RotoWorld 2, 2022

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ROTOWORLD®

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VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 2 • 2022

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 2 • 2022

TECHNOLOGY

WHAT ROTOMOLDERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POLYMER CHEMISTRY

Delivering proven performance so you can innovate with confidence.

Learn more about how we can work together to grow your business.

© 2016 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved. ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil logo, the interlocking “X” device and all product names herein are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

WWW.ROTOWORLDMAG .COM

Your rotational molding capabilities begin with the quality and dependability of your polyethylene resin supply. Start your day with PE products and process innovations that help leading rotomolders bring their most complex designs to reality. Accomplish more with our reliable supply network, responsive sales support and expert technology team.

Dr. Nick Henwood, Rotomotive Limited and ARM Technical Director

STAR ROTOCON’22

2022 ARM EXECUTIVE FORUM

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE WAS A CONTINUED SUCCESS

OMNI AMELIA ISLAND – FLORIDA

S.B. Zaman, StAR Executive Director

Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

The Best Rotomolding Resins High Quality Resins For

Colored Compounds In

Experts In Sustainable

The Rotomolding Industry

Stock, Available From 1000 lb.

Resins And Circular Economy

Custom colors and color-matching are available upon request.

Our Eco-Friendly products are sourced from rotomolding exclusively.

We make recycling profitable and convenient!

+ 1 216 591 0175 info@rotopolymers.com

www.rotopolymers.com

26210 Emery Road, Ste. 202 Warrensville Heights, OH 44128

The only booster your company needs.

623.551.9897

sales@powder-king.com

Powder Kings LLC • 4178 N Vision Way, Units 120-225 Bldg. 2 • Anthem AZ 85086 • www.powder-king.com

CONTENTS

FEATURES COVER STORY

48

What Rotomolders Need to Know about Polymer Chemistry – Part 2

Dr. Nick Henwood, Rotomotive Limited and ARM Technical Director Knowledge is Power.

24

2022 ARM Executive Forum Omni Amelia Island - Florida Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc. Industry executives come together to learn, share ideas, and network.

34

StAR ROTOCON’22 Virtual Conference was a Continued Success S.B. Zaman, StAR Executive Director Reviews show a good appreciation for the program and Roto Trade Show.

4 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

RotoSpeed Advantages

When Performance Counts...

➲ Proven Performance ➲ Lowest Cost of Ownership ➲ Highest Productivity, Durability ➲ Remote Ethernet Machine Support ➲ Automated Systems & Solutions ➲ Global Sales & Full-Service Support Team ➲ Over 1,400 Machines in Over 60 Countries ➲ Engineering, Manufacturing & Support from the U.S.A. ➲ Energy-Smart Machines, Fastest Oven Temp Recovery ➲ Leader in Process Control Systems; RotoCure, IRT & RotoLog ➲ Carousel Mold Swing Areas to 239” (6m) & Arm Weight Capacities to 12,000 lbs (5443 kg)

In-Stock Machines

Carousels 24 Models

In-Line Shuttles 10+ Models

Rocking Ovens 5 Models

Work Platforms Fixed & Moving

Mixers

11 Models

Dispensing Systems

www.ferryindustries.com • sales@ferryindustries.com Ph: +1.330.920.9200 • Fx: +1.330.920.4200 • 4445 Allen Rd, Stow, OH 44224 USA © 2022 Ferry Industries, Inc.

www.rotoworldmag.com 5

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS 8 From the Publisher Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

Polyethylene – the go to material for rotomoulding!

12 Global Contributing Editors

Global Contributors, Department Contributors, and Issue Contributors

15 Upfront

Industry News, Trends, and Products

28 Graphically Speaking Jim Crawshaw, PSI

Getting Connected – Improving Customer Experiences

30 Leadership

Kim Harrison, Cutting Edge PR Good Recognition for Hybrid Employees is Essential for Workplace Success

38 Roto Around the World Ian Hansen, RotaConsult

Tonga Volcanic Eruption and Tsunami

42 At Issue

Martin Coles, Matrix Polymers Rotomoulding Polyethylene Supply – Why All the Shortages?

44 ARM Report Creating Efficiencies

51 Design Comment

Michael Paloian, Integrated Design Systems, Inc. Top 5 Qualifications to Consider When Hiring Designer?

52 ARMO News

ARMA | ARM-CE | ARMSA | BPF | IT-RO | NORDIC ARM | StAR Rotomould 2022 Returns to Melbourne

56 Global Calendar 58 Advertisers’ Index 6 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

www.rotoworldmag.com 7

FROM THE

PUBLISHER Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

Polyethylene – the go to material for rotomoulding!

The go to material for rotomoulding is and has long been Polyethylene. Today the industry is heavily dependent on Polyethylene (PE), and it is reported that 97% of rotomolded products are made from this material. Polyethylene is a versatile, easily moldable, and readily available polymer which has come to dominate the process, according to the British Plastics Federation.

Welcome to the 2022 Technology issue of RotoWorld® magazine.

Inside this issue, Dr. Nick Henwood, Rotomotive and ARM Technical Director, dives deeper into the issue of polymer chemistry for Rotational Molding following on the first part of his study, which was published in RotoWorld® Issue 5, 2020. In his article, Dr. Henwood says “knowledge is power” and molders will benefit from a better understanding of polymer chemistry to make the right material selection choices and better resolve performance issues.

He details how density relates to physical properties: how processing and cooling rates affect density; how part wall thickness can affect density; and the challenges for rotomolders trying to control density.

As part of his “At Issue” series, Contributing Editor Martin Coles also talks on the topic of Polyethylene from a different, but critically important, prospective…how the PE supply chain shortages are affecting rotomolders around the world, and in particular, Europe. This is an important read as Coles lays out his take on how these shortage issues have come about and the challenges the industry continues to face, including the potential affects that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could pose for the future.

On a much brighter note, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Department Editor for 2022, Jim Crawshaw of PSI. Jim has agreed to author a column each issue on the topic of Graphics for rotomolded products. This is a topic we’ve not covered much in some time, so we are pleased and eager to provide this information for our readers. Graphics can greatly improve rotomolded products and improve the customer experience. Be sure to read Jim’s first column beginning on page 28 and offer any feedback you have. Thank you Jim! Inside I hope you’ll enjoy my highlights from the 2022 ARM Executive Forum held this spring in Florida. The program was outstanding as it tackled many of the issues of the day for rotomolders including strategic planning, recruiting, and retention of employees, logistics, and more. Also S.B. Zaman provides the highlights of StAR’s recent online conference.

Times are different to say the least. Maybe it has always been this way, but it feels real…from continuing Covid issues and supply chain issues, to raging inflation in the US and continued heart breaking gun violence across the US…we must stay focused and ever-vigilant until some of these issues are resolved.

Wishing you safety and good health,

Susan Gibson Publisher & Editor

8 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Take It Outside With Jerico!

Jerico maintains our

focus on developing custom compounds and formulations like J-Sustain, which meets the growing demands of the sustainability marketplace.

We have developed and refined a complete line of aesthetic compounded materials that provide a natural granite or stone look for your molded products. These Stone Effect specialty color compounds and color concentrates lend

themselves well to outdoor applications like hot tubs, lawn and garden accessories, coolers, and patio furniture.

Our Weathered Effect compounds bring a natural, weathered look to most outdoor applications. They are fully-formulated and ready to use in standard and custom colors. They are joined

by J-Bond, our adhesion compound, which brings a new dimension in color and UV stability.

From water sports and camping to gardening, products made with Jerico compounds are ready for the great outdoors and our team is prepared to meet your needs.

Stick with Jerico! info@jericoplastic.com

Celebrating 25 Years of Serving Rotational Molders!

Family-Owned and Operated Since 1997

Committed to Excellence in Rotational Molding

Phone (330) 334-5244 Fax (330) 334-9123

JericoPlastic.com info@jericoplastic.com

www.rotoworldmag.com 9

Susan D. Gibson

Publisher & Editor President - JSJ Productions, Inc. susan@jsjproductionsinc.com

Technical Editor Alvin Spence PhD MEng aspence@centroinc.com Process Editor Paul Nugent PhD MEng paul@paulnugent.com Michael Paloian

Design Editor President - Integrated Design Systems, Inc. paloian@idsys.com

Celal Beysel

Global Contributing Editors

Martin Coles

Chairman - Floteks Plastik beysel@superonline.com Matrix Polymers martin.coles@matrixpolymers.com

Adam Covington Mark Kearns Ravi Mehra

Ferry Industries acovington@ferryindustries.com

Moulding Research Manager m.kearns@qub.ac.uk

Managing Director - Norstar International LLC maramehra@aol.com

Advertising and Art Production Marketing/Advertising Director Jennifer Gibson Hebert Vice President, JSJ Productions, Inc. Chief Art Director Anya Wilcox

jennifer@jsjproductionsinc.com

JSJ Productions, Inc. awilcox@designintersection.com

Circulation & Distribution Administration Sheryl Bjorn JSJ Productions, Inc. sheryl@jsjproductionsinc.com -

Editing & Translations Suzanne Ketron | Oliver Wandres | Sheryl Bjorn Website & Online Technology Jason Cooper JSJ Productions, Inc. jason@bound.by RotoWorld® is a JSJ Productions, Inc. Trade Publication JSJ Productions, Inc. 625 West Market Street, Salinas, CA 93901 Phone: (512) 894.4106; Fax (512) 858.0486 Email: rotoworldmag@rotoworldmag.com and Website: www.rotoworldmag.com Subscriptions One-year subscription (six issues), print or digital, $60 US, $90 Canada/Mexico, $135 All Other Countries.

To subscribe or to submit change of address information, call us at (512) 894.4106; fax us at (512) 858.0486; visit us online at www.rotoworldmag.com; or email us at sheryl@jsjproductionsinc.com.

You may also write to RotoWorld® Subscriptions, JSJ Productions, Inc., 625 West Market Street, Salinas, CA 93901 Advertising For information on advertising, please contact Advertising Director Jennifer Gibson Hebert, JSJ Productions, Inc. Email Jennifer Gibson at jennifer@jsjproductionsinc.com Letters We welcome letters about our contents. Write Letters to the Editor, JSJ Productions, Inc., 625 West Market Street, Salinas, CA 93901 512.894.4106 phone 512.858.0486 fax, or Email susan@jsjproductionsinc.com.

Editorial Queries We consider unsolicited contributions.

Send manuscript submissions as email attachment to Susan Gibson at susan@jsjproductionsinc.com.

JSJ Productions, Inc. bears no responsibility for claim or factual data represented in contributed articles.

Postmaster Send changes of address to RotoWorld®, JSJ Productions, Inc., 625 West Market Street, Salinas, CA 93901 RotoWorld® is a JSJ Productions, Inc. independently owned, bi-monthly trade magazine for the international rotational molding and plastics design industries. JSJ Productions, Inc. owns all copyrights on articles published herein unless ownership is otherwise stated.

Reproduction of this magazine, in whole or in part, without the express written p ­ ermission of the publisher is not permitted.

10 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Experts In Rotomoulding Materials

Global supplier of raw materials to the rotational moulding industry • Crosslink Polyethylene

• Polyethylene Granules & Powders

• Dedicated Technical Services Support Team

• Ancillary Products • Polypropylene Granules & Powders • Polyamide Powders

• Multi-lingual Customer Service • 5 Production Sites across 3 Continents

UK | Poland | Australia | New Zealand | Malaysia

To learn more about our products & material solutions get in touch at sales@matrixpolymers.com matrixpolymers.com

CONTRIBUTING

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Rotate for

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AN INVESTIGATION INTO ROTATIONAL MOULDING About Rotomolding

Clouds POLYETHYLENE

the RECYCLING OF

Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 2 • 2022

Chemical Tanks: LEADERSHIPRotational SKILL Knowledge isACCORDING Power Molding …

TO Ian Hansen, Rota Consult RESEARCH has anything Tracy Brower, Contributor to Forbes & Fast Co. changed 2 years on?

Alvin Spence, Centro Incorporated

ROTOMOULDING IN NORTH AFRICA

© 2016 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved. ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil logo, the interlocking “X” device and all product names herein are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Learn more about how we can work together to grow your business.

WWW.ROTOWORLDMAG .COM

Your rotational molding capabilities begin with the quality and dependability of your polyethylene resin supply. Start your day with PE products and process innovations that help leading rotomolders bring their most complex designs to reality. Accomplish more with our reliable supply network, responsive sales support and expert technology team.

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 2 • 2022

Learn more about how we can work together to grow your business.

MANUFACTURING

Delivering proven performance so you can innovate with confidence.

WWW.ROTOWORLDMAG .COM

Your rotational molding capabilities begin with the quality and dependability of your polyethylene resin supply. Start your day with PE products and process innovations that help leading rotomolders bring their most complex designs to reality. Accomplish more with our reliable supply network, responsive sales support and expert technology team.

obil Corporation. All rights reserved. ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil logo, the interlocking “X” device and all product names herein are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

RECYCLING

e about how we can work together to grow your

Kim Harrison, Cutting Edge PR

EMPATHY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

WWW.ROTOWORLDMAG .COM

Delivering proven performance so you can innovate with confidence.

ROTOWORLD®

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terlocking “X” device and all product names herein are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

ational molding capabilities begin with the quality and ability of your polyethylene resin supply. Start your day with ucts and process innovations that help leading rotomolders eir most complex designs to reality. Accomplish more with ble supply network, responsive sales support and expert ogy team.

Hiring, Conflict Resolution USING RECYCLATE and Record Keeping PRIORITY MAIL Sibele Piedade Cestari, Queen’s University Belfast Patricial Pannell, Michelle Butler, and Shannon

INTERNATIONAL PRINTED Coleman U.S. Cryer, Gotcha Covered HR, LLC POSTAGE PAID MATTER AUSTIN, TX 2021 ROTOPLAS & 7 Ways to use your

Alvin Spence is Vice President Engineering at Centro, Inc., North Liberty, Iowa. He provides leadership for Centro’s product development team and quality resources. Alvin received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and PhD from Queen’s University Belfast. aspence@centroinc.com

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 1 • 2022

Roy Crawford, University of Waikato, New Zealand, Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc., and Dr. Paul Nugent, MNOP

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 1 • 2022

r

TECHNOLOGY

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livering proven performance West Market Street CA 93901 USA you can Salinas, innovate with confidence.

Alvin Spence

VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 6 • 2022

Ian Hansen, Rota Consult Gotcha Covered HR…on

with the quality and pply. Start your day with elp leading rotomolders Accomplish more with 625 s support and expert

TECHNICAL EDITOR

G u i d e

RBG! CONNECT

RBG! CONNECT

625 West Market Street

n performance Salinas, CA 93901 USA ate with confidence.

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ket Street 901 USA

Adara Srl, Algeria Ian Hansen, Rota Consult

DRU LAWS & TOM MURDOUGH INDUCTED INTO THE ARM HALL OF FAME

THE EVOLVING LANDSCAPE OF HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY Aldo Quaratino, Matrix Polymers

Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

TECHNOLOGY

© 2016 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved. ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil logo, the interlocking “X” device and all product names herein are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Delivering proven performance so you can innovate with confidence.

