Extrusion International USA 2-2020

32 Extrusion International 2/2020 EXTRUSION INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS Vice President of Operations named David Schroeder, president and CEO of Graham Engineer- ing Corporation, has appointed Paul Lemmers vice president of operations. In this role, Paul Lemmers will have responsi- bility for quoting, planning, supply chain, assembly, and proj- ect management for all of the company’s product lines and its 157,000 square foot (14,585 square meter) facility in York, Pennsylvania. “Paul’s lean expertise coupled with his leadership philoso- phy make him a strong addition to the Graham Engineering team,” said David Schroeder. Paul Lemmers holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt with ad- ditional certifications including Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, Value Stream Mapping, Daily Management, and Problem Solving. Graham Engineering www.grahamengineering.com Second Annual Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Awards The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) announced the winners of the annual Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Awards. The three winners exemplify the best submissions in the categories of materials, design and end-of-life innova- tions, all of which were assessed by a judging panel of ex- perts in recycling and sustainability from members of PLAS- TICS. The winners include: Materials: Vartega for its reclaimed and recycled carbon fiber that en- ables the diversion of thousands of tons of carbon fiber from the landfill. Vartega’s recycled fibers are used in a broad range of applications including nonwoven fabrics, thermo- plastic pellets, and 3D printing filaments. Vartega’s partners for this award include Ford, Dow, Michelman, Techmer PM, Michigan State University, IACMI-The Composites Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. Design: Accredo Packaging for its AccredoFlex ® RP™ Gen2, an all- Polyethylene fully-recyclable stand-up pouch that can be uti- lized for a variety of products. These pouches can be made using up to 25% bio-based resin, and are fully converted into pouches using wind or solar energy. End-of-Life: Eastman for its Carbon Renewal Technology (CRT), which breaks down waste plastics into molecular building blocks like carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and turns those building blocks into new, virgin-quality plastics. These winning entries were chosen out of 35 innovations submitted. “The 2020 Re|focus Sustainability Innovation Awards drew an exceptionally competitive field of entries this year,” said PLASTICS Director of Sustainability Ashley Hood-Morley. “Each winning innovation has the potential to be a game- changer when it comes to eliminatingwaste in plastics manu- facturing and eliminating waste, period. There are countless ways in which this industry is working to solve our planet’s environmental challenges. We congratulate Eastman, Ac- credo and Vartega for their commitment to sustainability, and look forward to seeing the impact their innovations will undoubtedly have on our industry and our environment.” In addition to these three award categories, the Leadership in Innovation Award – determined by a judging panel – and a People’s Choice Award – determined by Re|focus attendees – will be announced at the Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit that will take place from May 18-20 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), formerly SPI, plasticsindustry.org www.refocussummit.org/2020-refocus-sustainability- innovation-awards