Kickstart: PVC joins the Space Force

The newest branch of the U.S. military will use plastic to set itself apart, with the U.S. Department of Defense's Institute of Heraldry picking PVC rather than an embroidered textile for uniform patches.

In an article and video for the online site DoD News from the defense department, Tom Casciaro, chief of the institute's technical and production division, said that the intricate design details on the Space Force patch couldn't be duplicated with traditional textile and embroidery. PVC already had been used in unofficial "morale patches" used by the Space Force, however, prompting the institute to look into a molded patch instead.

The next complication was that no U.S.-based makers of uniform patches used PVC — and the DoD is required to use U.S. suppliers. When some of those suppliers agreed to buy needed equipment, though, the DoD signed on.

Switching to PVC also allowed the department to improve the look of the U.S. flag patch worn on Space Force uniforms. Vinyl has a cleaner look, so the stars look sharper, Casciaro said, and it doesn't require a border like the embroidered patches do.

The institute has produced PVC insignia for 21 Space Force units and it expects to complete it for the remaining 45 units by the end of the fiscal year.

Every family-owned company must face this question at some point: What if the next generation isn't interested in running the family business?

That prospect had been in the background of planning for Milwaukee-based Fredman Bag Co. for several years. In 2016, President Tim Fredman — the fifth generation to run the company since it was founded in 1889 by Abraham Fredman — talked about the issue with PN's Steve Toloken.

He has four children, but as of seven years ago, they were all working as engineers or studying engineering, with none of them expressing interest in taking over the company.

"It's a decision I will have to wrestle with over the next few years," he said in 2016. "That is a possible tipping point that the company has not experienced, as it has always been run by a Fredman."

Now the flexible packaging company has been sold, with Summit Plastics Inc. — backed by private investor LongueVue Capital — buying it to add to its product offerings and geographic presence, PN's Jim Johnson writes.

Even without a Fredman at the helm, Tim Fredman said the deal will support employees, customers and suppliers while providing the company with the potential for growth as part of a bigger business.

New York City is about to limit the number of plastic utensils and other foodservice products handed out to consumers.

City lawmakers voted Jan. 19 to approve a bill requiring restaurants, food delivery apps and other online delivery businesses only provide single-use items such as utensils and condiment packets if they're requested by the customer.

In a news release from environmental group Oceana, an Overbrook Foundation report found that in 2016, New York City paid nearly $42 million to deal with disposable foodservice items.