HERA and Lehigh Technologies Join Forces to Bring Micronized Rubber Powder to Europe

NAVARRA, SPAIN and ATLANTA, Ga., Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move that will accelerate the global adoption of sustainable materials across Europe, HERA Holding, a Spanish waste-to-resource company, and Lehigh Technologies Inc., a leading sustainable materials company, today announced a partnership that will provide micronized rubber powder (MRP) for the tire, consumer and industrial plastics and coatings industries in Europe.

Through the partnership Lehigh will work with HERA's, Navarra, based subsidiary Indugarbi NFU to expand the company's geographic reach into the important industrial markets of Europe. The combination of Lehigh's technical leadership in Micronized Rubber Powders with Hera's experience in bringing new materials into industrial supply chains will enable adoption of the these sustainable products by a broad range of industries in Europe.  

"HERA is committed to the advancement of environmental excellence, managing waste resources and developing methods and approaches to repurpose those materials to meet the growing demand for sustainable products in Europe," said Jordi Gallego, HERA GROUP CEO. "This partnership with Lehigh is an example of how our company achieves this goal – we partner with innovative technology companies that are focused on sustainability and on transforming end-of-life material into new resources."

Lehigh Technologies' cryogenic turbo mill technology transforms end-of-life tire and post-industrial rubber into a lower cost, sustainable replacement for synthetic polymers and associated rubber compounds for use in tires and a wide variety of other high performance rubber products.

MRPs lower costs, increase the sustainability profile of end products and deliver performance without sacrificing the reliability and performance offered by traditional raw materials.  Lehigh's customer base includes five of the top ten largest tire companies in the world – over 140 million tires have been manufactured using Lehigh's MRP. This partnership will bring MRP to Europe with Hera Holding adapting its recycling plant in Navarra, Spain to allow for the production of MRP.

"HERA's focus on technology innovation and collaborative approach complements Lehigh's approach- assisting customers in developing MRP applications that meet cost, performance and sustainability targets," said Alan Barton, CEO of Lehigh Technologies. "Furthermore, Europe is an attractive geography due to the focus on sustainability, the receptiveness we have seen already to our MRP and similarities of applications and high performance requirements to other global markets"

ABOUT HERA HOLDINGS
HERA Holding (www.heraholding.com) is a Spanish Environmental Group, with companies and operations in Europe, South America and the Middle East. Since the mid-80's, HERA has been operating recycling plants that transform waste –municipal or industrial- into energy and raw materials. HERA offers its sustainability expertise to provide clean tech solutions to a range of industries and public administrations. HERA seeks international markets to offer new, green technologies and innovative waste treatments designed to respond to the changing trends in green industrial processes.

ABOUT LEHIGH TECHNOLOGIES
Lehigh Technologies is a leading sustainable materials company that is transforming end-of-life tire and post-industrial rubber into highly engineered, sustainable powders called Micronized Rubber Powder (MRP) that are being used in a wide range of consumer and industrial applications. Lehigh's energy efficient cryogenic  turbo mill technology breaks down these raw materials to micron scale powders   that are sold to manufacturers of  advanced products, including high-performance tires, industrial rubber, consumer and industrial plastics goods, asphalt and coatings and construction materials. The Tucker, Georgia-based company is privately held and backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Index Ventures, NGP Energy Technology Partners and Leaf Clean Energy. For more information, please visit www.lehightechnologies.com.

SOURCE Lehigh Technologies