|
Departments Calendar of Events
Corporate Profiles
Economy Trends
Plastics Watch
Technology Corner
People & Places
Literature and Web Showcase
Product Showcase
Plastic Pipeline
Fabrication Services Showcase
Sign up for a complimentary subscription to 
an educational
e-newsletter, published by IAPD, highlighting the material of choice for today's applications.
|
Eastman Chemical Company has announced Mark Sislo as its newly appointed distribution manager. Sislo will be in charge of Eastman’s distribution programs, including the new Spectar Rewards Program. In addition to managing the rewards program, he will be working with distribution branch managers and their sales teams to offer support where needed. He said, “I look forward to working with you all in the future.”
Plastifab Industries has announced the appointment of Sean Whelan to its sales & marketing team as business development manager. He has over 15 years of professional experience with the last five years at the Performance Polymers business unit of Evonik CYRO located in Toronto, ON, Canada. He is a sales & market development specialist with extensive experience in sales, product and business development, specializing in the POP/design markets. Robert Sowka, vice president sales & marketing, said, “Initially, Sean will be responsible for sales & marketing for our POP/design efforts in the Ontario market. However, as he becomes familiar with Plastifab’s products and capabilities, his role will be expanded. Please join me in welcoming Sean to the Plastifab team and wishing him success.”
John Caine has joined plastic injection molder Permian Plastics as territory sales manager. He will focus on the biotech, electronics, pharmaceutical, consumer products and personal care markets. He has been in the sales industry for more than 12, most recently working in the foam and plastic injection molding industries for the past three years. Caine is focused on new business development, account and project management.
Professional Plastics has announced the recent retirement of Craig Harris. He helped launch Professional Plastics’ Phoenix branch office in 1986, and has served the company in multiple sales and management capacities over the years. His contributions have been instrumental to the long-term success of the branch. Harris is a kidney transplant survivor who inspired his co-workers with his positive attitude during many years of physical challenges. The staff and management of Professional Plastics wish him the best in retirement and appreciate his dedication, leadership and friendship over the years. In November 2009, Professional Plastics achieved ISO 9001 and 14001 Certification for the location in Cheektowaga, NY, USA. Registration was completed through QAS International. ISO certification verifies that a facility has established and implemented a quality management system.
 |
|
John Hotz
|
John Siegrist |
NOVA Chemicals has announced leadership changes to its Polyethylene Business. John Hotz has been appointed vice president and will assume the management of the Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ resins and licensing business. John Siegrist has been appointed vice president, sales & marketing. He will continue to manage sales and will assume responsibility for polyethylene marketing. NOVA Chemicals develops and manufactures chemicals, plastic resins and end-products that make everyday life safer, healthier and easier. NOVA Chemical works to ensure health, safety, security and environmental stewardship through its commitment to sustainability and Responsible Care®.
Reed Manufacturing has welcomed Jeff Esmont as its new regional manager for Ohio, Kentucky, Southern Michigan, Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania. He will serve key Reed accounts, work with its manufacturers’ representatives, and focus on developing new business in this five-state area. Before joining Reed, he worked at Milwaukee Electric Tool for 25 years, serving as strategic area manager for its Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia markets. Most recently, Esmont managed the company’s top producing accounts in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.
Drew Kice was elected president of Kice Industries, Inc. in a recent annual meeting of company shareholders. He previously served as vice president of business operations with a focus on implementing a long-range plan to update the operations of the company. He said, “We spent five years improving every aspect of our business with the overriding themes of efficiency and accuracy driving our plans.” Thomas Kice, previously president and CEO, will continue to serve as CEO, focusing on working with key customers and friends in the industries Kice serves, and spending considerable time training the Kice Technical Sales Group.
|
| Colorado Plastic Products’ new facility in the Colorado Technology Center in Louisville. |
In order to better meet the need of its customers, Colorado Plastic Products has recently moved to a spacious, modern facility in the Colorado Technology Center in Louisville, CO, USA. President Drew Schwartz said, “We thank our customers for their continued business and look forward to showing them around the new facility.” The new address is 500 S. Arthur Avenue, Suite 600, Louisville, CO 80027 USA; (303) 443-927, fax (303) 443-9251.