Learn more about how we can work together to grow your business.

Dr. Nick Henwood, Rotomotive Limited and ARM Technical Director

WWW.ROTOWORLDMAG .COM

Your rotational molding capabilities begin with the quality and dependability of your polyethylene resin supply. Start your day with PE products and process innovations that help leading rotomolders bring their most complex designs to reality. Accomplish more with our reliable supply network, responsive sales support and expert technology team.

WHAT ROTOMOLDERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POLYMER CHEMISTRY

STAR ROTOCON’22

2022 ARM EXECUTIVE FORUM

VIRTUAL CONFERENCE WAS A CONTINUED SUCCESS

OMNI AMELIA ISLAND – FLORIDA Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

S.B. Zaman, StAR Executive Director

© 2016 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved. ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil logo, the interlocking “X” device and all product names herein are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

PROCESS EDITOR

DESIGN EDITOR

Paul Nugent

Michael Paloian

Paul is a consultant who travels extensively across six continents assisting clients in many roles from training to expert witnessing.

He received his Eng. degree in Aeronautical Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University of Belfast.

Paul developed the Rotolog system, the first complete computer simulation (RotoSim), and authored a book entitled Rotational Molding: A Practical Guide. paul@paulnugent.com

Michael is President of Integrated Design Systems, Inc., Great Neck, New York. Over the past 25 years, Mike has developed a broad range of plastic products utilizing various processing methods including rotational molding. Mike’s B.S. degree in Plastics Engineering and Masters in Industrial Design, combined with his extensive experience, has formed the basis for his branded and unique insights into the field of plastics part design. paloian@idsys.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Celal Beysel Celal is Chairman of Floteks Plastik, the pioneer and innovative leader of the rotational molding industry in Turkey and a Global Contributing Editor for RotoWorld® magazine.

Being an ARM member for more than 20 years, he has made many presentations at ARM meetings in various countries. He is also active in business and political organizations in his country. Celal has authored numerous articles published in various newspapers and magazines about politics, plastics, rotomolding, and innovation. beysel@superonline.com 12 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Martin Coles Martin Coles, CEO of Matrix Polymers co-founded the business 30 years ago and is the company’s largest shareholder.

Shortly after graduating from London University, he began his career in the plastics industry working for a major Italian petrochemical and soon became passionate about the unique world of rotomoulding. Matrix Polymers are experts in rotomoulding materials and have become a global supplier with compounding and grinding plants in the UK, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia.

The company sells more than $150 million of rotomoulding materials each year and has 230 employees. martin.coles@matrixpolymers.com

CONTRIBUTING

EDITORS

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Adam Covington

Ravi Mehra

Adam Covington is President of Ferry Industries, Inc. in Akron, Ohio U.S.A. Covington has been with Ferry Industries for over 11 years, advanced through the manufacturing, engineering, sales, and service positions within the company and was appointed President in 2019. Adam strives to find solutions for customer’s needs and advance machine technology for the rotomolding industry. He is a graduate of Ohio University’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology. acovington@ferryindustries.com

Ravi Mehra has been associated with the rotational molding industry since the early 1970’s. He is a Past President of ARM – Association of Rotational Molders, and has been inducted into the ARM Hall of Fame. He is the Founding Chairman of StAR – the rotational moulding Trade Association of India. He was the Chairman of ARMO – Affiliation of Rotational Moulding Organizations from 2012 to 2014. Ravi consults internationally with companies in the rotational moulding arena to help their global strategy, facilitate technology tie-ups, and business alliances. maramehra@aol.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mark Kearns

M.Kearns@qub.ac.uk

Mark Kearns is the Rotational Moulding Research Manager of the Polymer Processing Research Centre at Queen’s University of Belfast. He is a Chartered Chemical Engineer with a M. Phil Degree in Rotational Moulding. Mark manages rotational moulding research and development projects for companies across Europe, Australasia, and North America.

DEPARTMENT EDITOR

Ian Hansen Ian Hansen has over 30 years of experience in the rotational moulding industry and has presented to conferences around the world on the subject of quality, safety, and tank design standards.

Rotomoulders around the globe have problems from time to time. Rota Consult delivers production solutions so rotomoulders can improve productivity and profitability, without wasting more of their valuable time. ianhansenconsult@gmail.com www.ianhansenconsult.com DEPARTMENT EDITOR

Rob Miller Rob Miller is Owner/President, Wittmann Battenfeld Canada Inc. Rotoload. Rob started in the plastics pneumatic conveying industry in 1986. He has spent his entire career developing, engineering, and designing all types of catalog, standard, and custom pneumatic conveying systems for the plastics industry. He started in the rotational molding industry in 2013, has enjoyed learning the idiosyncrasies of the industry and market, and most of all meeting the people and building relationships for the future.

Rob.Miller@wittmann-group.ca

Jim Crawshaw Jim is the General Manager of PSI Brand, the permanent graphics for plastics division of their family business, Polymer Systems International in New Zealand.

Starting out as an engineer and rotomoulding operator, the past 20 years has involved leading a team, developing graphic systems to service global brands, and assisting rotomoulders decorate their plastic products to deliver long-lasting brand experiences. jim@psibrand.com

www.rotoworldmag.com 13

ISSUE CONTRIBUTING

EDITORS

Dr. Nick Henwood

Kim Harrison

through his numerous contributions to international conferences and technical seminars. He has 30 years-plus experience in rotomoulding, specialising in the fields of materials development and process control. Nick operates as a consultant, researcher, and educator through his own company, Rotomotive Limited, based in UK. He is also the Technical Director of ARM – The Association of Rotational Molders.

Kim Harrison, Founder and Principal of Cutting Edge PR, loves sharing actionable ideas and information about professional communication and business management. He has wide experience as a corporate affairs manager, consultant, author, lecturer, and CEO of a non-profit organization. Kim is a Fellow and former national board member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, and he ran his State’s professional development program for 7 years, helping many practitioners to strengthen their communication skills.

Dr. Nick Henwood is well known to rotomoulding audiences,

14 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

UPFRONT 70 Years of K In Düsseldorf – A World Career Made in Germany Now online: the anniversary in historical photos and stories

The same year that saw Queen Elizabeth II ascend to the throne, the first artificial heart valve implanted in the U.S., and the musical “Singin’ in the Rain” inspire millions at the movies, history was also made in Germany with the inaugural edition of K, hosted in Düsseldorf from October 11-19, 1952. At that time nobody expected this event only just taking off would develop into the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry.

Today, K in Düsseldorf can look back on a 70-year success story. It is the most relevant information and business platform for the plastics and rubber industry worldwide. Its position as the leading trade show for the entire industry, where theme leadership and innovation go hand in hand to pave the way for visions for the future, is undisputed. No other platform has such a high internationality as K. For K 2022 from October 19 - 26, around 3,000 exhibitors from 61 nations are expected and the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center is completely booked.

How it all started However, K in Düsseldorf also started small: the debut event “Wunder der Kunststoffe” (Miracles of Plastics) in 1952 registered 270 exhibiting companies – exclusively from Germany. They occupied approximately 14,000 square meters of net exhibition space.

At the premiere, 165,000 visitors admired especially the colorful consumer goods exhibited by plastics processors. Because from 1952 to 1959, K Düsseldorf was purely a showcase of the German industry. Any interested visitor, be it a layperson or a specialist, was admitted to visit the trade fair. Major attractions on show were products designed to make life more beautiful and convenient.

Today, we smile at the advertising of that time, which was also aimed at the “modern housewife” and introduced her to such postwar achievements as trendy PVC raincoats or sheer nylon stockings - aesthetic epitomes of the economic miracle.

