30th anniversary … front page news circa 1989

Plastics News' inaugural issue was months in the making. Senior reporter Bill Bregar was part of the original team.

Mexico correspondent Stephen Downer was also a part of the original team.

Rich Williams has been our cartoonist from the very first issue.  His work is always spot on and remains relevant, just check out this cartoon from March 1989.

O'Sullivan Films Inc. is currently listed in Plastics News’ film and sheet manufacturers ranking at #55, and is now a division of Continental AG.

Four out of four. Recycling news was on the front page of all four of Plastics News’ March issues. In 2018, there were 233 recycling stories posted on www.plasticsnews.com.

Fast forward: How about an all-plastic automotive engine from Belgian chemical specialist, Solvay Group.

M&Q Plastic Products Inc. is now part of Delfingen US Inc.

Ball Corp. sold its packaging business in the America's to Amcor Ltd. in 2010.

AEP Industries Inc. was picked up by Berry Global Inc. in 2017.

Blast from the past. Before flash drives and the cloud, there was the polystyrene floppy disc and then polycarbonate compact discs.

Today, Wellman Advanced Materials makes our recyclers and brokers list at #14 with an estimated 190 million pounds of material reprocessed annually.

BeginAgain Toys of Fort Collins, Colo., now makes a John Deere brand of heavy equipment play products.

In 1992, Plastics Recovery Inc. was granted a U.S. patent for a trash bag for recyclable waste.

In January 2018, Suffolk County instituted a 5-cent fee for plastic and paper bags. Its Single-Use Plastic Reduction Task Force currently has new proposals to reduce plastic and styrofoam waste.

Akron Blow Molding utilized a modified Ossberger-Turbinenfabrik machine to make complex parts not previously blow molded.

Pricing for recycled polystyrene hit a high in July 2014 at 78 cents per pound according to Plastics News’ historic pricing data.

In 2012, sister publication Rubber & Plastics News reported that GenCorp Inc. sold its automotive reinforced plastics division to Cambridge Industries Inc.

According to Flight International, the last Starship was produced in 1995. Beechcraft is now a brand of Textron Aviation.

Beaconhouse Capital Management LLC has acquired the Willowbrook, Ill., operation originally known as Borse Plastic Products Corp.

U.S. Center for Marine Conservation data showed plastics accounted for 62 percent of debris collected in 1988.

Elastomer Engineering Inc. was founded by the Brunkhorst family in 1978 and today is still in Sioux City, Iowa, with David Brunkhorst serving as president.

United Press International Inc. reported Toshiba Machine resume sales in the U.S. in 1992. The company now has its North American headquarters in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

According to the American Chemistry Council, today's vehicles are approximately 50 percent plastics by volume.

The 2018 Plastics Industry Association's Plastics Market Watch report on building and construction says the demand for plastics in that market is set to grow as the material’s benefits make it the optimal choice for a broad range of applications.

In 2016, C&J Industries Inc. became 100 percent employee-owned company.

According the to the Glass Packaging Institute's website, 33.2 percent of all glass containers were recycled in 2015. According to the American Chemistry Council, 29.2 percent of post-consumer PET containers were recycled in 2017.

MoistureShield Inc. the new name for Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc., now owned by a subsidiary of CRH plc, is listed in our recyclers and brokers ranking at #28 with 100 million pounds of plastic reprocessed in 2018.

Stoesser Industries Inc. merged with Gordon Manufacturing Co. Inc. in 2002 and operations moved to Santa Rosa, Calif. In 2008, the company was acquired by SMC Ltd., which sits at #31 in our injection molders ranking.

A 1998 fire destroyed the original Brighton, Mich., location of Thermofil Inc. The company was acquired by Asahi Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. in 2000.

Spartech’s plants and division have 11 separate mentions in our processor rankings.

The global injection molding machine market size is anticipated to be valued at $22.45 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc.

Plastics News reported the closing of the Center for Plastics Recycling Research Center at Rutgers in 1996 due to budget reasons. The university continues material research today. https://amipp.rutgers.edu/research

M.A. Hanna merged with Geon and became PolyOne Corp. Plastics News has 75 mergers and acquisition stories online that reference PolyOne.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. plans to recycle 85 percent of its annual waste by 2020.

Markwort Sporting Goods acquired the C-Flap from inventor Robert Crow.

Detroit Plastic Molding founder Michael Ladney passed away in April 2015.

Bunzl plc spun off its profile extrusion unit in spring 2005. It is now part of Spectrum Plastics Group and is in our injection molders ranking this year at #106.

This story reported stereolithography machines went on sale in mid-1998 at $185,000. Today Amazon sells mini machines for under $1,000.

Cascade Engineering, which held the sole U.S. production license for the Cinpress II process, debut in Plastics News’ injection molders ranking in 1990.

News from K'89. Plastics News will produce show daily newspapers from K 2019 in October.

By the end of 2020, Ben & Jerry’s has committed to finding an alternative to clear plastic cups, plastic-lined cups and plastic lids.

In 1997, Crown Packaging UK Ltd. was granted a U.S. patent for an oxygen-scavenging system. Crown Cork acquired Carnaud-Metalbox S.A in 1996. Rick Folland, at then CMB Packaging, helped develop Oxbar.

Orthopedic Devices Market size was valued at $42.7 billion in 2018, according Global Market Insights Inc. website.