Plastics News staff reporter Frank Esposito covered the following items from Plastics Encounter Midwest, held June 22-24 in Cleveland.
Polymer Resources to install new line
Engineering resins compounder Polymer Resources Ltd. will add an extrusion line in Connecticut or New York by the end of the year.
The line most likely will be a twin-screw and will be installed in Farmington, Conn., or Rochester, N.Y., said Stephen Bruno, market development manager for Farmington-based Polymer Resources.
``The new line will add to our existing base and help us with new orders and growth,'' Bruno said.
Recently, Polymer Resources has done more work in nylon compounds. It also added a sales rep in the Chicago area, bringing its companywide total to 10.
Bruno added that Polymer Resources' sales are on track to finish 2004 up 25 percent over 2003.
Texas Encore enters extrusion market
Texas Encore Materials has entered the sheet extrusion market with a commercial line in Belmont, N.C.
The Romulus, Mich.-based firm plans to add a second line in Belmont in early 2005, sales manager Eric Seath said. Texas Encore will produce sheet made of a proprietary thermoplastic elastomer for the automotive, construction and sporting goods markets.
The firm also makes TPE compounds for its own use and for limited commercial sales at a site in Holland, Mich. It expects to employ 40 by the end of the year.
Next Specialty links with India engineers
Next Specialty Resins Inc. now is offering tooling and engineering services provided by a staff of 12 engineers in Mumbai, India.
Addison, Mich.-based Next Specialty operates a pair of compounding lines and seven recycling machines in Addison, where it also does some injection molding work for the automotive market, said Mukund Patankar, one of the company's U.S.-based engineers.
Next Specialty has more than 50 employees. The company posted 2003 sales of about $30 million.
