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Kickstart: With EV sales increasing, batteries becoming a bigger question

Kickstart: With EV sales increasing, batteries becoming a bigger questionWith EV sales increasing, batteries becoming a bigger questionWith electric vehicle sales picking up — EV sales were up 60 percent for the first quarter of 2022 and made up a record 4.6 percent of all U.S. sales — the auto industry and environmental groups are taking a harder look at what to do with the batteries in those cars once they reach the end of their life.Recycling for traditional batteries can be a mess. Polypropylene from cases have been relatively easy to recycle and turn back into new battery casings, but the lead and other chemicals in those battery have proven far more challenging. (The Tampa Bay Times won a Pulitzer Prize this week for its coverage of the health hazards related to lead battery recycling.)Lithium-ion batteries pose a different kind of challenge, because the chemistry for them includes valuable materials like lithium that are important to recover and use again. The plastics used in separator film and structural frames tend to get less attention related to recycling, although Singapore-based Ace Green Recycling Inc. said earlier this week it will build a plant in Texas to reclaim 15 million pounds of plastics each year from lead and lithium-ion batteries.The Alliance for Automotive Innovation on May 11 introduced what it termed a framework to "support and sustain a domestic circular economy for EV batteries, create manufacturing jobs, boost U.S. energy security and reduce reliance on critical mineral imports."Investments in EV batteries are expected to hit $515 billion by the end of this decade, our sister paper Automotive News writes.An appropriate material for a grand openingAny company can have a ribbon-cutting ceremony. When pipe maker Uponor North America marked the opening of its $5.5 million, 25,000-square-foot expansion in Hutchinson, Minn., it had a pipe-cutting ceremony.The expansion will support the growth of Uponor's cross-linked polyethylene pipe manufacturing. Apple Valley, Minn.-based Uponor North America is part of Finland-based Uponor Corp.The PEX pipe used for the ceremony was specially marked with the date and location and given to attendees after the event.Dancing into the hallWe've written many times about the Toy Hall of Fame, but the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., is also home to the World Video Game Hall of Fame.While there are plenty of plastic components within any electronic toy, one of the inductees for 2022 relies even more on plastic, in this case a PVC sheet with sensors that make up the playing surface for home versions of Dance Dance Revolution.Like the Toy Hall of Fame, video games must meet certain criteria to qualify for a spot in the hall: Be considered an icon, show longevity, have wide geographical reach and influence other games.Since its debut in 1998, Dance Dance Revolution (also known as Dancing Stage in some areas) has gone on to influence other music-based video games with their own unique plastic interfaces for play, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/kickstart/ev-sales-increasing-batteries-become-bigger-questionedit : handler
Editor 2022-05-16
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Water in PET bottles continues US dominance, but soft drinks rebound

Water in PET bottles continues US dominance, but soft drinks reboundAustin, Texas — People drank more bottled water than ever in the United States last year, and more water than ever was consumed from single-serve PET containers.Research from the New York-based consulting firm Beverage Market Corp. shows bottled water became the largest beverage category ever for the country in 2021, surpassing carbonated soft drink's all-time high of 15.3 billion gallons in 2004."There's no reason to think that will not happen again this year because bottled water continues to grow," said Gary Hemphill, managing director at BMC, Feb. 15 at The Packaging Conference in Austin.Bottled water accounted for 24.6 percent of the U.S. beverage market last year, Hemphill said, according to preliminary results. That's up from 23.6 percent in 2020 and 18.7 percent in 2015.Carbonated soft drinks (CSD) represented 18.7 percent of the total U.S. beverage market volume in 2021, up from 18.4 percent in 2020, but still down from the 20.3 percent total posted in 2015.This uptick also can be expressed as a 2.2 percent volume increase within just the CSD category, a reversal from a 3.7-percent decrease in CSD volume in 2020 as COVID-19 curtailed movement and out-of-home experiences."One of the interesting things that happened last year is that carbonated soft drinks actually grew," Hemphill said. "It's kind of a big event if you are selling carbonated soft drinks or if you are drinking them, it's nice that the category has rebounded a little bit."Last year's CSD rebound reversed a 16-year trend of consumption decreases in that category, Hemphill said.Hemphill said that despite the increase, the uptick could be short lived."I think the big question going forward is if this rebound is sustainable. We'll see about that.," he said.Even though CSD companies have endured eroding demand, the market has been able to counteract the volume declines with price increases. "On a dollar basis, the category is doing very well, lest you feel for the category," Hemphill said.Milk, another beverage that commonly is packaged in plastic, had an 8.1 percent share last year, down from 8.4 percent in 2020 and 9.3 percent in 2015, BMC reported.PET single-serve water bottles represented 71 percent of the total bottled water market in 2021, up from 70.5 percent in 2020 and 68.4 percent in 2015. Bottles ranging in size from 1 to 2.5 gallons were 7.8 percent of the 2021 market, down from 8.1 percent in 2020 and 9.3 percent in 2015.Home and office delivery, another category that uses plastic bottles, was at 9.3 percent of the total last year, equal to 2020's totals, but down from 11.6 percent in 2015, BMC reported.Overall, plastic, metal and glass represents more than 90 percent of the beverage packaging used, BMC reports."Over the last five years, plastic has seen the most growth due mostly to the success of the bottled water category while cans increased in 2021," according to Hemphill's presentation.Plastic held 45.8 percent of the packaging market share for all beverages