Plastics News by the year: 2007

As Plastics News marks its 25th year of publication, we take a year-by-year look back at some of the events, people and curious coincidences that have shown up its its pages. Check back through the end of the year (not including holidays) to follow along. This year: 2007.

JANUARY

General Motors introduces the Volt electric concept car at the Detroit auto show. GE Plastics participated in project, and its materials are used throughout the vehicle, both for exterior and interior parts. The Volt makes it into production within a few years, although not with the same cutting edge style or material selection. Insiders said the automaker wanted to concentrate on the powertrain, and felt material changes would be too much to undertake at once.

Pipe giants JMM and PW Eagle are coming together to form J-M Eagle, a merged firm with sales of about $2.5 billion and an estimated 25 percent of the North American pipe market.

FEBRUARY

Alfred Teo Sr., owner of plastic bag and film maker Sigma Plastics Co., is sentenced to 30 months in prison for insider trading. The case does not involve Sigma, but instead Musicland Stores Corp., where Teo was the largest shareholder.

The Canadian automotive injection mold toolmaking ranks thins out again as the 34-year-old Hallmark Technologies shuts down. The slowing auto industry, supply payment issues and exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar are hitting the Windsor area toolmakers especially hard.

MARCH

Cadence Innovation LLC, a company formed out of the remnants of other bankrupt auto suppliers, is a lead bidder for nine former Collins & Aikman Corp. plants. Cadence already has $665 million in new business booked through 2011.

One-stream recycling streams are leading to increased recycling rates from communities which have the program, a new survey says.

APRIL

Plastic Logic Ltd. is joining the e-book revolution, ready to turn out a pad with a flexible display using E ink imaging film. While Plastic Logic's format does not win the market, the move to e-books is increasing.

There's a new player in automotive composites as Israeli armor maker Plasan Sasa Ltd., buys the auto unit of Vermont Composites Inc. to create Plasan Carbon Composites. The company is currently increasing production space to keep up with demand for its carbon fiber parts, which includes key panels on the latest Corvette.

MAY

General Electric Co. will sell GE Plastics to Saudi Basic Industries Corp. for $11.6 billion. Sabic will become a global leader in resins with the acquisition.

JUNE

Nearly a year after Union Products Inc. shuttered production of the pink plastic lawn flamingo, HMC International LLC of Rome, N.Y., is bringing the birds back on the market, buying the molds and the intellectual property.

Indiana Molded Products Inc. is tuning in to a new business with its Xaphoon, a two-piece instrument molded out of ABS that sounds a bit like a saxophone. The instrument began as a bamboo, hand-made instrument, but the transition to ABS has made it far more marketable.

JULY

Demag Plastics Group will halt U.S. manufacturing and move production of its Titan injection presses from Strongsville, Ohio, to Ningbo, China.

“The Plastics Blog” debuts on plasticsnews.com

Plastics News and its parent company, Crain Communications Inc., buy Plastics & Rubber Weekly and European Plastics News from Emap Communications Ltd. in London, adding the two European publications to its publications.

AUGUST

It's plastics' 100th birthday as the industry marks the 1907 introduction of Bakelite.

SEPTEMBER

Coca-Cola Co. will build its own PET recycling plant with a capacity to recycle 2 billion 20-ounce bottles annually. In 2014, the company announces plans to close the plant, saying it prefers to rely on suppliers for its recycled content needs.

OCTOBER

Private equity firm Onex Corp. is buying Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. “I am convinced that Onex is the right long-term home for Husky,” says founder Robert Schad.

NOVEMBER

The American Chemistry Council is launching a 17-month, $2.5 billion ad campaign in California in response to a growing number of local government bans involving plastics.

Eastman Chemical Co. launches Tritan co-polyester resin at the K show in Germany. The debut may come as one of the most timely in the industry, hitting the market just as BPA fears prompt polycarbonate users to abandon the material. The resin is one of a small number of brand names known to consumers, with its name on water bottles, baby bottles, food containers and housewares.

DECEMBER

Plastimagen trade show founder Elena Maribona sells her expos and moves on to humanitarian work. She's also planning to move to Miami from Mexico City. She said personal security matters influenced her decision. During the past nine years she was mugged three times, kidnapped ones (and held captive for 36 hours) and had her car stolen.

U.S. manufacturers hope an epidemic of toy recalls from China due to contamination and quality issues will lead to more reshoring of toy production.