Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CEO Issue
    • Diversity
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2022 winners
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
      • 2022 class
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
September 09, 2002 02:00 AM

Newsclips

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    SPI laments steel tariffs at fed hearing

    NORWALK, CALIF. - The Bush administration's tariffs on steel are exacerbating an already-poor economic picture for some companies in the plastics industry, a trade group said at a government hearing Sept. 3.

    For example, the tariffs have boosted steel prices for auxiliary equipment maker Universal Dynamics Inc. in Woodbridge, Va., by 20 percent, costing the company $100,000 a year, the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. told a congressional field hearing in Norwalk. The company has been told to expect another steel price increase, SPI said.

    Some plastics industry trade groups, like the American Mold Builders Association in Roselle, Ill., have said the tariffs are not hurting their members because steel for mold makers generally is exempt.

    But Washington-based SPI said other plastics equipment suppliers have seen steel price increases of more than 35 percent during the past year. ITW Inc., which has some plastics processing divisions, estimates the tariffs will cost it $20 million, SPI said.

    Bart Alcamo, president of RBK Tool and Die Inc. in Modesto, Calif., and an SPI board member, told the hearing of the House's Small Business Committee that while the tariffs have not hurt his company significantly, they have hurt the industry's ability to plan.

    ``While we strive, as a small company, to adapt to global changes, the mold-making side of the business has been in decline for about five years,'' he said. ``Therefore, the tariff increase works to exacerbate market conditions that have been eroding for several years, as my customers, who are uncertain about the future, are not investing.''

    Pliant expands flexible packaging site

    SCHAUMBURG, ILL. - Pliant Corp. has expanded a flexible packaging plant in Odon, Ind., adding capacity that complements its coextruded barrier film for food products.

    The company is adding 12,000 square feet to the 20,000-square-foot plant, which makes film for cookies, crackers, cereal boxes and pizza overwrap.

    The Schaumburg company recently installed a new, three-layer, high-volume film line in a newly built plant area and plans to add several additional lines, possibly in 2003, said spokeswoman Margaret MacBeth.

    The plant had one five-layer and two three-layer film lines before the expansion.

    Employment at the plant has increased by about 15 percent with the addition of the new film line, MacBeth said. She did not provide total employment figures for the plant.

    The expansion work started a year ago, and a new line officially was dedicated Sept. 5.

    MedSource buys implant maker Cycam

    MINNEAPOLIS - Medical device maker MedSource Technologies Inc. acquired plastic orthopedic implant maker Cycam Inc. on Sept. 4 for about $24 million.

    The purchase gives Minneapolis-based MedSource its first plastic capabilities in orthopedic implants, and includes both Cycam's plastic machining and compression molding technology, said Richard Effress, MedSource's chairman and chief executive officer.

    Previously, MedSource could only machine metal implants, but wanted to broaden its offerings because most implants are made from metal and plastic, he said.

    ``It is an opportunity to provide a broader scope of services to our customers,'' Effress said.

    Prior to the acquisition, orthopedics were about 10 percent of MedSource's $159 million in annual sales, he said. Privately owned Cycam, in Houston, Pa., does about $10 million in annual sales.

    Cycam specializes in hip, knee and shoulder implants, chiefly from ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene. Effress said MedSource also made the purchase because of Cycam's patented coating process for bonding implants, and because it gives MedSource access to a broader base of orthopedic device makers.

    Cycam also has some metals processing capabilities that MedSource lacks, he said.

    Effress said Cycam's compression molding technology is unusual. Typically, plastic implants are machined but the compression technology ``is another way of getting to the same place'' and has some advantages, he said.

    MedSource paid $18 million in cash and 667,000 shares of company stock.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Unsupervised worker blamed for overriding alarms in Michigan chemical spill
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    ‘Crazy' offers prompt sale of medical supplier Molded Devices
    2
    Compounder Aurora Plastics breaks ground on Ohio expansion
    3
    Material Insights: July resin price drop could be start of trend
    4
    Auto supplier Gissing enters Chapter 11, owes Tesla $13.3M
    5
    Stratasys buying Covestro additive manufacturing business
    SIGN UP FOR TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS AND ENEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Diversity
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2022 winners
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
          • 2022 class
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified