Kickstart: A very big medical project

The coronavirus outbreak in China has led to a lot of demand for medical products and a massive construction project: the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital, built from the ground up between Jan. 23 and Feb. 3.

How did they build it so fast? With some prefabricated polyurethane sandwich panels, produced by Chinese supplier Jingzheng. The company's General Manager Yan Jian told Urethanes Technology International, a sister publication of Plastics News, that the company also supplied bathroom modules and pillows.

The company makes sandwich panel lines, suitable for both PUR and PIR, with up to six components and cyclopentane foaming technology, he said. Panels made by his company's machinery have been used in the hospital’s exterior walls as well as interior walls for the bathroom.

Jingzheng has resumed production at its headquarters in Xiangtan, in Hunan province, but is yet to restart operation at its second site in the city, company officials said.

Creators of The Ocean Cleanup got their start by focusing on sweeping up plastic marine debris in the Pacific Ocean. The last few months, though, have seen the Netherlands-based group focused on catching trash before it reaches the river.

The Ocean Cleanup's fourth Interceptor, which floats on rivers capturing trash for recycling, just left port headed for rivers in the Dominican Republic. Previous Interceptors were deployed to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Backers of Ocean Cleanup maintain that 80 percent of plastic marine debris comes from 1,000 rivers worldwide, and they have pledged to have Interceptors in those rivers by 2025.

Just when you think you know your material suppliers, they go and prove that they're looking at the best ways to evolve to meet the changing business climate.

Latest examples? Ascend Performance Materials' purchase of two Italian firms, Poliblend and Esseti Plast GD, from D'Ottavio Group to add both to its geographic footprint and more capabilities in recycled nylon content.

And then there's Ampacet Corp.'s acquisition of LIAD Weighing and Control Systems Ltd., a maker of feeders and blenders based in Israel. What does a compounder want with an equipment company? 

The acquisition "is all about color integration," Ampacet executive Doug Brownfield told PN's Frank Esposito. 

"We're a color and additives company, and this will allow us to better integrate our products into the manufacturing process," Brownfield said.

By the way, you can hear more from Frank about what's happening with materials suppliers during today's Polymer Point Live webcast, available only for subscribers.