Firms ink agreement to make green film
MILAN, ITALY - Bandera Luigi Costruzioni Meccaniche SpA, a blown film equipment maker in Busto Arsizio, Italy, has signed an agreement with Novamont SpA to develop new technologies to make biodegradable film.
Bandera will supply a three-layer coextrusion line at the Novamont laboratory in Novara, Italy.
Novamont, based in Milan, makes bioplastics from plant-based resins, including the Mater-B family of biodegradable and compostable resins.
Plastics machinery imports, exports up
WASHINGTON - The U.S. plastics machinery industry registered a $1 billion trade deficit in 2005, marking a 21 percent increase over the year before - although exports and imports showed strong growth, according to the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.
The Washington-based trade association released the numbers as part of its global business trends report, issued in March.
The dollar value of exports grew by 17.1 percent to reach $1.17 billion. Imports grew by 18.9 percent, for a value of $2.18 billion.
The U.S. plastics machinery industry had its largest surplus with Mexico, at $199 million. The United States also ran substantial surpluses with China and Brazil.
The largest deficit was with machinery powerhouse Germany, at $470 million. Other countries that contributed to the trade deficit were Japan and Canada.
SPI also said U.S. machinery producers held a 44.8 percent share of the U.S. market during 2005. Imports accounted for a 55.2 percent market share, after gaining 4.4 percentage points that year.
The numbers, taken from government statistics, include rubber machinery.
Cinpres Gas Injection names new executive
WHITMORE LAKE, MICH. - Cinpres Gas Injection Ltd. has named Lee Pereces to lead its U.S. operations, which are now in Whitmore Lake.
In 2005, Cinpres closed its U.S. headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich., and handled distribution and spare parts out of an office in Columbus, Ohio.
Cinpres, based in Middlewich, England, designs and manufactures equipment for gas-assisted injection molding.
Pereces has experience in plastics processing and gas-assisted molding. He is looking for U.S.-based sales staff and process engineers.
Fanuc Robotics nabs Supplier of the Year
ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH. - Fanuc Robotics America Inc. has received a 2006 Supplier of the Year Award from General Motors Corp.
GM officials honored Fanuc Robotics and 88 other winning companies at a ceremony March 31 in Orlando, Fla. Fanuc also was named one of GM's top suppliers in 1997 and 2005.
``Fanuc Robotics achieved the award based on outstanding performance in 2006,'' said Bo Anderson, GM's group vice president for the global purchasing and supply chain. ``We appreciate their energy, hard work and dedication to the success of GM.''
Rick Schneider, Fanuc Robots America's president and chief executive officer, accepted the award on behalf off the robot supplier in Rochester Hills.
GM Supplier of the Year Award winners are picked by a global team of executives from purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and logistics based on supplier performance in quality, service, technology and price.