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Strong domestic demand and solid export interest are making December the second best month of the year, just behind October, at the PlasticsExchange. Export interest remained good, with the best buying coming from Mexico, reports the resin clearinghouse in its Market Update. Domestically, deeply discounted polyethylene (PE) deals began to dry up, though some remained at week’s end. Rising polymer-grade propylene (PGP) costs fueled by ongoing monomer production disruptions dashed…

TekniPlex Healthcare announced today, Dec. 19, 2023, that it has completed the acquisition of Seisa Medical. TekniPlex signed a definitive agreement to acquire the full-service contract manufacturer of Class II and Class III medical devices and specialty components in November. TekniPlex said the acquisition enhances its materials science and process technology expertise in the minimally invasive and interventional therapy sectors.       Based in El Paso, TX, Seisa is a medical device…

Extrusion technology company Zeus announced that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Sweden’s EQT Private Equity. Based in Orangeburg, SC, and founded in 1966, Zeus is a pioneer in the design, development, and extrusion of fluoropolymer tubing for medical devices as well as some industrial applications. It operates eight facilities in the United States and one plant in Ireland and employs approximately 2,400 people. EQT reportedly…

South Korea’s Samyang Corp. has developed an eco-friendly transparent flame-retardant polycarbonate (PC) that is totally free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Artificial substances composed of carbon and fluorine, PFAS are widely used in electrical and electronic products, food packaging, cosmetics, textiles, and firefighting equipment because of their thermal stability and resistance to water and oil. Termed as “forever chemicals” due to their resistance to natural decomposition, they accumulate in…

The key drivers of an injection molding plant’s profits are downtime, efficiency, and scrap. A company’s success relies heavily on quick and efficient startups. Poor startups not only lead to significant amounts of scrap, they also affect machine time availability. Preventing unplanned downtime plays a critical part in profitability. Startup procedures greatly affect a processor’s ability to achieve successful production events and press restarts. Poor attention to detail quite often…

The shortest day this year is Dec. 21, the winter solstice. I will have some nine and one-half hours between sunrise and sunset here at around the 38th parallel north. Further north, it’s even less. Before electricity, long nights meant more need for candles and early rising. But the axis of the earth is pointing up to Polaris, the north star, as it always does. “It is the star to every wandering bark, whose…

In our look at five medtech trends to watch in 2024, reporter Joe Darrah put sustainability at the top of his list. Specifically, Len Czuba, who heads a medical device development consultancy, told Darrah that “we will see the medtech industry be more focused on and placing more effort into sustainability, recyclability, reuse, and cleaning up the environment in 2024.” Of course, those efforts are already underway, and we learned…

Flying electric taxis get charged up While true commercial air taxi services may only take flight between the likes of Manhattan and JFK from 2025, activity in the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) mobility sector looks certain to gain momentum next year. Adoption of a common global combined charging standard (CCS), the most widely used standard for ground-based electric vehicles (EVs), will further boost roll out potential. Two eVTOL…

Local content requirements for electric vehicle (EV) manufacture in the United States is creating a flurry of activity to establish local production capabilities for a variety of core components. One of the more recent announcements came from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who stated that Japan’s Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) plans to construct a $233 million battery pouch plant in Linwood, NC. DNP is the world’s leading supplier of battery pouches. The lithium-ion battery…

US Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and US Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) have introduced legislation seeking to ban the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) for food service products, coolers, loose fill, and other purposes. Dubbed the Farewell to Foam Act,the legislation would prohibit the sale or distribution of EPS foam in certain products nationwide on Jan. 1, 2026. Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Angus King of Maine, Ed Markey and…