minimized to reduce operating and maintenance costs, and optional electric injection is available. Second, the all-electric LSG-E, ranging in clamping forces from 35 to 950 tons, features high-stiffness platens with a 5-point toggle design for highspeed clamping and high-intensity injection Company officials said the LSG-E is well-suited for precision applications that include EV parts, and features include a 13 to 27 per cent increase in injection volume, and injection speed of 300 mm per second (mm /sec). For models ranging from 90 to 440 tons, there’s an extended tie-bar distance and extended daylight option available. And third, the LSG-H servo-hydraulic line, wit h oil lea k prevention, is available with clamping forces from 500 to 3,600 tons The machine features 1,000 mm /sec mold open and close speeds via a propor tional valve, and a quick-change bar rel and screw replacement system for the “Y” screw or smallest one, as well as “A” and “B” screw sizes In terms of consistency, LS Mt ron off icia ls sa id the mach ine has shown shot-to -shot pa r tweight deviation of just 0.07 per cent.
NPE2024 served as the global launch of Milacron’s new M-Series machine line, which company officials said features the largest clamp stroke available as standard in a midtonnage machine range with a compact footprint. A two-platen machine design ranging in clamping forces from 50 0 to 1, 250 tons, the M-Ser ies has increased the maximum mold weight carrying capabilities, offering capacity from 15,400 to 51,800 pounds Milacron officials said the machines have improved dry cycle times and supported strain rods, with tie-bar spacing from 36 2 by 36 2 inches
up to 61 by 47.2 inches. Maximum daylight range is from 72 8 up to 102 4 inches The machine is powered by Fanuc motors and drives, providing versatility and performance to meet the needs for a range of markets, including automotive, consumer goods, packaging, and custom technical pa r ts A nd the bidi rectiona l hyd raulic pump is engineered for rapid pressure control, they said, while maintaining lower maintenance costs The closed-loop system is also said to improve cycle precision and repeatability. Combining the ser vo motors with efficient hydraulic components gives the M-Series high repeatability with 4 to 60 per cent less energy consumpt ion compa re d to i nduct ion motor machines
Based on the company’s Elios machine, Netstal’s new Cap-Line 4500 IMM sports a new bar rier screw with a design that ensures higher plasticizing performance and better homogenization and allows the use of a smaller injection unit Netstal officials described the production system as the world’s first to brea k the 2-second mark running a mold with 128 cavities, with a cycle time of 1 9 seconds The company also said that while r unning the mold, the Cap-Line 4500 consumes about 12 per cent less electricity than competing machines operating with only 96 cavities The machine can also be enhanced with options such as the four-key Smart Operation control panel and adaptive system pressure reduction, which can increase energy savings
T he new N EX-V ser ies all- elect r ic machines from Nissei are equipped with t he compa ny’s new Tact 5 cont rol ler, designed for centralized management of
auxiliar y equipment, remote maintenance functions, and MES suppor t, along with a new standard screw designed to ensure plasticization stability. It’s said to have one of the widest platens and longest daylights in the industr y while maintaining t he i ndust r y’s sma l lest foot pr i nt T he Tact5 controller is designed to be Industr y 4 0 -ready with OPC-UA com munication protocol standard and Euromap 77 and 82 capabi l ities ava i lable, resp ectively, for integration with MES systems and with mold temperature control systems and hot r un ners. T he cont roller has a 15-inch screen with top and bottom dual windows. Nissei officials said this is also one of the first machines to confor m to the ISO20430 Un iversa l I njection Mold i ng Mach i ne Safety Standard Among other products, the machines which have clamping forces from 33 to 397 tons can be used to ma ke containers and medical goods At N PE 2 0 2 4, Niss ei u s e d a n 88 -t on N EX80V-9E unit to mold combs from a ma r i ne bio deg rad able p olyhyd roxya lkanoate-type polymer derived from cor n and cassava.
