Kickstart: Retirement for 'a real global spokesperson'

Ulrich Reifenäuser is ready to step down after 25 years as a top executive of extrusion machinery group Reifenhäuser Group. But that doesn't mean the Plastics Hall of Fame member — once called "a real global spokesperson for plastics machinery" — is going to disappear from the industry.

Instead he "will continue his work in associations and committees within the plastics industry and will remain at the disposal of the Reifenhäuser Group as a representative and consultant with adjusted work hours," Karen Laird from our sister publication Sustainable Plastics writes.

Reifenhäuser's retirement as chief sales officer is part of a planned generational transition. Marcel Perrevort, previously a managing director at Reifenhäuser Blown Films, takes over the CSO position.

Ulrich Reifenhäuser's retirement joins a trend in the global plastics industry that has seen some established, high-profile executives such as Gerd Liebig of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and Glenn Anderson of the Plastics Industry Association also signing off from their jobs.

The medical end market has continued to show its strength even in a slow plastics industry in the U.S.

There have been investments for new syringe manufacturing, auto injectors and inhalers announced this year. Now Germany's Lindal Group is adding another production line at its plant in Columbus, Ind., to boost its output of nasal actuators.

"The new line boosts the company's capacity to meet rising market demand and offers valuable improved lead times for customers, worldwide," Lindal said in a news release.

Plastics News' Sarah Kominek writes that Lindal says the actuators are among its most popular products. Also, branding a nasal dispensing closure product as "Pinocchio" deserves some special notice. (For the record, the company also has actuators branded as Cozy, Daisy, Henry and Shark along with more generic product names.)

Materials company Lubrizol Corp. says its workers contributed more than 6,600 hours of volunteer service during the second quarter of 2024 on projects ranging from beach cleanups in the Asia-Pacific region to soil restoration in Latin America and serving more than 600 meals during a food distribution program in North America.

The Wickcliffe, Ohio-based Lubrizol also had its first Global Month of Impact in June, when more than 1,000 employees served their local communities across 34 sites in 11 countries, it said in a news release.

"Collectively, we made positive impact on [more than] 230,000 individuals around the world through our impact pillars of education, health and sustainability," said Elizabeth Grove, vice president of public affairs.