The more the plastics industry specialized and high-tech plastics for special solutions in electronics, medicine, automotive, or aerospace attracted attention beyond standard polymers, the more specialists visited the trade fair. In 1963 the break was made: K in Düsseldorf became a special-interest only trade fair of international standing. Since then it has maintained its position as a leading global trade fair for the entire industry. In 2019, over 220,000 trade visitors from almost 170 nations traveled to K. The international origin and composition of exhibitors will also guarantee the completeness of the product ranges and a comprehensive overview of the world market at the upcoming K in autumn. Nowhere else will there be such a wealth of innovations and no other trade show will provide such a variety of impulses for the future of the global plastics and rubber industry.

Event’s own microsite: experience 70 years of K in Düsseldorf Before K 2022 even opens its doors, Messe Düsseldorf is celebrating K’s anniversary with its own microsite, inviting everyone to delve into seven decades of K history and to marvel at historical photos and stories. Embark on a travel through time at https://70years.k-online.de/en Anyone who would like to share their personal K story, anecdotes, encounters, funny, or amazing experiences, please use LinkedIn or get in touch with our press team.

For information on visiting or exhibiting at K 2022, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit www.k-online.com and www.mdna. com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago www.rotoworldmag.com 15

UPFRONT Myers Industries Expands Production with Acquisition of Rotational Molding Facility in Georgia Investment further expands and strengthens Myers’ rotational molding capabilities

Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MYE) recently announced that it is increasing its production capacities through the acquisition of the Decatur-based rotational molding manufacturing assets of Step2 Co, LLC for an undisclosed sum.

This investment comes as Myers continues to expand its rotational molding capabilities across the United States. Myers’ Material Handling Segment utilizes rotational molding to provide high-quality, durable products to a broad range of endmarkets including outdoor recreation, construction, vehicle, and industrial applications. The 41,000 square foot Georgia facility adds production capacity to support both new and existing customers in the southern United States.

“The addition of this Decatur rotational molding location represents another milestone in the execution of our long-term strategy that is unlocking additional growth and expansion opportunities to serve our customers,” said Mike McGaugh, President and CEO of Myers Industries. “This marks our third meaningful investment in rotational molding in under two

years and strengthens our position as a valuable partner for our rotational molding customers within our Material Handling Segment. We look forward to integrating this location into our Myers footprint and accelerating our organic growth efforts.”

This expansion demonstrates Myers’ commitment to growing its customer sales and service range while building a presence in new markets. This is the latest action taken as part of Horizon 1 of the Company’s 3-horizon strategy, which is focused on: Self-help, Organic Growth, and Bolt-on M&A. The expansion follows Myers acquisitions of Elkhart Plastics and Trilogy Plastics – further increasing Myers’ market-leading reach as a rotational molder serving a variety of niche markets.

Myers Industries, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of polymer and metal products for industrial, agricultural, automotive, commercial, and consumer markets. The Company is also the largest distributor of tools, equipment, and supplies for the tire, wheel, and under-vehicle service industry in the U.S. Visit www.myersindustries.com to learn more.

Beaver County Cracker Plant more than 95% Built as Company Prepares for Operation POTTER TWP. — A Pennsylvania petrochemical plant years

in the making will likely be online in a matter of months, with crews putting the finishing touches on Shell’s ethane cracker facility. Shell Chemicals recently confirmed the company’s multibillion-dollar Potter Township complex, long considered one of the largest construction projects in the nation, is now more than 95% complete.

In the next two weeks, Beaver County crews will begin performing “air blows” in the site’s ethane cracking unit and “steam blows” in the polyethylene units. Similar to the steam blowing activities completed in June of last year, nearby residents can expect “low levels of noise” intermittently through the end of March “2022 is an exciting and important year for our project,” Shell representatives said on Facebook. “ We will be operational later this year.”

Workers plan to follow local noise ordinances during the cleanliness checks, noting the activities “have been modeled to fall within permitted levels”. Shell plant: Shell begins ‘steam blowing’ at Beaver County cracker plant.

16 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

The company has yet to announce a firm opening date, but crews began start-up activities early last year around the time Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden announced the chemical plant will be “fully operational” in 2022.

In July, the project was considered 80% complete as staff commissioned the 250-megawatt natural gas and steam cogeneration facility and first exported power to the PJM electricity grid – a major milestone on the path to startup.

The plant, located along the Ohio River, will convert natural gas into ethylene, used in plastics manufacturing to make a range of products from automotive parts to food packaging.

Shell leadership first revealed plans to build on the former Horsehead Corp. zinc property a decade ago, hoping to take advantage of the region’s abundant natural gas while cutting transportation costs to the majority of the company’s customer base in the northeastern United States. Construction began in late 2017 after Shell secured $1.7 billion in Pennsylvania corporate tax credits.

UPFRONT Diversified Plastics, Inc. Introduces a New Rotational Molding Oven SOCIAL CIRCLE, GA, USA — Diversified Plastic, Inc., a

leading international rotational molder based out of Latta, South Carolina, introduces a new rotational molding oven to their facility in Social Circle, GA. With the implementation of the new rotational molding oven, it will assist in the overall increase of productivity and allow DPI to produce larger quantities of plastic products. DPI currently has 25 plastic product lines that vary from material handling carts to commercial trash containers. This new oven has the capability to manufacture all of DPI’s product lines in an efficient manner.

“We are enthusiastic to introduce the new rotational molding oven to our facility,” stated Scott Oaks, vice president of Diversified Plastics, Inc. “It will help us to manufacture our plastic products more efficiently and allow us to expand our product lines.” Since 1976, Diversified Plastics, Inc. has been the leading rotational molding manufacturer of custom and standard

material handling carts and plastic storage containers. DPI specializes in material handling carts for the industrial, textile, hospitality, laundry, agricultural, and marine industries. DPI also provides waste and recycling plastic containers for restaurants, sports venues, stadiums, apartments, condominium complexes, and corporate offices.

In addition to providing custom material handling solutions and waste containers for any application, DPI’s diverse product assortment includes bulk material handling carts, plastic utility carts, laundry carts, bulk containers, tote boxes, round containers, spring platform trucks, elevated carts, easy access carts, tilt trucks, and more.

To contact Diversified Plastics, Inc., call 1-800-768-7636 or email sales@dpiroto.com. Visit dpiroto.com for more information.

ACE to Build the Largest Battery Recycling Plant in North Texas The Lone Star State is gaining another massive facility. ACE Green Recycling has announced plans to build and operate what will become North America’s largest emissions-free and sustainable battery recycling plant. While a specific location hasn’t yet been revealed, the company shared in a statement that the operations will take place somewhere in Texas.

Because of the lack of large-scale recycling plants in the U.S, the country relies on importing and exporting battery scraps and new battery materials. The plant intends to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.

mobile phones, and laptops. While some battery recycling methods rely on fossil fuel-heavy smelting, recycling operations at ACE are entirely electric, reducing carbon emissions to zero.

The company is also exploring solar energy for other plant activities.

Development of the facility will take place gradually. The expected start to phase one of operations will begin in the third quarter of 2023, leading with the recycling of lead-acid batteries.

When operating at full capacity, ACE says the complex will process and recycle up to 100,000 metric tons of used lead-acid batteries and 20,000 metric tons of used lithium-ion batteries annually by 2025.

At full productivity, the facility intends to rid landfills of more than 10 million pounds of hazardous waste and recycle more than 15 million pounds of plastic annually. The recycling park will generate 100 Texas jobs.

“Texas sits at the heart of the world’s global energy revolution with key access to an abundant pool of top engineering and technical talent. ACE’s new facility aims to be part of that revolution and build a greener, more sustainable future for America,” said Nishchay Chadha, ACE’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer in a statement.

