What if the pellets stopped flowing? Market conditions in the 1970s discouraged investment in monomer and resin production—until the industry was caught by surprise by surging demand and an oil embargo. Could we be headed that way again? (Photo: ExxonMobil) In my blog of March 16, I referred to the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-’74, which was accompanied by a quadrupling of crude-oil prices and widespread shortages of most major…
ENGEL stands united. At the Austrian plants and in many subsidiaries of the injection molding machine manufacturer donations for people affected by the war in Ukraine have been collected within a very short time.
You won’t find a Lego figurine of Ukrainian President Zelensky at your neighborhood Lego store or on Amazon, but if you were lucky, you might have been able to nab one at Citizen Brick. The Chicago-based business creates custom Lego mini figures with the mission of making “things Lego won’t the way others can’t.” On March 5, it kicked off a one-day fundraising campaign by selling mini-figs of President Zelensky…
At least twice within living memory, international crises sounded alarms for plastics processors about where they would get materials to put in their hoppers, and at what price. (Photo: Matthew Naitove) How many of you remember the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-’74, when crude oil prices quadrupled in just five months and plastics supplies became hard to find? Or the second big Oil Shock of 1979, when oil prices jumped…
Italian machinery maker Magic MP SpA’s new robotics division will support customers seeking a way to automate production.
After years of teasing, Volkswagen has finally made the formal announcement of the production version of the hotly anticipated electric version of the company’s classic bus. Alas, for fans, the wait continues, because the ID.Buzz will arrive in European dealers next year and will not come to the U.S. until 2024. [embedded content] That is a long time since the first ID.Buzz concept vehicle debuted at the 2017 North American…
[embedded content] Cesar Vega, head of sales at Matsui America, talks with Plastics Technology leafing up to the Plastics Technology Expo (PTXPO) March 29-31st. Matsui will be showcasing their new pre-clear unit at their booth (330) in the injection and blow molding pavilion. Their “3 zone preclear” is a system that manages water quality by removing scale eleents from water, using an environmentally-friendly technology. Learn more about Matsui America and…
Italy’s Bausano announced today the launch of its next generation twin- and single-screw extrusion lines for PVC and polyolefin (PO) pipes. The twin-screw MD and single-screw E-GO lines enable the production of different types of pipes — rigid or flexible, mono or multilayer, smooth or corrugated — for construction, agricultural, medical, and other applications. “Expansion of our extrusion lines for PVC and PO pipes is the result of our unique…
The Ohio company launches decorative privacy panels to builder accolades, a DIY ground-level decks and horizontal fencing even as officials reportedly mull a $1 billion IPO.
Virgin Group and chemical recycler Agilyx have formed a strategic partnership in order to research and develop lower-carbon fuel facilities with the goal to reuse plastic waste to produce synthetic crude oil that will then be refined into a lower carbon fuel. The companies say that plastic waste that otherwise would be un-recycled will be diverted from landfill and will help broaden options in the market for lower carbon fuels from…