Canadian Plastics September 2013

CanadianPlastics www.canplastics.com

SEPTEMBER 2013

The auto industry is

RED HOT! But will Canadian parts suppliers

GET BURNED?

TOY STORY Mega Brands is back on top PACKAGING REPORT Alpha Poly Packaging’s forward motion

70ERthSARY ANNIV SUE IS rate We celeb cial e with a sp ustry d plastics in ble roundta

K 2013

PREVIEW

See it here first

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contents

Canadian Plastics SEPTEMBER 2013 VOLUME 71 NUMBER 4

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cover story 14 AUTOMOTIVE UPDATE: Hot times?

The global light vehicle market is roaring back, bringing work for Canada's automotive suppliers for years to come, right? Not so fast. They just might be in for the race of their lives.

in every issue 4 Editor’s View: Are you ready for the auto recovery?

5 Ideas & Innovations: Trawling for a packaging industry first 6 News: • Custom molder Niigon Technologies closes amid Schad, Husky legal wrangle • Too many Canadian firms aren’t innovative, and it’s hurting: surveys • Supplier News & People 10 Executive’s Corner: Our special 70th anniversary roundtable discussion 38 Technology Showcase 46 Plastics Data File 46 Advertising Index 46 Classified Ads

features 20 PACKAGING REPORT: Alpha Poly Packaging’s capital ideas After 23-plus years of constant reinvention and reinvestment, is this Ontario-based flexible packaging supplier finally ready to relax? Given that the family-run firm just spent $3.5 million to expand and buy new capital equipment, we're guessing not.

PLUS: A new report forecasts industry growth.

26 K2013 PREVIEW: What’s new, now New processing machines and other technologies were on early display at a three-day K Show preview event in Düsseldorf in June. You weren't there; we were. Here's some of what we saw.

32 DOING IT BETTER: Mega Brands lays building blocks for growth With sales soaring, the once-troubled Montreal toy manufacturer is investing, expanding, and reshoring from China.

50 Technical Tips: Determining maximum mold cycle counts

01-6797-CON-Cover-7"wx2.25"h_Layout 1 8/15/13 9:04 AM Page 1

Visit us at www.canplastics.com

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editor’s view

Canadian Plastics magazine reports on and interprets develop­­ ments in plastics markets and technologies worldwide for plastics processors, moldmakers and end-users based in Canada.

Are you ready for the auto recovery?

W

ho would have thought, just a few short years ago, that 2013 would be a good time to be an automotive supplier?

Cast your mind back to the dark days of February 2009, if you dare: North American vehicle sales had fallen to the lowest level in 28 years, with every major automaker reporting significant declines despite discounting their vehicles by an average of $2,900.

Cut to today. Market analyst IHS Automotive projects that automakers will build 16.1 million cars and trucks in North America this year — up four per cent from 2012, and a ten-year high.

For Canada’s automotive sector, it’s good news, to say the least; maybe even better than the recent birth of George Alexander Louis Windsor to a Royal watcher. And it will likely get better still. At a Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM) dinner meeting in Toronto in May, auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers forecast an “historic” wealth of new work that will be up for bids to North American auto parts molders and moldmakers. In service of post-recession pent-up consumer demand, DesRosiers said, automakers will launch approximately 70 new vehicle models each year for the next five years, compared with about 40 all-new vehicle models launched each year before the auto slowdown and recession. While we can argue about what constitutes “new” — is it a completely new vehicle launch or just a facelift on an existing model? — it’s hard to deny that the market just got a lot healthier. (How healthy? We discuss this in our Automotive Update feature that begins on pg. 14.) And it’s more than just unit growth; the auto industry is poised to pick up business from OEMs looking to cut vehicle weight to satisfy upcoming CAFE regulations.

That’s not to say, of course, that unit growth won’t be good in and of 4

itself. “Each one of those new models will need new molds for new exteriors and interiors, including new body moldings, new fascia, new lighting, new electronics, and new under-the-hood parts,” DesRosiers said.

In the final analysis, almost all auto parts factories are currently running “hot” — two of the Big Three automakers are operating at more than 100 per cent capacity and the third is close to capacity.

But before you start pricing your new beachside vacation villa on Maui, there’s a problem ahead — and stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

According to DesRosiers and others, the manufacturing sector — and the mold, tool, and die industry in particular — is nowhere near the employment level it should be to take advantage of the automotive growth. In 2006, for example, there were 27,626 workers in the tool, die, and machining field, according to Statistics Canada, a number that plummeted to 18,597 in 2010.

“By 2012, the employment base had grown to about 19,800 workers, which was still far short of where the industry had been,” DesRosiers told the CAMM meeting. “Employee numbers are gutted, and as a result Canada’s tooling industry may not reap the full benefits of the anticipated demand.”

Don’t ask me where you’re going to find extra workers if you need them... but you’re going to have to find them from somewhere, if you want to get the most out of this recovery. Maybe it’s just a simple question of old fashioned human capital investment. As DesRosiers put it, “Now is the time to take risks, to hire those young workers who are going to need three to five years to develop their skills.”

So, is the Canadian automotive sector ready for the resurgence? We’d better be, because — bet on it — competitors in weaker global markets are going to be swarming in like the proverbial flies at a barbecue.

www.canplastics.com EDITOR Mark Stephen 416-510-5110 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: mstephen@canplastics.com ART DIRECTOR Andrea M. Smith PRODUCTION MANAGER Steve Hofmann 416-510-6757 E-mail: shofmann@bizinfogroup.ca PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright SENIOR PUBLISHER Judith Nancekivell 416-510-5116 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: jnancekivell@canplastics.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Greg Paliouras 416-510-5124 Fax: 416-510-5134 E-mail: gpaliouras@canplastics.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden 416-442-5600, ext. 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 E-mail: amadden@bizinfogroup.ca EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tim Dimopoulos VICE PRESIDENT, CANADIAN PUBLISHING Alex Papanou PRESIDENT, BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP Bruce Creighton HEAD OFFICE: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto ON, M3B 2S9. 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-5134 CANADIAN PLASTICS is published 7 times a year by BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services.

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Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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ideas & innovations

thinkstockphotos.ca

Trawling for a packaging industry first

I

t sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. What do you get when combine a Belgian cleaning product maker, a Spanish plastic packager, and scores of British fishermen? Answer: quite possibly an entirely new type of sustainable and recyclable plastic bottle.

In what’s being called a world-first for packaging, Belgium’s Ecover cleaning product supplier is collaborating with Spain-based rigid plastic container maker Logoplaste to combine plastic retrieved from British shores and waters off the North Sea with a plastic made from sugarcane — called “’Plant-astic” — and recycled plastic.

The Plant-astic material comes from sugarcane harvested to produce sugar, and then fermented and distilled to produce ethanol. The ethanol is then dehydrated to create ethylene, which is polymerized into Plant-astic.

Ecover is also working with the industry-led Waste Free Oceans initiative and the U.K. recycling plant Closed Loop to recruit British fishing communities on the North Sea to collect plastic. Boats outfitted with special equip-

ment will be able to collect between two and eight tonnes of waste per trawl for cleaning and recycling, while other fishermen will collect plastic debris mixed with by-catch and deposit it at special collection points. The sorted waste will then be sent to Closed Loop’s recycling plant in Dagenham, east London, where it will be processed and turned into the plastic for the new bottles.

The project certainly doesn’t lack for material floating around. According to the Marine Conservation Society, plastic debris accounts for almost 60 per cent of all litter found on U.K. beaches, while much of it ends up in the sea. The scale of the problem was highlighted in a recent study by scientists who found a sperm whale that died off the coast of Spain last year had a stomach full of flowerpots, hose pipe, and nearly 30 square metres of plastic greenhouse covers.

At present, Ecover is unable to give details of how much plastic would be retrieved or what percentage of “sea plastic” would be used in the packaging. “We don’t have a definitive figure on the amount we will retrieve — we’re just hoping to get as much as is possible and give fishermen an incentive to join the initiative and help clean the seas,” said Ecover chief executive, Philip Malmberg. “We want to get the sea waste in as much of our packaging as possible — it will always depend on the amount and quality of the plastic they have managed to fish.”

Trials have already begun on the exact mix of the three plastics that will allow the brand to deliver what it claims will be the first ever fully sustainable and recyclable plastic. Products made from the packaging are scheduled to go on sale next year.

CPL

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news

Custom molder Niigon Technologies closes amid Schad, Husky legal wrangle iigon Technologies Ltd., a custom molding venture on the Moose Deer Point First Nation reserve near Georgian Bay, Ont., closed in mid-August, caught in the crossfire of a legal battle between plastics pioneer Robert Schad and his former company Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. MacTier, Ont.-based Niigon had been in business since 2001, molding a variety of parts for customers in Canada and the U.S. The 22 worker-strong company was one of the few manufacturing plants owned by aboriginals in Canada.

Schad was instrumental in Niigon’s creation. At its founding, and under Schad’s direction as Husky`s controlling shareholder, the company was stocked with loaned, leased, or purchased Husky machinery.

Schad sold Husky in 2007, and returned to the industry a few years ago as the founder of Vaughan, Ont.-based injection molding machinery supplier Athena Automation Ltd. Schad is charging that Husky told managers at Niigon that it was pulling out its injection molding machines as the result of Schad’s Athena Automation venture and its December 2012 partnership with Italian blow molding supplier SIPA SpA to make a system for molding and blowing PET performs. “My reaction is that Husky is getting back at me,” he said.

Husky filed a lawsuit in May against Schad, SIPA SpA, and other associates, seeking more than $100 million in damages for allegedly violating confidentiality agreements with the launch of their new venture. The claim alleges that Schad

Photo Credits: Niigon Technologies Ltd.

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“improperly” used his position on Niigon’s Board of Directors to obtain confidential information about new Husky machine prototypes shared with the First Nation’s plant. Schad and his partners have filed a counterclaim denying the allegations.

According to Schad, his Schad Foundation charitable enterprise — which has longstanding ties to the Moose Deer Point reserve — is funding a large portion of the approximately $4 million in costs associated with the Niigon shutdown, including severance payments for the workers.

For its part, Husky was quick to deny the charge of score-settling, saying that the company is committed to protecting its inventions and knowledge, and that its litigation against Schad involves Niigon. “Husky has provided significant financial and technical support to Niigon over many years and regrets that its relationship with Niigon has ended in these circumstances,” Husky vice president and general counsel Michael McKendry wrote in an email published in the Globe and Mail. CPL

PLASTICS PIONEERS HONOR THEIR OWN

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n June 5, the Canadian Plastics Pioneers organization turned out in force in Mississauga, Ont. to shine the spotlight on some long-serving industry members. Glenn Billinger, Martin Hofton, Dennis Merlin, Gavin Watt, Bill Wheeler, Stan Walsh, Joe Whiteley, and Nelson Wright were presented with “Half Century” citations to signal 50 years of involvement each; and Marion Axmith, Gord Burgess, and Rod Nonato were given “Quarter Century” citations, signifying 25 years of involvement each.

Canadian Plastics Pioneers president Douglas Winter and Marion Axmith.

Photo Credit: George Rundans

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news

Too many Canadian firms aren’t innovative, and it’s hurting: surveys O nly about one-sixth of Canadian firms adopt an innovation strategy that focuses on competing in international markets, according to a survey conducted by the Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for Business Innovation.

But it definitely pays to do so: those firms that do expand into competitive global markets outside of North America earn between 10 to 30 per cent more net income than similar firms that use other approaches.

According to the accompanying report, only 14 per cent of Canadian firms surveyed make territorial expansion the focus of their innovation strategies, while more than half pursue a user needs-driven innovation strategy, and approximately one-third adopt a technology-driven innovation strategy.

The majority of survey respondents said that innovation funding presents a challenge. Cash from within an operation or from the corporate headquarters is the most frequent source, followed by government funding. In addition, firms that look to expand their markets/territory make more use of internal financing and less use of government funding or private equity than do firms with user- or technology-driven innovation strategies.

“It’s not clear if use of internal cash is by choice or by constraint,” said Michael Bloom, who leads the Centre for Business Innovation. “In any case, it’s interesting that neither private equity nor government financing is more readily available for territorial expansion, given the fact that the companies with such innovation strategies achieve higher average financial performance than other firms do.”

The survey also found that the most prevalent challenges for innovation include lack of funding, organiza-

tional culture, poor innovation training, fear of risk, lack of executive focus, and lack of innovation measurement; and that there’s a strong correlation between the intensity of innovation efforts and company performance, but only if innovation activities are well managed.

And there’s independent evidence suggesting that lack of innovation is hurting Canada’s image as a place to do business: a lack of innovation, coupled with too much red tape, continues to be a barrier for doing business in Canada, another new Canadian survey has found.

According to the 2013 Executive Opinion Survey conducted by independent think-tank World Economic Forum (WEF), those Canadian business leaders who responded see the usual suspects — inefficient government bureaucracy, and a lack of innovation — as the main obstacles to doing business in Canada.

According to WEF, Canadian business leaders indicated that the five most problematic factors for doing business were inefficient government bureaucracy, insufficient capacity to innovate, limited access to financing, an inadequately educated workforce, and tax rates and tax regulations.

Overall, 16 per cent of Canadian business leaders identified inefficient government bureaucracy as a problem — the only country that ranked this factor as frequently as in Canada was Italy, according to the survey results.

An insufficient capacity to innovate was identified as a problem by 15 per cent of Canadian business leaders. Two items, “inefficient government bureaucracy” and “access to financing,” have been ranked by Canadian business leaders as top problematic factors for the past five Executive Opinion Surveys. CPL

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FOR YOUR NEXT INJECTION MOLDING MACHINE,

GET SMART

news

SUPPLIER NEWS — Unionville, Ont.-based machinery sales firm Dier International Plastics Inc. has been appointed as the exclusive agent for KraussMaffei injection molding machines and automation in Ontario.

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— Exeter, Ont.-based downstream extrusion equipment maker Adescor Inc. has been purchased

by Unicor GmbH, a German manufacturer of pipe corrugating equipment. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Unicor’s Tony Kime will run the Adescor business as president; Adescor’s previous president, Bill Kime, has retired but will be available as a consultant for the company.

— Mississauga, Ont.-based hot runner temperature control systems maker AceTronic Industrial Controls Inc. is the new Canadian distributor for mold component supplier Progressive Components, which is headquartered in Wauconda, Ill. Progressive Components president Glenn Starkey and AceTronic president Kim Thiara.

— Shanty Bay, Ont.-based resin supplier Simcoe Plastics Ltd. is the new Ontario sales agent for SPB Bio Materials’ “Ekstend” line of bio-mass filled plastic compounds. SPB Bio Materials is located in Peterborough, Ont. — Advanced Blending Solutions LLC, of Menominee, Mich., has been appointed as the exclusive Canadian distributor for Italy-based auxiliary processing equipment manufacturer Moretto SPA.

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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news

PEOPLE — Testing instrument maker Mocon Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., has named Rich Barrett as North American sales manager for its Mocon and Dansensor-branded lines of testing solutions.

— Pawtucket, R.I.-based material supplier Teknor Apex Company has named Christopher Cooper as market manager of its thermoplastic elastomer division.

Rich Barrett

— Germany-based extrusion equipment maker Reifenhäuser Group has named Steve DeSpain as president of its U.S. division, Reifenhäuser Inc. Also, Frank Ohidy has been named service manager, responsible for leading the North American team of service technicians; and James Snell has joined the company as project manager for North America. Reifenhäuser Inc. is located in Danvers, Mass.

Jon Ratzlaff

— Mississauga, Ont.-based coordinate measuring machine maker Mitutoyo Canada Inc. has named John Dewar as its new sales manager.

Christopher Cooper

— Germany-based blown film equipment maker Kuhne Group has named Adolfo Edgar as vice president, blown film systems. Edgar is based in Mississauga, Ont.

Vijay B. Boolani

— Madison Heights, Mich.-based mold technology supplier DME has named Stephane Huot as its new field sales representative for Quebec.

— Burlington, Ont.-based Stanmech Technologies Inc. — the master distributor for Leister Process Technologies in Canada — has named Jamie Martin as technical sales representative in the Prairies and Western Canada. Martin is located in Calgary, Alta.

John Dewar

— Newtown, Conn.-based trade association the Society of Plastics Engineers Inc. has named Jon Ratzlaff as its new president for the traditional one-year term, and Vijay B. Boolani as its new president-elect to replace Ratzlaff next year.

Jay Sachania

— Injection molding machine and automation maker Engel North America has added Jay Sachania to the automation group division at its York, Pa. headquarters.

Adolfo Edgar

— Germany-based extrusion and downstream equipment manufacturer battenfeld-cincinnati has named Kurt Waldhauer to the new position of group vice president, global accounts.

Kurt Waldhauer

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executive’s corner

Q&A PARTICIPANTS:

Canadian Plastics magazine and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) both turned 70 years young this year. To celebrate, we gathered three of the CPIA’s heaviest hitters together for a no-holds-barred discussion of our industry’s present and possible future.

Q

AMIR KARIM Vice president, business development with Polykar Industries Inc., chair of the CPIA Board of Directors.

How would you assess the current state of Canada’s plastics industry, and are you comfortable with the recovery so far?

AK: From talking to people in the business, my sense is that conditions aren’t overwhelming great, but they’re not overwhelmingly bad, either. Some companies are doing well, some not, but overall there’s movement upwards. For the most part, I think it’s more positive than negative. In my own business sector, there are challenges. Parts of our business are doing well, parts aren’t, which is the way it’s always been. There are opportunities we can see, and we’re trying to capitalize on them. That’s a function of dealing with materials, on innovating on products.

There’s equipment that we have to buy to become more efficient and streamline our operations. We’re trending approximately on track with last year.

PC: Our industry represents $20 billion in sales, and 80,000 jobs around the country. It’s a massive contributor to the economy. Companies that have invested in training and modernization seem to be growing again, and I think that’s the recipe for success for the industry going forward.

CAROL HOCHU CPIA president and CEO.

A

Q

W hat steps do you think are necessary for recovery in some of the weaker sectors?

AK: The businesses that are struggling tend to be the commodity businesses. They’re having a tougher time not necessarily because of Asian imports, commodity price fluctuations, or labor issues, but because of scale: the North Americanization of the economy and manufacturing base. As Canadian companies, we’re competing against companies in the U.S. that are 10 times our size: they have buying power and distribution networks that are overwhelming compared to ours. The challenge for companies that are on the commodity side is to try to build scale, to compete against these larger companies, many of which will be coming to Canada to compete head-tohead. And that means investing in new equipment, in training, and in running a lean operation.

P C: The idea of innovation is critical, in packaging and other sectors, in order to differentiate your

A

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Q

PAUL COHEN President of W. Ralston (Canada) Inc., past chair of the CPIA Board of Directors, 2012 CPIA Leader of the Year.

product. You have to bring new products, new concepts, and new processes to the market. It’s even more of an issue because, as Amir said, our marketplace is becoming bigger because of the North Americanization process currently underway. Customers are becoming larger because our economy is being pushed by the Americans, and as they do that they’re often more allied with their American suppliers than the Canadian suppliers. To compete, you have to bring something new and innovative to the marketplace, no matter what segment you’re in. Those companies that are doing so are doing reasonably well.

CH: When we ask our member companies what CPIA can do to help them grow, they tell us that they need help getting access to skilled labor, which isn’t just a plastics industry challenge. Many also say we need a better image of plastics, period. We’re working to repair that.

Which sectors do you think show particular potential for growth in the years to come?

AK: The auto industry is making a strong comeback, especially in Ontario; the suppliers are enjoying good growth. The construction industry is also healthy.

It’s a diverse group of industries that are enjoying growth again.

PC: And also the resin producers. There’s a sea change going on in North America as relates to the supply of raw materials, in which North America is going to come very close to matching the low-cost capabilities of the Middle East in supplying some key resins. Some of that will take place in Canada — in Alberta, obviously, but also in the Sarnia, Ont. area. Given how often resin pricing comes up as the most important and biggest expense that processors have, I’m curious to see how the Canadian resin industry will grow over the next five years.

AK: The competitive edge that Canada is going to develop in raw materials production might well result in a significant boom in exports, because we’ll have the cost competitiveness from a raw materials

A

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CPLSept13 p10-11 Exec Corner.indd 10

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Q&A

who also have the skills to deal with a high level of automation. Perhaps the problem is that if you’re technically savvy, you don’t think about working in a manufacturing plant. If there’s a silver lining in this situation, it’s that, in many shops, labor is diminishing as a percentage of the manufacturing cost, and this can make them more competitive.

point of view. It’s not unreasonable to believe our industry will become a large plastic goods exporter within the next decade or so.

Q

What do you see as greatest threats Canada’s plastics industry faces going forward?

AK: At the end of the day, how we deal with endof-life plastics will be a huge factor in determining the growth of our industry. If you look at countries around the world, it’s very hard to recycle more than 20 to 30 per cent of all plastics that are thrown away.

I believe the ultimate solution to end-of-life plastics is energy recovery.

P C: I differ slightly, in that I’d suggest that energy recovery is part of the ultimate package of solutions.

You can only get energy recovery if you’re doing a good job on mechanical recovery.

AK: Yes, there’s a mechanical recovery component, but I think the balance involves advocating for energy recovery. CPIA participates in a number of forums to advocate for energy recovery; it’s a major focus of the organization. Canada currently trails Europe in this area, but I think we’re ahead of the U.S. CH: The North American Plastics Alliance — called NAPA for short — has been in place for two years.

It’s a formal alliance between CPIA, the Society of the Plastics Industry, and the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council. We collaborate in five or six key arenas, and recycling is one of the biggest.

PC: NAPA is a good example of how the industry can pull together and do more with less. Five years ago it wasn’t on anybody’s radar, but various people realized that we have to do a better job of talking amongst ourselves. We used the words “North Americanization” earlier; here’s the North Americanization of a PR campaign to deal with global forces. It allows CPIA members to become more indirectly involved in the global market.

A

Q

Q

A

How real is the hype surrounding reshoring?

A K: From what I hear anecdotally, it’s definitely happening, and on a permanent basis. Personally, I think offshoring was driven by a huge differential in the cost of raw materials. That gap has narrowed dramatically, and when you combine the logistical cost of bringing product back here with the growth of automation in North America and the subsequent drop in labor costs, we’re back to a more or less even playing field. Add to that the ability to be closer to your customer and supplier, shorter lead times, and quicker turnaround of cash flow, are the result is this repatriation of production. I think it shows that some of the market anomalies and disruptions of the past few years are dissipating.

PC: I’ve had conversations with customers who are interested in my supplying them with products they were previously getting from Asia, but it isn’t exactly a wave yet. The point is, the supply side of the market is leveling off. From what I’ve seen, part quality in Asia has gotten better, but Asian manufacturers are also interested in supplying their own markets. A lot of these companies don’t care as much about North America as they did 20 years ago because they have their own growing middle class to service.

A

A re you particularly worried about a skilled worker shortage in the future?

PC: The skilled labor shortage is no myth — it’s real and it’s happening now. My company has manufacturing facilities in Alberta and we faced it there. In Ontario, the workforce is getting older and, for a variety of reasons, it’s not easy to find people who want to work in a plastics processing operation, even though we pay good money. We have to look at automation as a way of coping with this challenge.

AK: The nature of the labor we require is changing, too. Twenty years ago, plant labor was manual work; today it involves dealing with computers, programming recipes. We don’t need physical laborers today, we need people who are technically savvy. The challenge is to find young people who are interested in working in a manufacturing environment, but

executive’s corner

Q

W hat do you consider to be the industry’s biggest strengths going forward?

CH: Without doubt, our ability to innovate in products and processes.

AK: I’d say it’s our access to new markets. The fact that Canada might be set to become a major exporter of plastic goods is a real opportunity. I also think there is opportunity as we try to build scale in some more commodity-type businesses — there is opportunity for consolidation, and that will be reflected in a very different looking landscape in the near future.

PC: I’d agree on the consolidation point. There are also many, many good people in Canada making plastics products, and we shouldn’t shortchange that. I think that if the legislative landscape opens up and allows the competitive, entrepreneurial spirit that’s always been a part of this sector to flourish, there’s no telling where we could go.

C H: Right. There’s a long tradition of Canadians excelling in the plastics sector, and with the landscape opened up to let us do what we have to do, I’m confident we can flourish.

CPL

A

www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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advertorial

Thirty years

of putting the customer first This year, AceTRONIC celebrates 30 years in business.

From its beginnings in the basement of the founder, the company has grown to be a well-respected supplier of hot runner temperature controls systems, water temperature control units, cables, MRO items, and mold components. It offers a unique blend of manufacturing, distribution and service.

The secret to the success of this family-run business has been an unswerving dedication to customer service.

“We have customers that have been with us since our first year in our family’s basement,” says company president Kim Thiara.

Kim’s father Harb Mushiana started AceTRONIC in 1983.

He named the company AceTRONIC Industrial Controls.

“Ace” for the highest card in the deck (and because it’s the beginning of the alphabet) and “tronic” for electronics.

Harb had immigrated to Canada from England where he worked as an instrument technician with British Airways.

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AceTRONIC founder Harb Mushiana in the original business premises in his family’s home.

During the recession in the early 1980s he was laid off and experienced great difficulty in finding employment.

His wife suggested he try to get jobs on his own repairing instruments. He started knocking on doors at plastics processing companies and found lots of work repairing temperature controls.

Harb earned the respect of customers by doing an honest job at a fair price. As time went on, his customers asked him to order parts like relays and switches as well as handle their repairs. Thus began the evolution of AceTronic becoming a distributor as well as a repair shop. After a decade of establishing a reputation, AceTRONIC was able to attract some premium lines, such as RKC Instruments temperature and process controls and Mold Control Systems, Inc. hot runner temperature controls. At this point, the business outgrew his basement and Harb moved the company into an industrial unit in Mississauga.

AceTRONIC started out with MRO items, but manufacturing hot runner temperature controls took the company in the direction of auxiliary equipment. Explains Kim Thiara: “We manufacture our own hot runner controls, rather than having them name-branded. Because our units are not off-the-shelf, we can offer our customers more affordable customization and shorter lead times.”

Moving into the manufacture of its line of Thermocline water temperature control units was a natural evolution from hot runner controls. AceTRONIC’s temperature control units are simple to use and do not require extensive training for the operator.

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Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPLSept13 p12-13 Acetronic Advert.indd 12

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advertorial

Kim Thiara, President and John Thiara, Operations Manager, at AceTRONIC’s booth at this year’s Plast-Ex show.

About fifteen years ago, AceTRONIC found an unfilled market niche and started manufacturing custom cables used to connect an injection mold to a temperature control system. When a custom injection molder gets a new mold to run, the cable connections on the mold do not always match up with the connections on the temperature control unit. Having AceTRONIC make custom cables enables the molder to run the new mold with their existing control system and is a lot less expensive than buying a new temperature control unit.

“Custom cable manufacture is fundamental to my Dad’s way of doing business,” says Kim. “He always thought about ways to help the customer and decrease their cost.”

Kim began working part-time in the business in the early 1980s and joined the company full time in 1990. She and her husband John bought the business in July of 2008. Kim is company president and John is operations manager.

The following year, AceTRONIC moved into a new and larger facility. This gave them more warehouse space and allowed them to keep more stock on hand for quick delivery.

Since Kim took over the helm, there have been some significant additions to AceTronic’s product line. It is now a distributor for Gefran, a leading manufacturer of sensors, components, systems and drives, and for Slide Products, a big name in mold releases, mold cleaners, rust preventatives, lubricants and purging compounds.

Early this year, AceTRONIC was appointed exclusive Canadian distributor for Progressive Components, a major manufacturer of mold components for injection molds, blow molds and die casting. The team at Progressive continuously strives to be the

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leader in supplying the tooling industry. With a foundation in the mold business, they feel a responsibility in providing continued excellence. Progressive is a family business, run by brothers Glenn and Don Starkey. The product line and business values are both a great fit with AceTRONIC. All of the products and services offered by AceTRONIC are aimed at the same market niche. “We don’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none. We will never be a catalogue store. We only bring on lines that complement our core skills,” says Kim. The newest product line will be water manifolds, to be manufactured in North America for AceTRONIC. There’s also growth in physical space and equipment.

The company recently took on an additional 1,800 sq ft unit in their industrial building to use for warehousing.

They’ve also installed more machinery to automate the cable assembly process so they can respond quickly to customer requests.

Kim is understandably proud of her company, and grateful for the help they’ve received along the way: Thank you to all our friends in the industry — our loyal customers, partners and business associates — we couldn’t have done it without you.”

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www.acetronic.com www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

CPLSept13 p12-13 Acetronic Advert.indd 13

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13-08-21 10:07 AM

automotive update

RUNNING

HOT?

The global light vehicle market is roaring back, bringing work for Canada’s automotive suppliers for years to come, right?

Not so fast. They just might be in for the race of their lives.

By Mark Stephen, editor

14

thinkstockphotos.ca

H

ow good a time is it to be a North American automotive parts supplier in 2013? Not quite on par with being a water bucket vendor during the Great Fire of London in 1666, maybe, but close. How about being a Canadian auto parts supplier? This is where it gets iffy.

As the world slowly pulls out of the worst recession since the 1930s, global light vehicle assembly is expected to reach 81 million units in 2013, an increase of 2.3 per cent compared to 2012, according to Autofacts, the automotive analyst group of PwC. Autofacts forecasts annual global light vehicle assembly to reach a whopping 101 million by 2017.

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automotive update

North America and Developing Asia-Pacific markets are driving most of the growth, but dig a little deeper into other data, and talk to other sources, and you’ll uncover a number of mixed signals at more regional levels — Canada, for example. In fact, it’s no great exaggeration to describe the situation, from the Canadian point of view, as shaping up to be one of those epic good news/bad news deals.

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ON FIRE Let’s start with the good stuff. According to Toronto-based auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers, new vehicle sales in North America should return to previous peak levels by 2016 — possibly even 2015 — and should reach new record high levels the entire second half of the decade. As DesRosiers told a Canadian Association of Mold Makers gathering in May, the industry is currently “on fire”: two of the Big Three automakers are running at more than 100 per cent capacity — meaning they’re using a lot of overtime — and the third is close to capacity. And it’s not all about unit growth; the industry is poised to pick up business from OEMs desperate to cut vehicle weight to improve fuel economy. “Before the auto slowdown in 2009, the North American auto industry launched about 40 all-new vehicle models each year,” DesRosiers said. “This year, it will introduce 74. And for the next five years, auto industry watchers expect about 70 new vehicles each year — and not just refreshed models, but all-new models.”

DesRosiers forecast annual vehicle sales of approximately 19 million in North America by 2015, which is a higher estimate than that of others. “There’s no doubt that capacity is being added in North America, and we believe that the next decade will see a return to 2002-levels of production — very healthy, but not necessarily historic,” said Bill Wardle, global vice president of sales and marketing for Magna Exteriors and Interiors. Wardle said that Magna, based on industry sources, expects 2015 light vehicle production volumes of about 16.7 million units in North America and 12.8 million units in Western Europe.

The U.S.-based Center for Automotive Research, meanwhile, places the annual light vehicle sales rate for 2013 at 15.4 million in the U.S. alone, climbing steadily to 15.9 million in 2016 and 16 million in 2017.

Whatever the precise numbers, no one denies that a big recovery is underway. But how much is due to satisfying the proverbial post-recession pent-up demand? Maybe a lot, some say. “The average age of the fleet has gotten significantly older over the past few years, there’s greater pressure to replace these vehicles, and we’re returning to an economic situation — low interest rates and significant improvements in fuel economy — in which it’s viable to do so,” said Steve Rodgers, president and CEO of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association. “And even if a vehicle isn’t particularly old, new connected car features, such as parking apps and foot operated tailgates, gives the con-

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automotive update

sumer the incentive to buy a new model, especially given rising used car prices.”

BIG CHILLS Okay then, what are the downsides? First, there’s always the possibility that the sales projections just won’t hold. In spite of expectations, for example, light vehicle sales actually fell three per cent in Canada in the first two months of 2013 after hitting the second-highest level on record in 2012.

Nor is there much impetus for Canadian sales to grow this year and next, according to Toronto Dominion Bank economist Dina Ignjatovic. “Lacklustre employment growth, a softening in the housing market, and high consumer indebtedness is expected to constrain light vehicle demand over the next two years,” she said. Moreover, the fall in Canadian sales in February was broad-based: Honda Canada Inc., Kia Canada Inc., and Toyota Canada Inc. all reported double-digit declines, while General Motors of Canada Ltd.’s sales fell by a more modest two per cent.

And if the forecasts don’t hold, put at least part of the blame on what some are describing as an exaggeration of pent-up consumer demand. Fact is, while it’s true that consumers — young people in particular — want to buy new cars, they might not be able to afford to in a subpar recovery in which job creation has remained modest at best. Take the so-called miillennials — those born after 1980. According to Anthony Pratt, director of forecasting for Michigan-based automotive research firm R.L. Polk and Company, North American millennials have seen a 44.2 per cent decline in their net worth between 2001 and 2010, with their income plummeting an average of six per cent and student loan balances growing by a whopping 91 per cent. “Many young consumers are discouraged by the high cost of owning a vehicle, and those under 30 also are getting driver’s licenses at a lower rate,” Pratt said. “For those aged 16 to 19, insurance costs almost $3,000, or 15.5 per cent of this group’s median wage.”

A rise or fall in consumer demand doesn’t just happen, of course. Consumer confidence — and the auto industry along with it — rests in large part on the shoul-

ders of the U.S. economy; and no one knows if the American Atlas will slip, shrug, or sneeze anytime soon. “My biggest concern going forward is the health of the U.S. economy, which is still the global engine of growth, especially for North America,” said Gord Maidment, director of global marketing for Mississauga, Ont.based vehicle parts molder Woodbridge Group. “Other factors beyond our control that could have large, negative effects on our industry include natural disasters, like the 2011 Japanese tsunami.”

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SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT And there’s one last trouble spot on the horizon. However hot the North American auto industry gets in the next decade, not all Canadian auto parts suppliers are going to feel the warmth, as vehicle manufacturing continues it steady shift south.

“Despite the strong overall auto recovery, the 17 million units we may have in 2015 will be substantially different, from a Canadian perspective, than the 17 million units we had in 2000,” said Steve Rodgers.

“In 2000, NAFTA accounted for 30 per cent of global production; by 2016, that will be less than 20 per cent. In 2000, only 25 per cent of vehicles were produced south of the Ohio state border; in 2016, 50 per cent of those vehicles will be produced south of that border.”

Examples aren’t hard to find. General Motors recently announced plans to spend US$350 million to support new vehicle production at its Spring Hill, Tenn. assembly plant, an increase of US$167 million more than originally planned. And as of next year, Mercedes will start its popular C-Class sedan production at its plant in Vance, Ala. The C-Class will be the fourth model to roll off the Vance assembly lines, and Mercedes recently announced it would add a fifth, still unnamed model to its Vance production in 2015. “This is a significant development because, even though production is coming back to North America, some small and midsize Canadians parts makers are being shut out of the global platforms,” Rodgers said. “Our share of NAFTA production hit a peak in 2009, because we had a more stable banking system during the recession and better

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automotive update

economic fundamentals. But in every year since 2009, our share in NAFTA production has declined, and we believe this will continue until at least 2020.”

All of which isn’t to paint too bleak a picture; as Rodgers points out, most Canadian automotive suppliers are currently running at flat out production. And for those that don’t have the capability to offer a global platform, establishing a foreign partnership is the quickest way to do so — and it’s not too late. “Mexico is projected to add one

million units of new production capacity by 2018, for example, and there are partnerships available now because there aren’t enough suppliers in Mexico to meet that demand,” Rodgers said.

So the resurgence will pose challenges for Canadian automotive suppliers, in particular small and midsize molders. Are you ready? You’d better be, because the auto industry is hot and competitors in weaker global markets will be moving in to cook up some business.

CPL

THE VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD Four megatrends driving the global automotive industry

THE EUROPEAN UNION

DEVELOPING ASIA-PACIFIC

While assembly was expected to recover in 2013, industry analyst Autofacts is forecasting a year-over-year drop of four per cent to approximately 15.3 million units in EU assembly. The long awaited rebound is now not expected until early 2014 at the earliest, as Autofacts sees decrease in light vehicle assembly drop (-500k) in the first half of 2013.

New vehicle demand fell by 4.7 per cent in June, and 8.1 per cent year-to-date, while the light commercial vehicle sector continues to decline, with registrations down 7.3 per cent in May and 6.2 per cent for the first five months of the year.

Light vehicle sales showed strong growth in 2013 compared to 2012, with Developing Asia-Pacific delivering an increase of 2.24 million units. Particularly notable are SUVs and MPVs, up 45.1 per cent and 26.8 per cent, respectively, compared to last year. Although 2013 started off well for vehicle assembly, Autofacts is forecasting a modest 9.7 per cent growth in assembly for the full-year, and jumping to 13.2 per cent in 2014, despite global economic climate constraints.

NORTH AMERICA

R&D continues to grow as the industry approaches a new era of innovation and collaboration. Hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicle production accounted for roughly 2.8 per cent of global light vehicle assembly in 2012. This is expected to increase to approximately five per cent by 2017, as industry collaboration drives costs down and performance metrics are simultaneously improved. The development and integration of new technology into vehicles to improve safety, fuel efficiency (to meet CAFE standards), communications, and infotainment continues to accelerate.

18

Source: Autofacts

thinkstockphotos.ca

While the world waits for the recovery of the EU, North American sales and assembly increased through the first half of 2013, contributing 13.4 per cent to global growth.

The region is forecasted to contribute approximately 770 thousand units to the global top-line growth in 2013. One regional manufacturing trend sparking interest is the “three-crew” or “3-2-120” shift pattern (in which three crews work two shifts at 10 hours for six days a week) being implemented at select Big Three plants to help meet the excess demand, which allows for increased assembly utilization.

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packaging report

Alpha Poly Packaging Solutions’

CAPITAL IDEAS

A Fen-Tech wicketing machine and Fen-Tech side weld machine.

Operator Steve Bocca is all smiles manning a Uteco press.

After 23-plus years of constant reinvention and reinvestment, is this Ontario-based flexible packaging supplier finally ready to relax? Given that the family-run firm just spent $3.5 million to expand and buy new capital equipment, we’re guessing not.

T

here’s probably never a bad time to expand, but there are certain times when it feels just a little more exciting. Expanding after having survived the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression definitely qualifies — kind of like Muhammad Ali coming back to flatten George Foreman after weathering some tough rounds in the famous Rumble in the Jungle.

Alpha Poly Packaging Solutions doesn’t box, but the family-run, Brampton, Ont.-based company is as skilled in its field as the former Cassius Clay was in his. A leading Canadian manufacturer of polyethylene bags, Alpha Poly also offers flexographic printing and inhouse design capabilities along with converting and laminating, and produces printed roll stock, stock printed bags, resealable zipper bags, boutique bags, food packaging, pouches, and lawn and garden bags. It buys polyethylene, PET, and oriented polypropylene films for 20

conversion, and processes up to 100,000 pounds of film per week.

It’s a long checklist of activities, to which the company recently added another: a $3.5 million expansion, underway since March 2013. The investment includes the addition of a 20,000-squarefoot warehouse — freeing up more of its 30,000 square feet for manufacturing and office renovation — and a slew of new equipment purchases to support expanding business. The firm ordered a Miraflex AM 8 flexographic press from Lincoln, R.I.-based Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation (W&H) — giving it a total of two flexographic printing presses — and is also adding a new laminator from Nordmeccanica SpA of Piacenza, Italy, and a slitter from Deacro Industries Ltd. of Mississauga, Ont. It’s all in keeping with the company’s philosophy of reinvesting in itself to ensure state-of-the-art equipment and technology, and improved productivity.

Patrick Kerrigan, Alpha Poly’s general manager, put it in a nutshell: “We always say that if you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards.” It’s an adage voiced by umpteen other manufacturers, for sure. But here’s the thing: Alpha Poly is actually living it.

UP FROM INDUSTRIAL BAGS Alpha Poly was established in 1989 by the Kerrigan family as Alpha Polybag, a polyethylene bag producer for industrial sectors. “In the early days, we were primarily making bags for a small customer base, but we always looked ahead,” Patrick Kerrigan said. “We branched into food service packaging for grocery stores and commoditized packaging for restaurants, and quickly became a leader in pound food portioning bags right across Canada.” The acquisition of KCL Promotional Packaging from a U.S. firm in 2000 opened yet another door. “Picking up KCL

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packaging report

allowed us to double our sales overnight, and was also our introduction to the flexo-printing market,” Kerrigan said. “From there, the jump to running complex, high-end process print jobs, offering in-house design capabilities along with converting and laminating was a natural progression.” Natural enough that the company won a silver award in the Flexible Packaging category in the 2013 PAC Packaging Competition for its graphic design, structural design, and printing of Downey Potato Farm bags (see sidebar on pg. 22).

The company’s product range was sufficiently diverse to keep it busy during the global recession and, paradoxically, it didn’t run into trouble until the economic recovery was well underway. But it was the good kind of trouble. “We maxed out our existing flexographic press, needed a second, and decided to use that as the impetus for a rebranding, renovation, and expansion,” Kerrigan

New warehousing space.

said. A first step came early this year when the firm changed its name to Alpha Poly Packaging Solutions.

The renovation/expansion was another. “We added 2,500 square feet of new office space, moved our sales and marketing staff into an open-concept workspace, installed new men’s and women’s employee change rooms, and renovated the cafeteria,” Kerrigan said.

“We also added warehousing space, and

General manager Patrick Kerrigan checking product on the shop floor.

removed a series of subdividing walls in the manufacturing section to transform it into a single, wide-open area, offering us better manufacturing flexibility and better process flow from start to finish.” The extra warehousing space comes in particularly handy for this firm. “We stock over 300 products,” said Kerrigan. “This sets us apart, because we can sell cus-

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2. DESIGN IT. Downey was interested, but wasn’t sure what photographic image to apply to the bag. And then lightning struck. While dining at Bistro 77 in Alliston, Ont., Downey discovered that the restaurant used his potatoes on their menu. As part of a partnership agreement formed between the two, imagery of Bistro 77’s owner and chef Jason Klausen would be used on the Alpha Poly bags.

Alpha Poly supplied the photographer, who took a day’s worth of photographs of Chef Klausen posing with his potato-based gourmet creations, and three months later the farm was packing potatoes in the LDPE plastic bags complete with the photographic image Downey wanted.

“Trevor provided the direction and vision for the design of the package, and we put it together for him,” Patrick Kerrigan said. “Our impetus was to combine matte and glossy inks for a high-end look to help differentiate Downey bags from the competition by emphasizing the potato, while at the same time maintaining an organic feel.”

3. MANUFACTURE IT. Alpha Poly uses a Uteco Coral press that it recently upgraded with automated computerized viscosity control to optimize print consistency.

Working in line with a Volmpack 12000 six-head vertical filler, a Domino A-Series plus inkjet printer adds lot code data to closure tabs prior to placement onto polybags of potatoes. The polybags also contain cutout coupons for — surprise!

— Bistro 77.

Along with the six variants in photographic imagery, Alpha Poly produces two different sizes for Downey Potato Farms — a 1.5-mil thick LDPE polybag for five-pound packs, and a 2.25-mil polybag for 15-pound retail options.

4. BASK IN IT. The final step is probably the easiest: collect one silver award in the Flexible Packaging category of the 2013 PAC Packaging Competition.

New report forecasts

GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT

in the PLASTICS PACKAGING INDUSTRY

S

ometimes a change will do you good, and sometimes it won’t. A new report predicts that North American market demand for plastics packaging will be steady-to-better in the coming months and quarters, continuing a trend that’s been in place a long time — and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The report has been put together by Bill Wood, head of Greenfield, Mass.-based market analyst Mountaintop Economics &

22

Research Inc., and outlines some of the factors expected to shape the plastics packaging landscape in the months and years to come. “The report looks at the U.S. in specific, but because of the geographical and cultural proximities between the U.S. and Canada, and the fact that Canadians aren’t dramatically different in their consumption behaviours, the findings also hold true for Canada,” Wood said.

The report starts with the economy —

and the role of consumer spending, in particular. “In the U.S., the overall rate of expansion in the economy is about two per cent; it has averaged two per cent growth for the past four years, and will expand at that rate through the end of this year,” said Bill Wood. “In 2014, this pace is expected to accelerate to about three per cent, and the bulk of this growth will come from a rise in consumer spending. This will provide a welcome and gentle tailwind to the

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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1. IMAGINE IT. Just over two years ago, Alpha Poly first approached Trevor Downey, vice president of Shelburne, Ont.-based potato grower and vender Downey Potato Farms, wondering if he might consider using their strong, combination matte-glossy finish LDPE plastic bags to help the product better stand out on grocery shelves.

tom-made product to distributors all across Canada and the U.S. It almost doubles as a second company, and many of our customers of stock items will turn to us for laminated custom work.”

And into this revamped space comes the new equipment. Scheduled for installation in late 2013, the new W&H press is 52 inches wide, and equipped with a Turboclean automatic wash-up system, Easy Set HD for automatic impression setting and 3D plate topography, and Easy Reg S for automatic register setting. W&H claims it can run up to 1,300 feet per minute.

“We’re also moving into the multi-layer market with the new Nordmeccanica SpA laminator, which allows us to do reverse-printed work — laminating materials together for longer shelf life and the glossy, high-end look that all of our flexible packaging customers want,” Kerrigan said.

“Until now, we’ve dealt mostly in low-density polyethylene; we’re opening new doors for ourselves with multi-laminates.”

A midsize company with 50 employees, Alpha Poly works with similarly sized Canadian and American clients, pursuing these jobs while others in the industry focus on larger customers. And as much as the Kerrigan family likes it that way, there are signs that Alpha Poly is poised on the brink of its biggest change yet, as it eyes further expansion into the U.S. market in its constant pursuit of double-digit growth. “This is a pivotal time in the firm’s history,” Kerrigan said. “We want to add value to the products and services we offer to help coordinate our customers’ packaging under one roof.”

Given Alpha Poly’s Ali-like rise through the packaging ranks, we wouldn’t bet against them. CPL

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packaging report

market demand for plastics packaging in the coming months.”

So far, so good, but because packaging is such a high-volume, low-margin business, a gentle tailwind isn’t necessarily enough to ensure that plastics processors will be much more profitable. But there are other market forces that may prove to have a greater impact, and one of them is

the cost of resin. For most packaging processors, the cost of material is by far the largest portion of their overall manufacturing expenses. And according to the report, the outlook is mixed. “The price of resin is very near its all-time high, and it’s reasonable to expect that these prices will be pushed higher as market demand improves,” Wood said. There may be relief

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in sight, however. “Historically, resin prices have correlated closely with the price of crude oil, which has been the predominant raw material for resin makers,” Wood said. “But with the industry rapidly switching to natural gas feedstocks, the recent burgeoning of the domestic natural gas industry has resulted in a sharply lower price for gas compared to oil. At some point in the not-too-distant future, this will put downward pressure on resin prices.”

Another factor that will increasingly affect resin prices, the report said, is recycling. Recycling rates in both Canada and the U.S. are currently lower than in other industrialized countries, but many corporations — both large and small — are engaged in business and marketing campaigns aimed at pushing the rate of consumer recycling higher. “Many cities and towns across North America are also actively trying to enhance recycling rates through the use of public awareness campaigns, taxes, and outright bans on certain packaging products, and it’s possible that the ultimate result will be a significant decline in resin prices,” Wood said.

A third factor that will have a strong impact on the profitability of plastics processors is the trend in profits for the food and kindred products industries in the U.S. and Canada. “The latest data from the food industry indicates that total profits are running at all-time highs,” Wood said. “This means that food companies have money to spend on new products, and they will likely do so as soon as they are convinced that consumers are willing to spend more money. This bodes well for the plastics packaging sector.”

A final factor has nothing whatever to do with what Canada and the U.S. have, but rather with what certain foreign markets don’t have. “Under-developed economies in Latin America, South America, and parts of Asia that lack the infrastructure to support high volumes of transportation or refrigeration will emerge as large markets for technologically advanced packaging products such as multi-layer films and bottles,” Wood said.

If the forecast holds true, North American plastics packagers might find themselves in that most unusual of situations: happy that nothing much is going to change.

CPL

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K 2013 preview

2013 Technology Preview: What’s New, Now

H

ow big an event is the triennial K Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany? TheBeatles-on-the-Ed-Sullivan-show big.

This year’s edition, running from October 16 to 23, 2013, is unlikely to disappoint, as hundreds of equipment and material suppliers from around the globe will gather to show off their latest and greatest offerings.

But a handful of exhibitors pulled the curtains back early at a three-day, invitationonly preview in Düsseldorf in June. Canadian Plastics attended so you didn’t have to. Here’s some of what we saw.

per second and less than 2.5 seconds clamp dry cycle, all of which allows for overall cycles of less than four seconds. The system uses less energy and lower connected loads, generates less waste heat, and reduces power peaks that would result from high clamping forces applied in short cycles, Engel said. Also new from Engel is the e-motion 30 TL all-electric tiebarless press of 30 tonnes. Aimed at optical and electronic parts, it’s designed for maximum precision and energy efficiency, with low machine weight and compact footprint, plus dry cycles well under one secINJECTION MOLDING ond. Injection speed is up to 800 mm per Higher speeds and more integrated func- second (at 3,200 bar pressure), Engel said. tions seem to be the order of the day for The frame is designed for very high platen many new injection molding develop- parallelism and uniform distribution of ments, and will definitely be major empha- clamp force, the compact clamp has a ses of exhibits by Engel Austria. The com- sealed toggle lever, and the servo-electric pany’s new e-speed 650 is a 650 tonne ejector and mold height adjustment are hybrid with an electric toggle clamp and integrated into the moving platen. screw drive and hydraulic injection, Arburg Inc. will display more than ten designed for injection speeds to 1,000 mm exhibits on its stand at K this year, including the electric Allrounder 820 A, which will make its world premiere. Both the 4,000 kN toggle-type clamping unit and the size 2100 electric injection unit have been developed for this machine. Arburg said that with these developments, the gap between 3,200 and 5,000 kN in the electric clamping unit range has been closed. The same applies to the hybrid Hi­ drive Engel’s e-motion all-electric tiebarless press. range, Arburg said, for which Photo Credit: Engel Austria 26

this new toggle size will also be available in future. Arburg will also be teaming up with fpt Robotik to present long-fibre direct injection molding, in which glass fibres at 50 mm in length can be added directly to the liquid melt, where they are homogeneously distributed; the fibre length, fibre content, and material combination can all be adjusted. The process will be demonstrated on an energy-optimised hydraulic Allrounder 820 S with servo-hydraulic drive. Through the overmolding of continuous-fibre reinforced thermoplastic inserts, high-strength, resilient composite parts are created, Arburg said, which weigh less than 300 grams at a length exceeding 500 mm.

The continuous fibres — generally glass, carbon, and aramide in woven and nonwoven forms — determine mechanical properties such as strength and rigidity.

China-based injection giant Haitian International will roll out a slew of technology, including the Venus II series, now available in four new clamping forces up to 550 tonnes; and the Jupiter II series of two-platen machines, with the world premier of the 550 tonne size. In all, Haitian will mold parts on four live exhibits. A high-speed version of the Venus II will mold coffee stir sticks on a 24-cavity mold at a cycle time of 2.9 seconds. The Jupiter II will turn out engine covers on a two-cavity mold every 43 seconds. The drive system has a direct connection between the servo motor and the gear pump, Haitian said, to regulate rotational speed and extremely fast response times.

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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K 2013 preview

battenfeld-cincinnati’s new high-speed extruder and with “Multi-Touch” roll stack.

unveiling of the dsX s-tretch line for cast film, and a new dsX med-tube medical tubing system. According to Andreas Kandt, managing director of Europe/Middle East for DavisStandard, the dsX s-tretch prestretch cast film extrusion line is the first in-line pre-stretch system that enables customers to run thinner films at higher

speeds, allowing stretch film providers to produce consistent, high-quality prestretch film. The two-meter wide line has the advantage of a lower footprint, yet allows for growth, Kandt said. The dsX s-tretch system is also available in six months with both five- and seven-layer options. The compact dsX med-tube medical tubing system, meanwhile, is a variation of the company’s standard medical

Photo Credit: battenfeld-cincinnati

Haitian plans to introduce other smaller tonnage Jupiters in 2014.

EXTRUSION

The packaging division of battenfeldcincinnati showcased its high-speed extruder and new “Multi-Touch” roll stack, which can be delivered either as individual components or combined and integrated in complete extrusion lines. In contrast to conventional three-roll roll stacks, the Multi-Touch roll stack operates with a larger number of roll nips, the company said, thereby achieving reliable cooling of the film on both sides. The new roll stack is equipped with a two-roll roll stack for preliminary calibration and three, five or seven rolls for final calibration. The first rolls come with a larger diameter to minimize deflection; the rolls that follow are smaller to ensure the production of film with low tension and perfect flatness. Due to continuous roll contact, the company said, the film has hardly any orientation and an extremely even thickness profile. In contrast to standard roll stacks, where film tolerance margins of three per cent are common, MultiTouch achieves an accuracy of ± one per cent. Film can be produced at high line speeds from a wide variety of material, including PS, PET, PP, or EVA and coextruded products. For the PET industry, meanwhile, battenfeld-cincinnati unveiled its specialized single-screw extruder with an integrated compounding section for outputs between 500 and 1,000 kg per hour. By dispensing with preliminary material drying, the company said, the system uses up to 16 per cent less energy.

Davis-Standard LLC will showcase its dsX technology at K 2013, including the

Hybrid injection molding systems customizable for many different applications, featuring: • Speed • Low energy consumption • Reduced noise • Cleanliness • Reliablity and serviceability • Maximum output per floor space • Integrated side entry robot

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www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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tubing system that offers a smaller footprint for cleanrooms, language-specific control systems, and faster delivery. “A unique eco-extruder arrangement allows for processing materials ranging from PP to fluorinated ethylene PP by changing feedscrews,” Kandt said. “The line includes a melt pump on each extruder for processing thermoplastic polyurethane, nylons, and other medical grade material.”

While most details are going to remain firmly under wraps until show time, the new Evolution extruder line from Reifenhäuser will feature an Energizer screw that “will avoid useless energy input, reduce energy consumption, and lower melt temperature by as much as 20°C without compromising melt quality or output,” said managing director Ulrich Reifenhäuser. The extruders, which will be available in 30 to 150 mm diameters with 30:1 L/D, require virtually no barrel cooling. Reifenhäuser has devised a so-called “smart air-management system” that diverts hot air from the extruder to the

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hopper to preheat the material. The extruders will also feature new drive technology meant to allow processors more flexibility to select motor type and motor cooling method. Reifenhäuser will also debut the Mirex MT polishing stack technology. The patent-pending unit allows for automatic, digital nip adjustment, even during production runs, eliminating the need for manual, trial and error nip adjustments that require the line be stopped. With no hydraulics, the Mirex MT is suited for cleanrooms, the company said, and will be available in three designs, depending on application, film thickness, and production capacity.

AUTOMATION

For French robot maker Sepro Robotique, K 2013 will be all about freedom. “We’re going to show potential customers that no matter what their application, no matter where they are located, no matter what

Sepro’s five-axis 5X robot.

Photo Credit: Sepro Robotique

their operating parameters, Sepro has options that can meet their needs,” said company CEO Jean-Michel Renaudeau. With a product line that’s almost entirely new since the K 2010 event, the Sepro booth will feature two six-axis articulating-arm robots operating together with three five-axis Cartesian robots — the five-axis 5X line is based on Sepro three-axis beam robots and a twoaxis Stäubli servo wrist; and the 6X Visual line of robots combines a Stäubli six-axis articulating robot with an easy-to-use Sepro Visual 3 controller. Also, a Sepro Multi-Inject 20 robot, shown for the first time at K, will operate on a multi-material, in-mold labeling application with a Sumitomo press with 210 tonnes of clamping

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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K 2013 preview

force, molding ice scrapers with a softtouch grip. Finally, an s5-15 axial robot will run insert molding on a 60 tonne Arburg press; the robot, to be set up so the horizontal beam runs parallel to the injection unit, will produce a toy car with wheels and metal axles.

MATERIALS

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess will be showcasing a wide range of inorganic pigments for coloring plastics. The Colortherm iron oxide and chrome oxide pigments specifically developed for the plastics industry, come in yellow, red, brown, black, and green; numerous shades of the individual colors are available. Applications include packaging materials, tubes and connecting elements, cockpits and synthetic leather in the automotive industry, plastics in the electronics and electrical industry, synthetic running surfaces on athletic tracks, and WPCs. Depending on the grade, the pigments can be heated to temperatures of over 300°C without suffering

adverse effects, Lanxess said. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already given the Colortherm pigments the thumbs-up as a raw material for coloring toys and food packaging.

Huntsman Corporation’s new Altiris infrared reflecting pigment is a titanium dioxide-based pigment that preferentially reflects infrared radiation — heat, to you and me — from the sun. When mixed with colored pigments, Huntsman said, the result is higher solar reflectance in a wide range of colorful polymers, including dark and vibrant shades. What’s the big deal? “Increasing the solar reflectance of polymers can help open up new markets for polymer products, as they become less prone to warping,” said Sean Reid, the company’s business development manager. “This means polymer products could be used in warmer regions of the world where they would have previously been unsuitable.”

Wacker presented two new vibrationdamping silicones, the Elastosil R 752/30

and Elastosil R 752/70 grades, offered to make life a little easier for design engineers. The silicones cure to form elastomers that are significantly less elastic than standard silicone rubber, Wacker said. As a result, they have a strong damping effect on shocks and undesired vibrations. At the same time, they possess all the typical properties of silicones, such as heat resistance, low-temperature flexibility, and aging resistance. All told, the two grades — which cure at Shore A hardnesses of 30 and 70, respectively — are well-suited for making the vibration dampers that are needed in automotive engineering in particular, the company said, and can be processed by conventional compression molding and by injection molding.

All of the machines and other technologies outlined above merely scratch — or maybe don’t scratch, depending on the polymer — the surface. Want to dig deeper? These exhibitors, and hundreds more, will be happy to see you at K. CPL

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advertorial

Planning for your com

Start today, with Wittmann It’s probably the first lesson in Business 101: You build for your future today, not tomorrow. Wittmann knows that the power for the future comes from today’s innovations. That’s why the company has completely revised and extended its project range over the last few years, offering customers ultramodern, innovative injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment, together with a wealth of other cutting-edge processes to accomplish your tasks — whatever they might be.

And how do you build a better future for your company? Start by thinking big. Wittmann did just that — literally — at the Competence Days event held at its manufacturing facility in Kottingbrun, Austria in April, by unveiling the company’s new assembly hall for

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large machines. The high-ceilinged hall is dedicated to the assembly of Wittmann’s MacroPower large machine model — now with 1,600 tons of clamping force — and places a total of 17,220 square feet of additional production space at its customers’ disposal. The new production facilities constitute a substantial commitment to be your partner for injection molding machinery ranging from micro machines right up to the MacroPower, the large machine model which is manufactured in the hall.

The Competence Days event displayed the full range of Wittmann’s capabilities, beginning with machines from its PowerSeries. On the MicroPower machines exhibited, the production of a micro LSR part for medical technology was demonstrated for the first time.

Is packaging your bag? The exhibits from the innovative EcoPower series, meanwhile, concentrated mainly on the packaging sector with IML technology and high-precision injection molding.

The highlight on display from the MacroPower series, which is now complete, was the first large MacroPower E Hybrid machine, featuring the ultimate in precision and dynamics thanks to its all-electric injection unit, and optimal energy efficiency with its servo-hydraulic MacroPower clamping unit.

The proven hydraulic machines from the HM series, the multi-component machines, integrated production cells, high-speed applications, and vertical rotary table machines made their marks, as well. A wide range of processes were presented, starting with IML

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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advertorial

company’s future? applications and including the AIRMOULD gas injection process, as well as CELLMOULD structured foam technology, variothermic BFMOLD technology, silicone injection molding, and multi-component technology.

On the automation front, automation and peripheral appliances were shown both on the injection molding machines and as standalone solutions. In addition to the robots integrated in the machines, a W818 servo robot and a W821UHS robot with a dynamic drive and gripper change system were on display — with the W821-UHS high-speed robot laid out for parts removal at extremely high speeds to enable mold opening times of less than one second.

The peripheral appliances on display included TEMPRO temperature controllers, Drymax E and Drymax Aton dryers, FEEDMAX material loaders, granulator mod-

els MAS, Minor, Junior, MC34Primus and ML33, and the blenders GRAVIMAX B14 with a lifting device and B34. Wittmann is a leading manufacturer of auxiliary equipment for plastics processing, offering a complete range of cutting-edge, energy-efficient technologies to cover all application areas: drying, conveying, blending, tempering, and recycling.

Products include integrated materials handling systems with dryers, blenders, vacuum loading systems, rail car unloaders, silos, central filters, vacuum receivers, tilt tables, and surge hoppers. Wittmann also offers beside-the-press and central granulators and water products including flow and mold temperature controllers.

In all, visitors to Competence Days saw 17 injection molding machines turning out everything from a hockey stick made by the AIRMOULD process to a bucket

with handle assembled inside the mold to a credit card of polylactic acid produced with IML. The benefit of all this for you, the Canadian customer, is the ability to take advantage of the full range of Wittmann’s technology, and its worldwide best practices, sourced through a local supplier.

Trained staff is located at Wittmann’s Canadian facility to provide engineering, service and support for all of the company’s global product line. Collectively, the people at Wittmann Canada, and their exclusive agent in Quebec Anplast, have over 325 years of plastics industry experience.

That’s a lot of plastics processing history working to help build a better plastics processing future for your company. Rep agencies come and go; Wittmann is here to stay — just like you. Let’s create your future together.

The MacroPower E Hybrid (left); Hockey sticks made by AIRMOULD process (this page).

www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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doing it better

MEGA BRANDS

M

lays building blocks With sales soaring, the once-troubled Montreal toy manufacturer is investing, expanding, and reshoring from China.

for growth

T

he business of making toys isn’t exactly fun and games — more like the latest extreme roller coaster ride, complete with white knuckle loops, plummets, and 180-degree turns.

Take Montreal-based toy manufacturer Mega Brands Inc. Four years ago, the company was close to collapse, struggling under the weight of more than $300 million in debt stemming from its 2005 purchase of the Rose Art group of companies.

Then, in 2010, it launched a sweeping five-year recapitalization plan to rebuild the business, in particular its flagship Mega Bloks construction-toy division. The results so far would’ve made Steve Jobs smile. The company capped a strong year in 2012 with soaring North American sales in the fourth quarter

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that contributed to a nearly 20-fold growth in net income; the toy maker earned $4 million for the period ended December 31, up from $234,000 a year earlier. Most recently, Mega Brands reported net earnings of $4 million in second quarter 2013 alone, strong results that bring it closer to achieving its goal of delivering $500 million of annual sales by 2014.

It hasn’t been easy and it hasn’t been done alone, but the turnaround promises to do more than replenish the company coffers; in a reversal of the now-familiar migration route, it’s also taking manufacturing from China and returning it home, in the process creating jobs — and possibly changing lives — in Montreal.

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By Mark Stephen, editor

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

CPLSept13 p32-37 DoingitBetter.indd 32

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ontreal.

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TOY STORY Founded in 1967 by Victor and Rita Bertrand as Ritvik Toys, the company spent years simply importing toys from the U.S. and Asia into Montreal. The big change came in 1985, when Victor Bertrand invented the Mega Bloks line of stackable plastic brick toys. Five

years later, the company began manufacturing this and other products in China through a series of subcontractors. The first name change, from Ritvik Toys to Mega Bloks Inc., came in 2002, when the company became publicly traded; the second, to Mega Brands Inc., came in 2006 following the acquisition of several brand names — Rose Art among them — not associated with construction brick toys. By this point, the familiar shift of manufacturing from the home base to overseas had become almost total. “Rose Art had its own factory in Guangdong province, China, and by 2006 we produced 80 per cent of our globally-distributed goods in China and the rest in Montreal,” said Jean-Francois Albert, vice president of manufacturing with Mega Brands. “An obvious, and unfortunate, result was the gradual reduction of our staff in Montreal between the early 1990s and 2006.”

Cut to 2010. Mega Brands begins implementing its five-year recapitalization plan, which includes a three-year $35 million expansion, $11 million of which comes from interest-free loans from the Quebec provincial and the federal government. “We wanted to accomplish two things with the $35 million investment:

Photo Credits: All photos courtesy of Mega Brands Inc.

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Photo Credits: All photos courtesy of Mega Brands Inc.

doing it better

modernize our production facility, and bring manufacturing that was being done in China back to Montreal,” Albert said. “The goals were in fact related — we needed new injection molding and counting equipment to make it cost-effective enough to justify reshoring production.” Over the past two years, Albert said, Mega Brands has bought eight new 300 ton Wittmann Battenfeld all-electric machines and related auxiliary equipment, along with injection systems from Mold-Masters Ltd. “The new machines operate 40 per cent faster than our other injection molding units, use 40 per cent less energy, and offer precision molding that saves $1 million in resin per year,” he said. “We now have approximately 80 molding machines in total, and plan on buying another 30 new units in the near future.”

The new automated counting equipment, meanwhile, was developed by Mega Brands in collaboration with a U.S.-based product filling machinery maker. “We mold an average of seven million parts per day in Montreal, in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, making it potentially difficult to obtain the accurate part counts per product bag that our customers require,” Albert said. “Counting machines typically operate by weighing each part; some of our products are too light for that, however, so we worked with the U.S. company to create machines that use a visual system, and each machine can fill up to 150,000 bags per day without miscounting a single part.” As efficient as the molding machines are, the counting machines were perhaps the single

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most important component in the company’s reshoring plan. “We were able to come back to Quebec in large part because today’s automated counting equipment made it possible,” Albert said.

“We’re also closer to most of our market here, which saves transport costs, and much closer to our design centre in Montreal.”

Nor do their customers seem to mind. “All else being equal, big box stores like Wal-Mart prefer to buy products that are made in North America,” he added.

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doing it better

2012, Mega Brands outperthan 1,200 of Mega formed larger competitors Brands global workforce Mattel and Hasbro for the fifth of 1,600; in addition to its consecutive quarter, its toy Montreal and China locasales grew by 21 per cent, tions, the company also runs North American sales rose a manufacturing facility in by 22 per cent, and internaTennessee. All of which still . w tional sales were up seven isn’t enough; Mega Brands ro a trics in w all-elec e n t per cent. “As our business also leases an additional h ig e The continues to grow, it’s 300,000 square feet of factory important to us that any new hires in space in Montreal, and has our manufacturing facility are local residents,” Albert approached the Quebec prosaid. “It’s not always easy to find qualified local workers, so we vincial and the federal government for up to $50 million in financial often have to invest in their training. But it’s worth the effort, support to build a new production facility in the city. because importing employees from China defeats some of the In addition to housing the vast majority of its staff, the Monpurpose of reshoring to Montreal. We’re proud to have employees treal plant also cranks out more than half of the company’s global from more than 40 countries working in our Montreal plant.” toy production, at least double what it did just a few short years In the end, while the financial turnaround is nothing to sneeze ago. “We plan to continue bringing even more plastic block proat, it might just be the success of the reshoring plan that the Mega duction back to Montreal,” Albert said. “The manufacturing of Brands management is most proud of. “We’ve demonstrated that other kinds of plastic parts, however — such as figurines that have it’s possible to bring jobs in the plastics industry back to Canada to be hand painted — will remain in China.” The company also from China, which is something almost no one thought possible plans to hire another 150 workers in Montreal, and — given that a few years ago,” Albert said. it’s currently gobbling up market share like a ravenous Pac-Man CPIt’s Component 1 get 8/8/2013 9:52 AM Page 1 — these probably can’t start too soon; in the fourth quarter of a toy storyAd:Layout we should all a little excited about.

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CPLSept13 p32-37 DoingitBetter.indd 37

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technology showcase

AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT

Revamped purging recovery system Maguire Products Inc. has streamlined the operation of its Purging Recovery System (PRS), making it possible to increase throughput by up to 20 per cent while also producing finer and more uniform granulate with less dusting.

The enhancements to the PRS system have also increased the efficiency of granulating polystyrene, flexible vinyl, and other polymers that might otherwise melt or degrade under the shear forces of size reduction, causing backup or clumping that can shut down the system.

The knives in the rotor planer are now 40 per cent smaller, while their number has been increased from eight to 12. As a result, the planer produces smaller chips that are more easily and uniformly size-reduced by the second-stage granulator.

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The more efficient cutting also yields less dust.

Additionally, the cutting chamber of the second-stage granulator has been redesigned to increase the flow of air generated by a blower. The material in the granulator is therefore cooled more effectively, preventing melting, and is evacuated from the cutting chamber more rapidly.

These enhancements make possible finer granulate, with minimum hole sizes in the screen of the second-stage granulator reduced from 0.375 inches (9.52 mm) to 0.250 inches (6.35 mm). In a further improvement, Maguire has replaced the previous one-piece screen with a three-piece screen that’s easier and less expensive to replace.

Maguire Canada/Novatec Inc. (Vaughan, Ont.); www.maguirecanada.com; 866-441-8409 B arway Plastic Equipment Inc. (Vaudreuil-Dorian, Que.); www.barway.ca; 450-455-1396

Controller for the whole polymer drying process

The new DC-T TouchView control from The Conair Group is designed to provide an easy-to-use interface for monitoring and controlling the entire polymer drying process.

The DC-T TouchView dryer control has a host of convenient features to help plastics processors get more out of their drying system. An eight-inch-diagonal graphical touchscreen interface shows at a glance everything going on in the drying system, and operators can make adjustments with a touch of their fingertip. It shows current and historical temperature data, and includes precise dewpoint control.

The DC-T also provides a gateway for control of multihopper central drying cells, like the ResinWorks system, which combines multiple hoppers with integral air manifolds, ducting, and wiring on a sturdy platform for simplified shipping, installation, and operation. Each hopper can be equipped with a Drying Monitor probe that incorporates RTD sensors spaced along its length. The probe measures the temperature at up to six different points in the bed of plastic material, so that a temperature profile can be created to verify that conditions for proper drying are maintained.

Up to 15 hoppers equipped with Conair temperature controls can be linked to the DC-T for monitoring and duplicate control. All settings can be made, viewed, and adjusted at the dryer. Data from individual Drying Monitor probes, including trending graphs, can also be displayed on either the DC-T monitor or anywhere else, through standard Internet connectivity.

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

The Conair Group (Cranberry Township, Pa.); www.conairgroup.com; 724-584-5500 D ier International Plastics (Unionville, Ont.); www.dierinternational.com; 416-219-0509 I ndustries Laferriere (Mascouche, Que.); www.industrieslaferriere.ca; 450-477-8880

Automatic, autonomous material handling system The revamped MetroLink material selection system from Motan Inc. has its own autonomous control system based on Motan’s well-known MetroNet MK control system, and it can therefore be used independently for remote controlled and automatic material supply.

The unit is designed to offer simultaneous conveying of a number of different materials, automatic switching in of the material route, and secure material change free of material inter-contamination through use of automatic process management.

MetroLink is compatible with all system conveyor equipment, and can be networked with all other network control systems. The operator now has a full-graphic 5.7-inch color touch-panel in his/her view.

A maximum of 15 processing machines with up to 16 different materials can be fed per MetroLink tower, and several towers can be operated together.

Motan Inc. (Plainwell, Mich.); www.motan.com; 800-991-9921 D Cube (Montreal); www.dcube.ca; 514-272-0500

that reduce material build-up inside the valve housing.

These features include angled surfaces and rounded edges inside the housing to eliminate dead zones and ensure optimal material flow; factory-applied internal surface coatings, such as tungsten, to prevent surface wear imperfections where material can build-up; glandless, sleeve-style shaft seals that prevent contaminant migration into the housing; and stainless steel housings cast in North America to ensure superior strength in the composition and solidifi-

AUTOMATION AT THE END OF THE LINE

FB Balzanelli is a leader in the manufacture of automatic and semi-automatic coilers for large and small pipe. We also supply fully automated systems to handle the coils obtained.

The R&D of our company, oriented towards innovation, consolidated a high level of reliability of our coilers by making their integration with IN LINE pipe extrusion a standard application in order to improve plant efficiency for our customers.

Our customers can fully focus on the manufacture of high quality pipe, since they are assured that our coilers will give them a high quality of packaging for a perfect final product presentation.

Whenever the market requires manufacturing on demand, our coilers can be programmed to pack a certain quantity of pipe, just running pre-set recipes, without the need of the operator. This feature ensures consistency in packing without stopping production and maximizing extrusion line output.

To complete the packaging phase, FB Balzanelli has introduced various coils collection systems.

The basic consists of conveyor systems installed behind several production lines and managed by dedicated software. The most advanced is a coils offloading, integrated with coils stacking onto pallets.

The latter, which represents the completion of production, is becoming a trend among pipe manufacturers.

While traditionally an operator had to take care of the collection of the coils coming from the coiler to be moved toward the storage area, today this operation can be fully automated.

The systems manufactured are customizable and can grow according to customer needs.

A simple pick and place arm for coils can be easy integrated with pallet dispensers, stretch wrap station and rollers conveyors for handling. In this way the efficiency of the end of the line is increased by completing the packaging process of the pipe without the intervention of an operator.

In many countries, where labour costs further impact on the finished product, it becomes mandatory to integrate systems for handling and stacking of the coils. FB Balzanelli provides its expertise to find the system that best suits your company’s needs.

Rotary valve design reduces material build-up Designed specifically for sanitary applications including plastics, the RunClean series of rotary airlock valves from ACS Valves offers multiple features

Born to Coil www.fb-balzanelli.it FB Balzanelli USA, Inc. 46057 Five Mile Road, Plymouth Technology Center Plymouth, MI USA

www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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Resin supply, demand and pricing forecasts

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Get the information you need by attending the

18th Annual Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference Wednesday October 2, 2013 Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel, Toronto, Ontario Hear forecasts from experts on supply, demand and pricing for the major commodity and engineering resins: polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, styrenics, PET, nylon, polycarbonate, plus biopolymers, and recycled resin.

BONUS: Conference registrants may attend, at no extra charge, a half-day workshop on the afternoon of October 1st: Is Your Resin Supply Chain Value Focused? Linking resin supply to your company’s business strategy. Presenter: Bruce Petersen, Chief Procurement Officer, Mathelin Bay Conference Registration Fee: $549 + HST. Second and subsequent attendees from the same company receive a 50% discount.

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For more information, contact: Judith Nancekivell, Tel: 416-510-5116, Email: jnancekivell@canplastics.com

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CPLSept13 p38-49 TechShow.indd 40

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cation of the housing’s metallurgy.

Run-Clean valves are available in 304 or 316 stainless steel, in sizes from six inches to 18 inches, with pressure differentials up to 20 PSIG, and temperature tolerance up to 750°F. Rotor configurations include closed-end, metering, shallow-pocket, Teflon-coated, and adjustable-tip. Adjustable rotor tips are available in stainless steel, hardened steel, or bronze. Interior surface coating options include tungsten and hard chrome.

ACS Valves (Caledonia, Ont.); www.acsvalves.com; 800-655-3447

Matched motor/drive combination package Siemens Industry Inc. is making available combination motor/drive packages, designed to allow an OEM or enduser the option to select the optimum solution for a variety of heavy-duty industrial motion control applications from

a single source, backed by a full threeyear warranty.

Choosing from a predetermined list of motor/drive combinations, the customer simply makes the selection best suited to the application. The motor and drive are packaged on a single pallet, shipped and invoiced together.

The motor and drive combinations are power-matched for 480V high-overload operation through a 20 hp range, with I2T protection from thermal damage provided as a standard in both the motor and the drive components. The Siemens Intelligent Operator Panel (IOP) is included with these packages, allowing easy stepby-step drive start-up.

Application macros are provided in the Sinamics G120C drive for easy installation and wiring; the terminals are pre-assigned at the factory, and the parameters are automatically set. The SIMOTICS SD100 motors are rugged cast-iron with inverter duty ratings in a 4:1 speed range for

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technology showcase

constant torque, and 20:1 speed range for variable torque.

Simotics SD100 units are severe-duty TEFC motors that meet NEMA Premium efficiency.

Siemens Canada Limited, Drive Technologies Div. (Burlington, Ont.); www.siemens.com/eip; 800-879-8079, ext. Marketing Communications

Bulk bag discharging system speeds cleaning, simplifies inspection National Bulk Equipment Inc.’s bulk bag unloader systems, designed and built specifically for food and pharmaceutical processing and packaging operations, help ensure compliance with domestic and international sanitary standards.

Application-specific construction, including 304-2b stainless steel framework, with continuous weld seams ground to a No. 4 finish, enables CIP sanitizing. Tool-less component disassembly speeds cleaning and simplifies inspection. 32 Ra component surface

finishes and food-grade non-metal components provide excellent material release and resistance to corrosive foods, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning chemicals. These NBE sanitary bulk bag unloader systems also support process practice protocols where 3-A Accepted Practices or other cGMPs are necessary.

NBE bulk bag unloader systems leverage integrated automation to optimize uptime availability within food and pharmaceutical processing and packaging operations. NBE system-wide process control, communication, sensing, monitoring, and reporting are centralized to a single, menudriven, touchscreen HMI. High-speed Ethernet communications deliver information to UL-listed panels designed and built by NBE. NBE custom panel configurations include UL 508A, Class I and II, Divisions 1 and 2, Groups A – D, F and G, and NEMA 12 enclosures with Type X purge.

National Bulk Equipment Inc. (Holland, Mich.); www.nbe-inc.com; 616.399.2220

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technology showcase

benefits for the environment and the machine operators.

Wittmann Canada (Richmond Hill, Ont.); www.wittmann-canada.com; 866-466-8266

Micro molding machine for mass production tenfeld, the company has extended its portfolio of MacroPower large-scale machines to six sizes, ranging from 400 to 1,600 tons in clamping force, and completed the line as currently planned.

The MacroPower 1500 is especially notable for its spacesaving design and the possibility of lateral mold insertion, factors which play a vital part in machinery of this size. The 1,600 mm by 1,250 mm diagonal distance between tiebars offers ample space for mold insertion. Modular mold height dimensions and opening strokes enable optimized configuration of the MacroPower machines to suit each application.

The model comes equipped with ServoPower technology, and features maximum energy efficiency and user benefit.

The additional savings in cooling water consumption, as well as extremely quiet running of the machine, are further

New from MHS - Mold Hotrunner Solutions, the M3 is a dedicated micro injection molding machine capable of producing high-volume, precision runnerless plastic parts in a 32-cavity cycle.

Optimized for cleanroom operation, and wellsuited for medical devices and components, the M3 operates using four compact and cost-effective modular inserts, each containing eight micro cavities, completely doing away with the traditional injection mold structure.

It simplifies the mold design and speeds up the

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transition from prototype molding to mass production, since all processing parameters and conditions are identical in both. No additional validation is required.

With a magnetic clamp force of four tons, the tiebarless M3 can produce 32 plastic parts with shot weights of under 10 milligrams every five seconds, translating into an annual production of over 150 million micro parts in a single machine. Additionally, the machine can inject eight different part designs with each cycle.

The unit comes fully equipped with onboard automa-

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tion. Quality control is powered by an integrated vision system that inspects each part and cavity during the takeoff cycle. These checks occur simultaneously in less than one second between shots.

MHS — Mold Hotrunner Solutions; (Georgetown, Ont.); www.moldhotrunnersolutions.com; 905-873-1954

Next-generation IML pilot cell StackTeck Inc. has introduced the next generation of its in-mold labeling (IML) pilot cell.

As with previous generations of IML pilot cells, the third generation cell began using automation equipment from ABB Robotics and CBW Automation. Since the demand for IML prototyping has been continuous and growing, StackTeck has purchased the automation as a permanent asset that will maintain the cell availability for customers on an ongoing basis.

The main value of the IML pilot cell is that it minimizes the cost of prototyping IML parts. A molder needs only to purchase molding surface components, a mandrel, and a magazine that are needed for a particular part. The rest of the hardware is already in place at StackTeck, including single-cavity mold bases that are suitable for most packaging applications.

The current IML pilot cell is running with a 330T Husky test machine — it’s a flexible set-up, however, that can be moved to other machines when required. The system is equipped to run a single-cavity mold, with automated handling of pre-cut labels, as well as part demolding and stacking automation.

For new product launches, the pilot cell allows for an

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

early pre-launch simulation of how the production system will run at a later time. The current IML pilot cell is a dedicated single-cavity molding system, including automation for label insertion, part removal, and stacking.

StackTeck Inc. (Brampton, Ont.); www.stackteck.com; 416-749-1698

EXTRUSION

Redesigned co-extrusion die for greater versatility Plastic film and sheet extrusion systems supplier Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. has redesigned its CenterPack co-extrusion die for blown film systems to improve processing versatility and minimize residence time.

The redesign has improved the die’s layer ratio range by more than 25 per cent (from 3:1 to 4:1), while reducing residence and purging time by between 40 per cent and 50 per cent. With these upgrades, the new CenterPack die is now capable of processing both blown and cast film grade resins without any interlayer clarity issues.

Available to process film structures up to nine layers and in die diameters up to two meters, the newly redesigned CenterPack die provides superior film quality for Nylon 6, EVOH, PP, PETG, plastomers, LLDP for laminating and thermoforming applications. The die is a stackable design using a centerfed system that ensures minimum residence time, fast purging, and delivers flat film with gauge better than ± five per cent (2-sigma).

Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. (Mississauga, Ont.); www.macroeng.com; 905-507-9000

four mm and five mm welding rods, and has a preheating nozzle located to the side of the welding shoe. It was designed specifically for plastic fabrication jobs.

The WeldPlast S4 is compact and ergonomically designed for geomembrane welding applications. The multi-functional display includes maintenance notifications, time meters, and pre-set temperature/air flow programs for ease of use.

The powerful drive system produces an output of up to 3.8 kg per hour, depending on material/conditions.

Stanmech Technologies Inc. (Burlington, Ont.); www.stanmech.com; 888-438-6324

New range of extrusion plastometers New from Zwick/Roell, the Zwick Xflow series of extrusion plastometers are meant to offer raw material producers a suite of reliable tools to certify flow properties for their customers, and to enhance testing efficiency.

Improved extrusion welders

Two new extensions of Leister Technologies AG’s WeldPlast line of extrusion welders are available from Stanmech Technologies Inc. The WeldPlast S4 GEO accepts both www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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plastics data file Wittmann Innovations

Innovations — Wittmann’s quarterly newsletter — offers plastics processors detailed insight into ways to improve their businesses with news and application stories covering Robots and Automation, IML, Injection Molding Machinery, Material Conveying, Drying and Blending, Granulation and Temperature Control. It is available in print and on-line.

Wittmann Canada Inc., 35 Leek Crescent Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C2 Tel: 1-888-466-8266 www.wittmann-canada.com

Get free information from the companies that interest you most.

Contact the company directly using the telephone number, e-mail address or web site listed above.

The Aflow system (pictured) offers advantages in time savings and optimization of lab resources. Push-button cleaning and defined pre-compacting routines free operators to address other tasks, while the system’s automatic parameter control feature selects the test parameters and thereby minimizes measurement errors. Timesaving multi-stage tests

classified ads MATERIALS

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To place your classified ad here, contact: Greg Paliouras, Associate Publisher at 416-510-5124 or gpaliouras@canplastics.com advertising index Advertiser

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AceTRONIC Arburg Athena Automation Ltd. Auxiplast Inc. Basics of Injection Molding seminar Berg Chilling Systems Inc. Bohler Uddeholm Canadian Plastics CanPlastics TV videos Canadian Plastics Resin Outlook Conference Chillers Inc. Cimatron Group Compact Mould Conair CPA Canada DME Dieffenbacher DynaPurge Dynisco Engel Canada Inc.

