DSM Thermoplastic Elastomers BV and Terra Sports Technology BV have announced to form a strategic alliance to develop, produce and market dedicated thermoplastic materials (TPE), to apply in state-of-the-art artificial turf systems for football fields.

The basis of this co-operation is that both companies bring in their specialism and experience, which is to lead to a special SARLINK®-product line that gives unique sports and playing performance towards a new fourth generation of artificial turf systems. The first products are planned to be available in the first quarter of 2005.

The present third generation of artificial turf systems can be recognized by tufted long fibers filled with a layer of rubber granules between these fibers. Due to this combination the sliding performance of artificial turf systems improved significantly with respect to earlier generations of artificial turf (e.g. hockey pitches and tennis courts). Many clubs and players have discovered artificial turf as an alternative to natural turf that has resulted in a strong market growth. National and international football associations, including UEFA and FIFA strongly support further development of the artificial turf systems.

User experiences on current artificial turf systems show some important differences in sport characteristics compared to natural turf pitches. Filling up this gap is defined as the most important goal of the joint development program. Both companies are convinced that the application- and market knowledge of Terra Sports Technology BV and the TPE expertise of DSM Sarlink® will result in a new fourth generation artificial turf system. This new generation will show superior football characteristics, is targeted to have the highest rating on health & environmental safety and will be designed to perform consistently during all seasons.

Terra Sports Technology BV (www.terrasportstech.com) is a new company, with participation of the regional development company LIOF and is based in Sittard, The Netherlands.
Terra Sports Technology BV  is specialized in development and marketing & sales of elastomeric material to be applied in the latest generation of artificial turf systems for football. Many years of experience in this field, have resulted in specific knowledge how to achieve top natural turf performance with artificial turf.
Key elements for Terra Sports Technology BV in product development are solutions and added value in safety, health, environment, durability, total care, cost reduction by simplifying the turf system and most important: promoting enjoyment in football.

DSM Thermoplastic Elastomers BV (www.sarlink.com) produces Sarlink® thermoplastic vulcanizate, with production facilities in the USA and in Belgium, and marketing offices in North America, Europe, Singapore and Japan.
Sarlink® TPVs are widely used in automotive under-the-hood applications, building & construction, weatherstrips and consumer goods.
DSM Thermoplastic Elastomers is part of DSM, a worldwide active company in the field of life science, performance materials and industrial chemicals. The group has annual sales of Eur 6 billion and employs about 26,000 people at more than 200 sites across the world.