Tuesday, 18-Aug-09

Plastics used in winning designs
DULLES, VA. (August 18, 2009) -- The use of polymer resins helped numerous products — including advanced medical devices, double-color injection molded consumer electronics and an amphibious sport plane — win 2009 International Design Excellence Awards.

Singapore's Sunningdale reports cautious optimism
SINGAPORE (Aug 18, 2009) -- Sunningdale Tech Ltd said it faces a challenging business environment for the rest of this year though there are signs that the global economic crisis may be bottoming out. The Singapore-based injection molder and tooling supplier said it remains cautious for the rest of the year.

Tuesday, 11-Aug-09

Auto suppliers urged to enter alternative energy markets
TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. (August 11, 2009) -- NextEnergy, a Detroit-based non-profit company focused on accelerating investments in wind, solar, battery and other new markets, sends one message to auto suppliers: Stop making so many auto parts. There are other business opportunities out there that require the same skills as auto parts, but instead call for producing parts for emerging energy markets.

Gas-assist suit against ADAC dismissed
DETROIT (August 11, 2009) -- A court dismissal has ended a gas-assisted molding patent infringement lawsuit filed earlier this year by two affiliates of Gain Technologies Inc. against automotive molder ADAC Plastics Inc.

Lithium-ion infrastructure moving ahead
TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. (August 11, 2009) -- With more electric vehicles set to come on line, and the U.S. government parceling out $2.4 billion in grants for next-generation electric vehicles, the next phase in lithium-ion battery production is getting ready to move from Asia.

After cash-for-clunkers, auto suppliers ramp up output
DETROIT (August 11, 2009) -- Auto suppliers are ramping up production in line with automakers' push to rebuild dealership inventories that have been depleted by widespread production shutdowns this summer and the cash-for-clunkers program.

Ashley's new factory to use Chinese-made machines
TIANJIN (August 11, 2009) -- Indiana-based Ashley Industrial Molding Inc. is investing about $15 million to open its second plant, a factory in Iowa that will run three mammoth 4,000-ton machines to compression mold sheet molding compound. The machines were made by Tianjin Tianduan Press Co. Ltd.

Tuesday, 04-Aug-09

Nissei boosts capacity of new Taicang factory
TAICANG, JIASNGSU (August 4, 2009) -- The global economic downturn has pushed Japanese injection press maker Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. Ltd. to significantly boost capacity for its planned Chinese factory, its first manufacturing facility outside Japan.

China XD talks about U.S. listing, expansion plans
HARBIN, CHINA (August 4, 2009) -- After years of preparation, automotive compounder China XD Plastics Co. Ltd. earlier this year achieved its goal of becoming China’s first plastics material company listed on a U.S. stock exchange. Chairman and CEO Jie Han in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and Chief Financial Officer Taylor Zhang in New York recently spoke with Plastics News in a phone interview, offering insight into the company’s performance, expansion plans and market trends in China’s auto industry.

Tuesday, 07-Jul-09

VEM's new plant in Thailand serves auto industry

CHICAGO (July 7, 2009) -- Hong Kong-based toolmaker VEM Tooling (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. has opened a mold making facility in Thailand because it says it sees opportunities in that country’s automotive sector.

Tuesday, 30-Jun-09

China’s manufacturers mull ways to boost industry

Chan

HONG KONG (June 30, 2009) -- Stung by the collapse of their export markets, Chinese manufacturers should not look for that big volume business to return and instead ought to explore new areas such as manufacturing products targeted at niche markets, using better industrial design and looking inward at Chinese culture for inspiration. That, at least, was some of the advice coming from manufacturers and industrial designers -- like Eric Chan, a native of Guangdong province and now president of industrial design firm Ecco Design Inc. in New York -- at a Hong Kong forum on reinvigorating the sagging manufacturing industries in the Pearl River Delta.

Germany's Ossberger sees signs of automotive recovery

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (June 30, 2009) -- German machinery maker Ossberger, represented in North America by FGH Systems Inc. of Denville, New Jersey, reports some first signs of improvement in the global automotive sector — where it is a key supplier of equipment for flexible boot and bellows production — but is unsure how quickly that will be felt in the United States.

International Plastics Design award winners announced

Hospira's award-winning iSecure syringe

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (June 30, 2009) -- Pharmaceutical and medical delivery company Hospira Inc. used multishot molding and in-mold assembly to create the iSecure Syringe with four different pieces and three materials. The product, designed by Hospira and molded by MGS Manufacturing Group, won the Industrial Designers Society of America/Plastics News Design Award at the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.’s 2009 International Plastics Design Competition. The design is simple and straightforward at first glance -- with the different parts labeled in the mold to designate the first, second and third steps for the nurse administering the drug -- but integrating that into a complex manufacturing piece in a clean room environment was very impressive, said one of the judges.

Thursday, 25-Jun-09

Natural fibers, shiny surfaces to grace future car interiors
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN (June 25, 2009) -- The next generation of car interiors are likely to have a completely different look from today. Whether it’s a stripped-down or glossed-up look is yet unclear, but either direction it takes will involve plastics. Traditionally, interior plastics have been disguised as something else, such as PVC or urethane given a grained texture to mimic leather. “If you look into product design, there is a move to use plastic that’s happy to be plastic,” said Dave Lyon with General Motors, at Ward’s Auto Interiors Conference in Dearborn.

Wednesday, 24-Jun-09

General Motors owes millions to plastics part suppliers
DETROIT, MICHIGAN (June 24, 2009) -- While bond holders and unions are on the hook as General Motors Corp.’s (GM) biggest creditors in bankruptcy, they are not alone. There are also suppliers owed millions of dollars, including major plastics firms. GM’s June 1 filing for Chapter 11 protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York lists more than US$170 billion (956.9 billion yuan) in debts.

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