Kickstart: A groundbreaking move in Indiana

How about some good, old-fashioned groundbreaking news just to remind ourselves of what business news used to look like before 2020?

Ameri-Kart Inc., a rotational and thermoforming business unit of Myers Industries Inc., had a groundbreaking ceremony for its new facility in Bristol, Ind. The site will replace older facilities including a 30-employee site in Cassopolis, Mich., to consolidate and modernize production, the company said. Myers also recently closed a warehouse site in Sandusky, Ohio.

The 234,000-square-foot facility in Indiana is on a 32-acre parcel and brings with it "operational efficiencies and an enhanced customer experience," Ameri-Kart said.

"The new facility will accommodate state-of-the-art rotational molding and thermoforming manufacturing technologies, an improved lean equipment layout and automated workflows. These enhancements, coupled with an ergonomic and biophilic design throughout the building, will further increase employee productivity and job satisfaction," the company said.

Ameri-Kart makes parts for the RV and marine industries along with custom molding. It expects to transfer production to the new plant in phases, starting in 2021.

We've heard individual stories about the demand for food packaging as people settled down at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Now we're starting to get some numbers to back up the anecdotes.

Oman-based Octal says it produced and shipped 247,000 metric tons of PET sheet and resin around the world from February to May as COVID-19 spread. Octal said it saw a 15 percent increase in PET volumes vs. 2019, and that its production was flexible enough to keep up with demand.

"As essential businesses shift to more sustainable approaches, we recognize our role in providing innovative solutions in advanced material science and stepping up to meet that demand," CEO Nicholas Barakat said in a news release. "Especially during these times of crisis, we witness how vital our stringent manufacturing protocols are to supporting global food security. This responsibility has guided our growth to date and will continue to do so now and into the future."

This week would have been the press days for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit — its first taking place in June, rather than snowy and cold January.

NAIAS had hyped the 2020 version as bigger and better, with carmakers planning on spreading out from the confines of a convention center and onto the streets and parks of downtown Detroit. Of course, COVID-19 interfered with all of those plans.

But Subaru still unveiled its 2021 Crosstrek, virtually. So let's pretend it's really auto show time and run down some plastics highlights of the new car:

• Subaru is getting specific about its material choices for interior trim. The Sport trim models are made with a proprietary StarTex upholstery made of a urethane material, rather than PVC, to avoid the use of phthalates and chlorine. The backing on the Sport floor mats are made from 25 percent recycled PET.

• The cabin of the standard Crosstrek has interior trim with a "black simulated carbon fiber finish on the center dash panel as well as the front and rear door panels." The Sport trim level has additional faux carbon fiber for the interior.

• Polycarbonate shines in LED lighting for headlamps, daytime running lights and fog lamps. The Sport also has a "high-power LED rear gate light."