The 400,000-square-foot facility will recycle both lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries found in automobiles, power storage, www.rotoworldmag.com 17

UPFRONT Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co. Ltd. again selected LyondellBasell’s high pressure LDPE technology ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERANDS — LyondellBasell

(NYSE: LYB) recently announced that Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co. Ltd. (ZPC) will license again the LyondellBasell high-pressure polyethylene technology at their facility located in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, P.R. of China.

The Lupotech process technology will be used for both a 100 KTA Autoclave and a 300 kiloton per year (KTA) Tubular line.

Both production trains will be producing mainly ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA). Furthermore, an additional 400 KTA Tubular line producing low-density polyethylene (LDPE) homo polymers will be built at the same site.

“We are excited that ZPC decided to grow their assets of licensed LyondellBasell polyolefin technologies with their latest award of our tubular Lupotech T and autoclave Lupotech A technology. In the near future, ZPC will produce in total more than 2,700 KTA polyolefins based on our process technology,” said Neil Nadalin, Director Global Licensing and Services at LyondellBasell. Nadalin added: “The latest additions will be dedicated to produce high value EVA and LDPE applications such as solar panel lamination and encapsulant enabling the global energy transition as well as the production of cost efficient homopolymer LDPE resins.“ Mr. Li Shuirong, Chairman of Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co. Ltd., stated: “The selection of LyondellBasell’s Lupotech process technologies represents a win-win situation for both ZPC and LyondellBasell. These technologies allow us to not only expand our production capabilities, but also further improve the excellent performance and quality of our LDPE and EVA products.”

Decades of experience in high-pressure application design makes the Lupotech process the preferred technology for EVA/ LDPE plant operators. High reliability, unmatched conversion rates and effective process heat integration are key attributes of the Lupotech process, designed to ensure this technology’s on-going energy efficiency.

More than 14,000 KTA of LyondellBasell high pressure LDPE technology has been licensed by LyondellBasell in over 80 lines around the world.

New licensees take advantage of LyondellBasell’s in-house expertise of continuous production improvement, product development according to the latest environmental regulations, and our know-how in high pressure design, by optionally joining our Technical Service program.

In addition to the Lupotech T and Lupotech A process technology, the LyondellBasell licensing portfolio of polyolefin processes and catalysts includes: Hostalen – Leading low-pressure slurry process for the production of high-performance multimodal high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

18 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Spherilene – Flexible gas phase process technology for the production of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) and HDPE. Spherizone – The breakthrough multi-zone circulating reactor provides a unique and innovative platform to manufacture polypropylene products with novel architecture and enhanced properties.

Spheripol – The leading polypropylene (PP) process technology with more than 30 million tons of licensed capacity.

With globally recognized quality grades featuring leading monomer yield and investment costs to make it the technology of choice.

Metocene PP – Innovative add-on technology for the production of specialty polypropylene products using single-site catalyst systems.

Avant – Advanced Ziegler-Natta, including non-phthalate, chromium and metallocene catalysts for entire range of polyolefin production.

As a leader in the global chemical industry, LyondellBasell strives every day to be the safest, best operated and most valued company in our industry. The company’s products, materials and technologies are advancing sustainable solutions for food safety, access to clean water, healthcare and fuel efficiency in more than 100 international markets. LyondellBasell places high priority on diversity, equity and inclusion and is Advancing Good with an emphasis on our planet, the communities where we operate and our future workforce. The company takes great pride in its worldclass technology and customer focus. LyondellBasell has stepped up its circularity and climate ambitions and actions to address the global challenges of plastic waste and decarbonization.

In 2022, LyondellBasell was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” for the fifth consecutive year.

For more information, please visit www.lyondellbasell.com or follow @LyondellBasell on LinkedIn.

UPFRONT Tank Holding Acquires Semco Plastic Company, Inc. Tank Holding, North America’s largest rotational molder, has acquired Missouri based blow and injection molder Semco Plastic Company, Inc. effective May 9, 2022. Semco manufactures a variety of high-volume custom and proprietary products serving the recreational, commercial, outdoor, engine and other industries.

Products such as OEM fuel tanks, portable fuel containers, equipment components, refuse containers, backboards and more are designed, tooled, manufactured, assembled, packaged, and shipped utilizing turnkey solutions and services to a diverse customer base with the experience and capability to produce high quality molded products out of a single facility.

“The acquisition of Semco is consistent with our strategy to invest into adjacent plastic processing technologies while continuing to demonstrate our commitment to provide our customers further capabilities. We believe there is tremendous opportunity for us to utilize blow molding to expand our proprietary product offering while also complementing our commitment to custom molding. The addition of blow molding and injection molding capabilities to our vast rotational molding network provides us with the unique position to offer more

plastic molding options to our valued customers. Semco, with its successful seventy-five-year history and continuous investment in equipment and capability, delivers the competency and scale we desired to enter into these complementary molding technologies,” said Greg Wade, CEO of Tank Holding.

The Semco acquisition provides synergy opportunities with Tank Holding’s core business along with several recent acquisitions, including six last year and Dutchland this year which were focused on custom molding and proprietary products. These market leading brands and multiple molding capabilities provide the industry with the broadest product portfolio and the largest footprint of manufacturing facilities.

“Semco has been in our family for four generations, and we have built a great business with great people. We’re proud of our significant investments in the business with modern technology and building expansions to keep up with growth and offer competitive value to our customers. The Semco announcement represents Tank Holding’s 19th acquisition in the past three years and further enhances the company’s penetration into custom molding .

www.rotoworldmag.com 19

UPFRONT US, Western Europe Fret over Uncertain Ukraine War Endgame WASHINGTON, D.C. USA — An interminable and

no matter how many miscalculations Putin has made about the unwinnable war in Europe? That’s what NATO leaders fear and are strength and will of Ukraine to resist or the unity and resolve of bracing for as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its third month the NATO allies, Putin cannot accept defeat or anything short of a with little sign of a decisive military victory for either side and no scenario that he can claim has achieved success. resolution in sight. The possibility of a stalemate is fueling concerns “It would be political suicide for Putin to withdraw,” Kelly said. that Ukraine may remain a deadly European battlefield and a U.S. officials, starting with President Joe Biden, seem to agree, even source of continental and global instability for months, or even after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised eyebrows by saying years, to come. Energy and food security are the most immediate after a visit to Kyiv last month that Washington’s goal is not only to worries, but massive Western support for Ukraine while the world help Ukraine defend itself but to “weaken” Russia to the point where is still emerging from coronavirus pandemic and struggling to deal it does not pose a threat. with the effects of climate change could deepen the toll on the global economy. And should Russia choose to escalate, the risk of a broader conflict rises.

The U.S. and its allies are pumping a steady stream of lethal weaponry into Ukraine to keep it in the fight. While most analysts say Kyiv is holding its own at the least, those infusions must continue if they are to support President Volodomyr Zelenskyy’s vow to win, or at least continue to match or beat back Moscow’s advances.

Just as Russian President Vladimir Putin has not signaled a willingness to intensify the invasion with either a general mobilization of troops or the use of unconventional arms, neither has he shown any sign of backing down. Nor has Zelenskyy, who is now asserting that Ukraine will not only beat back the current Russian invasion “Neither side is willing to stop fighting and probably the likeliest but regain control of Crimea and other areas that Russia has outcome is a war that lasts a couple of years.” occupied or otherwise controlled since 2014.

