
--------------+-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
[1] Not separately reported.
Source: Consular reports.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Production of phenolic resins in Czechoslovakia has increased rapidly in
recent years and is ample to supply domestic requirements. Most of the
raw materials are imported from Germany, Great Britain, and France, but
formaldehyde is produced locally in sufficient quantities.
The principal makers of synthetic resins in Czechoslovakia are:
(1) Bratislavska tovarna na kable Bratislava.
(2) Schreiber & Co. Lipnik
(3) Ing. Alex Reiber Sered
(4) J. Elias Prague
(5) Mathias Oechsler & Sohn Riegersdorf
(6) J. Batistello, Jr. Gablonz
Resin products are widely used by the electrical industries for wall
plates, plugs, switches, fuse boxes, etc. Other articles made of
synthetic resins are: handles and knobs for furniture and kitchen
equipment, bottle caps, fountain pens and pencils, clock and radio
housings, tableware, cutlery handles, trays, buttons, toilet ware and
toys.
Imports of synthetic resins in 1934 totaled 1,270,500 pounds; Germany
supplied 46 percent and Great Britain 22 percent of this total. Exports
of synthetic resins during the same year amounted to 166,540 pounds and
went principally to Poland, Yugoslavia, Germany, and Argentina.
ITALY
The Societa Italiana Resine, an affiliate of the important chemical firm,
Chimiche Forestali, is a leading maker of tar-acid resins in Italy. A new
and modern plant is located at Milan in close proximity to the electrical
and textile industries, both important markets for resins.
In 1936 the Ministry of Corporations granted Montecatini Societe Generale
per l’Industria Mineraria, Milan, a permit to develop a factory for alkyd
resins; and also Societe Italiana Ebonite and Sostituti, Milan, one to
produce tar-acid resins. In 1937 a permit was granted to Montecatini S.A.
for a plant to manufacture acrylic acid resins at the Villadossola works
of the Soc. Elletrochimica del Toce.
JAPAN[16]
The history of the synthetic resin industry in Japan goes back to 1913
when Dr. Jokichi Takamine, discoverer of adrenalin and takadiastase,
acquired the right to manufacture and sell tar-acid resin Products in
Japan. The business was financed by the Sankyo Co., Ltd., and a factory
was built at Shinagawa, near Tokyo. In 1923 a subsidiary company known
as the Japan Bakelite Co., Ltd., was formed with a paid-in capital of
1,200,000 yen. This firm considers itself an affiliate of the Bakelite
Corporation of the United States and, according to an existing agreement,
cannot export to the United States. Its territory includes the Japanese
Empire and Manchukuo. China is considered an open market.
The original plant at Shinagawa was partially destroyed by fire in 1919,
and the following year was moved to Mukojima, Tokyo. The firm makes
tar-acid resins, and a full line of products covered by the patents of
the American concern. Included are laminated sheets, molding compounds,
molded articles, surface coating resins, laminated resin gears and
spindles for rayon mills. An interesting development is the adaption of
tar-acid resin lacquers to the production of Japanese lacquer ware such
as bowls, vases, etc.
Since the establishment of the Japan Bakelite Co., several other firms
have started the production of synthetic resins. The Tokyo Electric Co.,
an affiliate of the General Electric Co., makes tar-acid resins under
the trade name Tecolite. Products are used principally for insulation,
although molding compositions and molded articles such as are used by the
electrical trade are commercially produced.
The Matsushita Electrical Works at Osaka are producers of tar-acid
resins and articles made therefrom. The output is used largely for
radio and electrical equipment. The Nissholite Manufacturing Co., Ltd.,
with a factory at Yasui-cho, Uzumasa, Kyoto specializes in decorative
laminated material sold under the trade name Nissholite. The Japan
Nitrogenous Fertilizer Co. (Nippon Chisso Hirijo Kabushiki Kaisha) is an
important maker of tar-acid resins, marketing them under the trade names
Chissolite, Safeloid, and Minaloid. The Yokahama Resin Co., a relatively
small company, produces tar-acid resins and markets them in the form of
molding powders. The firms listed account for practically all of the
Japanese production of synthetic resins and for about 50 percent of the
molded articles made from them. The remaining 50 percent of the output of
molded articles is made by a large number of small firms, the majority
being household industries. It is reported that there are about 2,000 of
these so-called plants already engaged in this relatively new industry.
