Kraton Polymers Announces D1183 BT for Softness, Temperature Resistance, and Strength

HOUSTON, July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers or "SBCs" (together with Kraton Polymers LLC and its other subsidiaries "Kraton"), announced the addition of Kraton D1183 BT, a new SIS grade, to its line of polymers for use in applications where softness, ease-in-processing, and high temperature resistance are essential.

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"Kraton D1183 BT is suitable for use in many adhesive applications including thermal printing labels, high temperature resistant labels, elastic labels and diaper tabs. It is an excellent choice for adhesives in hygiene applications and its shear strength is particularly good at 37 degrees C," said Mark Siebert, Vice President of Adhesives, Sealants and Coatings.  "Moreover, it offers economically attractive adhesive formulations, and gives formulators the ability to dilute it further to obtain equivalent performance levels of competing products, which can result in cost-savings. It can also achieve significantly higher cohesive strength and higher temperature resistance without the use of expensive endblock resins. Therefore, Kraton D1183 BT is not only economically attractive, but also substantially stronger and offers a wider formulating space," he said.

Prior to the commercialization of Kraton D1183 BT, innovators used low-coupled SIS block copolymers to impart softness to end-products.  Although they offered improved adhesion on open and porous substrates and good label die-cutting performance, they often lacked cohesion, which hampered their use in applications where higher shear and temperature resistance was required. In comparison, Kraton D1183 BT is a 40% diblock SIS, which shows superior performance to low-coupled SIS block copolymers and is therefore the polymer of choice for these applications.

For more information about Kraton D1183 BT, please send an email to [email protected].

About Kraton

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries, is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and, we believe, the world's largest producer of styrenic block copolymers ("SBCs"), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by us almost fifty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic elastomers which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength, durability and processability. Our polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products. We currently offer approximately 800 products to more than 700 customers in over 60 countries worldwide, and are the only SBC producer with manufacturing and service capabilities on four continents. We manufacture products at five plants globally, including our flagship plant in Belpre, Ohio, as well as plants in Germany, France and Brazil, and a joint venture plant operated in Japan.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, and the "Giving Innovators their Edge" tagline are all trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements," which are statements other than statements of historical fact and are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements.  These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in "Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors" contained in our Annual Report on 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and as subsequently updated in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and include risks related to: conditions in the global economy and capital markets; our reliance on LyondellBasell Industries for the provision of significant operating and other services; the failure of our raw materials suppliers to perform their obligations under long-term supply agreements, or our inability to replace or renew these agreements when they expire; limitations in the availability of raw materials we need to produce our products in the amounts or at the prices necessary for us to effectively and profitably operate our business; competition in our end-use markets, by other producers of SBCs and by producers of products that can be substituted for our products; our ability to produce and commercialize technological innovations; our ability to protect our intellectual property, on which our business is substantially dependent; infringement of our products on the intellectual property rights of others; seasonality in our Paving and Roofing business; financial and operating constraints related to our substantial level of indebtedness; product liability claims and other lawsuits arising from environmental damage or personal injuries associated with chemical manufacturing; political and economic risks in the various countries in which we operate; the inherently hazardous nature of chemical manufacturing; health, safety and environmental laws, including laws that govern our employees' exposure to chemicals deemed harmful to humans; regulation of our customers, which could affect the demand for our products or result in increased compliance costs; international trade, export control, antitrust, zoning and occupancy and labor and employment laws that could require us to modify our current business practices and incur increased costs; our relationship with our employees; loss of key personnel or our inability to attract and retain new qualified personnel; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; the fact that we do not enter into long-term contracts with our customers; a decrease in the fair value of our pension assets, which could require us to materially increase future funding of the pension plan; and concentration of ownership among our principal stockholder, which may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such information.

SOURCE Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc.