Plastics News - Show Daily - October 25, 2022 - 15

SHOW DAILY
Plastics News, October 25, 2022 * 15
Gamma Meccanica eyes
equipment, geographic growth
By Jim Johnson
Plastics News Staff
An ever-increasing use of PET in
nonbottle applications has Italian
recycling equipment maker Gamma
Meccanica SpA taking action.
The Bibbiano-based
company
is hard at work creating a
new integrated PET recycling
line that will add to the company's
roster of products. Gamma
Meccanica already has a lineup
for offerings commonly used for
polyethylene, polypropylene and
polystyrene, and it has dabbled
in limited PET applications in the
past on a case-by-case basis.
But the fi rm is now going full
bore into the PET market as
more and more products are being
made from that resin, said
Andrea Burini, plastics division
manager and a member of the
family that owns the company.
It's a move that just makes sense
as the company estimates PET
use has signifi cantly increased
in recent years beyond bottle applications.
Gamma
GAMMA
MECCANICA
Hall
9
Booth C18
The material is growing,
not only in the bottle.
We're trying to invest to
increase our market, to
increase our quality and our
technical opportunity. "
Andrea Burini
Gamma Meccanica SpA
United States and Canada.
" If you don't prepare the material
correctly before it gets
into the extruder, then you are
already behind the proverbial
eight-ball, " Sellers said.
The company expects to have
the new system fi nalized and ready
for sale by the end of the year.
" The material is growing, not
only in the bottle, " Burini said.
" We're trying to invest to increase
our market, to increase
our quality and our technical opportunity. "
As
Gamma Meccanica looks
Meccanica already
makes extruders and pelletizers
that can be plugged into the new
PET recycling line and is working
on a new feeder designed specifically
for that market. The company
will continue to use fi lters
made by outside fi rms, the only
component of the integrated
system that will not be manufactured
by Gamma Meccanica.
" The feeder is the most crucial
part. ... Material prep before it
goes into the extruder is crucial, "
explained Heath Sellers, president
of Innovative Recycling Solutions
LLC, an independent sales representative
for the company in the
to grow through the new PET
processing line, the company
also is taking a big step to establish
a more prominent position
in the North American market.
The company has committed to
building a service and technical
center somewhere in the United
States, probably along the East
Coast, Burini said.
Sellers has been the longtime
sales representative for Gamma
Meccanica in both the United
States and Canada. As the face of
the company for North American
customers for the past 15 years,
Sellers said this is a move he is
eagerly awaiting. Details are still
being worked out just how the
company and the independent
sales representative will work together.
" It's
something that I've been
clamoring for and planning for
many, many years and wanting, "
he said.
Having a permanent offi ce in
the United States, which will include
laboratory facilities as well
as installed lines to test and run
recycled resin samples on, will
help give the company a higher
profi le, the men said.
" To grow in this market, we
need to be here, " Burini said.
" We need to have an offi ce in the
country. "
This will allow the company to
more quickly respond to questions
and service needs in the
market, he said.
Gamma Meccanica wants to
decide soon on where the new facility
will be located so work can
begin on construction and machine
placement. The goal is to
have a permanent home open by
the middle of 2023. That will give
the company a chance to show
off its increased commitment to
the North American market at
the NPE 2024 show, Burini said.
Polyplastics adding capacity
By Frank Esposito
Plastics News Staff
With a new identity, Polyplastics
Co. Ltd. is looking to meet the sustainable
needs of its customers.
The Tokyo-based fi rm had operated
as a joint venture between
Daicel Corp. of Tokyo and Celanese
Corp. of Dallas from 1964 until
2020, when Celanese sold its 45
percent stake
to
Daicel
for
almost $1.6 billion.
Polyplastics
makes specialty
plastics
including acetal,
polyphenylene
sulfi de and
liquid crystal
polymer (LCP).
" Engineer -
Shiwaku
ing plastics are
moving from linear
to circular, "
President and CEO Toshio Shiwaku
said at K 2022. " We can play an important
role to support circular.
" Our customers are pushing us
toward sustainability, and they're
being pushed by
OEMs, " he added.
Polyplastics is
building a new acetal
plant in Jiangsu province,
China, which
will open with annual
production capacity
of almost 200 million
POLYPLASTICS
CO. LTD.
Hall 7A
Booth B02
pounds. The new capacity will
meet growing demand, improve
lead times and reduce transportation
costs, offi cials said. Initial
startup is expected in 2025. The
fi rm also plans to increase cyclic
olefi n copolymer capacity in Germany
in 2024.
Overall, Shiwaku said that he
sees Polyplastics' products averaging
3 percent growth over the
next 10 years. " We're optimistic
about market development, " he
said. " We don't see the market
slowing down. "
After divesting from Celanese,
Polyplastics now is able to sell
its LCP line in North America, according
to Polyplastics USA Sales
Director Scott Klingler. Previously,
Celanese had a competing
material. Polyplastics' LCPs now
are fi nding homes in
cellphones and other
electrical/electronic
devices.
In the sustainable
area, Polyplastics is
working with cellulose-based
long-fi ber
thermoplastics. The
materials provide weight reduction
plus mechanical strength,
enabling manufacturers to reduce
their carbon footprint and meet
sustainability demands.
In the auto sector, Klingler said
Polyplastics' products are being
used in under-hood applications
such as powertrain and chassis.
For electric vehicles, the fi rm can
offer
specialized polybutylene
terephthalate grades with high
heat resistance. Its materials also
are being used in infrastructure
for charging stations.
Polyplastics
operates
two
plants in China and plants in Japan,
Malaysia and Taiwan. The
business also operates two plants
in Germany - one making specialty
polymers and one making
specialty chemicals.
Andrea Burini, plastics division manager and a member of the family
that owns Gamma Meccanica SpA: " To grow in [the U.S.] market, we
need to be here. We need to have an offi ce in the country. "
Plastics News photo by Caroline Seidel
http://www.clf.com.tw
Plastics News - Show Daily - October 25, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics News - Show Daily - October 25, 2022
