98% of European plastics production covered by Operation Clean Sweep

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), the international program designed to prevent plastic pellets, flakes, and powder from being lost from factory floors and winding up in lakes and oceans, is being successfully embraced by European plastics processors, a new study shows, said Canplastics.

Following the release of its first Operation Clean Sweep report in 2017, industry association PlasticsEurope made the OCS program a top priority in 2018, setting new targets for its members as part of its Plastics 2030 Voluntary Commitment.

"The number of OCS signatories doubled in Europe in 2018, reaching up to more than 500 companies handling plastics pellets,” Karl-H. Foerster, PlasticsEurope’s executive director, said in a statement. “More than 98% of the total European plastics production have now signed up to OCS."

PlasticsEurope is also strengthening its collaboration with the entire plastics value chain. The group announced that 250 new companies signed the pledge in 2018.

"The plastics industry remains fully committed to implementing solutions to end plastic waste in the environment. Working with the value chain for the implementation of OCS is an essential part of our 2030 Voluntary Commitment. Our aim is to drive best practices in pellet management and strive towards zero pellet loss,” Foerster said, “PlasticsEurope’s objectives for 2019 are to actively contribute to global industry efforts. Together with the plastics value chain, its aim is to develop an OCS certification scheme and continue to support the implementation of the OCS program as a way to deliver its voluntary commitment."

PlasticsEurope’s full report is available at this link. Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) is a stewardship program of the U.S.-based Plastics Industry Association and the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division. The Canadian Plastics Industry Association is the Canadian licensee of OCS and promotes the program to the Canadian plastics value chain.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- While visiting the Schwertberg headquarters of injection moulding machinery producer Engel Austria on 7 March, Plastics News Europe discussed company results and the market situation for injection moulding machinery with Engel chief sales officer (CSO) Dr Christoph Steger, as per Plasticsnewseurope.

According to Steger, Engel will exceed 2017 results by several percent in 2018, adding “It will be positive, but we see a significant degree of global weakening, although it varies from one industry to another".

Global statistics show incoming orders for machinery producers significantly below last year, but that has not yet worked through to delivery times, which are still as long as three to six months depending on machines sizes.

"My personal opinion is that we will settle down at around the 2015 volume - if there are no more bad omens. The present high tensions between the US and China affect sentiment throughout the world, by leading to reluctance to make investments," Steger noted.

Additionally, Steger sees a potential source of further negative impacts to the world economy in the Middle East. "I am not only speaking about Iran with a Damocles sword hanging above it, more about potential proxy wars that could impact the global economic development," he added.

There are several activities in Latin America recycling fishing nets into palettes, and in Europe “it is interesting that for example Werner & Mertz's Frosch cleaner brand is being promoted with cradle-to-cradle packaging features. The main challenge though is to be active everyday, looking at what can be done differently with design for recycling and how to handle multilayer plastics packaging".

"Plastics are being demonised, despite everyone being confronted by the advantages of plastics packaging. There will be huge changes in the future. The circular economy is now in focus, so we have to ask ourselves: What can we do about it as a machine producer? We have a responsibility to be involved, and pro-actively, by working together on common solutions with our customers and their customers, in order to support society".
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- If oil traders and consumers are worried about the impact of new maritime fuel regulations from the start of next year, they have not yet started to mark up prices for low-sulfur middle distillate fuels, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Under new rules agreed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), ships will be forced to switch to using low-sulfur fuels rather than high-sulfur residual fuel oil, or fit scrubbers to remove sulfur dioxide emissions. Refiners have been gearing up to increase the production of IMO-compliant shipping fuels, and many ship owners have installed or plan to fit scrubber units to enable them to continue using cheaper residual fuel oil.

There is considerable uncertainty about exactly how vessel owners will comply with the new regulations and how much extra low-sulfur fuel the refiners will manage to produce. But the forthcoming regulations are expected to increase consumption of middle distillates and cause that segment of the oil market to tighten significantly.

Ships will be competing for the same low-sulfur middle distillates used as diesel, jet fuel and heating oil by road hauliers, railroads, airlines and farmers as well as many homes, offices and factories.

As a result, some analysts are forecasting a severe shortage of middle distillates, causing prices to spike, while others see a more limited impact. The effect of the IMO regulations even merited its own section in the U.S. government's annual "Economic Report of the President" prepared by the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) and published earlier this month.

"Global bunker fuel represents about 5 percent of total oil demand" and the reported warned "fuel switching by ships in 2020 may cause significant disruptions in specific product markets."

The CEA predicted a shortage of 200,000-600,000 barrels per day in compliant fuels which "will likely trigger higher prices, though estimates of price shocks to fuels including diesel, gasoline and jet fuel vary substantially".
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- For the second time in 10 years, private equity firm Olympus Partners has acquired Tank Holding Corp., said to be the largest rotational molder in North America, said Canplastics.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Olympus acquired Tank from private equity firm Leonard Green Partners, who has owned the company since buying it from Olympus in 2012.

Stamford, Conn.-based Olympus originally formed Tank with the management team in 2008 by merging Norwesco and Snyder Industries, creating a rotomolder of polyethylene tanks and containers.

Tank markets its products under the brand names of Norwesco, Snyder, Bonar, Stratis, and Bushman. Aside from plastic tanks, Tank’s product portfolio also includes dry material handling bins, insulated containers, steel transport tanks, medical waste containers, and specialty pallets.

Tanks has corporate headquarters in St. Bonifacius Minn., and Lincoln, Neb. “Our management team cannot be more excited about partnering with Olympus once again. They have a great understanding of our business, and we look forward to working with them in the execution of our many growth initiatives”, said Greg Wade, Tank’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Austria-based injection molding machine maker Engel has opened its second location in Mexico, said Canplastics.

Located in San Pedro near Monterrey – about 640 kilometers southwest of San Antonio – this second office is also about 800 kilometers away from Engel’s first Mexican plant in Queretaro. near Mexico City in the centre of the country, where numerous companies in the plastics industry are also based. “We are thus shortening the distance to our customers in the very important industrial region in the north of the country,” said Peter Auinger, managing director of Engel in Mexico. “In the Monterrey region, the automotive industry in particular is strongly represented."

Engel’s Mexico subsididiary is called Engel de Mexico SA de CV. Engel will have two sales experts and four service technicians at the initial team in Monterrey. In addition to offices, the facility includes a large conference room with state-of-the-art presentation technology, which is also used for customer training courses.

Engel has had its own sales and service subsidiary in Mexico since 1996. In 2010, the premises were moved from Mexico City to Queretaro and significantly expanded. Engel has its own machine technology centre and spare parts warehouse in Queretaro. The two Mexican facilities will employ a total of almost 70 people.

"We are increasingly becoming a partner for our customers over the entire life cycle of our injection molding machines and system solutions,” Auinger said. “The demands placed on our consulting services are increasing, and we are working more and more closely with our customers. The geographic proximity becomes even more important."
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