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In the liquid silicone rubber (LSR) space, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag introduced its SEEV-A machine with a built-in dosing unit and mold temperature control for greater regulation of the injection molding process. Each press comes standard with directdrive servo motors on clamping and injection movements, mold pa rallelism to ensure the mold is square and assembled correctly, front f low control to provide precision control to ensure consistent filling, interchangeable screw and ba r rels, and easy integration with automation in dedicated work cells to increase efficiencies
Tederic launched a number of new and upgraded IMMs at NPE2024, including its Neo EII hybrid-electric machine The second-generation mach ine, wh ich spor ts new drives and increased tie-bar spacing, is said to offer accurate, fast, and repeatable molding, with a best-of-both-worlds combination of electro-mechanical and servo-hydraulic movements This mixture reme d ies problem s t hat a l l- ele ct r ic machines experience with nozzle and ejector force, company officials said, and the
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integrated ser vo -hyd raulic power pack allows the inclusion of hydraulic core pulling The Neo Ell IMMs are clean, with minimal risk of hydraulic oil leakage, and capable of injection speeds of up to about 19 7 inches per second The IMMs also have intelligent features that include defect detection.
A nd Wit tma n n used the show to demonst rate its 4 0 Tech nologies, a nd energy saving oppor t un ities via Wit tma n n’s prop r iet a r y I M AG O xt s of t wa r e At it s b o ot h, a la rge - t on n a ge Ma c r oPowe r ser vo -hyd raulic mach ine with a n elect r ic
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meter ing motor molded a sun roof bezel f r om A x iom, ap ply i ng hyb r id-g r a d e recycled polypropylene f rom Tot a l Energies a nd r un n ing reg r ind f rom the process. T he new Feedma x Clea n with dust / f ines sepa ration conveyed mater ia l f rom the G -Ma x X L g ra nulator to the G34 blender, removing dust du r ing conveying, wh ich was ma naged f rom the M8 cent ra l conveying cont roller T he press applied Wit tma n n H iQ F low to account for a ny cha nges in resin viscosity P rocess cooling ca me via a Tempro Plus D L250 t emp er at u re cont rol u n it a nd a 2 0 - t on, a i r- c o ole d C o ol m a x ch i l le r. Fina lly, a W X153 robot removed pa r ts a nd, in pa r tnersh ip with Keyence, demon st r at e d how QR c o d es a nd ot he r impor ta nt data ca n be pr inted di rectly onto the pa r t
Pesin, regrind, and powders are the fundamental raw materials in the plastics industr y, and conveying them to the production equipment in your plant comes before ever y other manufacturing step –not in order of impor tance but in point of time, since maintaining the unifor mity of t he resi n mat er ia ls du r i ng t ra nsp or t ma kes ever ything else possible, and helps ensu re consistent qua l it y i n t he f i na l product So, you’d be smar t to treat the process with the respect – and attention –it deser ves If you want to stay in business, that is
T he re cent N PE2 02 4 t rade show ma kes it easier to do that. The expansive show f loor featured cutting-edge technologies and solutions across various sectors, materials handling and conveying among them Here’s a look at some of the equipment that was shown
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The MiVue Industrial Inter net of Things, or IIoT, package from ACS was on display to show connectivity capabilities to auxiliar y equipment, including conveying systems, blenders, granulators, chillers, temperature control units, control hoppers, and additive feeders New features and
modules recently added to MiVue include a job repor t module for lot tracking and quality accountability, a material usage module to track manufacturing material assets and cost, and a preventive maintena nce module to ensu re ma i ntena nce schedules are followed for each machine type The MiVue connection kits can be installed with new equipment, retrofitted with older equipment, and incor porated into custom system integration projects The MiVue cellular router connects injection molding and extr usion machines with auxiliar y equipment th rough secure and encr ypted data transmission and provides
analytics and cloud-based data storage MiVue users can connect just one asset –such as a blender, for star ters – and then connect other equipment to the platfor m as needs arise. The ser vice gathers data from their controllers and a router sends it th rough a cellular technology signal to the cloud, where it’s stored The data can then be accessed remotely nearly anywhere in the world on any device with an inter net connection MiVue will also send email and text aler ts to any web-enabled device.
