Production of plastics and rubber machinery in Taiwan was down by over 30% in 2009 but the past three months has seen a surge in orders, with machine builders having to hire extra personnel to keep pace according to David Wu, chairman of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Committee of the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI; Taipei).

Expanding the scope of recycled materials for the company's environmentally friendly decking and other green building materials, Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (A.E.R.T.) opened a new, state-of-the-art polyethylene recycling facility in Watts, OK. The 70,000-ft² facility will allow A.E.R.T. to recover and utilize a wider range of polyethylene materials including plastic film and food packaging and containers.

Company president Maureen Steinwall was all smiles this week as a representative of Deere & Company presented a trophy naming her company, molder/contract manufacturer Steinwall Inc., as John Deere's supplier of the year, the top performer in a 4400-member supply chain.

Cavaform International LLC (www.cavaform.com) recently opened a new 22,000-ft² facility next to its current mold manufacturing plant. The new company, Modern Technical Molding & Development LLC, will provide molding sampling capabilities using the company's five injection molding presses that range from 75-375 tonnes capacity. "We can also install a customer's molding press up to 500 tonnes in pre-prepared sites," says Robert (Chuck) Massie, VP of Cavaform.

Taiwanese auxiliary equipment supplier Shini Plastics Technologies Inc. (Taipei) has been substantially boosting its production capacity of late, having doubled the size of its operations through the course of 2009 through a $19 million investment in new production facilities. Consequently, it also plans to double sales this year.

Polyethylene (PE) spot prices rallied $0.05/lb last week amid soaring feedstock costs and some force majeure conditions in ethylene and PE. Michael Greenberg, CEO of plastics spot-trading platform, The Plastics Exchange (TPE), said a $0.10/lb jump in spot ethylene means PE producers will be resolute in their effort to enforce the full $0.06/lb price increase they previously nominated for March contracts.

Orlando-Bioplastics supplier NatureWorks LLC (Minnetonka, MN) is partnering with outside firms to augment reclaim and recycling of its material in the U.S. and Europe, saying the partner businesses will offer a competitive price for post-consumer polylactic acid (PLA) scrap, according to president and CEO Marc Verbruggen.

During an earnings call on Wednesday, March 10, executives of bioplastics developer Metabolix said their joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland remains on track to start commercial supply in the coming weeks and expects to develop food contact-suitable grades this year. Telles, the joint-venture company, produces the Mirel brand of biodegradable plastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

Corr Plastik Industrial Ltda. has jumped into the top three in the Brazil's PVC pipe processing industry following its recent purchase and installation of five new extrusion lines at a new, 60,0000m² site near Maceió in the northeast of the country.

Based on a combination of the range of services offered, support of the customer's business model, perceptible advantages as a supplier, and a solid on-time delivery rate, Rockwell Automation selected TecStar Mfg. Co., a business unit of MGS Mfg. Group to receive its Supplier of the Year award.

"TecStar's technical capabilties and global footprint provide Rockwell Automation with a strategic partner who offers a competitive supply chain advantage", says Matthew Sprader, Strategic Sourcing Commodity Manager for Rockwell.