Frost & Sullivan has awarded Bayer Sheet Europe the prestigious European Advanced Systems Glazing Product Differentiation Excellence Award for 2010. Frost & Sullivan monitors more than 300 industries and 250,000 companies worldwide. Using its TEAM Research methodology Frost & Sullivan assessed how best-in-class companies worldwide manage growth, innovation and leadership.
Bayer Sheet Europe and its Makrolon sheets were benchmarked against key competitors using five criteria: Features/Functionality, Quality/Complexity, Customization, Target Market, and Unique Name/Brand Recognition. Bayer Sheet Europe and Makrolon scored first in four categories, and tied for first in the fifth.
“We are very pleased to receive this award as a recognition of all the advantages polycarbonate Makrolon has to offer,” says Fabrice Albrechts, project manager EMEA at Bayer Sheet Europe. The Product Differentiation Excellence Award cited polycarbonate sheeting for the design freedom it offers because unlike glass polycarbonate sheets can be curved while maintaining crystal clarity and low optical distortion.
Also the Product Differentiation Excellence Award noted it is significant that the weight of polycarbonate sheets is approximately 75% less than glass. “The great reduction in weight translates into cost savings for supporting structures and for the installation of façade cladding,” says Fabrice Albrechts. As well, polycarbonate sheets can be customized to meet a range of applications, including glazing for automobiles, houses and buildings, roofs for stadiums, photovoltaic encapsulation, signage and noise reducing devices.
Makrolon sheets cater to generic and niche applications, giving Bayer Sheet Europe an ideal mix of fast growing and stable growth applications in a $10+ billion market. Bayer Sheet Europe is a subsidiary of Bayer MaterialScience, which is well positioned globally and continues to expand its presence in the sheet business in Asia, the Middle East and South America. Makrolon has strong brand recognition because Bayer Sheet Europe has a pro-active program in marketing, innovation, education of architects and engineers and related areas.