New from BinMaster is the Siteview app, which shows all bin and silo material levels in multiple locations in one bulk inventor y repor t. This is a new addition to the company’s BinCloud software, which already allows remote multi-site monitoring with one login. The BinCloud radarsensor cloud inventor y system has various apps customized for different industries; ResinView is for plastics processors and recyclers and can be accessed anywhere there’s an inter net connection It ta kes data from level sensors and delivers it to the ResinView web application built on the BinCloud platfor m BinMaster staff ta ke care of the program updates, training, and ongoing suppor t to ma ke inventor y easy for the users
ensure that both screws are always optimally filled with material And the feeder’s trapezoidal shape means that up to six feeders can be easily grouped around an extr uder inlet
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Hamilton Plastic Systems’ Meridian conveying control system is designed to meet the most demanding applications and is completely expandable up to 24 stations in blocks of 8, with expansion modules that can be placed as far as 1,0 0 0 feet away from the master control The LCD
display provides on-screen prompts for program ming load times and other settings at each vacuum receiver. The system has an easy-to-set station priority feature that identifies which station or stations require pr ior ity, so that machines with higher consumption will never r un out of material And as a fail-safe, should a failure to convey material occur, each station will attempt conveyance th ree times, after which an audible and visual alar m will f u nct ion wit h st at ion id ent i f icat ion Finally, the control comes in a wide variety of control voltages, including 24 VAC,
Shaping Canada's Plastic Future:
Boost the performance of your injection moulding and polymer extrusion lines
110 VAC, and 220 VAC.
L oren z Conveyi ng P roducts showcased 2-, 3-, and 4 -way diver ter valves for va cuu m or d i lut e pha se conveyi ng, designed for powders, pellets or granules and available in straight or Wye (Y) conf ig u rations depending on t he abrasive qualities of the product. Available in sizes ranging f rom 1 5- to 12-inch schedule pipe and f rom 1 5- to 8-inch OD, the valves can be installed hor izontally or ver tically, and inlets and outlets can be aluminum, stainless steel or carbon steel Optional coupling connections enhance the f lexibility of the valve, Lorenz officia ls sa id, a nd double-acti ng, i nter na l mag net, cush ione d a i r cyl i nders a nd choice of solenoids allow for custom configurations The company recom mends an air-purge option when conveying powders in order to prevent powder from passing into the body cavity, resulting in valve failure
Mag ui re spotlighted a new blender called Fusion – a name that derives from
Experience unmatched performance and efficiency with the new BALINIT® MOLDENA: Engineered with superior abrasive and corrosion resistance, high hardness, and reduced sticking, for exceptional results in injection moulding and extrusion of filled polymers, and obtain superior wear protection and reduced friction with BALINIT® DYLYN for plastics processing
the fact that it mates the controls of the WSB gravimetric batch blender with its MGF line of gravimeter feeders With Fusion, the feeders can be stacked under, or remote to, the blender and use a common cont roller, or the blender ca n be remote from the feeders – an innovative setup that enables additives or colours to be dosed directly at the th roat of the process while the blender focuses on dosing and mixing prime materials. “This brings key benefits for a processor,” said Fran k Kava nagh, vice president of sa les a nd marketing. “They maintain control of the entire dosing and mixing process th rough one control and gain the materials usage data to verify. Additionally, quick colour or additive changes at the th roat of the process a re enabled by the removable hopper of the gravimetric feeder, allowing for sea m less p ro duct ion p ro c esses.” Fusion’s modula r design provides scalability with the addition of – or upgrade of – components, future-proofing the investment, Kavanagh continued “With over 150 mo dels of Mag u i re g ravi met r ic blenders and th ree sizes of MGF gravimetric feeders, Fusion offers a wide range of options and accessories to customize any application,” he said.
