B&F Inc. increasing production capacity
CHICAGO — B&F Inc., a custom sheet extruder based in Richmond, Ind., added an extrusion line this month and plans to add another this winter that will increase production capacity by at least 500,000 pounds.
B&F sales manager Greg Easley said the additions will give the company five lines at its 80,000-square-foot facility, and will boost marketing of B&F's TirePlast and WoodPlast compounds. He declined to release the cost of the 18-month expansion project.
TirePlast, which is made of polyethylene and recycled tires, has automotive uses in running board mats, splash guards and mud flaps. WoodPlast combines wood flour with polypropylene. It also is used in marine and trailer floor panels.
TirePlast has been available since 1989, while WoodPlast is just being commercialized this year. The 11-year-old firm focused on both products at NPE 1997, held June 16-20 in Chicago.
``I think a lot of folks are looking to use products like ours as environment-friendly items,'' Easley said in an interview at NPE.
He added that the compounds are a lot less expensive than ``straight'' PE or thermoplastic polyolefins.
B&F also produces PolyFlex-brand PE printable sheet and PolyPro PP printable sheet. The company's total output is about 2 million pounds a year.
Easley added that the expansion allows B&F, which has about 30 employees, to continue to focus on specialty items and custom extruding.
``We're not into just producing a lot and having a warehouse of items that may or may not be used,'' Easley said. ``We want to make sure the end products are something the customer wants.''
Plastic Group buys extruder for testing
WOONSOCKET, R.I.—Compounder Plastics Group of America has acquired a new custom-built, 21/2-inch extruder for customer and in-house material trials.
``This [extruder] gives us the latitude to fine-tune product formulations to our customers' requirements, and prove out the material in a real-life application,'' President Bob Lebeaux said in a news release.
In-house, the Woonsocket firm will use the extruder for custom formulations and enhancements to its Polifil line of filled and unfilled thermoplastics.
Plastics Group is a manufacturer, compounder, recycler and distributor of thermoplastics, with production sites in Woonsocket and Blairsville, Ga. The Woonsocket facility recently installed a large grinder for shredding polyethylene drums and pails.
Briefly...
G.E. Plastics of Pittsfield, Mass., has received Regal Ware Inc.'s Supplier Excellence Award for 1996 for plastics materials. The manufacturer of cookware and electric kitchen products is based in Kewaskum, Wis.