in 2021, down slightly from 45.9 percent in 2020, but up from 41.4 percent in 2015. Metal cans were at 37 percent last year, up from 36.2 percent in 2020 and 36.9 percent in 2015. Glass, meanwhile, checked in at 11.4 percent in 2021, 11.7 percent in 2020 and 14.3 percent in 2015.Subscribe to Plastics News now for award-winning news and insight.Paper was 4.3 percent last year, 4.5 percent in 2020 and 5.3 percent in 2015. And all other packaging was 1.5 percent in 2021, 1.6 percent in 2020 and 2.2 percent in 2015, BMC said.Bottled water consumption has been growing for years and was up again by 4.5 percent in 2021. That followed a 4.1 percent increase in 2020 and a 3.7 percent increase in 2019. Increases in previous years included: 4.9 percent in 2018; 6.1 percent in 2017; 7.9 percent in 2016; and 7.6 percent in 2015, Hemphill reported.While bottled water continues to lead in beverage sales, the category also rose in price in 2021 by 6.4 percent, BMC reported. That compares with an overall average increase of 7.8 percent for all beverage categories. Sports beverages was tops with a 12.7-percent increase in 2021, followed by carbonated soft drinks at 9.4 percent. Sparkling and seltzer water was up 6.1 percent, and enhanced water was up 4.7 percent."Beverages experienced unprecedented retail price increases in 2021 with some segments still seeing accelerations. Higher prices are likely to continue well into 2022," according to Hemphill's presentation.source : Water in PET bottles continues US dominance, but soft drinks rebound | Plastics Newsedit : plastic handler 
Editor 2022-02-22
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Sumitomo (SHI) Demag on track for record sales in 2021

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag on track for record sales in 2021Sales of injection molding machines built by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH are forecast to surpass pre-pandemic levels and could reach an all-time high in 2021 as demand continues to increase for all-electric models.The Schwaig, Germany-based company expects sales to hit 808 million euros if this year's trend continues.Sumitomo (SHI) Demag sells about 7,000 presses annually and is the third largest injection molding machine builder in the world behind Haitian and Engel.The medical and packaging markets comprise about two-thirds of sales and the electronics market has picked up, according to Sumitomo (SHI) Demag CEO Gerd Liebig."We are very close to the fight against the pandemic," Liebig said of the medical market. "We offer many solutions in the US, Europe and China for the whole range of possibilities for test for coronavirus and now the vaccination campaign. For customers in Europe, the main focus is pipette tips and we are very strong in this."Medical and electronic processors prefer all-electric machines to avoid use of hydraulic oils and for energy efficiency."The market direction is to go to all-electric machines," Liebig said. "The ratio all over the world is increasing, particularly for medical and electronic. For the United States and Japan it's very high. In China, it's also now increasing."In the electronic segment, half of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag' customers serve the automotive market and half produce building-related products, such as lighting, Liebig said."When these customers buy, they tend to buy a high number of machines," he added.Meanwhile, the packaging market is under some pressure right now because of higher resin prices for materials like polypropylene and polyethylene. Liebig said the company is seeing some hesitation to invest."In packaging, the material price is very important," he said, noting this market dynamic could keep the company from setting an all-time highest sales rate.If that's the case, sales would likely be about 800 million euros, which would be about the same as the 2018 record year.Through the pandemic, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has maintained a workforce of about 3,000 employees."So now it's possible to increase very quickly our production capacity," Liebig said.He expects the move toward tethered caps to create new demand for the company."Customers are investing in molds. I see the trend. That will start the end of this year and it will influence the packaging industry in the next year," Liebig said. "We are No. 1 in packaging in the world. We are extremely strong in thin walls and the caps and closures."A complete packagePost-pandemic trends indicate packaging producers are concerned about sustainability and the cost and quality of green packaging, which company officials said tends to be less expensive because of the trend to use less material and integrate processes like foaming.For Fakuma 2021, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag brought the El-Exis SP 250 and is demonstrating a cup application made from an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC)-certified polypropylene material.ISCC Plus certification is a globally-recognized system for providing traceability of recycled and renewable-based materials across the supply chain.The El-Exis SP 250 has the fastest opening and closing sides on the market, according to Arnaud Nomblot, Sumitomo's business development director of packaging."Achieving injection speeds of 1,000 millimeters per second (mm/s) with short cycle times is a direct result of the hydraulic accumulator. Further supporting the sustainability agenda, processors can produce ever thinner and lighter packaging items, significantly reducing raw material requirements, packaging waste and carbon footprint," Nomblot said.The accumulator was developed about 15 years ago but has been modified over the years, according to Hans Schorr von Carolsfeld, an application engineer who talked with Fakuma attendess about the white PP cups being produced with a recyclable blue polyolefin wrap produced with feedstock derived from waste streams."We change drives and pumps and make modifications based on the knowledge we gain when they're out in the market," von Carolsfeld said. "The accumulator has a higher speed and acceleration. We're not traveling a long way so acceleration is very important. We can inject below a tenth of a second for the 64 grams of polypropylene."Sumitomo (SHI) Demag's trade fair slogan is Act! "Sustainably" and officials says the El-Exis SP series underpins its production innovations and mission statement that only machines and equipment