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May 11, 2012 by Kendal White

Manufacturing Matters: 5/11 Weekly Wrap Up

The New York Times reports that manufacturing is “one of the few bright spot of the recovery, restoring 489,000 jobs since the beginning of 2010.” The article also describes geographic distinctions in growth, with half of the most manufacturing-specialized metropolitans now located in the Midwest.

Plastics News reports that in California a controversial pro-plastics lesson has been removed from a new statewide curriculum on the environment. After the EPA looked over the proposed curriculum, the section titled “Advantages of Plastic Shopping Bags” was replaced with recycling statistics in an 11^th grade textbook.

image from flickr

ICIS News announces that researchers at technology company Siemens have developed an alternative to ABS plastic. The new material—made with 70% renewable content—is the result of a three-year project funded by the German Research Ministry and was successfully used to make a vacuum cleaner cover.

image from icis.com

GreenBiz examines the Sustainability Leadership List, which recognizes environmentally-conscious companies each year. But because some criticize the results, they also discuss plans for the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings that would develop a standardized method of measuring and ranking sustainability performance.

Plastics Today recognizes Dignity Health, the founding sponsor of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, as one of the first hospital groups in the country to start using pigment-free patient plastics. This California-based healthcare organization is a leader in sustainability efforts to reduce hospitals’ impact on the environment by adopting innovative alternatives.

May 4, 2012 by Kendal White

Manufacturing Matters: 5/4 Weekly Wrap Up

Another great week ripe with industry news. Here are the highlights:

Plastics News reports that the shortage of nylon 12 has led the auto industry to seek alternatives resins to use in fuel lines, connectors, tubes, and other key components. Molders and resin makers have offered a variety of possible alternatives, and automakers have established a system to begin testing.

The Huffington Post addresses the current the job market as US Congressional Candidate Stacey Lawson proposes a plan for creating jobs and rebuilding our middle class. Lawson stresses that we can by reclaim the American dream by “restoring the high-wage jobs that are the foundation of a sustainable economic recovery,” and she lays out 7 priorities to help us get there.

Clean Technica overviews the Department of Energy’s voluntary energy savings specifications designed to help building owners, operators, and manufacturers develop minimum performance requirements. The DOE recently released new specifications for lighting troffers and parking lot lighting, which could reduce energy use by 40%.

image from cleantechnica.com

Industry Intelligence announces a new compostable bioplastic film that extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by up to five days. The new film, developed by Sira-Flex Resolve, creates an ideal atmosphere to better preserve stored food.

image from flickr, courtesy of I-5 Design & Manufacture

And in a free webinar, Design World discusses how Design for Manufacturability (DDM) eliminates many restraints associated with conventional manufacturing. The webinar examines how DDM can create plastic parts, layer-by-layer without machining, molding, or casting.

If you like the Weekly Wrap Up, follow our blog to receive more updates and industry news every Friday.

April 27, 2012 by Kendal White

Manufacturing Matters: 4/23 Weekly Wrap Up

It seems there is always so much exciting industry news, so we welcome you to our first of many weekly wrap ups.

The Economist says we have entered a third industrial revolution. With the advent of additive manufacturing and the refinement ofrobots, we can glimpse the future of factories. As manufacturing goes digital, we see new processes emerging that are vastly different from the 20^thcentury assembly lines.

image from economist.com

MIT discusses whether increasing complexity in engineered systems warrants a new approach to safety and testing. MIT professor Nancy Leveson claims that our modern, ever-evolving systems are more vulnerable to accidents, and she advocates a holistic, sum-of-its-parts approach over traditional safety engineering practices.

available at amazon.com

The Huffington Post poses the question, is Obama getting serious about manufacturing? Huff Post says that if the government acknowledges manufacturing as a stable and productive industry—a “uniquely important sector”—that support can benefit the broader economy and build a stronger country.

GE discusses the “robust renaissance” of manufacturing “fueled by new technologies, software, innovation, and lower energy costs” and posts a great infographic highlighting industry growth and the power of insourcing.

Envision Plastics announces the partnership between Alpha Packaging and Arla Foods, a partnership aiming to eliminate landfill waste with a zero-carbon facility. To launch the sustainability strategy, Alpha Packaging will produce milk bottles with 50% recycled material. Arla Foods recruited Alpha to mold and handle the bottles on site with two goals in mind: consuming the lowest amount of energy possible and creating the most environmentally advanced dairy in the world.

image from envisionplastics.com

Metal Architecture says that reducing factory footprints is not only environmentally friendly, but economically smart as well. Building owners who focus on decreasing carbon emissions and reaching LEED standards enjoy numerous benefits: improved image and marketability, greater employee engagement, higher renter rates, and more incentives.

We hope you enjoyed our first edition! Keep checking in for more industry updates from the top news sources.

February 21, 2012 by Kendal White

The Best Ways for Manufacturers to Save Energy: Surveying the Site

Who doesn’t want to save energy? Now more than ever, we are all looking for ways to cut back—we turn down the lights and turn off the thermostat, we run the dishwasher less and take shorter showers—hoping to save some money on the monthly energy bill.

But when you run a large manufacturing plant, the task of saving energy may be a bit more daunting. Before you can start conserving energy, you have to know where the most energy is being consumed and what the best opportunities are for reducing high-energy output.

Knowledge is power, so we’ve put together a simple site survey checklist to help managers get well acquainted with their plant’s energy output. According to the Energy in Plastics Good Practice Guide, you should carry out an initial survey immediately because “if energy is being wasted, it is costing money.” A 20% cut in energy costs can equal the same bottom line benefit as a 5% increase in sales.

It’s also a good idea to take an unannounced walk around the site at about mid-shift to see how things are running during normal working hours.

What to look for during an initial walk through
Keep a close eye on the machines. Machines consume about 60% of energy costs. Yikes. But think of it this way—here lies your greatest opportunity for energy savings.

As you survey the site, keep these questions in mind:

Which areas have the largest energy load? Look for the largest machines; they will have the largest motors and consume the most energy.
Which motors are running? Would smaller motors be more efficient? Could they be turned off during non-peak hours?
Are machines well insulated? Is the insulation in good condition?
Are hot and cold pipes insulated? Is the insulation in good condition?
Which cooling water pumps and vacuum pumps are running?
Does compressed air pressure need to be so high, or the vacuum so low? Can you hear steam and compressed air leaks?
Are lights and machine heaters left on? What is running during lunch breaks and and after working hours?

With a better understanding of where unnecessary energy output occurs, you can now take productive steps to decrease it. Don’t wait—conduct your site survey today to start saving energy and increase that bottom line!

*Statistics from European Best Practice Guide.

February 8, 2012 by Kendal White

NPE 2012—The Event of the Year, Are You Attending?

We find ourselves asking this question what seems like a hundred times every day. With less than 2 months until NPE, the buzz is really building about how this year’s show in Orlando will go and who will be attending.

There’s no doubt that for anyone in the plastics industry this is the show to attend. We’re promised more machines, more innovation, and greater access to our counterparts around the world.

It is an important show, without a doubt. And the new location certainly makes travel and accommodations more affordable than ever before. But we’re still hearing quite a bit of uncertainty from our customers and partners about making the investment to attend.

Simply put, you need to attend this show to learn about new technologies, network with your peers in the industry, find new resources, and maintain a cutting-edge on your company’s competition. We want to see you make it to the show, and so we’ve written a form letter to help you get the conversation started with your decision makers about sending you to NPE 2012. This letter includes the costs for transportation, meals, hotel, and the show itself. Just download the letter and fill in the projects and initiatives you’ll focus on benefiting through NPE. We’ll also get you into the EXPO for free—register here and save $80 with your free EXPO pass. The show begins April 2nd, so you’ll want to make your NPE plans asap.

I hope to see you at the show. Come by and see the new innovative technologies we’re working on in booth #3883!

October 4, 2011 by Kendal White

6 Steps to Building a Plastics Manufacturing Safety Program You Can Be Proud Of

Plastics is one of the most massive manufacturing industries in the US. According to Bonnie Limbach, chief communications officer with The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), “The industry accounts for more than $330 billion dollars in annual shipments with another $89.5 billion generated by upstream, supplying industries, bringing the total annual shipments to nearly $421 billion. Nationally, the plastics industry employed more than 1.5 million workers in 2000. Another 843,300 persons were employed by upstream suppliers of the plastics industry, bringing the employment impact to nearly 2.4 million – about 2 percent of the U.S. workforce.” It does not seem that economic downturn or global recession will severely diminish consumer and OEM demand for plastics in all shapes, sizes and formats. [Read more…]

September 1, 2011 by Kendal White

Building Blocks of Energy Efficient Production

For most of us, Legos bring back fond childhood memories (or slightly less fond memories of walking barefoot through our kids’ rooms). Whatever we think of, it usually isn’t energy efficiency. Early this spring, the building block giant received the Arburg Energy Efficiency award for outstanding commitment to energy efficiency.

The 80 year old injection molded plastic toy company introduced its energy and environmental management system in 2007. In the first three years, the company increased energy efficiency by 35% and aims to improve efficiency by an additional 5% each year according to shareholder reports.

Shooting for 100% operation from energy renewable sources by 2020, Lego made significant strides reducing energy and water consumption. The company, more profitable than ever before, recently announced a switch to FSC certified packaging to further reduce its carbon footprint.

In celebration of the toymaker’s inspiring attitude and actions towards energy efficiency – and because we think they’re just too cool not to share – we’ve gathered some of our favorite industrial Lego goodies from around the web. [Read more…]

July 29, 2011 by Kendal White

Energy Efficiency in Plastics Manufacturing

The US Department of Labor reports that the energy management sector has more than doubled in the last two years, with 75% of all jobs in an industrial setting. While energy managers prove a valuable asset to large corporations, many plastics manufacturers with a slimmer budget are tasking current employees with energy related projects.

So how does a non-energy-expert implement energy saving projects? As with any project, the first task lies in evaluating the current situation, researching potential options for improvements, and calculating the potential results of each option.

What are your true energy costs?

With home energy costs, lighting and temperature control usually come to mind as the biggest portion of energy costs. This isn’t the case in plastics manufacturing, according to a recent study focusing on the balance of energy usage in an average plastic plant. Energy consumption for lighting, temperature control and ventilation equate to just over a third of the energy that machines use in most plastics facilities.

While specific energy consumption of machinery varies slightly from plant to plant, there is virtually no difference between the amount of energy consumed in injection and extrusion molding.

A critical first step in any successful energy management plan for a plastics facility is ensuring that machines, which account for 60% of all energy consumption, operate as efficiently as possible.

Energy-saving Measures for Extrusion and Injection Molding

To reduce energy use in extrusion processes, consult with production managers and plant engineers to optimize equipment performance. In many cases optimization of the extruder speed can significantly lower energy usage without impacting end results.

[Read more…]

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