Plastics and ACC announce six new members to elite Operation Clean Sweep blue status
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and American Chemistry Council (ACC) today announced the addition of six new members to Operation Clean Sweep Blue. The elite status is achieved by exceeding rigorous standards set by Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS). OCS is an industry-led campaign dedicated to help every plastic resin handling operation prevent plastic resin loss.
New OCS Blue Designees
Chase Plastics Services (South Bend, IN)
Bayport Polymers LLC (Pasadena, TX)
Fortron Industries, Inc. (Wilmington, NC)
Intertape Polymer Corporation (Sarasota, FL)
R&J Trucking (Youngstown, OH)
TotalEnergies Petrochemicals and Refining USA, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Brother, can you spare some resin? Distribution executives look at 2021
Frank Esposito
Plastics News
August 17, 2021
If resin distributors had theme songs, their selection for 2021 might be the Rolling Stones hit “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
That’s been the case for availability of resin as well as for challenges in logistics, labor, packaging, shipping, rail and trucking since early 2020. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic were followed by hurricanes in the second half of 2020 and an unexpected ice storm that hit Texas in February.
(A backup song selection might be the Joe Jackson hit “You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want).” But that might not apply, since distributors already know what they want.)
These tight supply conditions have been accompanied by surging demand from many plastics end markets as global economies recovered. The major supply/demand imbalance has made life challenging for resin distributors, who could sell more resin if they could only get more resin.
Plastics News recently checked in with executives at several resin distribution firms to see how they were handling the challenges of 2021.
Here’s what they had to say:
Longmont homeless shelter Agape Safe Haven receives surprise donation to close 2020
Jessica Bennet, communications director of Agape Safe Haven, said she checked email on Dec. 15 and was surprised to see the $2,500 donation and was even more shocked when she noticed it came from Michigan. And although it was a great act of kindness, it wasn’t random.
During a year that has left many without work and shelter, a refuge in Longmont that helps the most vulnerable in society get back on their feet received a $2,500 donation from Michigan’s Chase Plastics.
Jessica Bennet, communications director of Agape Safe Haven, said she checked email on Dec. 15 and was surprised to see the $2,500 donation and was even more shocked when she noticed it came from Michigan. And although it was a great act of kindness, it wasn’t random.
It turns out a volunteer from Faith Community Lutheran Church, Peggy Matern Brossman, also a customer of Chase Plastics, nominated Agape Safe Haven for the donation.
Chase Plastics is a family-owned thermoplastics distributor out of Clarkston, Michigan.
The small company was opened by Kevin and Carole Chase almost 30 years ago, according to executive assistant and marketing manager Sherry Cudd. From the trunk of their car and a $2,500 investment, the Chases grew the company to one of the biggest thermoplastic distributors in the United States and saw it named one of the best places to work in 2020 by Plastics News.
During the pandemic, Chase Plastics has been distributing plastics to customers all over the country who, in turn, have been making personal protective equipment, among other things, Cudd said.
For the fifth year, the company decided to give back by donating to a charity. After some consideration, Chase Plastics decided to give three charities $2,500 each.
“I can’t say enough about the big hearts that the Chases have for not only letting me do this campaign every year, but they just always are so willing to give,” Cudd said, adding the campaign also creates an avenue for getting “the word out there about these charities.”
With 88 nominations, Cudd said it was difficult to choose recipients.
“But what stood out to us is just the work that (Agape Safe Haven is) doing and that a charity like that could probably really use the extra boost this year,” Cudd said.
She wasn’t wrong. Agape Safe Haven is known in Longmont for the care it provides to those who need it most.
Before Agape Safe Haven became what it is today, it was a shelter that opened when the weather was bad enough to put homeless people at risk, giving them somewhere safe and warm to go during frigid and wet nights.
“With the Boulder Shelter consistently full, the HOPE street outreach had nowhere to take the homeless,” according to Agape’s page at Coloradogives.org.
In response, Agape Safe Haven created a shelter program for up to 15 homeless individuals at a time that rotates locations between Longmont churches to give people a place to stay for a year.
Some people are referred to Agape Safe Haven by Longmont Public Safety and all potential guests must apply for space at the shelter.
Agape chooses residents based on a list of criteria, according to the program page. Requirements include that they are not aggressive, they remain sober, are attempting to be self-sufficient and they would be emotionally or physically vulnerable at a warming center.
While Agape is built on Christian principles, its “sheltering model does not include religious practices; it simply serves our poorest neighbors with compassion as an expression of our Christian faith,” according to its mission statement.
Church services are offered but they are not required to be part of the Agape Safe Haven community, Bennet said.
“The only thing they have to do for us is they’ve got to remain sober, or if they’re unable to maintain their sobriety, we do our darndest to make sure that they get to meetings or get counseling help and whatever they need,” she said.
Agape also offers a year-round day shelter where guests can check their email, apply for jobs, socialize, do their laundry, take showers, access a kitchen and receive counseling from a registered psychotherapist, according to the website.
COVID-19 impacted Agape, closing down almost all of the church sites that served as overnight shelters. The residents have been staying at the day center, a small three-bedroom house rented by Agape.
“Through fate or whatever, we’ve had six homeless men and women that we’ve had staying at our day shelter since March,” Bennet said, adding they are all self-quarantining as a precaution since three of the residents have disabilities.
Having a safe, warm place to stay is only a portion of what the people Agape serves need for success, Bennet said, adding 2020 was a tough year in which to make progress.
“It’s bad enough being homeless, try being homeless in the middle of a pandemic, knowing that you still have to work on yourself, and it’s still your responsibility to try to get out there and find work and work on your mental health and your physical health. It’s just really sad and depressing,” she said.
