 |
 |
News
Plast-Ex Summit draws top industry speakers
The roster of top-notch speakers for the Plast-Ex Summit is filling up. This event, being held at the Rogers Center in Toronto on May 22, looks at the critical issues facing the plastics industry at the present time, and possible solutions to them.
The master of ceremonies for the day is well-known TV journalist Dale Goldhawk, who will moderate two panel discussions that will examine macromanufacturing issues, and the factors specifically affecting plastics.
Speakers now confirmed include David Birkby, president of PET blow moulder Westbridge Containers in Calgary; Paul Clark, president of VisionGain Consulting Ltd., and former vice-president, research & technology, NOVA Chemicals Corp.; Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association Edmonton MP James Rajotte, chair of the federal Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology; Jayson Myers president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Canada's largest industry and trade association; Brian Read, president of structural foam moulder Horizon Plastics, Cobourg, Ont.; and Dr. Gord Surgeoner, president, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies.
Other speakers are currently confirming their participation.
The day's program includes lunch, dinner, a networking session and a Blue Jays baseball game, seen from the Rogers private gondola.
www.plastexsummit.ca
  
Three of the speakers at the Plast-Ex Summit (L to R): Paul Clark, Jayson Myers, Gerry Fedchun.
Alpha Marathon returns
Blown film machinery builder Alpha Marathon (Woodbridge, Ont.) is back in business after a spell in bankruptcy at the start of the year. Domenic Marzano, who headed the company until 2006, has led a buyout, through which a group of company employees have become shareholders. The new company name is Alpha Marathon Film Extrusion Technologies Inc.
“We have about 20 people back at work now,” Marzano says. “We're calling back former staff as we need them, and we hope to be back up to full strength by the third week of April.”
The company continues to participate in trade shows, such as Argentina's Argenplas and Mexico's Plastimagen, both being held next month. Its staff are currently completing orders that came in before the bankruptcy.
Sales in North America are being headed by Sandi Holgate, in Asia by Wilfred Sun, and in Argentina by Carlos Sanchez and elsewhere in South America by Isaac Rojas. The company remains at its old headquarters at 170 Hanlan Rd., Woodbridge, Ont., but has a new phone, 905-265-2055, and fax, 905-265-8817.
www.alphamarathon.com
Sustainable packaging kit launched
The Packaging Association of Canada (PAC) has released its Phase I S-PAC Sustainable Packaging Rating Tool for consultation and piloting. PAC has created S-PAC as an industry-led voluntary initiative to accelerate the progress of the packaging industry to environmental sustainability.
Jim Downham, CEO of PAC says, “The cornerstones of sustainable packaging are now in place. Wal-Mart introduced their scorecard into Canada in 2007. The Essentials of Sustainable Packaging, the co-developed SPC and PAC curriculum, was successfully launched in January 2008. S-PAC is the hottest tool in the PAC Sustainable Packaging Toolkit that will enable decision makers to make sustainable packaging judgments.”
As a rating tool, it will be a multi-rung ladder representing different levels of environmental sustainability performance. By standardising definitions of environmental sustainability for packaging, it will allow any manufacturer or converter to assess and gradually improve its sustainability performance.
It is designed to strike a balance between the general definitions of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the very precise detail of the Wal-Mart scorecard.
The first phase of S-PAC will be for packaging raw material manufacturers. Beginning in March 2008, PAC will be inviting stakeholders to expand on developments to date.
www.pac.ca
Basics of Plastics
What's the difference between polyethylene and polypropylene? When do you use a nylon, and when do you use a polycarbonate? How do you choose between blow moulding and rotational moulding when you're making a hollow part?
If you're not sure about the answers to these questions, you need to take the Basics of Plastics, a course for people in plastics-related companies who don't have a technical background. The one-day seminar, offered at the low price of $195 per person, is being presented by Plastics in Canada magazine, in conjunction with The Plastics Touchpoint Group (Thornhill, Ont.)
Full details of the program are available at www.exporeg.com/plastics2008.
TOP
Plastics in Canada's enewsletter goes out weekly to over 7,500 confirmed recipients. Advertising to reach all these decision-makers can be very cost efficient. Call Gillian Thomas today at 416-764-1506 to find out more. Creative advice and services are also available.
|
Changes
Toronto's CCL Industries Inc. is acquiring Clear Image Labels Pty Ltd. (Sydney, Australia). Clear Image produces paper and plastic film pressure sensitive labels for Australia's wine industry, and also for some export markets. CCL plans to develop the wine label business into a global one.
CCL is paying $34-million in cash, stock and absorbed debt for Clear Image Labels. The deal is expected to close next month.
www.cclind.com
Novatec, Inc. (Fenton, Mich.) has appointed Peter L. Armbruster as regional vice president responsible for sales in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, as well as in Canada. In this country, he will work with Maguire Canada, which stocks, sells, and services Novatec products, along with equipment from Maguire Products, Inc., an affiliate of Novatec.
www.novatec.com.
Peter Armbruster
Jeff Saeger has been appointed director of marketing for Clariant Masterbatches' North America region, which includes Canada. His responsibilities include directing business activities of all market segments and Clariant ColorWorks design and technology centres, as well as regional implementation of global marketing initiatives.
www.clariant.com
Jeff Saeger
Frank Peters is taking over on April 1 as general manager of KraussMaffei's Reaction Process Machinery division. He succeeds Walter Tesche, who will be retiring mid-year.
