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Guangzhou, China - Never thought I would write about Oklahoma with the byline of Guangzhou. But then again, I never anticipated seeing Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb just a few minutes away from my hometown of Norman, making the news in China. Yet, here we are.

Guangzhou, China - Stealing. It's an age-old crime that continues to linger. But perhaps the most infuriating of them all, when it comes to the plastics industry, is intellectual property infringement.

"Obviously, we have to protect our technology," Wim Van De Velde, global Millad product line manager for Milliken & Co., told PlasticsToday. "This is why we take action to vigorously protect and defend the intellectual property."

New stainless steel metal injection molding grades allow metal parts to be manufactured at lower cost but with the same high quality and performance according to their supplier BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany).

São Paulo—Inspectors from a new safety standard enforcement team forced an exhibitor to shut down a bag-making machine on the second day of the Feiplastic 2013 fair in São Paulo, saying the equipment, from an unnamed Chinese supplier, did not satisfy a revamped standard that Brazil is now more vigorously enforcing.

Researchers in China and Wisconsin have collaborated on research showing that a compound of commonly used medical plastics can be injection molded into shape memory polymers.

The new blends have the advantage of better shaping ability.

In an effort to address the growing global plastic pollution issue, ENSO Plastics, an environmental plastic solution provider, announced two new technologies, ENSO Renew and ENSO Restore that company President Danny Clark hopes will change the way plastics are used around the globe.
   

Success is the natural result of developing core competencies, utilizing technology, and hiring the best people to help achieve the company’s goals. Teamvantage, a full-service contract manufacturer, has been cultivating a culture of success that is evident in the company’s growth.
   

Although a stronger real is adding some headwinds, climbing 25% in the last two years, the Brazilian plastics machinery industry continues to see gains in its exports, particularly within Latin America, thanks in large part to an assist from its machinery association and the Brazilian government.

Gloucester Engineering Co. (GEC) President and CEO Carl Johnson says Asia-Pacific customers are demanding more sophisticated and larger machines.

"They want larger machines with higher outputs," he told PlasticsToday. "The demand for quality continues to grow."

Increasing polymer production in Brazil and a growing automotive market there have prompted Japanese plastic additives supplier Adeka Corp. (Tokyo) to establish a sales and marketing office in Sao Paulo. Adeka supplies antioxidants, light stabilizers, lubricants and nucleating agents among other additive products.