that are compatible with ecological and corporate social responsibility credentials will be considered for production projects moving forward.Other demonstrationsSumitomo (SHI) Demag also is demonstrating all-electric injection molding machines for LSR, medical and in-mold decoration (see related story on robots) applications.The company unveiled an elastomer injection molding system featuring an Elect 130/520-450 with an LSR package and Servomix Z200 metering system from partner Nexus Elastomer Systems GmbH, Eberstalzell in Austria. A demonstration system is producing a complex automotive seal.The seal is designed to be molded using a "direct gate" without material closure, according to Henrik Langwald, director of automotive and electronics."The sealing lip must be completely pronounced to offer full functionality," he said. "We are setting a new benchmark to repeatably mold the tightest tolerances in 16 cavities, burr-free, with no conversion."Sumitomo (SHI) Demag also has a production cell for technical medical parts featuring the IntElect S 100/460-250 with an automation system from Waldorf Technik GmbH, Engen. The cell is based on the German partner's patented Vario Tip FSS (floor space saving) system."The uncompromising design of this trade exhibit showcases the production of medical parts and caps for insulin syringes, on a 16-cavity mold in a total cycle time of around six seconds," according to Anatol Sattel, director of medical business development.In another display, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and partner Sepro Robotique are producing an onyx-style shell on an all-electric IntElect 130/520-450 injection molding machine. Using a tool created by Polar- Form Werkzeugbau GmbH, Lahr, the two tone black and white translucent layered mineral replicates ABS.Condition monitoringSumitomo (SHI) Demag also is launching a series of permanent machine status condition monitoring systems aimed at reducing maintenance costs while maintaining reliability. The systems can determine the actual degree of wear and tear, enabling early detection and maintenance planning towards the end of the service life of the injection molding machine.   With condition monitoring, complex processes can be analyzed directly on the machine, making it possible to monitor critical parameters.   At Fakuma 2021, the company will present three options that can be implemented across all series. The first helps to keep all-electric machines permanently energy-efficient and powerful. Another serves to optimize hydraulic machine oil parameters and maintain component quality. The third reliably monitors control voltage across the entire injection molding machine series.   "Currently, our efforts are focused on detecting abrasion and wear to the screw, the plasticizing cylinder and the ball screws on all-electric injection molding machines," said Thorsten Thümen, senior director of technology at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag.   The plan was to first focus on components where failures incur the highest costs and lengthiest machine downtimes. However, further developments to the portfolio of solutions are underway.   "Our ultimate goal is full monitoring of all critical components prone to wear," Thümen said.   For hydraulic machines, where oil usage enables trouble-free operation, but can also signal problems, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag offers additional measurement sensors for monitoring two parameters during machine operation. One is a monitor that continuously records the number and size of particles contained in the fluid.   The second is a measuring device that detects the physical properties of the oil, such as the water content, permittivity and conductivity.   Based on these measured values, the lubricant age can be determined via internal algorithms, according to Jan Taufer, project manager for condition monitoring. Prospective problems can be addressed before the chemical properties change to the extent that trouble-free operation can no longer be guaranteed, he added.   "This way, accelerated oxidation or wear processes, cooler breaks or water ingress due to condensation can also be detected and remedied at an earlier stage with minimal effort," Taufer said.   For reliable power supply, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag offers a system for monitoring the 24 V control voltage of the injection molding machines across the entire series. This is achieved by a power supply unit and intelligent circuit breakers that communicate with the machine control. The actual and effective cycle current can be monitored in real time.   "Consequently, potentially critical peaks or generally high utilization rates can be identified and countermeasures can be initiated at the earliest stage," Taufer said.   For medical processorsAnother trade fair exhibit was designed to produce medical insulin syringe caps on a 16-cavity mold in a six second cycle time with a fully automated work cell that is networked and offers digital quality control.   After taking the syringe caps from the injection molding machine, a removal gripper transfers them in order into a sliding table. From there, the caps are placed into racks, maintaining the sorting of each individual cavity.   After filling, the parts are checked for possible damage using a Kitov camera, Sattel said.   "At the point of ejecting all 16 parts, the system features a quality assurance station," he added. "A Sawyer cobot then waits at the outlet of the system and removes the filled racks from the system."   In the near future, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag plans to develop assistance apps for setting up and optimizing processes along with a material and knowledge library, and simulation tools for advanced settings and deeper insights into the processes.   "Our vision is an intelligent machine that can independently make predictions about part quality, machine wear and failures and perform optimizations online," Sattel said. "This enables process consistency to be increased, improvement in product quality, and maintenance to be adjusted accordingly."   Sumitomo (SHI) Demag officials say the exhibit also demonstrates the company's competence in mass-producing medical applications with extremely tight tolerances.   