Polytan

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Polytan

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 1969
Seat Burgheim , Germany
management Mathias Schwägerl, Jörg Siekmann
Website www.polytan.com

Polytan GmbH is a German manufacturer of artificial turf systems and synthetic sports surfaces based in Burgheim , Bavaria .

Polytan is a supplier of numerous sports facilities for international competitions and top division clubs, such as the final turf for the 2015 Women's World Cup in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, and the hockey turf for the 2012 Olympic Games in London . The hockey competitions of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which have been postponed to 2021 due to the corona virus, will again take place on a Polytan lawn. In soccer, numerous Bundesliga clubs rely on a Polytan grass pitch in their training centers. The Stade de Suisse in Bern, the successor to the legendary Wankdorf stadium, also has a lawn from Polytan. In athletics, numerous events take place on Polytan surfaces, including competitions in the Diamond League and the 2008 World Athletics Final in the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart.

With its Green Technology campaign, Polytan has been focusing increasingly on sustainability issues since 2018, for example a CO 2 -neutral artificial turf (LigaTurf Cross GTzero) made from renewable raw materials (first places have already been completed in Ahrensfelde (Brandenburg) and Duisburg) and the use of green electricity in production.

Company history

Today's Polytan company was founded in 1969 as Firl + Schretter Sportstättenbau in Neuburg an der Donau . Initially, the focus was on the installation of polyurethane-bonded in-situ synthetic surfaces for the construction of sports facilities. Polytan was registered as a trademark in the same year . Today the range includes high-speed running tracks, all-weather courts, tennis, handball and fall protection surfaces as well as artificial turf systems for soccer, hockey, rugby and multifunctional fields. Polytan GmbH operates worldwide and is a 100 percent subsidiary of the Sport Group Holding.

In 1975, Polytan began to manufacture its own raw materials for synthetic flooring.

In 1995, Polytan expanded its product portfolio to include artificial turf systems and acquired a production facility for artificial turf and polyurethanes in Grefrath ( North Rhine-Westphalia ).

From 2003 onwards, Polytan implemented completely vertical production for artificial turf systems (from the manufacture of raw materials to on-site installation). For this purpose, a complete coating and extrusion system for artificial turf was installed at the production site in Grefrath.

Also in 2003, the company took part in the FIFA Quality Program for Footballturf for the first time as a licensee and in the same year installed the first FIFA Recommended 2 Star certified artificial turf field.

During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the German Football Association (DFB) decided to build 1000 mini-pitches with artificial turf as part of a youth development project. The DFB chose Polytan GmbH as its partner. Even after the project came to an end, mini-pitches remained an important area of ​​business, and Polytan has now built over 2000 systems.

From 2007 to 2009 the company expanded and bought manufacturing and installation companies in Australia, Germany, France, Sweden and the USA. With the acquired installation company STI (Sports Technology International), Polytan became a FIFA Preferred Producer for the first time in 2011 in the Polytan | STI brand group. In 2012 he was licensed as a Preferred Pitch Producer of the International Rugby Board (today World Rugby ) and Preferred Supplier to the Fédération Internationale de Hockey . Also in 2012, Polytan became the outfitter for the hockey facilities for the Olympic Games in London.

In 2014, Polytan acquired Team Sports, one of the leading Australian providers of sports and leisure facilities.

In 2019, the artificial turf pitch in Germany got into a discussion about microplastics because a Fraunhofer study on the subject of microplastics pointed to the dangers of rubber granulate that could be eroded from the pitches and get into the environment. In the meantime, the institute has admitted that the figures it published are too high. Other institutes such as the RAL quality association and DIN come up to a tenth of the value published by Fraunhofer. The rubber granulate, which is applied as an infill on the court, improves the playing characteristics and protects the athlete from injuries due to its elasticity. Because of its size of three to five millimeters, it falls formally under microplastic, although in its modern form it consists of 70 percent natural materials and 30 percent synthetic rubber.

The European Chemicals Agency ECHA is currently investigating the effects of microplastics on the environment. A recommendation from ECHA on how to proceed is expected in the course of 2020. In 2021 the EU Commission will decide on a possible ban on the artificial application of microplastics. Numerous other industrial sectors such as cosmetics, agriculture or construction would also be affected.

Business areas

Artificial turf systems

The artificial turf systems are comparatively complex systems that are configured from a large number of different components for the respective application. They usually consist of an elastic layer (made of rubber granules and a polyurethane binder), the actual artificial turf (consisting of backing and turf fibers ("filaments")) and special infill granules (sand and / or rubber) that stabilize the turf. Alternative fillers such as cork are also used. Different materials, textures and, in some cases, patented technologies are used depending on the type of sport and requirements.

In the past few years, Polytan has been using renewable raw materials in production. The rubber granulate consists of 70 percent natural substances such as circle and hemp.

With the Liga Turf Cross GTzero, the company is offering the world's first CO 2 -neutral artificial turf that is produced from renewable raw materials. The basis is the waste products from processed sugar cane.

Plastic sports surfaces

In the area of ​​synthetic coverings, too, Polytan relies on a system construction method in which different components in solid construction or in a multi-layer process are matched to the respective application. A distinction is made between single-layer solid plastic coverings and multi-layer structures in which a coating of rubber granules is applied to a base layer of rubber granules and polyurethane binding agent.

Depending on the intended use, different systems are configured with different sport-functional properties, both in the outdoor and in the indoor area. The company also offers synthetic surfaces that have been tested according to the requirements of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and can therefore be certified for international competitions.

Fall protection coverings

In addition to artificial turf systems and classic sports synthetic surfaces, Polytan also produces special fall protection surfaces. As a rule, this is a variant of plastic sports surfaces that is entirely geared towards shock absorption and is used, for example, on playgrounds and in kindergartens. Since 2015, Polytan has also been offering special fall protection systems with an artificial turf surface in this segment.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Polytan artificial turf system
  2. ^ Polytan history
  3. ↑ Volker Poley: Artificial turf in Duisburg is almost unique in Germany. June 9, 2020, accessed June 10, 2020 (German).
  4. ↑ Polytan general catalog No. 12, 2015, p. 5.
  5. ↑ ibid.
  6. ↑ ibid.
  7. ↑ Polytan general catalog No. 12, 2015, p. 6.
  8. ↑ ibid.
  9. ↑ Polytan general catalog No. 12, 2015, p. 7.
  10. ^ Statement by the RAL Quality Association for Microplastics in Artificial Turf. Accessed June 10, 2020 (German).
  11. ↑ ibid. P. 32, ff.
  12. ↑ Polytan general catalog No. 12, 2015, p. 58.