Plastics News Show Daily - April 3, 2012 - (Page 66)

66 PLASTICS NEWS, April 3, 2012 SPE Antec set for India Continued from Page 1 event in Lyon, France, in July 2013. Details of the Indian and European shows emerged as De Vos spoke of his plans to invigorate the trade body after 10 years of being in the doldrums. The first step is getting more young engineers to join and remain with the organization once they have completed their studies. De Vos also has ambitions to make the SPE more globally relevant than before. “These are our priorities at the moment: facing up to the challenge of recruiting more young people into the SPE and then once they have joined persuading them to stay, and attracting members in emerging markets like India, the Middle East, China and Brazil,” he said. De Vos said that after what he called “a tough decade” for the SPE, when the trade body saw its membership halve to fewer than 15,000, it had returned to profitability in 2011 and membership numbers had rebounded up past the 15,000-mark. “Our finances and membership numbers have stabilized and are now growing,” he said. Strategically, de Vos said SPE was responding to the challenge – and competition – posed by the Internet and the ready availability of technical data and information by getting the organization more involved with cyberspace. With this in mind, SPE has created an app which the group hopes will appeal to younger members who prefer to conduct their networking via the likes of Twitter and Facebook, as opposed to attending conferences. SPE also is expanding its e-networking capabilities to include technical webinars, which it believes would appeal to Internetsavvy youngsters. “We have also recognized that there is a growing demand for post-graduate education in many developing markets such as China and India where conferences can still play a vital part in spreading expertise and knowhow,” de Vos said. The push into emerging markets would inevitably see the SPE seek to recruit staffers who had several languages to cope with the new breed of membership, de light of macro economic changes including the growing middle class in Asia, the shift to plastics for lighter auto parts and an increased demand from the medical industry as the baby boomer generation ages. A focus on higher-technology production in established markets — with thin walls, engineering resins and coinjection using multiple materials — also brings increased need for key Mold-MasVos said. And since many student SPE members dropped out of the trade body after completing their studies – largely because of the jump in fees from $31 to $129 – de Vos said the SPE planned to introduce an intermediate membership grade which would offer membership at a reduced price for people under 30 years old. Key to SPE’s role in the world is closer contacts with national trade associations, particularly in countries like China, said de Vos. He said his globetrotting role – he is based in his home country of Belgium while the SPE’s headquarters are in Newtown, Conn. – poses no problems for the group. “I managed a business [thermoformer Vitalo Group] with seven factories outside of Europe so I’m used to getting around. “I see it as being very important to be present at conferences and shows all over the world, and when I’m not physically in the office I’m always in contact via things like Skype. Plus getting to important territories like the Middle East is easier from Europe than from the U.S.,” he added. ters products in hot runners, control systems and manifolds. Mold-Masters recently signed an exclusive deal with Australia’s Ritemp Technologies to sell its YGrene evaporative cooling technology for hot-runner applications in the Americas. The Ritemp system can provide faster cycle times with less energy, reducing water usage with faster cycle times, according to the company. Struktol struts stuff PLASTICS NEWS REPORT ORLANDO, FLA. — Struktol of America (Booth 31017) is highlighting new additives to improve performance and processing. The Stow, Ohio, firm says its Struktol RP 11 is a unique lubricant combining viscosity reduction and mold release for polypropylene compounds. At levels as low as 0.2 percent, melt flow is boosted, and mold filling and release are im- proved. New is Struktol RP 17, a lubricant and odor-neutralizing mask aimed at wood-filled plastic compounds. Other uses include compounds for multifunctionality, recycling and automotive interiors where odor reduction is key. Struktol also is launching TR 451, a combination product aimed at improved incorporation of fillers in polyolefin compounds. It cuts viscosity, and boosts mold release . Davis-Standard Continued from Page 1 taking place under private equity owner Oncap of Toronto, which acquired Davis-Standard from Hamilton Robinson LLC last year. Oncap is the middle-market equity arm of Onex Corp., which sold injection molding equipment maker Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. to Berkshire Partners LLC and Omers Private Equity Inc. Davis-Standard will be streamlining procurement under the tutelage of Hassan Gangji, who will start as chief procurement officer next week. Gangji is from Husky. Where 85 employees had an ownership share, now 110 employees hold shares, said Jim Murphy, president of the company’s Extrusion Systems Group. “Clearly our company has a lot of talented employees,” said Murphy. “They’re very excited about the new owners and the future of the company.” The company also is seeking acquisitions. It grew through strategic acquisitions under Hamilton Robinson. With a $27 billion private equity firm backing it now, “They have the opportunity to help us look at inorganic growth opportunities,” said Preston. “We will look at that as a potential way of advancing our technology,” he said of the bolt-on targets. At Davis-Standard’s NPE2012 exhibit (Booth 5945), machinery dominates. Extruder capabilities being showcased include a groove-feed extruder, a MAC extruder, a direct-drive medical extruder and a Super Blue extruder. The Super Blue is being shown in a 3½-inch model. The machine is hailed for its quick delivery and rugged design with energy efficiency and easy maintenance. A Thermatic HS high-speed extruder boasts a high-volume feed section and electrically heated/aircooled system. The extruder is targeted for use with polystyrene and polyethylene resins for sheet and in-line thermoforming. For those particular applications, a 75-millimeter high-speed extruder is capable of producing throughput equivalent to a 150mm machine. “We’re willing to take on larger projects,” Effmann said. “We’re taking on project management.” Entek International will add up to 20 jobs; Entek Extruders will add at least 30 new jobs. Officials would not disclose the investment amount. Newly named President Kirk Hanawalt said that where a lot of companies had to cut back on engineering staff, Entek did not. Its machine shop now is operating with four shifts, 24/7. “We think we’re positioned well,” Hanawalt said. As the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. President and CEO Bill Carteaux announced the United States GDP was 2.8 percent, Hanawalt said that Entek’s client base has been growing greater than that. Hanawalt has served as vice president and chief operating officer since 2006. Larry Keith, who used to be president, has become chief executive officer. During NPE, Entek is showcasing two twin-screw extruders. Its 27mm model is for laboratory applications and small lot compounding. Its 103mm model is for large-scale production of biopolymers. The 103mm model will go into use for DaniMer Scientific of Bainbridge, Ga., for producing high volumes of renewable hot melt adhesives. Masters Continued from Page 1 million expansion of its hot-runner plant in Kunshan, China. In Germany, the company’s BadenBaden facility is increasing its capacity in plate machining by 3 million euros ($4 million) per year. The company expects those trends to continue, especially in Entek Continued from Page 4 marketing. “They had to increase the capacity to keep up with their demands.” For Entek Extruders, though, it represents a different way of doing business. Now, Entek is focused on providing entire project management and not just the extrusion line itself. Officials struggled with differentiating the company and its products in a world where an extruder can be viewed as just, well, an extruder. For Entek International and other customers, Entek Extruders is providing 100 percent project management including design and construction. “We literally engineer everything that goes into that plant,” Effmann said. This expansion is front and center now for the company, but Entek is taking the turnkey philosophy to its other customers. Officials wouldn’t disclose the names of other customers involved in expansions but said there are several projects in process. What Entek officials saw as a result of the Great Recession is that when companies downsized they lost their resources.  http://www.frigel.com http://www.frigel.com

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