Plansee slams REACH law as ‘unwanted cost’

Europe's proposed REACH chemicals legislation was slammed by Plansee's Michael Schwarzkopf at the opening of the 16th International Plansee Seminar in Reutte, Austria.
Dismissing the 1200-page draft law currently before the European Parliament as an unwanted additional cost for European PM companies already under pressure from global competition, increased energy prices and soaring raw material costs, he said: "These are definitely not the stimulating signals which are urgently needed by the European economy."
If implemented in its current form the REACH legislation would classify metals as “chemicals” and make them subject to a battery of stringent rules and test regimes to ensure their safety. Critics of the proposals say that they are excessive in scope and that the expense of implementation - to be borne by business - presents a danger to European competitiveness and employment in the EU.
Restating his strong commitment to technology and innovation, Mr Schwarzkopf added: "Innovation creates the lead that the European economy needs to survive in global competition. As soon as competitors are able to copy products, manufacturers in high-wage countries will lose."
Warming to his theme Mr Schwarzkopf described the tough competitive environment in which the suppliers of powder metallurgical products have to survive. "The enormous growth in Asia and particularly in China and India is forcing manufacturers to set up production sites in these growth regions. For the numerous medium-sized companies in this field this is not an easy task." Furthermore, he added, pressure on sales margins is increasing. "On the one hand this is caused by intensified global competition, on the other due to the raw material price hype, which leads many customers to think about substituting our products."
The Plansee Seminar has taken place regularly over the last 52 years, with topics covering the latest technological findings in the area of powder metallurgy. This year more than 500 scientists from 35 countries participated. The meeting had a theme of powder metallurgical high performance materials and attracted 230 contributions were presented on refractory metals and cemented carbide. There was a remarkably high number of contributions from China.

Back to index