Extrusion International 2-2024-USA

34 Extrusion International 2/2024 34 INDUSTRY NEWS NewMasterbatch Expansion in Georgia Announced Modern Dispersions, a lead- ing global supplier of thermoplas- tic compounds and concentrates, has completed and commissioned the first phase of a multi-faceted manufacturing expansion at its new 168-acre site in Fitzgerald, Ga. The new facility, situated across the street from the company’s existing 400,000 million lb/yr plant, will ex- pand masterbatch capacity by an additional 100 million lbs annually. The company will discuss the new production capabilities at the up- coming NPE 2024 exhibition (Booth S33027) which runs May 6-10 in Or- lando, Fla. The first phase of the four-phase expansion came online in June 2023. Construction on the second phase which includes another 100,000 million lbs/yr of capacity, is already underway and slated for start-up in 2026, according to Marton Kozma, President of Modern Dispersions. “The first phase of new capacity gives us more flexibility, reduced lead times, and allows us to remain cost competitive as we strive tomeet the supply needs of our customers,” said Kozma. “We are constantly in- vesting in our resources, including facilities and personnel, to service our customers more efficiently.” The new capacity – targeted for the North American market – is in response to strong growth in injec- tion molding and extrusion applica- tions in a range of markets including automotive, electronics packaging, and construction. Key end-use ap- plications include pipe and wire and cable. Modern Dispersions’ multimillion- dollar investment includes state-of- the-art compounding equipment, ancillary equipment, and related infrastructure support. In addition to the manufacturing facility, the project features transportation im- provements including the installa- tion of a new rail storage and switch yard to accommodate 200 rail cars. The new plant will employ approxi- mately 15-20 workers in production and support positions. The company announced that the second phase will be similar in de- sign and capacity of the first phase. The timetable for the remaining two phases of the expansion have not been established at this point. Modern Dispersions, Inc. (MDI) www.moderndispersions.com NPE2024: Booth S33027 2023 Cleanup Champions Initiative Report Released The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released its „2023 Cleanup Champions Initiative Re- port“. Led by the Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP) Community Impact Task Group, the Cleanup Cham- pions Initiative encourages PLAS- TICS’ member companies to use the Guide to Planning a Litter Cleanup to carry out a cleanup in their com- munity. The task group collabo- rated with ten companies to use this resource to plan at least one cleanup in 2023. The report details the accomplishments of participat- ing companies in 2023 through this initiative. Important statistics highlighted in the 2023 Cleanup Champions Initia- tive Report include: • 10 companies, over 42 cleanups • 1,080+ volunteers • 5,840 hours volunteered • 45k pounds of litter removed from the environment “We’re thrilled with the accom- plishments of our Cleanup Cham- pions in 2023,” said Heather Nortz, PLASTICS’ Sustainability and Materi- als Manager. “The plastics industry is dedicated to keeping waste out of the environment, and this report highlights how our industry gives back to our communities while help- ing the environment. We encour- age other companies to join the Cleanup Champions Initiative and build on these great results.” The Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP) Community Impact Task Group was created in April of 2022 to foster col- laboration among PLASTICS mem- ber companies and external organi- zations to provide an outlet for the industry to give back and positively impact the environment and com- munities the plastics industry serves. https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ clean-up-champions-2023- summary-report/