- Schneider Electric and Evonik automate a thermoplastic plant in Essen, Germany.
- The initiative launched at the K trade fair in Düsseldorf, October 8-15, 2025.
- The project focuses on digitizing a pilot plant to enhance data collection and processing.
- Long-term goals include improving scalability and reducing time to market for new additives.
Partnership Overview
Schneider Electric and Evonik have partnered to automate a thermoplastic processing plant at Evonik’s Essen Goldschmidt site in Germany. This collaboration was announced at the K trade fair in Düsseldorf, held from October 8-15, 2025. The initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of mechanical plastic recycling processes and improve the quality of recyclates, aligning with circular economy principles.
Technological Contributions
Evonik contributes its expertise in high-performance additives and a focus on circularity, while Schneider Electric provides advanced solutions in process automation and digitalization. The partnership seeks to drive innovation and transformation in recycling and thermoplastic processing.
Project Implementation
The first phase involves digitizing an existing pilot plant at Evonik’s Goldschmidt site. This facility will adopt an open automation approach, allowing data collection and contextualization from various machines into a central access point. The data-driven strategy aims to analyze performance, reduce manual work, and streamline calculation steps.
Long-term Objectives
The collaboration's long-term goals include leveraging laboratory experiences, improving the positioning of existing solutions with quantified data, decreasing time to market for new additive developments, and enhancing scalability from pilot plants to commercial units. The scope extends beyond plastic recycling to encompass overall plastics processing with a strong emphasis on circularity.