“It’s very difficult to see how you could get a negotiated solution at this point,” said Ian Kelly, a retired veteran diplomat who served Putin “doesn’t have a way out right now, and I’m trying to figure as U.S. ambassador to Georgia, another former Soviet republic on out what we do about that,” Biden said on Monday even after he which Russia has territorial designs. He added, “Neither side is signed legislation designed to reboot the World War II-era “lendwilling to stop fighting and probably the likeliest outcome is a war lease” program and appealed to Congress to approve a $40 billion that lasts a couple of years. Ukraine would be a festering sore in the package of military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. middle of Europe.”

So, what to do? French President Emmanuel Macron has placed a “There’s no way that Ukraine is going to step back,” Kelly said. premium on a negotiated settlement that saves face for both Russia “They think they’re gonna win.” At the same time, Kelly said that and Ukraine. “We will have a peace to build tomorrow, let us never 20 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

UPFRONT forget that” Macron said on Monday. “We will have to do this with Ukraine and Russia around the table. The end of the discussion and the negotiation will be set by Ukraine and Russia. But it will not be done in denial, nor in exclusion of each other, nor even in humiliation.”

U.S. officials aren’t so sure, although they allow that the endgame is up to Ukraine. “Our strategy is to see to it that Ukraine emerges from this victorious,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said recently. “Ukraine will do so at the negotiating table. Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s position at that negotiating table as we continue to place mounting costs on the Russian Federation.”

But the high-stakes uncertainty over what constitutes a “victorious” Ukraine has alarmed officials in some European capitals, notably those in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which are NATO members bordering Russia and especially worried about Moscow’s possible future intentions.

For Baltic nations and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank, the threat is real, and memories of Soviet occupation and rule remain fresh. Concessions to Russia in Ukraine will only embolden

Putin to push further west, they say.

“To be honest, we are still not talking about the endgame,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis lamented to the Associated Press in a recent interview. He said any territorial concessions in Ukraine would usher in a world where the “rulesbased order” has been replaced by a “jungle rules-based order.”

Landsbergis suggested that Western nations issue public statements about what success would be. “Where we would consider what we would take for victory, actual victory? What would be the scenario that we would like?”

Landsbergis has been outspoken in calls for Putin to be ousted as Russia’s leader, going well beyond the U.S. position and that of other NATO leaders. He says regime change in Moscow is the only way to protect European and Western security in the long term.

“Coming from me it’s much easier to say we need regime change in Russia, so we’ve been quite blunt and open about it,” he said.

“Maybe for United States it’s much more much more difficult to be open about it, but still, at some point we have to talk about this because it’s so important.”

www.rotoworldmag.com 21

UPFRONT Smartbar sets the Standard for Site Safety ADALAIDE, AUSTRALIA — Australian born and

bred, SmartBar has been making and designing its leading bull bar technology at its home in Adelaide since 1996.

These bull bars are far from average, boasting an innovative, lightweight, and resilient design that increases safety for the vehicle and, just as crucially, for pedestrians.

SmartBar bull bars are manufactured from flexible, durable polyethylene material, rather than metal, giving them the ability to absorb impact and then spring back to their original shape.

“The absorption of the impact makes our product a lot safer for pedestrians. Rather than hitting a solid object, our product absorbs some of the force in an impact,” SmartBar sales and development manager Kieran Jenkins said.

“It’s a rotationally moulded hollow section bar, so the material properties and the hollow nature of the product is what allows the bull bar to compress and absorb the impact.”

Each of the bull bars undergoes rigorous testing to ensure the quality and safety is above and beyond, covering compulsory, and non-compulsory testing requirements of Australian Safety Standard AS4876.1-2002.

When the Centre of Automotive and Safety Research conducted tests to measure head trauma and accident survival probability of a person at certain speeds, a SmartBar bull bar outperformed all other frontal vehicle protection systems available.

In a simulated collision with a pedestrian at 30km/h, it was proven that in many cases a vehicle fitted with a SmartBar bull bar was less likely to cause a fatal injury through impact than the original front-vehicle assembly.

What sets a SmartBar bull bar apart is that it acts as an injuryprevention and cushioning device in a slow-speed collision, such as with a pedestrian, reducing the likelihood of serious injury.

Factors such as vehicle design, crush rate, airbag deployment, approach angles, accessory fitment, strength, weight, and aesthetic are all taken into consideration during the development of every SmartBar bull bar.

“In terms of mining, the other benefits of our products are they’re lightweight so you can help to minimise the weight of the vehicle, and the polyethylene material is great for corrosion resistance as well,” Jenkins said.

SmartBar also offers rear protection, which is vital on a mine site, especially when manoeuvring in close confines.

The rear protection bar provides the same vehicle, occupant, and pedestrian safety as the rest of the SmartBar range, and is manufactured from the same flexible, durable polyethylene material. It provides unparalleled levels of vehicle and occupant 22 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

“Pedestrian safety has been a big focus of ours right from the start, not only in mining but across all industries in general.”

— Kieran Jenkins

protection without compromising pedestrian safety.

“The rear protection bars have the same absorbing properties to again provide vehicle protection at the rear and can be used as a step for access to roof racks,” Jenkins said.

“The under-vehicle armour is also lightweight and has great corrosion resistance, so that’s going to protect the car from rocks and impacts from underneath when you’re driving over uneven ground common on mine sites.”

The bull bars are also available in Hi-Vis Orange for increased on-site safety, while rear protection bars are available in Hi-Vis Yellow.

“Pedestrian safety has been a big focus of ours right from the start, not only in mining but across all industries in general,” Jenkins said.

With an array of light vehicles travelling across a mine site all day, ensuring pedestrian safety is crucial. And when it comes to safety, SmartBar is in a league of its own.

“Pedestrian safety has been a big focus of ours right from the start, not only in mining but across all industries in general,” Jenkins said.

UPFRONT Tank Holding Consolidates Refuse Brands Tank Holding, North America’s largest rotational molder, has consolidated and rebranded all the company’s refuse container brands into one brand, Snyder Refuse. This will be conveyed on all related products and marketing communications.

The consolidation brings the recently acquired brands of WRP Containers, RMI, Duracast, and RMU brands together under one brand with 7 FOB shipping points. “Snyder Refuse product offerings provide the industry with the broadest product portfolio and the largest plastic refuse container manufacturing footprint in the industry,” said Sean Barber, director of sales and marketing for Tank Holding’s refuse product segment. “The consolidated brand also aligns both commercial and residential product lines into one integrated platform to more efficiently respond to customer needs nationally,” Barber continued.

The Snyder Refuse product portfolio includes Front Load, Side Load, and Rear Load commercial dumpsters ranging in size from 2 cubic yards to 8 cubic yards, receptacles, and liners. The Residential offerings include Round Cans ranging in size from 200 gallon to 450 gallon, and Roll Out Carts in the 40-to-100gallon range.

Snyder Refuse is a brand of Tank Holding, which also manufactures a wide variety of proprietary plastic products, like bulk storage tanks, intermediate bulk containers, laundry and linen carts, insulated material handling bins, food handling containers, and hoppers as well as a broad range of custom products. Tank Holding products are marketed through a number of industry leading brands like Norwesco, Snyder Industries, Bonar Plastics, Bushman, Chem-tainer, Meese, and Stratis Pallets. The company is owned by Olympus Partners and the management team. Tank Holding currently operates over 40 manufacturing plant locations and employs over 1500 people throughout North America..

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www.rotoworldmag.com 23

2022 ARM Executive Forum Omni Amelia Island - Florida Susan Gibson, JSJ Productions, Inc.

Matt Bushmann (Plasticraft Corporation)

Darcy Bien (Stretch Strategic Leaders)

Daven Claerbout (Dutchland Plastics)

The ARM Executive Forum is held each spring, bringing together industry executives to learn, share ideas, and network. This year’s in-person Forum took place March 14-16 at the Omni Amelia Island in Florida. The event drew ninety-some molders and suppliers from across North American and several foreign countries.

