Plastics industry veteran Rick Shaffer has restarted his consulting firm InterTech Rx LLC in Chandler, Ariz.
Shaffer was most recently managing director of the western region of Westfall Technik Inc., a Las Vegas-based holding company that bought many plastics companies. Shaffer resigned that position in March. His background also includes executive positions at injection press supplier Netstal Machinery Inc. and the Flextronics HRS-Plastics unit.
His career began at Beloit Corp. in the late 1970s, followed by a long stint at Demag Ergotech USA.
Shaffer first founded InterTech Rx in 2010 to improve productivity and profitability for companies in the plastics industry. A focus now is on the issue of sustainability, and Shaffer sees increased demand for sustainability solutions for medical and packaging products.
Shaffer said many companies have cut back on internal resources and are missing know-how and experience, and he said his goal is to fill the gap.
Shaffer cited news reports about plastics in the oceans and throughout the environment. He is calling on the industry to move to zero waste.
"Too many of us think that embracing the principle 'reduce, reuse and recycle' alone will somehow change the situation. Greenwashing will not get it done," he said. "Technology is the key to productivity and sustainability. Having an objective, holistic approach is the only way to make a difference. It will cost money and it won't happen overnight, but we need to save our industry — in turn, we can help save the planet."