Plastics News correspondent Roger Renstrom gathered these items at the DVD Entertainment showcase, held Aug. 21-22 in Universal City, Calif.
Milliken marketing PP packaging product
Milliken & Co.'s chemical division is marketing its Millad 3988 clarifying agent for use in polypropylene optical-media packaging.
Printed film inside the PP package - rather than as an outside wrap - contains identifying data, and a fold-out flap holds in the disc in prototype Millibox cases, said Raj Batlaw, North American director of global business development with the Spartanburg, S.C.-based company.
Milliken is talking about the packaging concept with studio content holders and makers of plastics processing equipment.
Future adds DVD lines
During May and June, replicator Future Media Productions Inc. of Valencia, Calif., added six Singulus DVD manufacturing lines, each with two Sumitomo injection molding presses.
Future Media has daily capacity to make about 250,000 DVDs and 500,000 compact discs, said President Alex Sandel.
The firm started with CDs in 1994 and DVDs in 1999. Also in 1999, the business moved to a new plant with infrastructure and room for 50 optical-media lines. Currently the plant has 18 DVD lines with 36 Sumitomos and 13 CD lines with 20 Netstals. Capital investment has totaled about $70 million, Sandel said.
Future Media employs 170 and had 2001 sales of about $60 million.