Plastopedia

 A. Schulman, Inc. (nasdaq-gs:SHLM) announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle to purchase Network Polymers, Inc., a U.S. niche engineered plastics compounding and distribution business, for approximately $50 million, subject to completion of due diligence. The transaction is anticipated to close within the next few months.

Earlier this year, the company announced it had successfully commercialized Biopropylene 109D, its first injection-molding grade of algae-based bioplastic. That resin, which is recommended for thin-walled applications, is made with 20 percent post-industrial algae biomatter.

Carrying a full-size humidifier with you when you travel isn’t particularly convenient. If you still don’t want to dry out while sleeping in your hotel room, however, there is an option. South Korea’s Amazing Grace is now offering a tiny humidifier that can be placed in whatever bottle of water is close at hand.

Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc. (MPI) and the Quadrant Group of Companies (Quadrant) are proud to announce today that Quadrant, the global engineering plastics leader, has become a fully-owned subsidiary of the MPI Group of Companies.

The University of Akron has finalized the sale of the Rubber Bowl, and the new owner is poised to begin gutting the facility for its new life.

Sean Mason, president of Team 1 Marketing, said the company will invest as much as $35 million to remake the bowl for what he hopes will be a U.S. Football League franchise.

GUANGZHOU, CHINA — PolyOne Corp. officials at Chinaplas launched a new color and design services business, highlighted recent applications of some of its products — from biopolymers to PET packaging additives — and discussed the firm's two recent major acquisitions of ColorMatrix Corp. and Spartech Corp.

A plastic with a texture inspired by the structure of a moth’s eye has been developed by researchers at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), a research institute of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), working with commercial partners.

Keeping in pace with latest developments in regional and global supply and demand dynamics of polyolefins, Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) is all set to host the Polyolefin Plastic Arabia Conference on May 27 and 28 at Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel, informed Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, Chief Executive Officer of PEIE.

Australian industry association Clean Energy Council (CEC) has voiced concerns over the government's move to cut over A$600mn from the state budget for renewable energy projects.

CEC said a total of A$370 million set aside for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) would be deferred until a later date, just less than a year after the independent body was estabilished with the aim of providing long-term stability to investors, and prevent budget cuts in the future.

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL — Expanding service staff and helping Brazilian clients find competitive financing overseas should help KraussMaffei Group boost sales this year in an increasingly competitive plastics machinery market, the local chief executive officer said at Feiplastic in São Paulo.

In a project funded in part by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Novomer Inc. has completed the first successful large-scale production of a polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polymer using waste CO2 as a key raw material. By using CO2 that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere, the process has the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously reducing petroleum consumption and producing consumer products.

For the second consecutive year, Ford is shortening its traditional 2-week summer shutdown for a majority of its U.S. assembly plants to meet demand for its products.

Twenty-one facilities, including six assembly plants, will see only one week of summer hiatus this year, resulting in production of an additional 40,000 units.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Two South Carolina thermoformers have merged and are moving operations to Greenville.

The combined operation will be based in the former PFC-Systems Inc. plant, which had specialized in heavy-gauge thermoforming for a range of industries. PFC merged with Blue Ridge Packaging, which focused on thin gauge thermoforming in Simpsonville.

Construction on the second phase of the NCC got underway, with a turf cutting ceremony attended by the Business Minister Michael Fallon. He was joined by a group of major business leaders and academics who are part of this collaborative project.

The U.K.-based company Axion Polymers has developed a variant of its high-grade recycled polymer, Axpoly r-PS01, that comes from plastics from refrigerators that will be used to make toys and other applications.

Eighty Danish Lego devotees got together on May 10 and 11 to help one Henrik Ludvigsen with his plan to build the world's longest plastic toy train track.

At 4,000.25 m (13,124 ft) in length and using 93,307 pieces, the track met with the approval of the records keepers of Guinness – after the Lego train engine completed its 4-hour journey from one end to the other, that is.

Recloseable packaging and microwaveable plastic trays were named top packaging breakthroughs that most impacted peoples' lives over the last 25 years in an on-line survey hosted by DuPont. Together the two categories of invention captured 48 percent of the votes. The online survey was available to industry professionals from Apr. 9 through May 10, 2013.

Leading polyamide supplier Invista (Wichita, KS) has signed a Land Reservation Agreement with the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Development Company for a polyamide 6,6 resin site at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP).

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL — Auxiliary equipment producer Conair Group, which has sold and serviced machinery in Brazil since 1976 but has no local manufacturing or sales presence, is eyeing Brazilian expansion that could include more service technicians, and a new office with sales staff.

The company is also actively exploring whether to do a manufacturing partnership in Brazil — like it has done in India — or to build its own manufacturing facility, like Conair has in China, said President Larry Doyle.

Borealis, a provider of solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers, announces a net profit of €61 million compared to €140 million in the same quarter in 2012.

The decrease in net profit was a result of lower sales volumes and profits in its joint venture, Borouge, due to a planned turnaround for routine maintenance, as well as soft market conditions for the European Polyolefins business.