Compounding

Recycled plastics resin manufacturer MVR (Boca Raton, FL) cut the ribbon on its new $9.2 million investment production plant in Frankfort, KY, with an assist from Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Frankfort Mayor Gippy Graham. The plant, which will collect and process scrap plastics, converting it into new, saleable pellets, will create 360 jobs and have an annual capacity of around 90 million lb.

The world’s largest linear polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) operation, with a capacity of 15,000 tonnes/yr, is about to get bigger, as Celanese has announced plans to increase Fortron PPS production at its Wilmington, NC. Fortron Industries LLC, which is a subsidiary of Celanese Corp., says the capacity expansion is to meet increased global demand for the material.

Additives supplier Baerlocher (Münich, Germany) will increase capacity for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) heat stabilizers at its plant in Dewas, India, doubling output of its one-pack stabilizers by adding 7000 tonnes/yr of capacity. The expansion, which will cost nearly €1 million, will be completed in two stages with work initiating in December of this year.

Color concentrates and additive masterbatches supplier Plastics Color Corp. (PCC; Calumet City, IL), continues its expansion with the opening of a new research and development facility at their campus in Asheboro, NC. The opening comes on the heels of accreditation of PCC's lab in Calumet City, IL by the American Assn. for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).

Italian thermoplastics and elastomers compounder SO.F.TER. is leasing the P Group, a bankrupt Italian compounder of engineering thermoplastics. Later this year an Italian court will decide whether SO.F.TER., or other interested companies, can acquire it.

For its sixth acquisition in just three years, Citadel Plastics Holdings Inc. chose QTR Inc., which markets custom compounds based on recycled polycarbonate and other engineering thermoplastics. QTR's brand lives on even as the company is being integrated into The Matrixx Group, another Citadel holding. QTR had annual sales of approximately $15 million, more than half out of the automotive market, and ran its compounds off of three twin-screw and to single-screw extrusion lines.    

Expansions slated for two of its facilities means thermoplastics compound supplier Teknor Apex Co. will increase its supply capabilities for both rigid and flexible polyvinyl chloride compounds. The company has long offered flexible PVC compounds in the U.S., but rigid PVC compounds are new for the firm there.

The company, based in Pawcatuck, RI, plans in August to add a new flexible PVC compounding line with a nominal annual capacity of 13,600 tonnes (30 million lb) to its site at Fountain Inn, SC.

PolyOne Corp. (Cleveland, OH) has opened a wholly owned business development office in Seoul, South Korea in response to the "growth of consumer product design and manufacturing companies, as well as polymer processors, in the Asia-Pacific region," according to Willie Chien, president of Asia operations for the resin distributor and compounder.

The custom compounds business unit of PolyMedex Discovery Group, which brings plastics processing, compounding and distribution under one roof, has expanded its range of services for implantable polymers to include a range of cleanroom blending of bone growth additives in polymers.

Brazil-based additive and masterbatch supplier Cromex (São Paulo) has plans to move to a new facility in São Paulo within the next nine months, outfitting the site with nine new compounding extrusion lines in addition to moving some existing equipment. Cesar Ortega, Cromex commercial director, and Enio A. Ferigatto, projects and products manager, revealed the plans to PlasticsToday during a tour of the company's existing site.