Sales of high-resilience PBR golf balls rocket
ERJ staff report (DS)
Singapore - Kasco Corp., which makes Kira Star brand of golf balls reports that sales of the 2-component product are about 3.5 times more than the original projection. The balls use use a high-resilience grade of polybutadiene rubber developed in conjunction with rubber supplier Lanxess which is claimed to deliver greater flight distances even when hit at low head speeds and low impact.
Most golf balls use a three-component structure (Shell, body and core) to achieve bounce. But Kira Star golf balls get just as much bounce using a two-piece structure (Shell and core). Lanxess said this is because their core is made of Buna CB21, which offers high resilience without sacrificing the ball's impact feel, spin, or strength.
Buna CB21 is an neodymium-catalysed BR that is characterised by ultra high resilience, which efficiently converts the impact energy into flying distance. Kasco adopted the two-piece structure to keep production costs down and offers golfers quality products at reasonable prices.
The use of Buna CB21 in the Kira Star golf ball came about only after extensive joint studies. Lanxess was involved with the Kira Star right from the product development stage. The Kira Star marks the world's first use of Buna CB21 in a golf ball.
“The time-to-market starting with our first discussions with Kasco and the commercialisation of the new ball by Kasco was very short. This is a prime example for our goal to bring new and improved products to our global customers at faster speed,†explained Thomas Gross, Head of Technical Marketing and Product Development of Lanxess' Performance Butadiene Rubbers business unit. “We have proven that we can bring our technology driven products to all our customers worldwide. Based on this success, we are convinced that NdBR will continue its penetration of the tyre market in the Asia-Pacific because the same property that enables a golf ball to fly a longer distance can enable the production of tyres to be more energy efficient,†Gross added.
Kasco's Kira Star golf balls employ a cover material that reacts with ultraviolet light to offer greater brightness, making them easy to see from a distance. They offer high resilience, superior impact feel, and greater distance. Since hitting the market in September 2009, they have exceeded all sales expectations. On February 19, Kasco will further meet golfers' needs by releasing the orange Kira Star golf balls.
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Press release from Lanxess
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