24 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Sandy and Sharon Scaccia (Nortar Aluminum Molds), Ravi and Manju Mehra (Norstar International), and Celal Beysel (Floteks Turkey)

Peter and Doren Connors (Remcon Plastics)

Networking was at its best on the first day as attendees discussed potential ideas for investing ARM funds for the future good of the association and industry. Led by Matt Bushman and Daven Claerbout, many worthy ideas were generated from the basics of promoting rotational molding, the production of an animated video around the concept of “Pellet to Part”, to creating software for balancing molds, just to name a few.

On the second day, the education program kicked off with a special presentation on “Growth Oriented Strategic Planning”

by Darcy Bien of Stretch Strategic Leaders.

Bien presented a 10-step strategy that began with first completing a strategic planning process assessment. Then working through training processes, planning, implementation, and expansion.

“In order to strategically plan, you must really understand your customer.” — Darcy Bien “In order to strategically plan, you must really understand your customer,” Bien said. She advocated boiling the company’s Strategic Plan down to a one-page flyer and making it readily accessible to the leadership and employees.

Bien encouraged the executives to ask themselves such questions as: what is your purpose; what are you core values;

Chris Lefas (Orenda Automation Technologies)

Steve Copeland and Brandi Frey (Jerico Plastic Industries)

what differentiates your company from others; what is your vision; who do you serve; and why you? She said you must have a reason to believe. 67% of all companies fail in strategy according to Bien. They monitor P&Ls, but they fail to monitor a strategic plan, which lays out their growth plan.

Bien reported the number of companies that reach $1MM in revenue is .4%; the number that reach $10MM is 4%. She said when a company reaches $10MM in annual revenue, they will need a second in command. When a company is in the $10$40MM revenue arena, it ceases to be a small business. Her recommendation is to not consider selling a business unless it is worth at least $10MM. Len Dunman, Mercer Transportation, drew on his 40+ years’ experience and addressed the issues and challenges facing transportation logistics. “Transportation is spouting challenges faster than a volcano,” Dunman said. Some of the biggest challenges they are seeing today are with drivers and equipment.

“We have an acute driver shortage, and this is due mostly to the fact that the typical driver population is older. The job requires

“We have an acute driver shortage, and this is due mostly to the fact that the typical driver population is older.” — Len Dunman www.rotoworldmag.com 25

living on a truck 2/3 weeks a month, pay issues, etc. “There is a maturing level for drivers, and we are experiencing that right now,” Dunman said. The same aging issue applies to equipment.

Trained mechanics are getting older and younger people are not entering this field. This is causing fewer and fewer trained mechanics in the workforce.

“The certainty of future autonomous trucks and the high costs that will bring is presenting a big challenge to the logistics industry,” Dunman said. The effect of social unrest in many urban areas causing drivers to have to be armed, along with government issues to contend with, not the least of which is high fuel costs, are also among the challenges faced.

Plasticraft CEO Bob Fettig, spoke about a medical service business in which he is involved and owns five facilities. Called “The Doctor’s Office”, the model provides an alternative way to get medical attention and services without all the bureaucracy and insurance issues associated with the traditional model.

“The Doctor’s Office is a model with quality care at a fair price,” Fettig said. It offers physicians a new way to practice medicine and a value-add benefit to the patients that use them.

Jonathan Grau and Jen Cox of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing addressed the timely issue of mental health in the workplace. “The landscape for this issue has been very challenging over the past two years,” Grau stated. “There is a

stigma around mental health issues and how we approach each other, which in turn affects our entire organizations,” he added.

Since the outbreak of COVID, employees have been dealing with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. The two advised on what to look for and how to get employees the help they need.

“Safety is a top priority, and when an employee is challenged with mental health issues, they are at odds between safety and productivity. Long hours, high stress, and scheduling can be physically demanding. They can have a decreased sense of purpose, meaning, and self-actualization,” Cox said.

Grau and Cox shared that the statistics in the manufacturing industry indicate a high alert: 1/10 are reporting a substance abuse issue; suicide rates are twice as high as in the general population; and 27% of the manufacturing workforce think work and life are out of balance. “We all have stress, and stress isn’t always bad. It is when it gets overwhelming that we need to adjust,” Cox said. “If you ignore the whispers, you may hear the screams.”

Professional HR executives Rhonda Griffin (Centro Incorporated), Bonnie Taylor (Myers Industries), and Paula Orcutt (Dura Cast Products, Inc.), discussed trending HR issues in the workplace. All agreed many companies are having to be creative and use never thought of before plans to recruit and retain employees.

Len Dunman (Mercer Transportation)

Bob Fettig (Plasticraft Corporation)

Jen Cox (National Council for Mental Wellbeing)

Tom Richmond (Dutchland Plastics)

George Winter (Muelstein - Channel Prime Alliance)

Pat Long (Formed Plastics)

Rhonda Griffin (Centro Inc.), Bonnie Turner (Myers Industries), and Paula Orcutt (Dura-Cast Products Inc.)

Orcutt shared the results of an industry survey she conducted as part of getting her doctorate in HR. Her 30-question survey drew comments from a number of respondents, 80% of which were male, 20% female, and 4% were under 20 years of age. Of the ranking issues, company culture was top of the list.

Turner addressed recruiting and retention and some of the things Myers is doing to hire new and keep existing employees.

One is working with the Center for the Homeless in their area where they pick up enough people to cover all their shifts. They offer such plans as weekend shifts and working 36 hours and getting paid for 40. Turner suggested asking employees, “What are 3 things you like best about your job, and what are 3 you would change”? Then go to work to ensure the top three things are strong and then address the three things they would change.

Ask your employees, “What are three things you like best about your job?”

— Bonnie Turner, Myers Industries Wayne Wiid, Pioneer Plastics of South Africa, and Jon Smalley, SmaK Plastics, talked about scheduling efficiencies.

Wiid introduced a system his company employs, the MMS Manufacturing System. Wiid shared that Pioneer produces a large number of custom parts per month (23-30,000) and they heavily rely on this system. The system is integrated from the start of a product all the way through to accounting, billing, and shipping of that product. Each product is issued a bar code that keeps track of it all through the process. Sales personnel can track every step of the production process.

Smalley presented a system his company utilizes – RotoEdge.

RotoEdge is web-based and works well for multiple plants.

ARM Executive Forum attendees

The system has just been moved to an Amazon web service to further eliminate employee mistakes and the chaos that creates.

RotoEdge was designed to take chaos out of the process and keep production moving efficiently. “This is a stand-alone software, each machine has a touch screen, and all is tied to a main database,” he said.

Steve O’Brian of Shiftboard, talked about ways workforce flexibility can combat labor shortages. “It has always been challenging to align the workforce with the work at hand,” O’Brian said. But then add the pandemic and you’ve further complicated an already tedious process.”

O’Brien said manufacturers have lots of business, but also lots of supply chain and labor issues. Manufacturing ranks highest of any industry sector for these issues, and these challenges will remain challenges for the foreseeable future. 25% of the manufacturing labor force is 55 years of age or older. The workforce is aging, and many females have left the workforce altogether. Younger employees don’t think like the older employees do. They place more value on purpose…“how does what I do matter”.

Workforce flexibility is a common challenge. Manufacturers will face stoppages, inability to fill positions, lots of unplanned overtime, shift changes, etc. The way to change this, according to O’Brian is to plan ahead. Plan ahead now for how future orders will be handled. Ask what will you need to produce the product and what staffing will be required?