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Website www.acetronic.com www.arburg.us www.athenaautomation.com www.auxiplast.com www.canplastics.com www.berg-group.com www.bucanada.ca www.canplastics.com www.canplastics.com/ conference www.chillersinc.com www.cimatron.com www.compactmould.com www.conairgroup.com www.channelpa.com www.dme.net www.dieffenbacher.com www.dynapurge.com www.dynisco.com www.engelglobal.com/na

Advertiser FB Balzanelli FEPAC Gamma Meccanica Gordon R. Williams Corp.

Haremar Plastic Manufacturing Ltd. IMS Ingenia Polymers Corp.

Injection Mold, Part & Process Design seminar JEC Americas K 2013 Show Travel Leister AG Maruka Toyo Metelix NGR – Next Generation Recycling Novatec PCS Company Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. Process Heaters Inc. UltraPurge Wittmann Canada Inc.

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www.-fb-balzanelli.it www.fepac.ca www.irecyclingsolutions.com www.williamshvac.com www.haremar.com www.imscompany.com www.ingeniapolymers.com www.canplastics.com www.jeccomposites.com www.lmtravel.ca/k2013.pdf www.leisterusa.com www.marukausa.com www.metelixproducts.com www.ngr.at www.novatec.com www.pcs-company.com www.ppe.com www.processheaters.ca www.ultrapurge.com www.wittmann-canada.com

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

according to ASTM D1238, Method D are also possible with a single barrel filling. The Aflow system is well-suited for large volume compounders and raw material processors that must maintain a rapid pace of testing without sacrificing accuracy.

The Mflow system offers flexibility, as it may be fitted with extrudate cutters, a displacement transducer for MVR measurement, and a weight-lifting unit. The Mflow system supports quality control programs for compounders, processors, and smaller volume raw material producers.

Finally, the Cflow system has a compact footprint, and is designed for standard quality control routines. Accuracy in measurement is supported by precise temperature control, and convenience in testing is made possible by the option of a manual of automated extrudate cutter.

Zwick/Roell USA (Kennesaw, Ga.); www.zwick.com; 770-420-6555

ROBOTS & AUTOMATION

Upgrade for expanded, faster performance ABB Robotics has increased the top payload of the IRB 1600

— one of the most popular models in the ABB portfolio, used in a variety of applications including machine tending, material handling, arc welding and cutting — from eight kg to 10 kg, expanding the performance by allowing the robot to handle larger parts and end-of-arm-tools.

The increased payload is available in both the 1.2 m and 1.45 m reach variants, and will also allow the robot to achieve up to 50 per cent better cycle times than competitor robots of the same class.

ABB’s patented, second generation QuickMove motion control technology and low friction spur gears allow the IRB 1600 to speed up and slow down faster than other robots, saving time while moving between tasks and improving cycle time. ABB’s second generation TrueMove technology

TAKING OUR

ECORESPONSIBILITIES! Making a commitment. Acting on it.

Through its new national certification program, FEPAC and the plastics industry are playing a leading role in SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. North American manufacturers are reducing their carbon footprint and improving the global value chain. Under the new sustainable development framework, ECOLEADERS are enthusiastically supporting ECOPERFORMANCE, the model for the future…

WE ALL PROFIT FROM ECORESPONSIBILITY! Become an ECOLEADER now, visit www.ecoresponsible.net

www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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assures that the robot will maintain the same path at all speeds, eliminating the corner-cut paths that most robots default to at high speeds.

The upgrade enhances the IRB 1600’s other advantages, such as solid protection for use in harsh environments (IP 67 and Foundry Plus 2), and the ability to be inverted or sidemounted on a shelf, a wall, or other existing structures. The compact 1.2 meter reach variant makes the robot more dexterous in confined spaces for improved reach and flexibility.

The IRB 1600 is also more energy-efficient, and produces lower noise levels than comparable models ABB Robotics Canada (Brampton, Ont.); www.abb.ca; 905-460-3000

MOLD COMPONENTS

Hot runner for optimized flow control

New from Synventive Molding Solutions, the SynFlow two-speed sequential valve gating hot runner technology is designed to provide molders with optimized plastic f low control, and solves common surface defect problems on large parts such as automotive bumpers and instrument panels.

The initial opening speed of the valve pin is reduced to prevent an explosive rush of pressurized plastic. The valve pin then opens for the remainder of its stroke at maximum speed to appropriately fill the part. This two-speed process enables a smoother fill, reducing hesitations and sharp velocity changes, resulting in cleaner parts with superior surface quality and improved process efficiency.

This unique, two-speed technology is said to be an industry first, and can be used to eliminate surface defects on large molded parts, including pressure alteration marks, opposite direct gating marks, sink marks after coating, and reduced adhesion of finishes

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REQUEST A FREE SAMPLE 714.708.2663 www.ultrapurge.com ULTRA PURGE CUSTOMERS TYPICALLY USE 2-3 TIMES LESS MATERIAL COMPARED TO OTHER PURGING COMPOUNDS 48

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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technology showcase

Each Synventive SynFlow system includes a hydraulic valve gate hot runner system with 12 mm, 16 mm, or 22 mm diameter nozzles and actuators with position sensors; and the SynFlow flow control package including control valves, signal lines for both valve control and position sensors, control unit for up to eight control zones, and hydraulic valve block.

Synventive Molding Solutions Canada Inc. (Toronto); www.synventive.com; 416-428-4693

MATERIALS

High-purity TPVs for medical apps don’t require drying Teknor Apex Company has developed two new high-hardness grades in its Medalist MD-200 series of thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) elastomers, extending the already broad durometer range of these resilient, high-purity compounds for replacing rubber in medical applications.

Previously ranging in Shore A durometer from an ultrasoft 15 to a semi-hard 80, the Medalist MD-200 Series now includes an 87 Shore A compound, MD-240; and a 43 Shore D grade, MD-245. The 43 Shore D durometer is roughly equivalent to a Shore A hardness of 93.

Among the benefits of the TPV technology developed

by Teknor Apex for the MD-200 series are the elimination of the need for predrying, since all grades are nonhyg ros c opic, and have a light, natural color that permits efficient use of colorants.

The new compounds can be extruded, injection molded, and blow molded. Suggested applications include peristaltic tubes, collection and drainage tubes, stoppers for vials, caps and plugs, seals and gaskets, device handles, ergonomic soft grips, valves, and diaphragms.

The rubber-like properties of Medalist MD-240 and MD-245 include low long-term compression set, high fatigue resistance, prolonged flex life, stability at high temperatures, abrasion resistance, and long-term sealability.

Teknor Apex Company (Pawtucket, R.I.); www.teknorapex.com; 800-556-3864

Be part of THE CANADIAN DELEGATION going to the K 2013 SHOW and SAVE! Canadian Plastics and Plastiques et moules is once again partnering with FEPAC and Carlson Wagonlit Travel to offer a group package to the K show from October 15 to 22.

WE TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING! 4 STAR+ LODGING in Cologne for 6 nights (Marriott) DIRECT FLIGHTS from Toronto/Montréal on Air Canada 4 DAY PASS TO K + EXHIBITORS’ CATALOGUE Daily BUFFET BREAKFAST – 2 NETWORKING DINNERS 1st CLASS TRAINS for travel between Cologne and Dusseldorf 2 EVENINGS IN DUSSELDORF (including private shuttle service) PROFESSIONAL ON-SITE ASSISTANCE PRIVATE TRANSFERS TO/FROM Frankfurt airport NAME CHANGES permitted up to 48 hours prior to departure Excellent opportunity to COMBINE BUSINESS AND LEISURE

All this for only $3,650.00 (per person, dbl. occ./all taxes incl.)

For details and a registration form, visit www.lmtravel.ca/k2013.pdf or call toll-free 1-888-378-7208

LM Travel / CWT is a Quebec permit holder.

www.canplastics.com September 2013 Canadian Plastics

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technical tips

Determining maximum mold cycle counts

By Steve Johnson, ToolingDocs LLC

D

uring my first production meeting with my current employer, I was told they wanted to establish a preventative maintenance program based on cycle counts for all of their molds. Before I could comment, though, I was hit with the question, “How many cycles do you think our molds can safely run before we need to clean them?”

Never having seen their molds before, I couldn’t answer, which didn’t exactly thrill them. They were also disappointed at the prospect of leaving the meeting without an immediate scheduling plan for production that would help their molds run better and eliminate tooling damage issues apparently caused by molds being over-run.

Not wanting disappoint them too much on my first day, I offered up my standard answer for maximum cycle counts: that 250,000 is typically a good starting point for the average injection mold, but that the number can vary greatly — up or down — depending on a variety of production characteristics, and on the mold design itself. I then expanded, telling them that these production characteristics included product type and specifications; resin type, additives, required temperature, corrosiveness, abrasiveness, and flash rate; residue (off-gassing) type, powder, flakes, gummy (tar-like) or oily consistency; vent locations, depth, and finish; vent dump size, location, and configuration (ring, channel, blind pockets, et cetera); static versus dynamic (moving tooling) vents; tooling steel types/hardness; tooling plating type and condition; tooling and running fit tolerances; inaccessible internal bushing and other actuating components; internal condensation level and mold plate steel type; O-rings and other internal water seal leakage history; and specific hot or cold runner issues.

Had I dug deeper still — which I didn’t — I would have added that when determining maximum cycle counts, another critical factor is knowing the product part defect frequencies and positions that can be affected by many of the above criteria — in specific areas. Part defects “localized” by imbalanced fill or steel variations need to be recognized and considered when setting maximum counts. But, generally speaking, anytime you over-run a mold, you increase the risk of molding bad parts, through burns, shorts, weld lines, or dirty and flashed parts.

Mold off-gassing, or residue, will end up someplace if it can’t escape through clean vents.

Stopping and pulling molds for scheduled preventative maintenance is a good practice, period, but it’s not always possible if you want to keep your customers happy and in parts. Obviously, if a mold was pulled for a good cleaning every time its maximum cycle number lit up, those responsible for mold maintenance would be happy campers. With scheduled maintenance, it’s much 50

easier to more accurately gauge the labor hours required to disassemble, clean, and return a mold to production, knowing that the tooling hasn’t been worn prematurely with gummed up close fits.

A surprise-free mold repair is always a good thing, but it seldom happens in the real world because — as noted above — maximum part production too often rules the day.

Molders are customer-driven, as they need to be, when it comes to running a mold to complete an order. If a few more hours, shifts, days and, in extreme cases, weeks are required to get an order completed, the mold will run or will lock up trying. On the other hand, molds that are subjected to many short production runs are also in danger of premature tooling wear if the tool room doesn’t track total mold cycles for a series of short orders; it’s easy, without a tracking system, to damage tooling simply because cycle counts get lost in the day-to-day affairs of pulling and setting lots of molds. And on the other other hand, over-maintaining molds wastes money too, and increases the chances of mold damage during repairs.

What you really need to know to set maximum mold cycles can only be determined through close visual inspection of mold plates and tooling after a production run, and by the ability to accurately answer a few production-related questions that will dictate maintenance requirements. These include the date and time the mold was started, what press did it run in, who started it, what tooling configuration is the mold running, the date and time the mold was stopped, who stopped it and why, how many cycles or hours did the mold run, and what was the condition of the parts in the last shot? It’s also very helpful, when evaluating mold residue and tooling wear levels, to know if the production run was interrupted by stops for changeovers, unscheduled breakdowns, or weekend downtime; if repeated ejector counts were required to release the parts from the mold; if the mold was properly and regularly serviced in the press during the run; if the cycle time and processing parameters were consistent with past runs; and if there were any part defects related to flash in a vented area.

Efficient production of quality parts on time should be the mantra of every molder, but you can’t satisfy it by allowing production requirements to dictate maximum cycle counts in every situation. Adherence to data collection practices and visual inspection of tooling and parts are the only methods that will allow you to balance maximizing tooling life, production capability, and mold reliability.

CPL Steve Johnson is the operations manager for ToolingDocs LLC, part of the PCIC group of companies. He also has his own business, MoldTrax, in Ashland, Ohio. He can be reached at steve. johnson@toolingdocs.com, or 419-289-0281.

Canadian Plastics September 2013 www.canplastics.com

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