Connecting machines and robotsIn addition, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is addressing ways to meet future networking and communication requirements as another step toward Industry 4.0. All of the company's robots and machines are now aligned to the OPC/UA control for monitoring and integration interface.   For example, all new dosing devices now feature the recently released OPC-UA interface and directly link metering measurement data with the IntElect 130/520-450 processing data to ensure a traceable and stable production process.   At its LSR exhibit, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag demonstrates the importance of using robotics to eliminate component contamination and issues, which in this case is the sealing function.   "With SAM-C, we have succeeded in engineering the smallest automated injection molding production cell comprising robot and material handling technology," Jürgen Schulze, director of automation, said describing the handle-and-place solution.   The machine builder also is presenting its advanced web-based software solution myConnect. This central platform gives customers direct access to a wide range of fully networked support services and helps to manage inefficiencies, reduce costs, improve total cost of ownership, troubleshoot errors and minimize downtime.source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/sumitomo-shi-demag-built-injection-molding-machine-sales-are-track-record-salesedit : handler
editor 2021-11-24
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Kickstart: Biodegradable straws and a new kind of plastic ban

Kickstart: Biodegradable straws and a new kind of plastic banBiodegradable straws and a new kind of plastic banThere's a new wrinkle in the old debate about banning plastic straws.In early November, the city government in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on the Gulf of Mexico, repealed its 2017 law banning plastic straws and replaced it with an ordinance requiring that straws given out in food service must be marine biodegradable.What it means is that biodegradable plastic can now be used, along with paper. So if you find that paper straws get too soggy, this is for you.The Fort Myers Beach decision sets up a debate that I wonder if we'll see at more city halls, as materials like castor oil-based polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymer are commercialized.Some parts of the plastics industry, like packaging maker WinCup Inc., hope other cities change their plastic straw bans to allow for what they say are home compostable, biodegradable materials like PHA.WinCup calls it an "ecologically superior" material to the petroleum plastic straw."Our hope is that coastal communities across the country will follow Fort Myers Beach's lead by ensuring their straw ban policies are as strong as possible by allowing ecologically superior alternatives to petro plastic, like PHA," WinCup CEO Brad Laporte said in a statement.Florida's local straw bans have been controversial, and Fort Myers Beach's ordinance doesn't seem very detailed on defining what is biodegradable.But another maker of compostable PHA straws, UrthPact LLC, notes that Charleston, S.C.'s plastic straw ban specifically allows plant-based materials that meet the ASTM D6400 or D6868 standards and carry certification from the Biodegradable Products Institute.Biodegrability is a complex topic and for now, it seems like Charleston and Fort Myers Beach are in a minority among cities. But will this be the new trend in plastic straw laws? Time will tell.UMass sees economic boost from biodegradable plasticsAs WinCup and UrthPact know, there's interest in biodegradables. There's also research money going in.The state government in Massachusetts Nov. 12 announced nearly $1.2 million for a new center to develop biodegradable plastics at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. One of the goals, they say, will be to make "ocean-safe plastics.""Institutions like UMass Dartmouth play a critical role in preparing Massachusetts' students for their future careers, teaching them how to tackle major global challenges such as plastic waste," said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who spoke at the kickoff ceremony.As plastics nerds like me know, the UMass Lowell campus is famous for its plastics engineering school, but this center will be housed in UMass Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology.The announcement says the grant will fund equipment to "address material biodegradability and its environmental impact, specializing in the ocean impacts, and advancing the development of new, environmentally sensitive products."One thing that caught my eye: Those involved with the lab see a quick economic return.The news release said that because of the center's work with partner companies Radical Plastics and Paramount Planet Products, they expect to directly support the creation of 75 jobs by 2023 and another 232 indirect jobs in supply chains."Project estimates call for positive economic impacts within two years of launch, noting the large potential market for biodegradable products being driven by consumer demand and new legislation aimed at limiting plastic pollution," it said.Telling restaurants 'out with plastic, in with compostable fiber'And while we're on the topic of compostables, biodegradables and plastics, the city of Mountain View, Calif., wants to ban noncompostable packaging — including single-use plastics — from restaurants, fast-food outlets and coffee shops starting in 2023.The Silicon Valley city, well known as the headquarters for Google, Intuit and other tech firms, is moving ahead on a ban on single-use plastics in food service. In a Nov. 10 statement, the city said straws and cutlery made from "biologically based polymers or compostable plastics" are included in the ban on petroleum-based plastic.Mountain View said it wants food outlets to use compostable fiber-based material that is also free of PFAS chemicals, as part of its zero waste plan.Maybe it's another city for WinCup and UrthPact to talk to about the potential of PHA.Coincidentally, we saw this item Wednesday, on packaging maker Zume and robotics firm ABB striking a deal to put 2,000 robots in factories worldwide to make fiber-based packaging.They say it's aimed at "accelerating the transition away from single-use plastics," but the release does note that any fiber product must be as "easy to mold and as cost-effective as plastic."I'm sure the plastic packaging industry will have a few things to say about that, but it does seem like it's game on for finding new packaging materials.source :  https://www.plasticsnews.com/kickstart/kickstart-biodegradable-straws-and-new-kind-plastic-banedit : handler
