OrePac to distribute TimberTech products
WILMINGTON, OHIO — Wood-plastic composite deck maker TimberTech Ltd. is broadening its reach further into the West after inking a deal with Wilsonville, Ore.-based distributor OrePac.
The company now will distribute TimberTech fence, deck and railing products in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. Since 2006, OrePac has distributed TimberTech products in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
``The role of supply chain has always been important in our industry,'' Kevin Brennan, TimberTech's senior vice president of sales and marketing, said in a news release. ``Our product offering has continued to grow. This makes the role of strong distribution partners even more important.''
OrePac has nine distribution centers.
Wilmington-based TimberTech is a subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based Crane Building Products.
DaMar Plastics Inc.
adds blow molding
SAN DIEGO — DaMar Plastics Inc. of San Diego has invested more than $1 million to add blow molding capability to its injection molding and secondary operations.
The company acquired two blow molding machines and can make products requiring shot capacities of 5 grams to 10 pounds.
``The expansion of our blow molding department was completed on time [in late 2007] and within budget and is now starting to pay off,'' said David Kabbai, president.
DaMar projects 2008 sales of about $5 million, including $1.5 million from blow molding work principally involving sports bottles, medical beakers, bottles, jars and containers.
Blow molding increased the company's production capacity and helped to diversify its product line, said Sal Acampora, vice president of sales.
DaMar operates eight injection presses with 85-720 tons of clamping force, some of them all-electric and some with closed-loop capabilities. The company moved into its 38,000-square-foot site in 2002
Its injection molding markets include irrigation, automotive, industrial hardware, aerospace and computer applications.
About 20 percent of the business makes use of in-house secondary operations such as hot-stamping foil, pad printing, ultrasonic insert welding, overmolding and assembly and packaging.
Operating around the clock, DaMar employs 55-65, including three full-time and three part-time mold makers.
Particle Sciences Inc.
processing in-house
BETHLEHEM, PA. — Particle Sciences Inc. has installed in-house capability for compounding, extrusion and injection molding.
The Bethlehem-based provider of drug-development services previously subcontracted processing to develop injection molded devices, said Andrew Loxley, director of new technologies.
For a pilot production line, Particle Sciences acquired a Haake twin-screw compounding extruder and a 21-ton Nissei injection molding machine. The company launched the line and a 600-square-foot Class 1000 clean room in June.
The improvements advance the company's development of drug-eluting polymers, a combination product with mixtures of a plastic and a drug, known as an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Compounding an API into plastic at an elevated temperature forms the drug-eluting polymer, Loxley said.
The blend can be molded into shapes to yield a medical device that can be implanted or inserted in a person's body.
``For example, Particle Sciences mixes microbicides into polymers such as ethylene vinyl acetate and uses this material to form a vaginal ring that, when in place, releases [or elutes] the microbicide into the vagina in an effort to prevent HIV infection,'' Loxley said.
In December, the firm completed development of a project phase for that product, demonstrating 30-day continuous release of a small-molecule API.
Particle Sciences also operates a 3-ton bench-scale injection molding machine. The firm occupies 15,000 square feet and employs about 35.
3M slates new plant for Wroclaw, Poland
ST. PAUL, MINN. — 3M Co. plans to construct a plant in Wroclaw, Poland, to make products such as protective tapes aimed at the aerospace industry.
3M's aerospace and aircraft maintenance offshoot intends to locate the new facility on an existing 3M site. The new unit is scheduled to open in late 2009.
St. Paul-based 3M said the addition will complement a sister factory in Springfield, Mo., and significantly increase the firm's overall capacity for surface-protection products and structural bonding adhesives.
Many of 3M's aerospace customers are in Europe and Asia, which brought about the Poland project.
``This factory will effectively double our capacity to support our customers where they do business and supply better service around the world,'' said Brian Young, general manager of the aerospace unit, in a news release.
In a consolidation move, the new Wroclaw site will be set up near two existing plants. One is the Scotchcast medical cast padding plant established in 2005; the other is a 3M unit producing optical films for liquid-crystal display screens, launched a year later.
3M has not revealed how much it is investing or how many jobs the new unit will create. But the Polish business newspaper Puls Biznesu estimated that 3M is likely to spend around $33 million on the plant.