Production.
The Japanese production of manufactures of tar-acid resin reported by
the Department of Commerce and Industry is shown in table 30. These data
include the output of plants employing more than five operators and
apparently account for only half of the total.
TABLE 30.—_Manufactures of tar-acid resins: Production in Japan, 1929-35_
------------+-----------+----------------------------------------
| | Value
| +-------------+---------------+----------
Year | Quantity | | |
| | Of quantity | Additional[1] | Total
| | reported | |
------------+-----------+-------------+---------------+----------
| _Pounds_ | | |
1929 | 28,681 | $46,594 | $125,404 | $171,998
1930 | 607,800 | 52,409 | 442,583 | 494,992
1931 | 744,119 | 99,907 | 268,594 | 368,501
1932 | 286,422 | 36,584 | 367,220 | 403,804
1933 | 229,854 | 26,747 | 516,903 | 543,650
1934 | 1,435,977 | 193,857 | 926,951 | 1,120,808
1935 | 3,176,441 | 477,526 | 923,546 | 1,401,072
------------+-----------+-------------+---------------+----------
[1] Quantity not reported.
Source: Factory statistics of Department of Commerce and
Industry, Japan.
Estimates from other sources of Japanese productions of tar-acid resins
indicate an output of 2,600,000 pounds of resin and 3,600,000 pounds
of molded resin articles in 1933, and of 4,900,000 pounds of resin and
7,500,000 pounds of resin articles in 1935.
It was recently announced that the Gosei Chemical Co. will manufacture
vinyl resins in Japan. This firm’s principal interest is in acetate fiber
and rayon manufacture. Later in 1936 the Showa Fertilizer Co. announced
the successful development of a process for making urea. Urea resins
are in commercial production by the Toyo Gosei Kagaku Kogyo K.K., an
affiliate of Chugoku Toyo K.K.
The resin industry in Japan is expected to undergo considerable
development in the near future. Raw materials are available in sufficient
quantities and the art of molding is fairly well developed.
CANADA
The producers of synthetic resins in Canada are:
Bakelite Corporation of Canada, Ltd. Toronto.
Shawinigan Chemicals, Ltd. Shawinigan Falls.
Canadian General Electric Co. Toronto.
Canadian Industries, Ltd. Toronto.
The Bakelite Corporation of Canada, Ltd., an affiliate of the firm of
the same name in the United States, was formed in 1925. This plant
makes molding materials, laminating materials, and an extensive line of
technical varnishes. Molded parts were made at this factory until 1932.
Shawinigan Chemicals, Ltd. is the pioneer organic chemical maker in
Canada. A modern plant at Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, produces synthetic
acetic acid, acetaldehyde, vinyl acetate, vinyl resins, and other
chemicals. The vinyl resins manufactured by this firm have already been
described (see p. 44). Appreciable quantities of these resins have been
exported to the United States in the past but the construction of a
factory (jointly owned by Shawinigan Chemicals, Ltd., and the Fiberloid
Corporation) at Indian Orchard, Mass., for the manufacture of vinyl
resins will probably result in a decrease of exports from Canada to the
United States.
The Canadian General Electric Co. makes alkyd resins for use in surface
coatings. Phthalic anhydride and other raw materials are imported from
the United States. Canadian Industries, Ltd., produces alkyd resins at a
plant in Toronto, Ontario.
There are about 14 molders of synthetic resins in Canada, of which all
but 3 are in Ontario. These firms make a general line of molded articles
including electrical articles, closures, costume jewelry, and smokers’
accessories. Appreciable quantities of molded articles are imported from
the United States and smaller quantities from Germany.
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
The synthetic resin industry in the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics is concentrated in two public departments, known as Public
Commissariates: (a) Public Department for Heavy Industry and (b) Public
Department for Light Industry.