Products manufactured with UPM ForMi - the new composite material.
HELSINKI, FINLAND: Improving customer reach, UPM’s new composite material, UPM ForMi, has now moved into the testing phase in many regions. In a bid to replace plastic, the company has added more distributors in the last six months in order to tap potential in existing regions and make in road into emerging markets. In Finland, UPM has agreed with Telko for distribution of UPM ForMi. Also Telko is a distributor in Northern and Eastern Europe as well as in China. “As a strategy we have appointed more distributors in Europe and Asia Pacific. We have added TEKUMA in German speaking areas, Dayeh Paper in Taiwan and Anika in India. Other than this we have also set up our own activities in Japan and Europe,” informed Stefan Fors, Director, UPM ForMi.
UPM ForMi combines pulp fibre and plastic into a product which has plastic-like properties but the environmental benefits of wood. The proportion of cellulose fibre in the composite material varies from 20 to 60 per cent depending on the end-use product. In certain applications the share of pulp could increase to 80 per cent. The product is available as granules and processed using injection moulding. This new composite can be dyed and moulded like plastic.
UPM ForMi is ideal for a range of end-uses - electronics, furniture, packaging material and other goods used in everyday life. Test runs are going on in the furniture and automotive industries, where it would be used in car interiors. “We see a substantial interest for this kind of product. After launching in November 2011, we have started full scale production in January 2012. By creating awareness, we have seen positive response from Paris, Shanghai, Sweden and Poland and have now moved onto the testing phase with potential customers from all possible segments,” added Fors.
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