
New compounding company, Kainotomia Polymers, sets up in Centurion
KAINOTOMIA Polymers opened its doors in September 2020 in Icon Industrial Park, Centurion. Owned and run by Albert Gildenhuys, the company has seen consistent growth in the first seven months of operations.
Kainotomia specialises in the colour compounding and milling of LLDPE into powders for the rotomoulding industry.
The name ‘Kainotomia’ is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘innovation’. “We see innovation as one of the core pillars of all that we do, therefore the word ‘Kainotomia’ resonates with our values and what we stand for as a company,” says owner, Albert Gildenhuys.
With over 15 years of experience, Gildenhuys has extensive knowledge of the latest process technologies and industry trends.
His passion for the plastic industry was ignited very early on in his career, when he worked as an injection moulding operator. Since then he has built a well-established and specialised career in the industry. He broadened his expertise as a technical manager, where he was responsible for all technical LLDPE compounding and pulverization, and development-related work, including technical sales support to customers in the rotational moulding industry.
Before starting Kainotomia, Gildenhuys was also involved in consulting key industry players in setting up their own production facilities and driving projects in which technical product development between the manufacturer and raw material supplier were required. He was further engaged with the sales and marketing of compounds and masterbatches.
“I am passionate about polymer chemistry, manufacturing and related processes and believe I can make a meaningful contribution to the industry,” he says.
Since September the company has grown from an army of one to 15 staff members. Testing and development were done during the last quarter of 2020 and products went to market in January, 2021.
“Since then we have seen consistent growth,” says Gildenhuys.
Technical expertise is at the heart of what Kainotomia does
“Our aim at Kainotomia Polymers is to empower the polymer industry through innovative solutions and technologies. Our product is used extensively in the agricultural sector, as well as in the manufacturing of water tanks and sanitation products,” says Gildenhuys.
Kainotomia works closely with its customers to find resolutions to challenging projects and to develop new materials for original applications. Technical expertise is at the heart of what the new company does and it continues to expand its R&D resources and machinery.
“We believe that the future success of the polymer industry depends on companies pioneering new designs and suppliers developing new raw materials,” says Gildenhuys. “At Kainotomia we are committed to continuous improvement to help our customers fully exploit the potential of rotomoulding.”
Recently, Kainotomia introduced 3910 KPCS, a 10MFI hexene co-polymer compound never seen before in South Africa. Gildenhuys says this product not only shortens cycle times but also reduces pinholes on the product surface. This allows for the rotational moulding of more intricate products with excellent surface finishes.
The company’s product portfolio also includes standard LLDPE rotomoulding powders in a variety of colours and material specifications:
- 3935 KPCS is a hexene co-polymer LLDPE developed for the rotational moulding process. It can be supplied as a UV stabilised or non-UV stabilised colour compound and is used in large water tanks, large roto moulding products requiring high stiffness, sanitation tanks and agriculture products. Characteristics include high stiffness and impact strength, high rigidity, excellent ESCR, and good chemical resistance.
- 3950 KPCS is a hexene co-polymer LLDPE developed for the rotational moulding process. It can be supplied as a UV stabilised or non-UV stabilised colour compound. It is used in the manufacture of small to medium sized water tanks, storage bins, toys and traffic barriers, and sanitation and agriculture products. Characteristics include high stiffness and impact, strength, high rigidity, and excellent ESCR.
Part of the company’s offering also includes a toll manufacturing service for its customers.
Kainotomia’s internal quality control test methods include:
- PSD (Particle Size Distribution Analysis) – ASTM 1921
- MFI (Melt Flow Index) analysis – ASTM D1238
- Dry Flow testing – ASTM D1895-96
- Bulk Density testing – ASTM D1895
- Colour Photo Spectroscopy – CMC D65
- Dart Impact testing – ARM standard
The company is focused on developing, producing and supplying the best raw materials to the rotational moulding industry. Gildenhuys’ expertise in a vast range of areas including polymer chemistry and design, compounding, grinding, rotomoulding, colour matching, and customer service, are invaluable in achieving this.
Kainotomia Polymers is also currently working towards becoming ISO 9001:2015 certified.
info@kpcs.co.za