Dr. Terence A. Cooper, CEO
ARGO Group International

North America:
15 Stage Road
Newark, DE 19711-4001 U.S.A
Phone: +1(302) 366-8764
Fax: +1(775) 258-4359
E-mail: ARGO Group International, NA


United Kingdom and Europe:
11 Offley Road, Sandbach,
Cheshire CW11 1GY, England.
Phone: +44 (0)203 026 2940
Fax: +44 (0)870 133 1963
E-mail: ARGO Group International, UK

Specialties: ARGO Group International specializes in Worldwide Consulting and Development Services in the following areas:

  1. MONOMER AND POLYMER CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY
    New Product, Manufacturing Process and Market Development in:
    • Olefinic, vinylic, styrenic, acrylic and methacrylic copolymer systems.
    • Thermoplastics and polymer blends - products and processing.
    • Elastomers, thermosets and composites.
    • Reactive and functional polymers.
    • Polymer modification and reactive extrusion.
    • Biobased, biodegradable and compostable polymers and plastics.
    • Water-soluble polymers, particularly polyvinyl alcohol, and superabsorbants.
    • Adhesives, sealants, pottants, inks and coatings.
    • Styrene monomer.

  2. MARKET AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
    • Materials selection.
    • Strategic R&D and technology portfolio analysis.
    • R&D/business/market analysis, planning and management.
    • Technology due diligence.

  3. ENVIRONMENTAL
    • Materials separation, recycling and reclamation. Waste minimization.
    • UK and EC Environmental Monitoring and Emissions Control Legislation.
    • EC Packaging and Landfill Directive legislation.

  4. CHEMICAL AND POLYMER PROCESS EQUIPMENT BROKERING
    • Chemical and Polymer Process Equipment Procurement.
    • Investment Recovery.

    Specific projects have included:

    • Assessing the technology base, helping raise investment funding, planning and setting up R&D and market development programs and facilities and hiring personnel, and serving as R&D Director and Business Development Director for a UK-based start-up company specializing in biodegradable and water-soluble plastics.
    • Serving on the advisory board and R&D management team and helping raise investment funding for a US-based start-up company developing new processes for materials recycling, particularly municipal solid waste, fly ash and tires, and products made from the recyclates.
    • Developing team methodology for identifying market needs and quickly matching them with new technology development to minimize time-to-market;
    • Consulting on and planning R&D strategy and programs in conjunction with business management and marketing functions.
    • Managing R&D, technical service and manufacturing support worldwide for a 20 million lb/year functional oligomer product.
    • Setting up and managing a worldwide quality/technical service support function for styrene manufacturing and marketing for a US manufacturer.
    • Reorganizing R&D, technical service, and QC functions, integrating them with sales and manufacturing, and R&D program planning for a US UV-curable printing ink manufacturer.
    • Serving on the management team for a US-Japanese joint venture in Japan.
    • Setting up and managing R&D facilities, programs and product development, helping raise investment funds and acting as Chief Technology Officer for a Japanese-based start-up company specializing in high-performance optical polymer products and display systems.
    • Developing US market data, contacts and market development plan for a Japanese epoxy resin producer.
    • Evaluating test data for a US marketer of automotive oil additives.
    • Evaluating the technology base for a US producer of dipped latex elastomeric products.
    • Performing product development and materials selection consulting for a UK research company specializing in development of advanced building construction technology.
    • Developing improved curable fluxing adhesives for printed circuit boards for a US electronics materials company.
    • Developing improved optical coatings for a US medical diagnostic nanoprobe start-up company.
    • Evaluating present manufacturing processes and composite products and designing improved epoxy-composites and adhesives for acoustic applications for a US ultrasonics company.
    • Selecting and designing adhesives, pottants and engineering polymer systems and developing and expanding applications and markets into the area of polymerization process control for a UK producer of high-performance gas analyzers.
    • Developing novel surfactant systems for storage stabilization of polymerase chain reaction systems for DNA cloning with a US biotechnology company.
    • Consulting on coatings technology, developments and markets for a US Merger and Acquisitions specialist.
    • Materials selection, systems development and R&D planning for new alkaline fuel cell designs for a UK start-up company.
    • Advising on new developments in materials for a UK-based packaging design company.
    • Organizing and chairing a series of seminars to promote, and identify plastics converters to operate in, a new Saudi Arabian petrochemical complex conversion industrial park.
    • Serving on the Environmental Forum Common Interest Group of the UK Institute of Packaging.