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Ta ilored for plastics processors in the medical and pha r maceutical industr ies, Motan unveiled a new F DA-compliant G ravicolor 110 med g ravimet r ic batch dosi ng a nd m i x i ng un it for i njection molding, blow molding, a nd ext r usion applications The unit is in compliance with F DA 21 CF R requirements for conveying plastic granulate and has electropolished stainless steel and F DA-approved plastic interior surfaces Pneumatic cylinders control its ver tical slide valves at high speeds for the highest possible accuracy, and its hoppers can be fitted with cylinders boasting a 50 -millimeter (m m) stroke for high th roughputs or a 25-m m stroke for lower th roughputs and higher accuracy. Specially developed ver tical slide valves dose and mix up to four different components precisely and with the highest recipe accuracy. The integrated and improved IntelliBlend analysis function records the recipe, material, and operating
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environment, and documents all process data. With the help of this function, Motan officials said, the user achieves continuous self-optimization of the system and consequently the best possible operating point with the highest recipe accuracy and consistent product quality And than ks to event-ba s e d log g i ng, a l l pa r a m et e r changes are stored in a control repor t and can be subsequently evaluated Novatec int roduced a new conveying tech nology that a ims to give processors more power, f lexibilit y, a nd f inesse to convey mat er ia ls wit hout t he ne e d to oversize the system. Ca lled the I n f in ity vacuum pump, Novatec off icia ls sa id the pat ent-p end i ng t e ch nolog y t r a nsc end s t r a d it io n a l va r i a ble -f r e q u e n cy d r ive induction motor tech nology – wh ich has long been the sta nda rd in the indust r y –a nd instead incor porates adva nced in novat ions i nspi re d by t he pre cision a nd eff iciency of elect r ic veh icle ( EV) technology. At the core of the I n f in ity ser ies is t he I n f i n it yD r ive m ag net ic mot or, wh ich doesn’t use the t raditiona l belts a nd she aves t hat of t en c ont r ibut e t o ma intena nce a nd operationa l ineff iciencies I nstead, it uses Novatec’s own I PMSyn R M motors or igina lly conceived to power EVs eff iciently to ach ieve a n operationa l ra nge that extends f rom 35 to 150 per cent of rated capacity T he I n f inity ser ies a lso includes a cr itica l feat u re t hat Novat e c dubs “Lud ic rous mo de,” wh ich automatica lly detects blockages in the conveying lines a nd delivers a shor t, cont rolled bu rst of power at 150 per cent capacit y to clea r the obst r uction, ensu r-
ing continuous operation without interr upt ions Couple d wit h Novat e c’s A Id r iven F X3 cont roller, the I n f in ity-bra nd pumps a lso sa feg ua rd mater ia ls by effectively reducing resin st ress by precise c ont rol of a i r velo cit y, volu m e, a nd speed, Novatec off icia ls sa id, m in im izing impact a nd ther ma l da mage to both the resin a nd the components of the conveying system “By modulating a i r f low to move at t he opt i m a l velo cit y, t he I n f i n it y ser ies not on ly preser ves t he integ r ity of the resin, but a lso extends the lifespa n of the system components,” they sa id.
Piovan UnaDyn’s FACS 4 E is a centralized distributive I/O conveying control system that uses ethernet connectivity for direct machinery interfaces for monitoring and control of dryers, central dryer units, blenders, and silos. Using the Windowsbased platform, FACS 4 E is simple to install and operate, company officials said, and has full graphic displays that show all component functions and device indication Extensive input screens are available for all device pa rameter settings, and equipment groups are assembled in proximity to the main PoE switch, to operate the local-a rea machines. Remote PoE switches can be added to the non-PoE network to provide additional I/O points in a remote area using star network topography All changes are logged, and event and ala r m histor y repor ts a re available on demand, selectable by production range Alarm visualization is provided with dedicated annunciator panel, configurable to the selectable component conditions
The Signature Series vacuum conveyors from Vac-U-Max on display at the show were billed by company officials as a quick and easy “plug-and-play” solution for conveying powders, pellets, f la kes, and pigments to processing lines from dr ums, bulk bags, totes, bag dump stations, inter mediate bulk containers, and more Systems are available in the 150 0 Series for conveying rates from quantities as small as handfuls up to 1, 50 0 pounds per hour, or the 350 0 Series for conveying rates up to 3, 50 0 pounds per hour Each five-par t “plug-and-play” system includes a pickup wand, conveying hose, vacuum receiver with automatic pulse filter clean-
ing, vacuum producer, and U L-listed controls, company officials said