editor 2021-11-24
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Survey finds Chinese plastics industry optimistic about 2021

Survey finds Chinese plastics industry optimistic about 2021After experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, what are the expectations of the Chinese plastics industry on the development in 2021? An industry survey conducted by Adsale Plastics Network (AdsaleCPRJ.com) has received valid feedback from 1,340 respondents.  The “Plastics Industry Outlook 2021” was conducted from January 4 to February 4, 2021. It was found out that over 90% of the respondents are optimistic about the development of both the Chinese and the global plastics industry in 2021, of them 49.18% are “fairly optimistic” and 44.63% are “optimistic”. Only 4.1% of the respondents said they are “not optimistic”. More opportunities in the European and US markets Respondents expected to face challenges such as increasing freight rates, international trade barriers or new regulations, price fluctuations of some raw materials, and supply chain disruption due to the pandemic. In response to these challenges, enterprises will make various adjustments to maintain business growth in 2021. The major measures adopted include: increase the use of automation (47.91%); increase domestic sales (45.9%); enhance online digital marketing (41.57%); and adjust strategies for overseas markets (39.63%). Regarding overseas plastic markets, more respondents believed that Europe and the US will have more business opportunities in 2021, followed by South America, Vietnam, India, and Turkey, Thailand and Africa.Medical and sustainable packaging expected to grow In terms of application sectors, 50.67% of the respondents thought that medical and healthcare related sectors will have more growth potential in 2021. Meanwhile, 50.22% anticipated FMCG packaging and sustainable development to grow fast. Smart home appliances, consumer electronics, automotive design and safety, and plastics circular economy related sectors were also considered to have good growth potential. ▲Half of the respondents thought that sectors related to medical and sustainable packaging will have higher growth potential.Vast majority reported satisfactory performance Despite the impact of the pandemic, 73.58% of the respondents reported that their companies recorded a year-on-year (YOY) increase in turnover last year. Among these companies, 36.49% recorded an increase of 10-20% and 16.94% had an increase of more than 20%. Only about 15% of respondents said their companies had a decline in turnover. When asked to identify the most influential factors on their companies’ development last year, 54.7% and 48.95% of the respondents said negative impacts and increasing demand due to the pandemic respectively affected their companies most.   Besides, 34.1% of the respondents observed that there were increasing demands for automation and smart manufacturing. Over 80% of respondents forecast turnover increase While most of the respondents expressed optimism about the prospects of the plastic industry in 2021, 83.05% of the respondents forecast that their companies’ turnover for 2021 will increase compared with last year, among them 42.46% expected a 10% - 20% increase and 18.43% anticipated an increase of more than 20%.Most of the 1,340 respondents come from the downstream sectors: automotive (26.27%), daily chemical/food (23.28%), consumer electronics/home appliances (18.43%), packaging (15.82%), medical/medical devices (15.67%), and new infrastructure (4.85%). Meanwhile, the respondents in the upstream sectors come from plastic processing machinery and equipment and chemical & raw materials. In terms of company scale, 18.06% of the respondents come from companies with more than 500 employees, 9.85% come from companies with 300-500 employees, and 28.66% from companies with 100-300 employees. In addition, 35.45% of the respondents stated that their companies’ sales are domestic-oriented, 18.06% noted that their companies’ products are all for domestic sales in China, 19.85% said their domestic and export sales are equivalent. While 12.46% of the respondents said their companies’ sales are export-oriented, 14.18% stated that their companies’ products are all for export sales. Comments from industry expertsChina has been one of the first countries to recover from the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently stated that China will play a key role in accelerating the global economic recovery. The World Bank also pointed out that China may become the only major economy to avoid economic downturn with its GDP growth expected to reach 7.9% in 2021. Meanwhile, driven by China, the emerging market economies are expected to grow by 5% this year, higher than the previously forecast of 4.6%. In his opinion, Yan Jianlai, Deputy Secretary-General of China Society of Automotive Engineers predicted that regardless of the fluctuations brought by the pandemic, the automotive market is expected to grow slightly in 2021. The market competition of new energy vehicles will be greater and the market concentration will be further increased, he said. As a result, automotive enterprises with higher branding and innovation capabilities will achieve better business development, and a number of medium-sized enterprises will be forced out of the market. Wu Hongjun, Deputy Secretary-General, China Packaging Federation, agreed that the industry integration in 2021 will be larger in scale. Leading companies will become increasingly competitive. He remarked that the policy guidelines for circular economy introduced by the Chinese government in February 2021 has proposed to build a sustainable supply chain. Therefore, the application of sustainable packaging will become more important to enterprises as the government is paying more attention to circular economy. According to Peng Xiandong, General Manager of Large Electronics Group at China Market Monitor Co., Ltd., a consumer survey was conducted by the company and has shown that Chinese consumers are generally optimistic about the market of 2021. He commented that the market and sales of small home appliances are projected to keep growing in 2021. The market of other large white appliances is forecast to rebound this year, with turnover growing steadily in the next three years.source : http://www.adsalecprj.com/en/news_show-72238.htmledit : HANDLER
