United Plastics Inc. adding to facility
FLINT, MICH. — United Plastics Inc., a Flint-based recycler, plans to expand its 63,000-square-foot main plant. Vice President David Koffman said he expects the 12,000-square-foot expansion to take place this summer.
United is taking bids, and estimates the total cost at about $60,000.
United has three facilities, all in Flint. It recently bought two grinders, giving it nine, and paid $120,000 for its first shredder.
Koffman said the firm has grown considerably in the past year. It now employs 45, compared with 23 last year, and runs two shifts instead of one. Four to six more employees will be hired this year. He said United has enough work now to last six months, if not a year.
United reported 1998 recycling volume of 20.8 million pounds and recycling sales of $7.2 million, up from $6.9 million in 1997.
United buys and sells post-industrial high and low density polyethylene, high-molecular-weight HDPE, PET and other materials. Post-industrial sales make up 50 percent of the total recycling sales; brokering contributes the other 50 percent.
Koffman attributed the company's growth in the troublesome recycling market to its niche, HMW PE, which makes up 60 percent of its business.
``We stopped trying to be everything to everybody and just stuck to what we know best,'' he said.
Koffman said United is ``basically a grinding company.'' Other processes the company performs include sorting, washing, repelletizing and compounding.
Sundance Products increasing capacity
GAINESVILLE, GA. — Recycler Sundance Products Inc. plans to boost compounding capacity 15 million pounds by next year, bringing its total capacity to about 115 million pounds.
The company now operates eight reprocessing lines. It plans to buy one or two twin-screw extruders by the first quarter of 2000 and will add 10-14 employees to its staff of 125.
Sundance completed a 65,000-square-foot expansion of its Gainesville facility last fall, bringing it to 110,000 square feet.
Sundance estimated its 1998 sales at $17 million. Vice President Steve Hungerford said volume decreased somewhat in 1998 due to market changes and the General Motors Corp. strike, but added that 1999 seems to be improving.
Post-consumer materials make up just 15 percent of the company's sales, with post-industrial plastics making up 85 percent. Sundance buys and sells polypropylene; low, linear low and high density polyethylene; high-molecular-weight HDPE; and polycarbonate.
The company recycles materials for markets including automotive, housewares, outdoor furniture, structural foam products, storage bins, pallets and general-purpose injection molding.
Commercial Plastics planning expansion
TAMPA, FLA. — Tampa-based Commercial Plastics Recycling Inc. plans to expand within the next six months.
President Ben Benvenuti said the company either will double the size of its 15,000-square-foot facility, or buy a 40,000-square-foot building in Plant City, Fla. He also plans to add four employees to its six-member sales department and open a 10,000-square-foot satellite warehouse in Patterson, N.J.
CPR recycles 10 million pounds annually of high and low density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC and other materials, nearly all post industrial. The firm reported recycling sales of $1.5 million for 1998. Benvenuti said the company has seen a 62 percent increase in sales since the beginning of the year.
In addition to recycling, the 3-year-old firm also sells resin. Benvenuti said CPR wants to expand its processing facilities to boost its sales.
Cleveland Vocational moving to new plant
LAWNDALE, N.C. — Cleveland Vocational Industries Inc. of Lawndale is relocating to a new facility in Shelby, N.C.
The nonprofit firm helps clients with limiting conditions develop job skills in the plastics industry.
The new 54,000-square-foot facility is nine miles from the current one, which the company plans to sell. Executive Director Ken Bagby said he hopes to be in the new facility by August.
The firm had 1998 recycling sales of $775,000, with 95 percent coming from post-industrial polypropylene, and 5 percent from post-consumer PP.
Cleveland Vocational trains people with long-term developmental conditions as well as those who are limited due to a recent injury. Bagby said many of the workers go on to find jobs in the plastics industry. Since the program was implemented in the late 1980s, Cleveland Vocational has placed more than 100 individuals.
In addition to recycling, the company also does packaging, collating, light manufacturing and assembly. Bagby said the company hopes to enter the injection molding arena in the future.
Cleveland Vocational's largest customer is Bic Corp., from which it generates more than $200,000 in business a year.
Werlor Waste Control builds onto facility
DEFIANCE, OHIO — Werlor Waste Control Inc., a Defiance-based waste removal and recycling firm, expanded its 13,270-square-foot facility in March.
The $2.5 million project brings the plant up to 41,000 square feet, 35,000 of which is the recycling facility.
Werlor added a second reprocessing line, boosting capacity from about 2,300 pounds to 10,000 pounds an hour. It also added a granulator for industrial plastic.
Tom Taylor, vice president, said the company has no plans to hire additional employees. Werlor currently employs 10.
Werlor recycles HDPE, linear LDPE, PET, polypropylene and polystyrene. Reprocessing of post-consumer materials makes up 75 percent of recycling sales. Post-industrial materials account for 20 percent and the remaining 5 percent is brokered.
Plastics recycling accounts for 10-15 percent of Werlor's business. The company reported 1998 recycling sales of $75,000. In addition to recycling, Werlor is a residential, commercial and industrial waste removal company.
MRC boosts capacity by 15 million pounds
CHICAGO — Chicago-based recycler MRC Polymers Inc. has added 15 million pounds of annual capacity, bringing its total capacity to 45 million. The firm added two compounding lines to one of its two Chicago facilities.
MRC also added more drying equipment to handle its new product lines, which include filled and reinforced PET and nylon and unfilled nylon.
President Daniel Eberhardt said these new product lines have had good, customer reception.
MRC buys and sells other post-industrial materials, including ABS, HDPE, high-molecular-weight HDPE, LDPE, linear LDPE and PET.
MRC employs a total of 84 and operates 11 reprocessing lines.
MRC's two Chicago compounding plants are 60,000 square feet and 65,000 square feet. The company also has a smaller plant in Mount Vernon, Ind.
MRC reported 1998 sales of $20.2 million.
JLM Plastics finishes additions to factory
JOLIET, ILL. — Recycler JLM Plastics Corp. completed a 12,000-square-foot expansion of its Joliet facility in April, bringing the total to 34,000 square feet. The expansion included new offices and expanded production and warehousing areas.
The company added new equipment in the process, including a pelletizer, guillotine, lab equipment and other auxiliary equipment to complement the pelletizing line. Joseph Miller, executive vice president, said JLM invested about $800,000 in the expansion and equipment.
JLM had outgrown its space and wanted additional room for finished-product inventory, Miller said. He said JLM expanded to broaden its base and to be able to handle more scrap.
JLM also is adding another repelletizing line to be up and running by September.
The company, which employs 14, plans to hire three more to operate the new equipment.
JLM reported 1998 sales of $2.5 million.