Crystal Group opens new Iowa HQ, manufacturing facility

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crystal Group, Inc. recently unveiled its new corporate headquarters in Hiawatha, IA, as per Businessfacilities.

The 111,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art building is adjacent to the company’s other two buildings on Crystal Group’s campus, which now totals 160,000 square feet of manufacturing and administration operations. The designer and manufacturer of rugged computer and electronic hardware’s production capacity will increase by more than fifty percent due to the expansion.

Crystal Group President Scott Kongable cuts the ribbon for the company’s new headquarters in Hiawatha, IA.
Military and industrial customers’ rapidly increasing demand for Crystal Group rugged computers spurred the expansion and gave cause to plan for a phase two addition to the building within the next five years. The building was designed to accommodate a 30,000-square-foot addition. Over 50 new jobs were also created to support customer demand. Crystal Group currently employs more than 220 people, the new headquarters’ current capacity is 285 workers.

"This marks a significant milestone in the 27-year history of our employee-owned company," said Crystal Group president, Scott Kongable. “Our success is based on our employees’ relentless commitment to serve our customers. Some of the best talent out there is right here in Hiawatha working at Crystal Group to deliver the highest quality rugged computer solutions for our military and industrial customers in over thirty-five countries. Our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will fuel greater innovation and transform the level of customer service we deliver."

All three of Crystal Group’s buildings and network are NIST compliant (National Institute of Standards and Technology) offering the highest level of security. The new facility offers added in-house engineering services and compliance testing technologies to speed the production process and better serve customer requirements.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Polymers is to raise its prices for vinyl acetate-ethylene (EVA) copolymer dispersions of the VINNAPAS brand in the Americas region, as per the company's press release.

Effective November 5, 2018, prices will be raised by up to ten percent in the Americas or as customer contracts allow. This measure has been necessitated by the ongoing market price increases in vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) which is a primary raw material for the manufacturing of Wacker’s vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersions. Additionally, rising freight, logistics and distribution costs across the industry continue to represent significant challenges in order to maintain current service levels.

The price adjustment enables Wacker Polymers to continue providing customers with a wide-range of innovative quality products and comprehensive technical, sales and customer support services, along with supporting investment to secure the capability for future growth across our focus markets.

Dispersions of the VINNAPAS brand are applied in a broad variety of industries, ranging from adhesives, construction, caulks, nonwovens, paints and coatings to paper, carpet and textiles.

As MRC informed previously, Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its existing production plants for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in South Korea. The Group is building a new spray dryer for dispersible polymer powders at its Ulsan site, which will have a total capacity of 80,000 metric tons per year. The Munich-based chemicals company is also constructing an additional reactor for dispersions based on vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (EVA), which are needed as the raw material for the spray dryer to produce dispersible polymer powders. Ulsan’s plant complex, which covers the entire production chain from VAE dispersions to dispersible polymer powders, will be one of the largest of its kind in the world. Investments will total around EUR60 million and production is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2019.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- KBC (A Yokogawa Company) announced the launch of a new Energy and Sustainability Co-Pilot hub in Singapore to address the Singapore government’s environmental sustainability initiatives, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The new Singapore-based Co-Pilot hub and team will build and adapt energy management and optimization systems, conduct research and development to create the next generation of energy analytics applications, and deliver KBC’s cloud-based solutions.

The first solution to come from the Energy and Sustainability Co-Pilot hub is KBC’s Energy and Sustainability Co-Pilot service. Co-Pilot securely connects KBC’s energy and carbon emissions management software to data sources in an industrial plant creating its ‘digital twin’. Through a combination of rigorous analytical technology and human expertise, it determines how to help the plant reduce energy usage and emissions without affecting production goals.

Co-Pilot is available immediately and will enable a plant to simultaneously optimize the supply, demand and re-use of energy. It has a modest set-up cost and a monthly subscription, which results in a risk-free cashflow positive program for customers. It will reduce site energy use and carbon emissions by around 10 percent leading to significant economic returns of between 5 and 10 times the investment, driven primarily by lower operating costs.

The impetus behind the Energy and Sustainability Co-Pilot hub is to enable Energy and Chemical companies in Singapore to comply with legislative requirements around energy and carbon emission reduction. KBC’s parent company, Yokogawa, has a long history of co-innovation with industry in Singapore and a strong commitment to supporting achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and providing solutions to improve the energy and environmental performance of the industries it serves.

The Singapore Government has a strong philosophy of environmental sustainability. “Singapore is accelerating efforts to reduce carbon emissions and encourage energy efficiency across industries, as part of our commitment towards climate change. KBC’s new Energy and Sustainability Co-Pilot hub will complement our sustainability goals, combining the latest digital technologies and their operational know-how to partner businesses along this journey,” said Mr Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, Singapore Economic Development Board.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials company, will increase November list and off-list selling prices for Ateva EVA polymers in Asia and the Americas, as per the company's press release.

The price increases below will be effective for orders shipped on or after November 1, 2018, or as contracts otherwise allow, and are incremental to any previously announced increases.

Thus, the company's EVA prices will go up by USD110/mt for Asia, by USD0.05/mt - for USA & Canada and by USD110/mt - for Mexico & South America.

As MRC wrote before, Celanese Corporation has raised October list and off-list selling prices for Vinyl Acetate Ethylene (EVA) emulsions sold in China and Asia Outside China (AOC). The price increases were effective as of 5 October, or as contracts otherwise allow, and were incremental to any previously announced increases. Thus, Celanese raised VAM list and off-list selling prices by RMB200/mt for China and by USD50/mt - for AOC.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Molson Coors recently broke ground in the City of Longueuil for what will be the company’s most modern brewing facility and distribution center to date, as per Businessfacilities.

The new brewery and distribution center is one of the largest investments in Molson Coors’ 230-year history in Canada and demonstrates its ongoing commitment to Greater Montreal.

For Frederic Landtmeters, president and CEO, Molson Coors Canada, this project connects the company’s storied past to the industry’s future.

"Molson Coors Canada is the oldest continuously operating brewer in North America, and Canada’s second oldest company," said Landtmeters. "I’m confident that this new integrated distribution center and brewery will enable the company to support more efficiently Quebec’s direct store delivery model, to meet the challenging demands of Quebec markets and remain competitive."

"The project will be our most modern and forward-looking production facility and distribution center," added Matthew Hook, chief supply chain officer, Molson Coors Canada. "The new brewery will be equipped with improved technologies that will allow us to reduce our energy consumption, CO2 emissions and carbon footprint, such as optimized equipment layouts to reduce beer loss and waste, and a state-of-the-art CO2 recovery system."

"Molson’s arrival is a milestone in Longueuil’s business history and proves without any doubt that our city has established itself as a partner of choice for a company of this magnitude, while also serving as a testament to our economic vitality," said Longueuil Mayor Sylvie Parent.

The location, with an area of more than 140 acres, offers access to high quality water, highways, ports, Hydro-Quebec services, natural-gas conduits, as well as a nearby wastewater treatment plant. As such, it meets all of the essential criteria for modern brewing operations.

Molson Coors Canada will seek LEEDS certification for the facility, which is consistent with the brewer’s drive for optimal performance standards related to sustainability and respect for the environment. It will be one of the few certified industrial sites in Canada.
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