Eliokem building chemical plant in China
CHICAGO - Eliokem (Booth N4292) plans to build a plant in China to meet increasing demand for its Wingstay L antioxidant.
The Akron, Ohio, firm said it expects the facility to be in full production by the third quarter of 2004.
Eliokem formed last year after private equity firm Littlejohn & Co. purchased the business from Goodyear Specialty Chemicals.
Wingstay is used to protect plastics and rubbers from heat and oxidative degradation. Eliokem also is displaying its Sunigum acrylate elastomers for soft-touch applications.
Taylor's invests $4 million in HPM unit
CHICAGO - Taylor's Industrial Services LLC said it has invested $4 million into its HPM Division (Booth N5507) since buying the assets of the Mount Gilead, Ohio, machinery maker in 2001.
HPM machines components in-house for its injection presses, sheet extrusion lines and die-casting machines.
The biggest recent addition was a MillTurn 4000 machine, a combination lathe and machining center. Currently, much of the MT 4000's work is devoted to turning components such as tie bars and piston rods for the two-platen Freedom Series injection machine, and HPM die-casting machines.
The machine tool reduces the number of setups, and cuts metal faster than older equipment, according to Rick Eichler, director of operations for Taylor's Industrial Services.
The MT 4000, made by Mori Seiki, is the longest mill turn in the United States, with a capacity of turning and milling a part 37 inches in diameter between 157-inch centers.
HPM also is installing a Mazak vertical turning center. By the end of this summer, the company will put in a Colgar seven-axis horizontal boring mill with a 100,000-pound-capacity turntable. It can travel 60 feet along the x-axis and 18 feet along the y-axis.
Other investments include an MT 2500 mill turn, an SL 253 computer numerically controlled lathe and a two-pallet NH-5000 CNC horizontal machining center.
PE bag panel files anti-dumping petition
WASHINGTON - On June 20, U.S. producers that comprise the Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bag Committee filed an anti-dumping petition against imports of PE retail carrier bags from China, Malaysia and Thailand. The bags include plastic merchandise bags, T-shirt sacks, grocery sacks and shopping bags.
The petition claims that the plastic bags are being sold in the United States at dumping margins up to 122 percent for China, 78 percent for Malaysia and 117 percent for Thailand. This has resulted in a surge of imports from the three countries, causing a decline in U.S. market share, employment and profits.
The U.S. International Trade Commission will begin an investigation to determine whether there is a reasonable indication that the domestic industry is materially injured or threatened with injury with the imports. A determination is expected within 45 days.
The petitioners include Inteplast Group Ltd., PCL Packaging Inc., Sonoco Products Co., Superbag Corp. and Vanguard Plastics Inc. In addition, Omega Plastics Corp., Orange Plastics Inc., Trinity Packaging Corp. and Unistar Plastics LLC have indicated their support for the petition. Two Canadian producers, Hymopack Ltd. and Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd., also support the petition.
Axel's process aid free of animal additives
CHICAGO - Axel Plastics Research Laboratories Inc. (Booth E13216) has a new process aid completely free of animal derivatives.
The Woodside, N.Y., firm developed MoldWiz INT-33VPE to address concerns in some markets that animal-derived additives could be a source of bovine spongeform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, said technical support manager Nancy Teufel.
The vegetable-based product enhances flow and reduces friction in polyolefins, elastomers and thermoplastic polyurethanes. Axel said typical loadings of the powder or pellet are 0.3-0.5 percent by resin weight.
Sunoco explosion injures employee
LA PORTE, TEXAS - A worker was injured in an early morning explosion and fire June 19 at Sunoco Chemical's plant in La Porte.
The fire broke out about 6:30 a.m. in a splitter that produced plastic feedstock propylene. The blaze was contained within an hour, but the plant and its 875 million pounds of polypropylene capacity are out of commission while the incident is investigated, industry contacts said.
The worker's injuries are not expected to be life-threatening, and the company has adequate inventory to meet customer orders, sources said. Sunoco officials could not be reached for comment. Philadelphia-based Sunoco acquired the La Porte plant in 2001 from Aristech Inc.