Wittmann’s Feedmax CL (Clean) central vacuum receiver has been specially developed to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of the circular economy and the resulting increase in plastic granulate containing dust – and Wittmann officials said it can separate 5 times the nor mal quantity of undesirable dust and fines from regrind, with a separation rate of up to 80 per cent that can be achieved in a single conventional material loading cycle, depending on par ticle size The Feedmax CL comes with an inf low chamber and a vor tex cleaning chamber separated from each other by a self-fixating, removable cone T he soph isticated way in wh ich the g ra nulate f lows into the vor tex clea n ing cha mber generates continuous mater ia l ci rculation, compa ny off icia ls sa id, with a suction device that separates the undesi rable dust a nd f ines f rom the plastic mater ia l A nother specia l feat u re of the Feedma x CL dust sepa rator is the remova l of dust f rom the enti re feed qua ntity over the whole mater ia l feed time A nd when necessa r y, the pa r ticle sepa ration result ca n be improved even f u r ther by lengthen ing the cycle time. B O K
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Ii ke ever y ma nufact u r ing sector, the plastics indust r y has a long list of do -it-you rself ( DI Y ) success stor ies, with ma ny of today’s la rgest, most dom ina nt compa n ies having beg un as sta r t ups in someone’s basement or ga rage
So, it’s no su r pr ise t hat t he et hos ha s c rosse d over i nto t he relat ively new f ront ier of so cia l me d ia. A ca se i n p oi nt is a p o dca st ca l le d T h a t Pl a s t ics G u y L au nche d i n Ja nua r y, t he p o dca st is – i n t r ue DI Y fa sh ion – w r it t en, host e d, re corde d, a nd uploade d by one p er son: Ku r t St a h le, t he ow ner a nd president of Ba r r ie, O nt -ba se d resi n sa les a nd d ist r ibutor Si mco e Pla st ics Lt d Wit h a new episo de ava i lable ever y t wo we ek s, t he shows r u n b et we en 10 a nd 35 m i nut es each, a nd a r e a m i x of i n du st r y o b s e r va t io n s, i nt e r v iews, p r o du c t lau nches, t e ch n ica l i nsig ht s, a nd some gener a l busi ness a nd e conom ic rep or t i ng. A nd despit e b ei ng a new ent r y i nto t he ver y comp et it ive – a nd i nc rea si ngly c rowde d – u n iver se of pla st ics-relat e d p o dca st s, T h a t Pl a s t ics G u y ha s caug ht on qu ick ly, a nd is cu r rent ly r a n ke d nu mb er t wo over a l l by t he Fe e dsp ot cont ent reader websit e.
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2 011. T he f i r m’s prem ier pa r t ner is Monst er Polymer s I nc., lo cat e d i n Honey Ha rb ou r, O nt , of fer i ng For mosa p olyolef i ns a nd st y ren ic pro duct s, a mong ot her s It a lso sel ls O nt a r iosou rc e d colou r a nt f rom Poly t en I nc., lo ca l ly-pro duc e d pu rge comp ou nd, a nd sever a l pro c essi ng add it ives. A nd consu lt i ng, cont r act ma nu fact u r i ng, a nd e qu ipment sa les a re new add it ions to t he compa ny’s p or t fol io a s of t h is yea r.
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T h at Plastics Guy is the bra inch ild of Sta h le a nd a tea m of consult a nts he bega n work ing with last yea r. “I en listed them because I wa nted to increase Simcoe Plastics’ reach a nd ma inta in its releva nce, a nd the f i rst idea that we ca me up with was doing a podcast as a mea ns to promote the compa ny a nd sha re indust r y k nowledge,” he sa id Sta h le was receptive to the idea, in pa r t, because h is backg round includes public spea k ing as well as plastics. “I took elocution lessons as a k id, wh ich teaches the sk ill of clea r a nd expressive speech, especia lly of distinct pronunciation a nd a r ticulation, so I had a f ra mework for ta l k ing on a podcast,” he sa id “T he cha llenge for me, act ua lly, was going f rom a polished spea k ing style to a more conversationa l, in for ma l tone in the podcasts ”
T he rea son why isn’t ha rd to u nder st a nd: St a h le def i n it ely k nows what he’s t a l k i ng ab out. “I’ve b e en i n t he i ndust r y professiona l ly si nc e 1986, wit h t he major it y of t hat t i me sel li ng t her mopla st ic resi ns,” he sa id “My b eg i n n i ngs go back f u r t her, to work i ng at my fa m i ly’s custom mold i ng shop i n K it chener, O nt , st a r t i ng when I wa s 15 My work exp er ienc e i ncludes ha nds- on mold i ng, mat er ia ls ha nd l i ng, ma nagement of pro duct ion, pu rcha si ng, i n for mat ion t e ch nolog y, customer ser vic e, a nd sa les a nd ma rket i ng.” A f t er a ca re er t hat i nclude d a 12-yea r sa les p osit ion wit h A Schu l ma n Ca nad a, St a h le
With the podcast idea in m ind, step two was acqui r ing the necessa r y equipment. “T h is was the on ly big expense involved in the whole project,” Sta h le sa id “I bought a Rode podcast k it, wh ich is a n a ll-in- one production solution that includes a fou rcha n nel m ixing boa rd, m icrophones, st udio a r ms, a nd h ighqua lity headphones,” he sa id “It’s a ll set up in a st udio room in my house, wh ich is where I record the shows ” T h i rd, Sta h le had to select the r ight platfor m to upload h is podcasts to, f rom the myr iads of options ava ilable. “I looked a round a nd f ina lly chose Buzzsprout, wh ich is a podcast host-
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ing platfor m for non-techy people,” he sa id. “It’s designed for begin ners a nd hobbyists, is ver y easy to use, a nd a lso ver y inexpensive – it sta r ts off with no cha rge a nd then, once you decide to keep uploading, it costs on ly about $12 per month.”
Fou r th a nd last is the process of act ua lly recording, a nd then uploading, a podcast episode A key to a successf ul podcast – perhaps the key, Sta h le says – is set ting a schedule a nd then stick ing to it. “T he exper ts a ll say that posting podcasts reg ula rly is the best way to build a n audience, a nd I th in k they’re r ight,” he sa id “I post a new podcast ever y second Monday, even if it’s not a lengthy episode. T he goa l is to be reg ula r.”
As mentioned above, Sta h le’s topics r un the ga mut, a nd ca n be either monologues or inter views – the lat ter recorded with the guest over the telephone – on un iversa l topics li ke energy conser vation; or subjects closer to home, such as Ca nada’s new Federa l Plastics Regist r y “I wa nt the show to have as broad a n appea l as possible, so I don’t deliberately focus on Ca nada, but I’l l i nclude Ca nad ia n content when it’s releva nt,” he sa id. Sta h le a lso uses T h at Plastics Guy as a tool to promote some of Simcoe Plastics’ own product offer ings “We recently signed a Nor t h A mer ica n dist r ibution dea l for a water-soluble resin developed in I ndia, a nd the woma n who created the tech nology has been a guest on the show, ta l k ing about the product a nd its application uses,” St a h le sa id.
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I ncreasingly, audience feedback helps point Sta h le towa rds new content ideas. “A listener suggested doing a ‘Tech Tip Fr iday,’ so I recorded a n episode on gate placement that was wellreceived, a nd it’s been a reg ula r podcast feat u re ever since, a nd I’ve used it to discuss living h inges, pu rging, a nd melt f low,
a mong other subjects. P u rging was a multi-pa r t ser ies, so I ca n a lso use the segment to create sma ll stor y a rcs ”
Once a n episode is recorded, Sta h le uploads it to h is computer, where – if necessa r y – he ca n per for m editing a nd f ix a ny sound problems; a nd then uploads the f in ished podcast to Buzzsprout “From there, Buzzsprout pushes it out to the Apple Podcast, Spotify, a nd Google Podcast platfor ms,” he sa id
Sta h le believes he’s found a podcast for mula that works for h im “I’m su re I’ll keep f ine-t un ing the show, but I pla n to keep the ‘Tech Tip Fr iday’ segment, wh ich hopef ully provokes some ‘A ha’ moments for listeners,” he sa id. “For the ma in podcast, I pla n to continue discussing econom ic issues, indust r y legislation, tech n ica l issues, a nd products f rom Simcoe Plastics I th in k these fou r pilla rs a re a good foundation to suppor t the show going for wa rd.”
T he goa l is to ma ke the podcasts as interesting a nd accessible to as ma ny people as possible, St a h le sa id, a nd so fa r, it seems to be work ing. “I have listeners f rom a ll over the world, wh ich rea lly su r pr ises me,” Sta h le sa id “A f ter 6 months of doing the show, I have about 30 0 followers, a nd the number is t rending upwa rds with ever y episode. T here a re ver y specif ic statistics ava ilable showing the number of listeners per episode, per day, per month, a nd what count r y they’re in, a nd I get the sense f rom these that the audience size is about to sta r t g rowing exponentia lly, wh ich is ver y exciting ” BOK
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Fn the latest chapter in what’s becoming a genuine Canadian success stor y, EcoPoly Solutions I nc , a n O r illia, Ontbased film ma ker known for its 10 0 per cent recycled raw mater ial products, is investing $32 million to enhance its manufacturing plant and create almost 90 new jobs
Said to be the first full-ser vice plastics laborator y and manufacturing facility in the world, EcoPoly Solutions uses an inhouse plastics recycling system to produce bio deg rad able pla st ic pro duct s, f rom bread bags to poly tubes, for a range of industries It produces agricultural film, can liners, and food and industrial packaging products.
Dema nd for its products has been growing in recent years and, according to K ristan Rynard, the company’s chief sales officer, EcoPoly Solutions will use the investment to acquire new equipment and automation with the goals of increasing production capacity and competitiveness in the Nor th American market “We’ve already implemented enhancement with new resea rch, new e qu ipment, new employees, new products, a nd product relaunches,” she said
In suppor t of this most recent investment, the province of Ontario is providing more than $3 5 million in funding th rough the Southwester n Onta r io Development Fund (SWODF) of the Regional Development Program, which is meant to help manufacturers in Ontario grow.
And the SWODF funding comes on the heels of a $5-million investment in Eco-
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Poly Solutions made by the federal gover nment in September 2023, to help add 50 new jobs a nd boost its production capabilities.
Add it all up and it’s no wonder the innovative fir m feels ready to conquer new markets.
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EcoPoly Solutions – which operates out of four plants, with several hundred employees – has roots that go back to 1991, with t he foundi ng of Polyet h ics I ndust r ies, which specialized in manufacturing polyethylene (PE) film and bags from 10 0 per cent recycled materials for the consumer and industrial markets. “Polyethics was star ted with a singular objective: to utilize 10 0 per cent recycled material to produce h ig h- qu a l it y ga rbage bags,” K r ist a n Ryna rd said This is the nor m for the industr y today, she noted, but Polyethics was the first manufacturer to do this – and
took it several steps fur ther. “We are the fi rst manufacturer to use 10 0 per cent recycled material to create 10 0 per cent degradable products, and we did it while keeping our prices competitive and without sacr if icing per for ma nce,” she sa id “Star ting from scratch, here in Orillia, we have become competitive globally ” I n 20 01, t he founder of Polyet h ics, Tony Gulmen, sold his company to Derek Rynard. “Tony looked for th ree things in a buyer: to maintain the vision of sustainable manufacturing, to keep jobs in Orillia, and a big hear t,” K ristan Rynard said. Fast-for wa rd to 20 08 a nd the E coPoly Solutions subsidia r y was created, dedicated to resea rch and development and wit h a laborator y in Newma rket, Ont “Under EcoPoly Solutions, we specialize in manufacturing and developing environment a l ly f r iendly PE f i l m a nd bags,” K ristan Rynard said “Our products offer a sustainable solution without compromis-
THIRT Y-FIVE YE ARS AND COUNTING
Rhe main ingredient of success for bigbox stores is t hat it’s a ll ava ilable under one roof, and usually for less money than elsewhere. The many customers of K BC Tools & Machiner y can relate to that
Founded in Detroit in 1965, K BC Tools – or Kabaco Tools, as it was known then – began as a catalogue house selling surplus tools to the metalworking industr y at a discount. Since then, the company has grown th rough acquisition, by opening bra nch locations, a nd has become a n inter national supplier of industrial metalwork ing tools and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) needs, supplying tooling from more than 60 0 manufacturers to approximately 20,0 0 0 clients. The company has a footprint in both the U S and Canada, with its Canadian operation, K BC Tools & Machiner y Canada, celebrating its 35th anniversar y this sum mer, having opened its doors on Aug 1, 1989, in Mississauga, Ont. – with branches in Oldcastle, Ont , and Delta, B C , soon following The company also has American locations in Sterling Heights, Mich.; Elk Grove Village, Ill.; and Fuller ton, Calif. K BC Tools supplies cutting tools, indexable tooling, f luids, work holding, abrasives, measur ing and inspection equipment, toolroom accessories, hand tools, shop supplies, power and air tools, and machiner y from OEMs; and offers its own proprietar y branded machiner y and tooling lines