editor 2021-04-21
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Auto industry resilient in 2020, amid COVID pandemic

Auto industry resilient in 2020, amid COVID pandemicFor automakers and suppliers, the last year wasn't just about getting through the COVID-19 pandemic. It was about coming through it stronger and wiser, changed for the better.That may have seemed like an impossible task when the virus began its global spread, shutting down businesses and entire countries, and slowing global industries. Even as the auto industry faced big challenges, it found innovative ways to address emerging concerns.Jeff Schuster, LMC Automotive's president of Americas operations and global vehicle forecasting, said he is not surprised."The industry innovates and finds ways to deal with whatever the situation is," he said. "I think, when there is an event like this, the industry and society tend to come out stronger and really know that they can fight through anything."Coming into 2020, the auto industry expected to see unit sales of about 17 million in the U.S. and 90 million globally, according to Schuster. The pandemic put a dent in those expectations, particularly early on when production levels plummeted.At one point in the spring, U.S. auto production fell to nearly zero, Schuster said, adding that global production levels fell by 60 percent.But things picked up in the second half of the year, and the market quickly rebounded. By the summer, U.S. automakers not only had revived production, they skipped their traditional summer shutdowns to make up for lost time."So we do see continued recovery," Schuster said. "Things are better than expected, considering we had a pretty significant drop (in production)."What bolstered the industry during the toughest points of the pandemic was an unwavering demand for new vehicles. Yes, sales trailed off when dealers were forced to close their doors during lockdowns, but new vehicle sales surged upon reopening."Sales, overall, were much stronger than we thought they would be (early in the crisis)," said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research.By the end of 2020, North American vehicle sales reached 14.5 million and global auto sales hit the 78 million mark, according to LMC data.Road to recoverySchuster remains hopeful that the industry will continue its recovery trajectory, though he said it may take a few years for unit sales to reach or surpass pre-pandemic levels. LMC Automotive is projecting sales of around 16 million in North America this year, about 1.5 million ahead of 2020.This year stands out as a pivotal one for other reasons, too. The ability to contain and control the spread of the coronavirus also will determine the pace at which the auto industry recovers. That's because the vaccine rollout and the U.S. government's latest stimulus response remain key factors for holistic economic recovery."There is a lot that can go wrong (in 2021)," Dziczek said. "But there is a lot that can go right this year, too."In many ways, the outlook for this year "depends on if you are a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person," Dziczek said.Count Matthew Portu as one of those glass-is-half-full people. As president of Freudenberg NOK Sealing Technologies, he's encouraged by the recovery his company has experienced since the second half of 2020. He expects the recovery to continue fairly smoothly, barring any major hiccups."I think we are nipping at full strength right now. We are very close," Portu said."Early in the crisis, it was assumed and universally thought that we would not return to normal until 2024 or 2025. We had these thoughts as well, and the reality was nobody really knew. We certainly started to see a robust recovery happening, first in China and then in Europe and then in the U.S. I think we are really very, very close to being back to a 'normal' and healthy automobile sector."That's not to say that there won't be additional hurdles along the way. The industry-wide microchip shortage already is posing problems for auto production.The root of the issue, Dziczek said, is that the pandemic created a demand for consumer electronics, which increased demand for the chips, many of which also are used in vehicle electronics. Shifts to remote work and remote learning led to a surge in purchases of office electronics, desktops and laptops.Stay-at-home orders also led to increased demand for entertainment electronics such as video game consoles. This surge was compounded by the release of some newer, in-demand consumer electronics such as the Play Station 5 and the latest Apple iPhone."Everyone tricked out their home office or home school space, and that had a big impact on demand," Dziczek said. "Shifting that demand back to the auto industry is going to take some time."Schuster agrees that the microchip shortage will remain a hurdle for the auto industry moving forward, but he does not see it as being a long-term issue."That may not have a lasting impact," Schuster said of the chip shortage. "But it is going to cause some disruption in the structure of the recovery path in the spring and into the summer."Moments of self-reflectionThe pandemic did expose the strengths and weaknesses within the auto industry. Every company along the supply chain wrestled with big problems and the industry, as a whole, tackled some together."I think the (industry's) strengths and weaknesses are the same thing," Dziczek said. "Depending on what context you are in determines whether (something) is a strength or a weakness."For instance, the global supply chain, which had been a critical strength of the auto industry, just wasn't a strength in 2020. Early in the pandemic, components makers couldn't produce what was needed due to parts shortages or shutdowns. At other points, shipping complications prevented completed parts from getting to the auto makers.Dziczek does not believe the pandemic will change how auto makers view their supply chains — it will remain a global industry, sourcing parts from around the world."It has always been a strength to have many eggs in many baskets," Dziczek said.Portu noted that the complications experienced during the pandemic went far beyond typical supply chain disruptions and likely will not be replicated often."This was different — noticeably different — in that everybody was in the same boat at