Category
COVID-19
StackTeck delivers stack mold for PPE in under four weeks
The project included complete mold design, manufactured molding surface components, assembly, and mold qualification for customer Novolex.
Chemical and plastics sectors “well-poised” to lead economic recovery, CIAC head tells feds
The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada’s president and CEO Bob Masterson made the comments in a May 26 presentation to the federal government’s Finance Committee.
PolyOne to shutter two North Carolina facilities due to COVID-19 pandemic, report says
As reported by the Charlotte Business Journal, PolyOne plans to close its plants in Pineville and Charlotte, N.C. by the end of this year.
Coca-Cola partners to produce and distribute PPE to fight COVID-19 pandemic
The soft drink maker has teamed up with supply chain partners and a network of makers to produce and distribute hundreds of thousands of protective face shields to healthcare workers and first responders.
Will COVID-19 create a boom in factory automation?
One of the few bright spots to emerge during the COVID-19 pandemic is industrial automation, which is helping to maintain social distancing between plant floor workers. And it could trigger a lasting boom in factory robotics.
Federal government contracts GM Canada to provide 10 million face masks
With production beginning immediately, GM Canada will manufacture the face masks at cost at its Oshawa, Ont. plant for the Public Health Agency of Canada.
38% of Canada’s small businesses now fully open: CFIB
New Brunswick and PEI now have the largest share of local businesses fully open, a CFIB survey indicates, while Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador remain as the least open economies.
Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital turns to Javelin Technologies for 3D printers
Javelin supplied Jewish General with two Stratasys Fortus 450 mc 3D printers and one F170 printer, both dedicated to COVID-19-related production using fused deposition modeling materials.
Pandemic pauses North American plastics machinery shipments during first quarter
But a new report by the Plastics Industry Association does show increases in some areas.
OPINION: The chemical industry’s response to a crisis while in crisis
In recent months, it has never been clearer just how important and responsive this industry is when faced with a global health crisis.
GN Thermoforming installs new machines with WhatsApp messaging platform
The Chester, N.S.-based machinery maker is using the web platform to help customers install new thermoforming machines in Eastern Europe and the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Novatec releases ScrubX sanitizing system for factories
The patent-pending technology is designed to remove and sanitize dust and plastic particulate that may have been exposed to harmful airborne pathogens, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 is crippling plastics recycling industry, EU group says
Coronavirus shutdown impacts have converged with low virgin plastic prices to create significant struggles for European plastics reclaimers, according to the Plastics Recyclers Europe trade association.
Borealis cancels petrochemical project in Kazakhstan
The Austria-based chemical supplier has scrapped the proposed development of a world-scale integrated ethane cracker and polyethylene project in Kazakhstan due to COVID-19 uncertainties.
Solvay to shutter two plants, cut 570 jobs as aerospace materials demand drops
The Belgium-based chemical maker will close its plants in Manchester, UK, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, and implement job reductions across its composite materials business.
PolyOne introduces new additive to support increased face mask production
MagIQ Non-Woven Electret Plus improves the dielectric properties in face masks, extending filtration efficiency and the length of time masks will hold a charge.
Milton, Ontario processor Keter developing face shields for war on COVID-19
Plastic goods maker Keter North America has begun production of high-quality, reusable face shields at its plants in Milton and also in Anderson, Indiana.
Canadian small business confidence on the rise, but half are still in bad shape: CFIB
Severe operating challenges remain, but Canada’s small business sentiment improved in early May, according to new figures from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Italy postpones plastic tax as part of economic recovery plan
The plastic tax, originally included in Italy’s 2020 Budget Law and set to come into effect this year, is being pushed back until at least January 2021.
Milliken partners with Contec to produce disinfectant that kills coronavirus
The two firms are working together to fill high demand for Contec’s antibacterial cleaning solutions.
Plastics and composites will maintain growth trajectory through 2020 despite COVID-19, report says
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across industries, the demand for modular building materials and advanced admixtures will propel the construction chemicals segment, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.
Oil supply cuts could curtail 15% of ethylene supply in Middle East, analyst says
The potential loss is due to oil supply dynamics, according to new analysis from Wood Mackenzie, and equates to around 1.5 million tons of ethylene.
Ontario declaration of emergency extended to June 2
The provincial government has also passed new legislation that will allow for more virtual or remote transactions during COVID-19.
Negri Bossi partners for PPM production in Italy
The injection molding machine maker is working with Italian plastics processor Complastic Srl to help Complastic design and produce personal protective equipment for the COVID-19 crisis.
Tetra Laval Group donates $165,000 to COVID-19 relief aid in Canada
The Swiss-based multinational corporation is donating the money to United Way Centraide.
SPECIAL REPORT: Canada, plastics & COVID-19
More than just a humanitarian crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing global economic disaster, as the virus domino toppled supply chain lines and shuttered factories in China, Europe, and then worldwide. And Canada’s plastics industry isn’t being spared the effects.
iD Additives announces discount prices on purging compounds
The purging compound supplier is taking 10 per cent off the prices of its iD Purge purging compounds and Eco-Pro 360 rust removal products.
Quebec reopens all manufacturing companies, construction sites
Manufacturing companies in the province can resume operations provided that no more than 50 workers are present, plus half of the remainder per shift.
Barnes Group projects sales to drop more than 20% in Q2 for industrial units
The Bristol, Conn.-based company said first-quarter sales in its industrial businesses, which include its plastics-related units, automation, engineered components, and motion controls, fell 18 per cent to US$199.1 million.
More financial support for mid-size businesses navigating COVID-19 crisis
Intended for businesses with revenues between $50 million to $300 million, the new expanded Business Credit Availability Program is supported by Export Development Canada.
Canada’s emergency wage subsidy program to be extended beyond June 6
The program covers 75 per cent of worker pay up to $847 a week.
Unemployment hit near-record levels in Canada and the U.S. in April
The unemployment rate in Canada soared to 13 per cent in April, while unemployment in the U.S. hit 14.7 per cent, the highest unemployment rate in that country since the Great Depression.