Founded by Karel Bass, the U.S. was K BC Tools’ initial focus, but Canada was always on the radar “My father had clients in the Windsor, Ont., area, and spent a lot of time there on business,” sa id Paula Bass, Karel’s daughter and K BC Tools’
president since 1993, having joined the fir m in 1990 The impetus to establish a per manent base in Canada – rather than parachute tools in from across the border – came after the U S - Canada Free Trade Agreement was signed in Januar y 1988, with the goal of eliminating all tariffs on trade between the two countr ies “Our Canadian customers had been asking us to open a location here for years, and once the t rade agreement was in place, my fat her st a r ted t h i n k i ng, pla n n i ng, a nd ma king it a reality,” Paula Bass said
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W hen K BC Tools first came to Canada, Paula Bass said, it was the first company in the industr y to have a priced catalogue, which at the time was a new method for pricing and selling tools in this countr y. “We’ve always been primarily a catalogue house, but we’ve now moved into being a digital catalogue house,” she explained. “We launched our first e-com merce site in 20 0 0, and it’s become ver y strong ” The
compa ny a lso op erates a sp eci f ica l ly Canadian website “The website ma kes it easy for buying tools after hours, or for those not near a Canadian branch to order their tooling,” Paula Bass said Finally, K BC Tools also offers its own mobilefriendly app for ordering. “The app allows barcode readings from any of the 10 0,0 0 0 products purchased from us for conven ient order ing a nd reorder ing, a nd it’s available from the App Store and Google Play,” said company vice president David Zagar
Not all the company’s business is done online, however “Some clients will often travel from great distances to visit one of our branches, just to talk with our staff members a nd get pu rchasing advice –especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of customers seem to value that personal contact,” Paula Bass said “Clients can pick up their goods in the 24/7 lockers in Mississauga or have orders sh ipped directly to their facilities from a K BC Tools location ”
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K BC Tools has huge inventories of stock in all its branches and central distribution centres, and has been around long enough to have lear ned the right ways for managing it “A good inventor y system star ts wit h good housekeepi ng,” Paula Bass sa id. “Ever y t h i ng shou ld b e clea rly labelled and identified with precise bar coding, and in a specific location; and storage should be centralized in the most economical way to manage inventor y and allow for inspection, repair, and reordering.” She also cites some lessons lear ned during the pandemic, during which K BC Tools remained open as an essential business. “The pandemic exposed bad habits in the supply chain environment – poor planning, inefficiencies, and more – that had been covered by deep inventories and shor t deliver y cycles,” she said. “For us, it reinforced the impor tance of buying in advance and securing pricing and inventor y early to escape supply chain issues; and to develop an alter native product list ahead of time, avoiding the panic related
to long deliver y ti mes for f i rst- choice items ”
And the inventor y stocked by K BC Tools has def in itely cha nged over t he years, as technology itself has changed “We star ted off in 1965 selling custom ver nier calipers, but don’t move many of those anymore – instead, we sell large numbers of digital calipers,” David Zagar said. “Overall, we have a nice blend of products: from basic tools for hobbyists to the latest cutting-edge tooling and equipment for the most demanding manufacturers For some tooling machiner y and e qu ipment, t here’s a rea l d i f ferenc e
between the quality and depth of selection of what’s available in big-box stores and what you can get from an industrial stocking MRO supplier like us.”
K BC Tools is also a W BE-cer tified company in Canada and a W BENC-cer tified company in the U S – in other words, at least 51 per cent owned, managed, and controlled by women – in accordance with Women’s Business Enter pr ise Nationa l Council (W BENC) guidelines. “More and more buyers needed that validation from us to be included in their Tier 1 and Tier 2 diversity spends, especially customers in the automotive industr y,” Paula Bass said. As it celebrates 35 years in Canada –and closes in on 60 years in business overall – K BC Tools sees big oppor tunities a head “T here a re so ma ny synergies today for our global customers to be able to negotiate pricing based on their total spend, so that we can pass benefits on to all of their locations,” Paula Bass said “Our goal is to keep growing our national account business while also suppor ting our traditional client base ” BOK
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