the same time," Portu said. "Typically, you have one segment that might be impacted or one supplier or one OE. But this was everywhere; it was happening to everybody very rapidly."It is likely that, moving ahead, the auto industry will have a better idea of how to approach major supply chain disruptions that occur simultaneously. It likely also will have a plan for addressing shortages.Schuster speculated that in the months and years ahead, OEMs and suppliers will rethink what it means to run lean operations."The industry has been running quite lean, which has been considered healthy," Schuster said. "When you're running lean, you have to adapt quickly if things decline, but it also means when there is something like this and you don't have production, you don't have enough of a buffer to handle that."Chance to growMichelin North America Inc. saw 2020 as a chance to adapt and position itself as a leader in a newly defined automotive landscape."The last 12 months have been really, for us, a transformation," Alexis Garcin, chairman and president of Michelin North America Inc. told Automotive News recently. "We have been transforming ourselves quite a lot in the way we work with a lot more work from home."Internally, the biggest changes for Michelin came when the company was challenged to examine how it communicates. With in-person visits and meetings sidelined, the company, like many others, turned to technology as a way to connect."Before the pandemic, our internal communication with employees was 80 percent top-down through monthly or quarterly meetings," Garcin said in an email to Rubber & Plastics News. "So, we completely flipped our approach and began to reserve 80 percent of our time to answer employees' questions, and on a much more frequent basis — weekly — via company-wide town halls."Those changes proved to be more effective for Michelin, especially in the ways it brought employees together. During a time when physical distancing was essential to employees' health, connections were essential to employees' well-being.FNST experienced much of the same when it came to communication. Portu said that was a direct result of the company's ability to harness technology in new and effective ways."In a strange way, I would say that our collaboration actually increased throughout this time," Portu said. "We were forced to pay attention in meetings—that's not to say that we didn't pay attention before, but this was different. It became more difficult to focus, so we had to be more creative and more innovative in collaborations."From the start, FNST responded to the crisis in the way many businesses did. Those employees who could transition to work remotely from home did so. This allowed FNST to close office spaces, limiting possible community transmission.As much as possible, Portu said, FNST tried to keep its manufacturing operations going without disruption. As industries around the globe ground operations to a halt, that became more difficult.During the end of the second quarter and into the early part of the third quarter, the company was among those to implement furloughs. The good news, Portu said, is that FNST has rebounded quickly. All of those furloughed employees have returned, and operations are running at or near pre-pandemic levels.To best protect its employees, FNST implemented safety practices across all of its facilities to ensure workers could return to work. These measures included temperature checks, social distancing and wellness checks.Portu said he is proud of the fact that none of the North American operations were forced to close as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak. And while there were employees who contracted the virus, there is no indication of community spread at work, he said."In all of our tracking, we never found a case that we believed was transmitted within our facility," Portu said. "It tended to be from the normal day-to-day things that happen when you are out and meet people or have contact with someone in your inner circle who is sick."Portu believes the ability of his company to weather one of the toughest years in recent memory is the direct result of the people who make up the FNST family."A lot of companies would say that your employees are your most important asset, but it's really true," Portu said, noting every employee across the North American operations stepped up and did what it took to pull through the difficult time. "This crisis really put a spotlight on our team, and everybody could feel we were in a pretty tough spot, so it naturally became an all hands on deck type thing."source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/auto-industry-resilient-2020-amid-covid-pandemicEdit : HANDLER
editor 2021-04-21
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Lightening up vehicle batteries with carbon fiber

Lightening up vehicle batteries with carbon fiberA United Kingdom-based make of lightweight composite battery systems for electric vehicles is collaborating with a carbon fiber supplier in a program is intends to put to use at its Richmond, Ky., facility. TRB Lightweight Structures, a global high-volume composites manufacturing company and a manufacturer of composite battery enclosures for Evs has initiated a collaboration with Kordsa, a specialized Turkey-based carbon fiber fabric supplier, in a bid to is lighten up the composite housings it produces. The TRB Lightweight Structures site in Kentucky is a joint venture with Toyota Tsusho America. The project originated at TRB’s facilities in the UK but will be expanded to include the company's US facilities in Kentucky. Kordsa’s strong global supply chain will enable the company to provide carbon fiber fabrics to TRB both from Turkey and its US-based company, Fabric Development Inc. Kordsa shipped the first orders to the UK in November. For Kordsa, the new supplier contract has opened up a new opportunity for Kordsa, said CEO Ali Çalışkan. “Through this project, we are now reinforcing a wider area of life with our new collaborations in the field of composites. We are pleased to work with TRB, with whom we share a similar vision for the future — to contribute to the world's successful transition to sustainable transportation.” Kordsa is a leading global supplier to the tire reinforcement technologies market, but has also invested heavily in the development of composite technologies, mainly targeted at sectors such as aerospace and automotive, as well as sports equipment and yachts. With R&D and innovation an integral part of Kordsa’s corporate culture, the company has established, in collaboration with Sabancı University in Turkey, one of the most important development centers in the world in this field: the Composite Technologies Center of Excellence, a 15,000-sq-meter state-of-the-art building situated at the Technopark İstanbul, the largest technopark in Turkey. The center brings together among others researchers, designers, engineers, producers, Ph.D. students entrepreneurs from incubators, in order to be able to serve stakeholders at every stage of the R&D cycle, from idea through mass production.source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/lightening-vehicle-batteries-carbon-fiberedit : plastics handler  http://www.ihandler.co.kr  
