Kickstart: Plastics and the great vaccine rollout

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. was at the center of the news cycle when it began shipments of its COVID-19 vaccine from its plant near Kalamazoo, Mich., on Dec. 13.

It obviously marked a great breakthrough for the company and the world as a whole, but let's take a moment to thank plastics companies that are also key to getting the vaccine safely from Pfizer's manufacturing lines to patients.

Beyond the plastics in syringes and other medical equipment, polymers and suppliers are key to keeping the vaccine cold during shipping. Pfizer's vaccine must be stored at -70°C or colder.

That opens a role for Foam Fabricators Inc., which is making special expanded polystyrene shipping systems to keep the vaccine at the required temperatures, and Cold Jet — best known to the plastics industry as a maker of blasting equipment using dry ice for machine maintenance. Cold Jet is supplying dry ice for vaccine shipments from carbon dioxide.

"This is a huge project close to the hearts of many, and our decades of accumulated human and capital resources are being put to the test as we rise to the occasion," Foam Fabricators Vice President Michael Hays said.

Global auto parts maker Magna International Inc. is about to change leadership for the first time since 2005 as Don Walker to steps down as CEO and Swamy Kotagiri takes over. I've had a chance to talk to Kotagiri in the past, especially about how Magna combines traditional parts with new technology.

In a podcast interview with Jason Stein, publisher of our sister paper Automotive News, Kotagiri points to one example, its integration of mirrors and cameras in its Clearview mirror system, which will be going into an upcoming vehicle.

"We have the product and process knowledge," Kotagiri said. "We're able to bring different systems together because of our broad portfolio."

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I don't know about you, but when I was 18, I wasn't thinking about starting a company. Not when I was 23 either.

But 50 years ago, Redwood Plastics and Rubber got its start when Duncan Fraser, 23, and Graeme Fraser, 18, decided to follow in their father William Fraser's footsteps and open a plastics manufacturing business.

Redwood Plastics began with a $2,500 loan and a space in their parents' garage on Redwood Street in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

The company posted sales of $30,000 when it closed out its first year in 1971. A supplier and distributor of sheet, rod, tube and shapes, Redwood now has operations in Western Canada and the U.S.

"Reaching this remarkable moment is a testimony to the diligence and professionalism of our people, who devote their working lives to a company with a 'family culture,'" said Graeme Fraser, who is now CEO and president.