OQ Chemicals (formerly Oxea) has been collaborating with printers and ink manufacturers around the world to test the superior properties of Propyls – OQ’s n-propanol and n-propylacetate. The popularity of Propyls in the European market continues to rise owing to local presence, alliance with reputable packaging associations, and cooperation with resident distributors. Consequently, Propyls consumption in the region has witnessed a steady increase since 2017 particularly in Spain, Italy and Germany.
Propyls consistently passed application testing in the past 5 years. The 40 completed trials in the recent years provide conclusive evidence of smoother printing process when OQ’s Propyls replace conventional solvents. Therefore, it comes as no surprise why Propyls are progressively gaining popularity in the printing industry across the American all the way to Asian markets.
Propyls can improve process stability through its superior balance of viscosity consistency and evaporation rate. In comparison to conventional solvents, Propyls’ superior properties provide stable viscosity, reduction in solvent retention and moisture absorption, and prolonged photopolymer lifetime – giving printers the confidence of a constant print quality.
Propyls can also eliminate retardants thereby achieve remarkable resource savings with significant impact on sustainability goals. In addition, Propyls are on average 30% more economical in solvent consumption and have shown up to 20% reduction in inks consumption without compromising on the quality.
Soon, OQ Chemicals will be able to widen the range of polymer solutions that are tailored for the packaging industry through the new Luban polyethylene (PE) solutions that will be available for food and non-food packaging films, gift wraps, label films, packaging bags, and zip lock bags, to name a few. In 2019, OQ announced ambitious plans to invest US$28bn in the next 10 years which include the US$6.7bn Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC) that will add 3 polymerisation lines with more than 1 million MT of polyolefin capacity. The LPIC project is in commissioning phase and will strengthen the company’s polymer portfolio significantly.
In 2019, OQ successfully merged nine legacy companies which include OXEA to form a stronger, united, and more efficient consolidated entity offering end to end solutions up, mid, and downstream.