Songwon Industrial Co. Ltd., a global leader in polymer additives, has opened its new headquarters for the Middle East and Africa in Bahrain. The opening of this office follows the recent establishment of Songwon’s local warehouse facilities, also in Bahrain. The new regional facility will be lead by Peter Fleming who has been nominated sales director Middle East and Africa. Jongho Park, chairman and CEO of Songwon Industrial said, “He is a great addition to our team. Peter has many years of experience in the chemical industry and particularly in additives. He has held several key positions in different parts of the world which will allow us to meet the challenges we face with confidence. Having established this firm foundation and commitment to our customers, it is Songwon’s clear intention to continue developing our presence in the Middle East.”
The TMI Group of Companies, an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of flexible PVC products, has announced the appointment of Christian Nauman as director of sales. He brings with him over 10 years of sales management experience, including his most recent position as director of strategic and security sales at BEA, Inc., a leading supplier of commercial door sensor technology. Prior to that, he spent 15 years with W.W. Grainger, responsible for Pittsburgh sales and operations. Nauman earned his bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and master degrees in business and science from Duquesne University.
|
Röchling Engineering Plastics wins the SGIA 2009 Product of the Year Award. The annual international competition
recognizes the best in specialty imaging.
|
Röchling Engineering Plastics was recently honored with the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) Product of the Year award for in the category Rigid Media for its PE2PRINT-Digital material. This award was presented during the 2009 SGIA Expo, October 7-9 in New Orleans, LA, USA. “I am very proud of our team,” said Douglas Mortimer, business manager/specialty products for Röchling Engineering Plastics. “Our work was compared to the best in the world — and we came out on top. That’s quite an accomplishment!” Companies from around the world entered the competition, submitting more than 120 entries in 19 categories. Evaluated during the 2009 SGIA Expo, this year’s entries represented the industry’s most innovative digital products. “The Product of the Year award winners highlight the best technologies, consumables and software from the digital imaging community,” said Jeff Burton, SGIA’s digital printing analyst. “Judges in every category told me the entries were so good that choosing winners was a real challenge.”
Dr. Barry Lawrence, director of the Industrial Distribution Program and the Supply Chain Systems Lab at Texas A&M University, has been named a Fellow of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence, the long-range research arm of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW). The NAW Institute established the Fellows program in 1999 to acknowledge individuals who have made and will continue to make significant intellectual contributions to the field of wholesale distribution. Other Institute Fellows are: Adam J. Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting; Brent R. Grover, president of Evergreen Consulting, LLC; and Michael Marks, managing partner at Indian River Consulting Group. During their terms, NAW Institute Fellows work with the NAW Institute to develop and bring new research studies to the wholesale distribution industry. Dr. Lawrence is the lead author of the NAW Institute 2009 book, Optimizing Distributor Profitability: Best Practices to a Stronger Bottom Line.
|
AmeriLux International completes expansion of its facility in De Pere, WI, USA.
|
AmeriLux International, LLC recently completed a 15,000 sq. ft. addition to its facility in De Pere, WI, USA. The addition will increase stocking capabilities for current product lines and new products, including Agrilite and TRUSSCORE PVC liner panels and Coverlite polycarbonate architectural standing seam system. The expansion will also create space to meet customer needs for special sheet fabrication.
Arkema Inc. has announced the formation of its new Sustainability Additives Group. This newly energized group is the result of a new focus on sustainability within Arkema’s Functional Additives Division, a premium supplier of polymer additives for over 50 years. Its mission is to develop solutions for its targeted markets based on core technologies that will lead to more efficient use of resources and energy, help manage (or create less) waste or extend the life of existing products, and help develop and grow new materials based on new or renewable sources of energy. Led by General Manager Antonis Papadourakis, the following business leaders head up market focused teams: Packaging & Healthcare — Peggy Sharp; Energy, Building & Construction — Bill Luzier, and Automotive & Initiation — Leo Kasehagen.
|
Nylacast Ltd. hosts visitors from abroad in a boost to introduce the latest thinking in British engineering.
|
Nylacast Ltd. recently played host to a visit from 23 German vocational students. During the visit, the students were given a full tour of the new updated casting facilities and shown the latest thinking in lean manufacturing and just-in-time concepts. This was followed by a presentation on engineering plastics by Professor Malcolm Fox from Nylacast Research and Development. His presentation gave the students a feel for the many benefits of plastics, especially against other traditional metal-based applications used in engineering design. In fact the Professor detailed cast nylon applications ranging from those used in hot temperature mining operations in the desert to those off-shore-based applications used within arduous sea conditions. The students were also given a presentation by the Nylacast Sales and Marketing Director Tan Ali on recent market developments and how to be successful in a global competitive and challenging market. This is the first time Nylacast Ltd. has undertaken such large scale visits from overseas. This visit also complements existing Nylacast strategies of being involved with universities and students to both facilitate their learning experiences and introduce the cast nylon-based applications.