Tesche worked in the Injection Moulding Machine division in international sales. Between 1986 and 1999, he was general sales manager for both extrusion and injection moulding machinery in the Munich, Germany, company. In 2000, he took over as head of Reaction Process Machinery.
www.krauss-maffei.com
Frank Peters
Kiefel Inc. (Wrentham, Mass.), a supplier of blown film machinery and equipment, has expanded its customer service department to better serve its growing customer base in North America. Scott Ryan has been appointed to the new position of technical sales manager. Jamie Nelson has been promoted to service manager. And Mark Smith has been appointed a Service Technician.
EPCO, the remanufacturer of injection moulding, blow moulding and diecast machinery, announces that it has completed its integration within Brown Machine Co. The move to Brown's facility in Beaverton, Mich., was concluded at the end of February.
The move has allowed EPCO to capitalise on Brown's 172,000 sq ft plant, which includes large machine assembly bays, an extensive machine shop and a spare parts manufacturing cell. EPCO will also draw on Brown's engineering and service expertise, with 15 engineers and 12 service technicians to supplement EPCO's existing engineering and service groups.
EPCO's new home
TOP
Classified Ads
Job Forum
Businesses For Sale
Miscellaneous
The Plastics in Canada e-newsletter Classified Ads section offers a platform to reach 7,500 recipients every two weeks.
Just e-mail gillian.thomas@plastics.rogers.com with your classified ad and we take care of the placement.
The cost is $150.00 per insertion.
TOP
Coming Events
2008
April 6-9: The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) Annual Expo will be held at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Fla. (Contact: Stacy Flint at 609-799-4900, ext. 62, or SFlint@icma.com).
April 8-11: Plastimagen 2008, Mexico's premier plastics show, at Centro Banamex, Mexico City (Contact: Guadalupe Olvera Arellano at 52-55-1087-1650 or golvera@ejkrause.com).
April 10: Basics of Plastics, an introduction to the elements of the plastics industry. At the Rogers campus in Brampton, Ont. (Contact: Edward Mason at 416-764-1514 or edward.mason@plastics.rogers.com)
April 17: One-day seminar on Implementing Scientific Moulding, with Bill Tobin, a joint activity of WJT Associates and SPE Ontario. At the Delta Toronto Airport West Hotel, Mississauga, Ont. (Contact: Paul Waller at 905-738-9742 or paul@plasticstouchpointgroup.com)
April 23-24: Mold Expo 2008 and Conference at Rock Financial Showplace, Novi, Mich. (Contact: 513-527-8800 or info@moldmakingexpo.com)
May 12-13: Tenth International Conference on Progress in Biofibre Plastic Composites. At the Toronto Airport Renaissance Hotel. (Contact: Guida Williamson at 519-249-0545 or www.biocomposites-toronto.com)
May 22: The Plast-Ex Summit 2008 is a look at the urgent issues facing the plastics industry in Canada. Co-sponsored by Plastics in Canada magazine and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association. At the Rogers Center, Toronto. (Contact: Nick Passingham at 416-764-1527 or nick.passingham@plastics.rogers.com).
May 22: Plastic Film Manufacturers Association of Canada, 27th annual golf tournament. At Richmond Hill Gold Club. (Contact: Marilyne Berman, 905-678-7748 or mberman@cpia.ca).
May 26 - 29: Aseanplas 2008 incorporating Aseanrubber 2008, Southeast Asia's main international trade fair for plastics and rubber. At Singapore Expo. (Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180 or info@mdna.com).
June 16: Windsor Chapter of CAMM dinner meeting. (Contact: Diane Deslippe at 519 255-7863 or info@camm.ca).
June 5: Canadian Plastics Pioneers 12th annual reunion and citation awards dinner. At the Donalda Club, Don Mills, Ont. (Contact: Tom Thomas at 416-498-4016 or tom.thomas@rogers.com)
September 30-October 2: Interplas 2008, Britain's national plastics show, at the Birmingham NEC, UK. (Contact: Graham Earl at 020 8910 7890 or graham.earl@reedexpo.co.uk). October 22-23: Rotoplas '08, the international rotational moulding event, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Ill. (Contact: Maria at 630-578-3266 x225, or mariap@cmservnet.com)
October 20-21: Expoplast 2008, Quebec's triennial plastics show, at the Palais de Congres in Montreal. (Contact: Tom Sockett at 905-678-7748 or tsockett@cpia.ca)
October 22-23: Rotoplas '08, the international rotational moulding event, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Ill. (Contact: Maria at 630-578-3266 x225, or mariap@cmservnet.com) TOP
Coming Soon From Plastics In Canada Magazine - June issue
Precision Parts - Moulding to Tight Specifications
Extrusion Report - Innovations in Blown Film
Spotlight on Granulators and Shredders
Product Review of Printing & Decorating
Product Review of Welding Systems
Raw Materials Report
Processor Profile
Closing: May 21, 2008
Reach
over 10,700
plastics industry decision makers online! Advertise in this bi-weekly Plastics in Canada E-newsletter with a banner ad that links to your site.
For advertising information contact:
TOP
Mailing Address
Rogers Media Publishing - Plastics in Canada
One Mount Pleasant Road, 7th Floor
Toronto, ON M4Y 2Y5 |