While Agape always accepts donations of money and items from its Amazon wishlist, letters of encouragement to its guests would be most helpful in easing their feelings of isolation, Bennet said. Letters can be sent to Agape at 10656 Parkridge Ave., Longmont, CO 80504.
The donation from Chase Plastics will go to operating costs.
“We’re a small tiny nonprofit, so $2,500 for us is a big deal,” Bennet said. “God has provided; I mean, it’s great.”
Posted by group55
Chase expands giving campaign in 2020
The Chase Plastics Giving Card Campaign marked its fifth year by donating a total of $7,500 to three charities.
The program run by resin distributor Chase Plastics of Clarkston, Mich., concluded Dec. 15. The campaign previously donated $1,000 each to three charities, but officials said in a Dec. 22 news release that because of overwhelming response and the compelling stories of giving in a difficult year, three charities were selected for donations of $2,500 each.
This year’s winning charities were all nominated by customers of Chase Plastics.
With an Eye on Growth, Techmer PM Partners with SK Capital
New strategic investment from SK Capital to help Techmer better serve its customers globally
CLINTON, TENN., July 21, 2020 –– Techmer PM, LLC, a leading designer and producer of engineered compounds and color and additive concentrates for the plastics and fiber industries, announced today its strategic partnership with an affiliate of New York-based private investment firm SK Capital Partners.
SK Capital, which manages a growing portfolio of companies focused on the specialty materials, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals sectors, is acquiring a majority interest in the Clinton, Tenn.-based firm and will recapitalize Techmer in partnership with its chairman and CEO, John Manuck, who will continue to retain a significant ownership stake in the company. Terms of the deal were not announced.
Privately held since being founded by Manuck in 1981, Techmer PM is a leading developer and manufacturer of custom color and additive masterbatch solutions and specializes in modifying the appearance and properties of base polymers. It serves customers across a diverse set of global markets, including agriculture, automotive, aerospace, building and construction, consumer products, medical, material handling, nonwovens, rigid packaging, and textile markets, as well as many OEMs.
Resin distributor Chase Plastic Services Inc. has completed a major expansion of its distribution center in South Bend, Ind.
Clarkston, Mich.-based Chase broke ground last year on the $4 million addition. The expansion increases warehouse capacity at the site by more than 60 percent, adding 80,000 square feet for additional storage of more than 9 million pounds of material.
With the addition, the center now covers 205,000 square feet. In a June 15 news release, officials said that the updated facility improves processing throughput and includes five additional loading docks. The expansion also adds a new blender, equipment upgrades and expanded repacking capacity to enhance value-added services such as custom blending, material repackaging, and bulk-out capability.
Chase Plastics increases capacity at South Bend warehouse by 60%
Chase Plastics announced today the completion of a major expansion to its South Bend Central Distribution Center, originally built in 2016. The $4 million addition, which broke ground last year, increases the warehouse capacity by more than 60% with an added 80,000 square feet to accommodate additional storage for more than 9 million pounds of material, giving a total capacity of 206,000 square feet. The updated facility improves processing throughput and efficiencies and includes five additional loading docks as well as a new blender, equipment upgrades, and expanded repacking capacity to enhance value-added services such as custom blending, material repackaging, and bulk-out capability. The strategic location of the warehouse allows for the latest cut-off times in the industry, which provides customers more flexibility.
The facility, located at 5245 Dylan Drive, currently employs 12 people. Due to the Company’s product line growth and warehouse expansion, it’s anticipated that another 10-12 positions will be added. “When we built this facility in 2016, we planned for potential expansion,” said Mike Hall, Supply Chain Manager. “Due to the growth of the business and performance of our team, we’re excited to add this additional space earlier than we had originally planned. We value the partnership, commitment, and support offered by the City of South Bend to help make this possible. It will give us an increased ability to provide outrageous service to all of our customers as we grow along with them, always striving to exceed their expectations with each order.”
Chase Plastic Services now is distributing high-performance compounds for Lanxess Corp. in the U.S. and Canada.
The agreement between Clarkston, Mich.-based Chase Plastics and Lanxess of Pittsburgh includes compounds based on Durethan-brand nylon 6 and Pocan-brand polybutylene terephthalate made by Lanxess.
Chase officials said in a news release that the relationship “adds high-quality, competitively priced and globally recognized” Durethan and Pocan to the firm’s lineup of “exceptional engineering thermoplastics.”
Chase Plastics partners with leading global Polyamide (PA6) and PBT producer, LANXESS Corporation, to distribute Durethan® PA6 and Pocan® PBT
As part of our commitment to foster growth and provide outrageous customer service to processors in the USA and Canada, Chase Plastics announced today the formation of a new supplier partnership with leading specialty chemicals company LANXESS Corporation from Pittsburgh, PA. The relationship, which takes effect immediately, adds high-quality, competitively priced, and globally recognized Durethan® PA6 (Polyamide 6) and Pocan® PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) to Chase Plastics’ lineup of exceptional engineering thermoplastics. It also bolsters Chase Plastics’ mission to “partner with customers and suppliers who care to make a difference.”
By partnering with LANXESS, a global top 5 engineering resin manufacturer who is vertically integrated for cost competitiveness with leading technology and a performance culture, Chase Plastics will bring additional solutions to their valued customer base. “We are excited about our partnership with LANXESS. The LANXESS brand of products is widely known to be high quality, solutions-based, with a vast number of specifications and approvals,” said Chase Plastics’ Vice President of Operations, Adam Paulson. “What excites us equally, however, is the commitment to servicing the processor and OEM alike. The alignment of our core values and commitment to unparalleled service is in sync with LANXESS’ values.”