|
Plaskolite strengthens its leadership position by purchasing the Optiglass Coating Division and making significant investments in state-of-the-art coating manufacturing equipment at Plaskolite’s facility in Columbus, OH, USA.
|
Plaskolite, Inc. has purchased the coating division of Optiglass PC LLC of Cincinnati, OH, USA. “Purchasing Optiglass is all about our commitment to the coating market,” stated James Dunn, Plaskolite president. “We have become, and will continue to be, the leading supplier of quality coating products in the market.” With this purchase, Plaskolite has sent a clear message to the marketplace about its commitment to the coatings market. “Our goal in coating has been simple — to be the leader in the industry — and we been very busy achieving that goal,” said Dunn. In addition to the strategic purchase of the coating manufacturing businesses, the commitment can be seen in the coating plant expansion at its facility in Columbus, OH, USA. Plaskolite has made significant investments in state-of-the-art coating manufacturing equipment. One of the driving forces in Plaskolite’s Optiglass acquisition has been to offer its customers “more products,” said Mitchell Grindley, vice president of sales and marketing for Plaskolite. “When we can give customers more of what they want at competitive prices, then we are truly serving them — and that’s what market leadership is about. We’ve built our acrylic sheet, mirror and coating business by providing customers with unparalleled service and product diversity. That’s how we carved out a significant niche in a very competitive market,” Grindley said. “With our coating line, it’s nice to have the edge in that product offering too.”
SYSPRO, a provider of visionary ERP (enterprise resource planning) software for the manufacturing pragmatist, has been honored by Supply & Demand Chain Executive as a supplier of ERP software that enables users to realize “green” goals. It was one of the first companies to pioneer a green solution with the SYSPRO Material Yield System for which SYSPRO received the California Governor’s award. The groundbreaking system enables cut-shape suppliers to reclaim remnants for future use, saving them from landfills. Today, SYSPRO’s green leadership is exemplified by the company’s “Project Green Enable™,” a very broad collection of capabilities now inherent in the company’s enterprise software solution. SYSPRO Project Green Enable encompasses software that drives green efficiencies and sustainability across three dimensions: energy efficiency, waste reduction and recyclable/reuse of resources.
Harvel Plastics, Inc. has received certification by NSF International as being in compliance with new “lead-free” standards regarding drinking water plumbing components. The new AB 1953 standards will be adopted January 1, 2010, in California. “These laws are the most stringent mandates on lead content levels in the country. Harvel is proud to be one of the first PVC and CPVC pipe manufacturers to meet these requirements that affect the drinking water supply to more than 12 percent of the total U.S. population,” said Bill Weaver, Harvel’s director of technical services. “With a manufacturing plant in Bakersfield, CA, we’re particularly aware and sensitive to California’s laws and ensure we're always in strict compliance.”
Automotive applications molded from SABIC Innovative Plastics’ industry-leading materials received a total of eight honors as part of the 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automotive Innovation Awards Program: four winners — including the coveted Hall of Fame Award — and four finalists. Ranging from body panels and pedestrian protection to lighting, interior trim and wiring, these winning applications showcase the exceptional scope and diversity of SABIC Innovative Plastics’ automotive thermoplastic portfolio. They also clearly demonstrate the numerous ways in which the company’s advanced materials solutions are driving greater automotive design freedom, higher performance and enhanced sustainability. Gregory Adams, vice president, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Automotive, said, “We are honored to see our plastics playing a huge role in the future success of our automotive customers and the auto industry at large, specifically the environmentally responsible solutions that these products provide.”
IN MEMORIAM
JAMES “J.P.” PRUITT, 66, passed away on November 14, 2009. He dedicated his career to the plastics industry, and worked for Commercial Plastics as the branch manager of its location in Atlanta, GA, USA. He is survived by his wife, Faye; son, Steven; daughter, Shelley; daughter-in-law, Wendy; and granddaughter, Hannah. He also proudly served as a Vietnam Veteran of the U.S. Army. Our industry has lost a friend who will truly be missed.
|
