Kickstart: Machinery acquisitions not quite a trend, but definitely a meme

There's a meme that's been circulating on social media lately based on the animated TV series Phineas and Ferb with a character noting that if he "had a nickel for every time [insert thing here] happened, he'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."

I think you could fill in that blank with "a Chinese company purchased a plastics machinery builder" for a very accurate, if niche, meme right now.

Maybe that's just a way to confess that I probably check my social media feeds more than necessary, but also a way to describe two big deals in the last few weeks.

In late December 2023, Plastics News’ Catherine Kavanaugh wrote about the purchase of Niigata Machinery Co. Ltd. by a subsidiary of China’s Haitian International Holdings.

And this week, PN's Jim Johnson writes that Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH, the German maker of extrusion blow molding machinery, has been purchased by Suzhou Jwell Machinery Co. Ltd.

Neither sale is necessarily unusual. Kautex, based in Bonn, Germany, has been restructuring since declaring insolvency in August 2023. Jwell already makes plastics machinery, including for blow molding.

In the Niigata sale, it and Haitian had collaborated previously, and its parent company already had spun off the injection molding operation about a year ago.

But still. It's a bit weird that it happened twice.

How does New York City's push to clean up the trash on its streets impact plastics molders?

When it requires businesses to invest in containers such as bins and rolling carts rather than tossing trash bags onto sidewalks.

"Some of the bigger cities nationwide are starting to put out [requests for proposals] for curbside bins, so that's continuing to grow as an industry," said Christina Keller, CEO of Cascade Engineering Inc., a maker of trash and recycling carts and other large injection molded items, in a Q&A with our sister paper Crain's Grand Rapids Business.

New York isn't the only big city to upgrade its trash disposal requirements, but it's a high-profile one. Starting March 1, all New York businesses must use a trash cart rather than a basic bag. That follows a 2023 requirement that any businesses handling food had to switch to bins. The issue is that bags are more unsightly when piled up on streets. And when they break, they lead to more rubbish spilling out over roads and walkways, not to mention being a draw for rats — a big incentive for New York Mayor Eric Adams.

The Plastics Industry Association is looking for the business leader who "personifies the values" of its former CEO for its annual William R. Carteaux Leadership Award.

Nominations are open through Feb. 2 for the person representing "unity, dedication, perseverance and selflessness." Carteaux led the Washington-based association from 2005 until his death in 2018. The group created the award in 2020.

The award is open to employees at every level of a plastics company, not just senior leadership.

The award will be presented at the Plastics Hall of Fame event May 5 in Orlando, Fla., prior to the start of NPE.