Editor 2021-01-22
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PP 'at risk' of losing recycling acceptance

PP 'at risk' of losing recycling acceptancePolypropylene is one of the most widely used plastics in packaging. But difficulties with recycling are potentially putting its acceptance at risk.At least that's the view of one of the leaders of the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, a new industry group aiming to change the trajectory of PP recycling and keep it accepted in the marketplace as a sustainable packaging material."We're at risk of losing polypropylene as a recycled and accepted recyclable material," said Ali Blandina, director of circular ventures at The Recycling Partnership. "We believe that there are actions to take to improve the circularity of this material so that it doesn't go away."Blandina's group is the lead organizer of the new PP recycling group, which formally launched in July with $35 million in funding from coalition members including Keurig Dr Pepper, Braskem and the Walmart Foundation.She spoke on a panel on recycling issues at the 2020 Plastics News Caps & Closures Conference, held Sept. 21-25, and she outlined the goals and challenges facing the coalition.One of the immediate catalysts for bringing the PP coalition together was the decision in January by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition to downgrade the status of PP from "widely recycled" to "check locally," a change that potentially sends a big signal to local recycling programs. SPC noted "uncertainty" around PP recycling.The first goal of the effort will be to regain the "widely recycled" status, Blandina said, as she outlined some of the larger challenges facing PP recycling."The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has downgraded polypropylene from 'widely recycled' to 'check locally,' and different activists are challenging the use of polypropylene in general as a recycled material," she said. "As well … we have communities and recyclers that are dropping 3-7s, which includes polypropylene, from their recycling programs."There's just this immediate need to ensure the long-term viability of polypropylene as an accepted and recycled material," she said.Longer term, the group wants PP to be in the same recycling position as PET and high density polyethylene and has set an official goal of having PP packaging hit a 30 percent recycling rate.That would be more than 10 times the current rate, though.Statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say that polypropylene containers and packaging had only a 2.7 percent recycling rate in 2017, the last year statistics were available. EPA said 7.7 percent of PP bottles were recycled in 2017, compared with 29.1 percent of PET bottles and 31.2 percent of HDPE bottles.But the coalition is aiming for 30 percent for PP packaging because that's the rate target set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and its New Plastics Economy project, she said.Many global consumer product companies are partnering with EMF on their plastics sustainability goals and meeting the foundation's targets will be key for them, she said."Reaching that 30 percent recycling rate [is important] because we know that all the companies and brands and manufacturers that are signed on to Ellen MacArthur have to hit that for their packaging to be considered recyclable," she said. "We want polypropylene to be part of that."The partnership is an industry-funded organization based in Falls Church, Va., that provides grants, technical advice and research around boosting recycling.Opportunities to buildWhile Blandina noted the substantial challenges around PP recycling, she and others on the panel pointed to what they see as opportunities to build on.There are end markets for PP recyclate and the demand is there, if more of it can be tapped, Blandina said.Estimates from the polypropylene coalition say there's about 1.65 billion pounds of PP used in packaging in U.S. single-family homes. That's only one-third of the amount of PET used, but the group argues it's still a very sizable base to draw from.They also argue that more demand for recycled PP is coming, as consumer brand companies and packaging makers have set much higher recycled content targets for plastics packaging, including PP.The Association of Plastic Recyclers estimates that collecting about 350 million pounds of PP a year could support a national recycling effort.Others are not so sure. Greenpeace issued a detailed report in February that showed, based on surveys of 367 materials recovery facilities in the U.S., that only about half of them accepted PP for recycling, compared with 100 percent acceptance for PET.The environmental group argued that the economics of collecting PP don't make sense for municipal programs, particularly after China cut off imports of lower-value plastic recyclate in 2018.Blandina acknowledged the questions around PP recycling but told the panel it can have a place in a circular economy for plastics. Polypropylene has unique performance qualities that make it a good material for many packages, she said."There are definitely people left wondering what is the future of this material, but we want people to know that its viability in a circular economy is real," Blandina said. "Recycling facilities are definitely facing issues in terms of access to advanced sortation technology, like optical sorters for polypropylene, but it is a valuable commodity to recycle and it can be remanufactured into new products."source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/partnership-pp-risk-losing-recycling-acceptance
Editor 2020-10-23