Industry Watch 20312

HAPPY DAYS HERE AGAIN?
You’d have to be a real Scrooge if you couldn’t sense the good vibes pervading the jam-packed halls in Düsseldorf, Germany at K 2004, the 16th International Trade Fair for Plastics & Rubber (Oct. 20-27).

Exhibitors, 2914 of them, were selling their wares right out of their booths, making the place look like a Christmas sale at K-Mart. (K-Mart . . . get it?)

And the crowds! Sources at show organizer Messe Düsseldorf estimate there were about 230,000 attendees from more than 100 countries at K 2004. And every second attendee reportedly came from somewhere other than Germany.

As far as exhibitors go, sources say 63% were from countries other than Germany. U.S. exhibitors numbered 63, mostly housed in two U.S. pavilions organized by Messe Düsseldorf North America and cosponsored by The Society of the Plastics Industry.The last show, K 2001, had only 2872 exhibitors and 228,000 visitors.

Only!

"All of my discussions with exhibitors echoed a resounding vote of confidence not only in the number of visitors, but notably in their marked decision-making powers, broad international profile, and keen readiness to invest," says Werner Matthias Domscheidt, president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf.

So, will K 2004 go down as being the surprise present under the tree—the opening of a new wave of global growth in plastics, or will all the good vibes be just a bunch of humbug? We’ll all know by the next big show in Düsseldorf—K 2007, ja?—CK

DONNELLY A FINALIST FOR TECHNOLOGY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Donnelly Custom Mfg. (Alexandria, MN) was a finalist for a 2004 Minnesota Tekne Award recognizing technological achievement. The 2004 Tekne Awards were presented Nov. 9 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

A NEW U.S. COMPANY STOLE THE SHOW
If you haven’t already heard, there’s a newly formed company with an engineering and research lab in Columbiana, OH and administrative and sales offices in Charlottesville, VA called Plastic Processing Technologies LLC (PPT).

And, if you haven’t already heard, PPT may have very well brought the biggest new technological breakthroughs to be exhibited at the big K 2004 show in Düsseldorf, Germany (Oct. 20-27). That’s where this new U.S. company made its debut. PPT has developed new patented and patent-pending front-end components—screws and screw tips designed to provide the kind of melt quality and shot consistency that could obsolete the GP screw once and for all. ).

PPT also has developed what it has trademarked Screw Melt Quality Index (SMQI). It’s a scientific melt preparation technology that lets PPT optimize the designs of its front-enders for optimized melt quality.).

"Our philosophy is to solve problems on the plant floor with superior designs and good melting strategies," says Mike Durina, PPT’s president. "With melt qualities that are consistently four to six times better than a GP screw without the added cost to manufacture them, these designs make the most economical sense for any molder to help them improve their productivity." ).

Durina was formerly with Spirex. His partner, Jeremy Leahman, PPT’s VP, was with Filtroil. For more information, visit www.ppt info.com.—CK

R&D PLASTICS ADDS SPACER&D Plastics LLC (Hillsboro, OR) has added 3000 sq ft to its molding facility in response to consistent growth. The added space and other plant improvements are being implemented to improve production efficiencies and in response to customer demands. A new overhead crane will be installed by year end to facilitate more rapid mold setup/startup, which is important for high-mix, low-volume applications. A new mold storage system will also be added for improved organization of customer-owned tooling.—CG

ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE
A cooperative marketing alliance of molders, moldmakers, and other types of manufacturers and machinists in Northwestern Pennsylvania already expects to book more than $1 million worth of business for its members, even though it was launched just two years ago. Members of this free, online RFQ service believe that by working together they can do what no single supplier can do alone: bring to customers instant access to total service, massive production capacity, competitive costs, and the high-quality craftsmanship of Northwestern PA’s highly skilled workforce.

It’s called The Source. Member companies come from the Northwestern PA chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Assn.

"The leads we gained last year are now becoming sales contracts," says Don Douglas, marketing director. "We started in the middle of the recession. Now our business is way up for tools. It’s almost too busy. We put the contracts on RFQ and whoever has the time can get it."

Customers can register online at www.nwpasource.com and post a quote. Suppliers in the alliance receive instant e-mails with RFQ details and can directly respond. Member suppliers also can work collectively, brainstorming ideas to improve on-time delivery of individual jobs, or to offer their specialized services, for instance.

Members also chip in on the cost of appearing at trade shows. It’s less expensive to exhibit together than it is alone, Douglas says.—CK

DEMAG'S RENOVATING
In October, Demag Plastics Group broke ground on a $2 million renovation of its 275,000-sq-ft HQ in Strongsville, OH. By spring 2005 you’ll see a new two-story entrance lobby; an 8000-sq-ft machine demo area on the assembly floor; expanded and renovated customer training rooms and conference rooms; and a brand-new, 400-sq-ft IT equipment room.

The renovation project was made possible in part through $650,000 worth of state money Demag received from the Ohio Dept. of Development.—CK

SWISS FAMILY (OF MOLDS) TO CHINA
Moldmaker Georg Kaufmann Formenbau is finding what it calls "a welcome opportunity" in the fast-growing markets of Asia. This long-time specialist in molds for inmold lamination and decorating (IMD) has a family of seven Kaufmann IMD tools running since August 2004 in Ningbo, China, making the complete set of interior pillars for the Audi A4. The mold set, which weighs nearly 50 metric tons, was proven in the Kaufmann Tech Center in Busslingen, Switzerland and approved by Audi. Startup in China reportedly went without a hitch. Another set of tools for Audi, with an expected December delivery date, will make the IMD A and B pillars for the Audi C6, successor to the A6. Also this month, Kaufmann was scheduled to deliver two molds for the B and C pillars of a Chinese vehicle.—RN

SHORT SHOTS
Precision molder Pixley Richards Inc. (Plymouth, MA, with satellite operations in Grand Rapids, MI) has been acquired by Patriot Management Group, a New England-based partnership formed by four existing senior managers of Pixley Richards, which has been operating for 40 years.

Nypro Inc. (Clinton, MA) is opening a 30,000-sq-ft, high-volume "metal-to-plastics" processing and contract manufacturing facility in Wuxi, China, reportedly the first of many to come worldwide for high-volume manufacturing that combines metal and plastic. Nypro also has added a new 45-machine-strong 100,000-sq-ft plant with cleanroom capabilities in Monterrey, Mexico to its existing real estate holdings south of the border (another 45-plus-machine, 100,000-sq-footer).

Hot runner systems supplier Synventive Molding Solutions (Peabody, MA) has established an Asian Business Unit in Suzhou, China, joining existing sales and services offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. The new 2800-sq-m (30,100-sq-ft) factory in Suzhou is expected to be up and running by Q1 2005. Additional sales offices are to be opened in Suzhou and Shenzen, China around the same time.—CK