Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • 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
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • 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
  • 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
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • 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 12, 2005 02:00 AM

Processors recovering in wake of hurricane

Jason Lea
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Two weeks have passed since Hurricane Katrina flooded Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of Alabama. The deluge decimated New Orleans and left many processors in the region without power, water or means to communicate with employees.

    Since then, many facilities are again up and running.

    Injection molder Richard Plastics Co. of Laurel, Miss., got its power restored Sept. 7 and began operating Sept. 8. Though the facility suffered no damage, many employees were less lucky.

    ``Most of them don't have power at their houses,'' said President David Buck. One of his 16 employees relocated to Florida with her daughter until her house is inhabitable.

    United Plastic Molders Inc., a Jackson, Miss., injection molder, also lost power for a week, but production has resumed, according to a spokesman.

    Philadelphia-based Constar International Inc., a blow molder, also has a facility in Jackson. While it has power and water restored, fuel shortages and power outages are going to be a continued hindrance, the company said in a news release.

    Less than a week after Heritage Plastics Inc.'s compounding plant in Picayune, Miss., took a direct hit from the hurricane, the company was operating again - surprising even the company's managers, who had thought the plant would be out of service for several weeks.

    ``We should be back at full speed by the end of the week,'' Martin Lowe, company treasurer, said in a Sept. 6 telephone interview.

    The company had planned to obtain a pair of generators to restart production, owner Carl Allen had said Sept. 1 by telephone. So Heritage executives were pleasantly surprised Sept. 3 when Mississippi Power workers arrived at the plant and asked if it was OK to restore power.

    ``It's amazing. They did a great job,'' Lowe said. ``The area still is in incredibly bad shape, as everyone knows. But our company is running. We shipped [Sept. 2] from inventory. We're shipping everything by truck right now,'' while waiting for rail service to be restored.

    After the initial shock of seeing damaged neighborhoods and newly homeless people crowded into the Superdome, the country now is seeing the long-term effects of Katrina. Polyethylene prices have increased. Companies must reassess capacity. Some employees have to relocate. Some facilities that incurred no physical damage still will suffer many inconveniences, such as dead phone lines.

    Mike Henagan is executive vice president of Mid South Extrusion Inc. Based in Monroe, La., MSE suffered no outages, but a few interruptions from the storm. The plant was undamaged but now is dealing with the aftermath.

    ``We've been really busy with resin increases and price increases ... [and] surges that put the power lines down,'' Henagan said. Those problems are likely to become commonplace, at least for a time.

    On a brighter note, companies continue to come forward and offer assistance. SleeveCo Inc., a label printer and converter in Dawsonville, Ga., will be sponsoring a family: setting them up with housing, food and clothes, and jobs at the company for the parents. The family has not been selected yet, said President David Johnson, but accommodations are being prepared.

    The Society of Plastics Engineers of Brookfield, Conn., has started a Web site at www.spe.org/ katrinablog, where affected companies can post their needs, and others in the industry can offer aid.

    Jack Riopelle, co-owner of Wisconsin Film & Bag Inc. and Southern Film & Bag LLC, has spearheaded a program called ``Wisconsin cares about Mississippi.'' Riopelle has offered the use of Southern Film's 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Summit, Miss., as a distribution point for the Salvation Army.

    Wisconsin film is based in Shawano, Wis.

    Riopelle also got other Wisconsin companies to donate to the Salvation Army including Neenah, Wis.-based Tidi Products LLC (formerly Banta Healthcare Group Ltd.).

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Tooling focus gives Berry another avenue for growth
    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
    PVC feedstock in train derailment prompts evacuation in Ohio
    2
    Material Insights: Resin prices rise, nonmarket correction for PE
    3
    Illinois AG sues 14 firms over PFAS contamination
    4
    Prices on the rise for PP, PVC
    5
    This is the year the reality of plastics EPR arrives in the US
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    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
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. 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
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • 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
    • 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
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • 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