In addition to the stellar educational program, attendees were given opportunities to enjoy the area with social outings including an art class, a not quite 5K Run, Fort Clinch Bike Tour, Golf Tournament, and a Kayak Tour.

A big thank you to the 2022 ARM Executive Forum Sponsors which included: Roto Polymers, Jerico Plastic Industries, NOVA Chemicals, LyondellBasell Industries, Muehlstein-Channel Prime Alliance, and Quantum Polymers, Inc. Save the date for 2022 ARM Fall Conference, which will take place November 6-9 in Atlanta, Georgia. www.rotoworldmag.com 27

Graphically speaking Getting Connected – Improving Customer Experiences Jim Crawshaw, PSI What does ‘getting connected’ mean in rotational molding?

This means improving the customer experience, by connecting them with your products, and ultimately you, the brand ambassador.

This is enabled through track and trace methods, a crucial part of rotomoulding and it is undeniably known as the future of all manufacturing known as, Industry 4.0.

Considering the significant cost, resource, and productivity advantages it provides, it is not hard to see why traceability offers so many benefits to connect your products with the manufacturer and the end-user.

Benefits of tracking in rotomoulding Factors which directly benefit rotational moulding include: • Product recall – for quick and efficient identification of effected products • Quality control – provides a higher level of control through the manufacturing and after-sales servicing process • Operational efficiency – to locate and minimise waste of both materials and operational resources • Customer satisfaction – a robust system that better positions you to respond to your customers’ problems and make improvements to provide higher-quality products and meet their needs How to track plastic products A common question we get asked by rotomoulders is, ‘what methods are used for tracking plastic products’? There is no short answer as there are many, so we have created this article to help uncover these methods, as one or more may suit your specific application.

To start you need to identify the purpose of your tracking endeavour, reasons include: • Unique product identity – PSI recommends a serial number and/ or barcode • Production tracking i.e., date of manufacture, batch number, product specification – again we recommend serial numbers and/or barcodes • Distributor reselling – best solution is a product barcode • Product servicing, location, and data log – by manually using physical serial reference or digitally using barcode or RFID • Product information i.e., link to webform – such as QR Code • Anti-theft or multi-asset tracking – best solution here is RFID Putting it simply, a unique identifier can be just a consecutive serial number associated to the product or part.

When should you use Serial Numbers?

One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘what is a good serial number system for my product’? Allow me to share 28 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

an effective case study used by New Zealand rotomoulder and specialist boat crafter, Viking Kayaks.

• Purpose – To identify product through production and identify for any product recall • Problem – use of hot-poker for scribing. This was very dependent on user, delivered poor aesthetics, and was not easily visible • Solution – Black & White serial no. in-mould graphic every cycle along with custom branding • Testimonial – “It looks sharp and means we can easily identify a boat from time of manufacture, right through to recall, now that’s customer service.”

So what about Barcodes?

Barcodes are one of the most effective methods for electronically tracking plastic products, and we turn to Victoria Australia for an original example at WaterStore Poly Tanks in Australia, who used barcodes to maximum effect.

• Purpose – to identify product from production through to maintenance, connecting and ERP system for water-tank specialists • Problem – use of self-adhesive labels which peel off and completely disappear, a logistical nightmare!

• Solution – pre-printed in-mould and post-mould graphics for every product • Testimonial – “Works well for our guys at the oven right through to the installers and maintenance team, lasting as long as the product. Also doubles as a branding tool and source of contact which is nice.”

Can I use QR Codes?

What is often unknown is how to use QR codes effectively, however Saeplast Iceland found massive benefits through use of a QR codes.

• Purpose – gain instant access to online tutorials on correct product specifications and use • Problem – end-user not being able to determine correct purpose of product and how to use the threefold tracking system • Solution – user scans QR with smartphones to access information as and when required

• Testimonial – “As an insulated container, correct use is critical, especially when integrating the RFID and/or barcode system.”

What is RFID, and how is this used for plastics?

RFID is the acronym for Radio Frequency Identification, a means of identifying objects via a wireless communications protocol using radio waves. This is an extremely adaptable method of tracking, and Saeplast Iceland pioneered the ‘threefold’ system featuring RFID. • Purpose – the ‘threefold’ tracking system was developed to provide multiple product tracking options #1. for product hire #2. enable processing of data #3. access instructions for product use on website • Problem – use of spin-weld RFID, and other secondary selfadhesive decals, which both proved time consuming and poor results aesthetically • Solution – a printed, 3-in-1; QR Code, Barcode, RFID in-mould graphic on each product, every cycle • Testimonial – “This insulated container is unique for us and the end-user. Barcode tracking is used for manufacture, QR Code to access to online ‘how-to’ tutorials and an RFID system to trace on the produce journey, from the source right through to the shop-front.”

What value can rotomolders take away from this article?

With our experience and know-how, we at PSI Brand are well positioned to propose and assist the best traceability solution that suits rotomoulders. No onesize fits all, so we will arm you with the tools and methods required to determine the best solution for your process.

Go to our website https://psibrand. com/track-and-trace/ and feel free to ask questions with Jim Crawshaw at +646 8344808 or email jim@psibrand.com www.rotoworldmag.com 29

LEADERSHIP

Good Recognition for Hybrid Employees is Essential for Workplace Success Kim Harrison, Cutting Edge Hybrid work looks like it is continuing to evolve as the way of the future. The concept of a hybrid workplace is very appealing, but employees in hybrid work modes can be difficult to manage because their varied locations make team management, communication, and relationships more difficult. What’s really important in managing hybrid workers is the culture created along the way. Among the important cultural conclusions is that good recognition for hybrid employees is essential for workplace success.

• Hybrid working is here to stay. That’s the key message from Microsoft’s global 2022 Work Trend Index,” published in World Economic Forum (WEF) article in April 2022.

• Regardless of their current situation, nearly seven in 10 workers say they would prefer to be fully remote or hybrid, according to a February 2022 Gallup study of over 12,000 US employees,” published in Gallup article in March 2022.

• “9 out of 10 organizations are switching to hybrid working, according to McKinsey survey,” published in WEF article in May 2021.

What is hybrid work?

Hybrid work is a flexible work mode in which employees work partly in the physical workplace, and partly remotely – at home or from another workspace. The extent of the hybrid mode being used varies according with each the organization using it.

Workers may come to the office on most days, a couple of days per week, or may only attend a monthly staff meeting in person periodically, e.g., once a month. Some organizations may use a combination of all of those, tailored to the requirements of each business unit and the individuals employed there.

Hybrid working started around five decades ago, with flexible working and teleworking gaining popularity with the emergence of personal computers in the 1970s and then with the internet in the 1990s. However, at the beginning of 2020, still only 5% of work hours in America were spent at home. Then COVID forced a dramatic change. By spring 2020 this had risen to 60%. And by October 2021, that figure was still at 40%.

30 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

This has been a worldwide trend. Millions of people who had never had the opportunity or interest in working away from an office were now experiencing a different mode of work, and many found they could work as effectively in a hybrid or remote mode.

However, a hybrid workforce is more diversified than organizations expected. For example, Canadian company, BI Worldwide (BIW) reports that they employ a multi-generational workforce, with baby boomers leaving the workforce in a few years and Gen Z entering the workforce. This generational shift has changed the landscape and how they engage employees.

BIW employs flextime workers, gig workers, part-time, and contractors. The company has people who work in an office vs. a factory or a retail store or a warehouse. They have a vast range of employees with different personalities. How they handle the new work environment, their personal situations at home and in life, and, of course, the growing diversity of the workforce, is something they must contend.

Experts predict the hybrid workplace will continue in the foreseeable future. Some employers will see great advantages in it, but others may decide innovation, creativity, and collaboration work better when everyone is together. It will depend on what top management consider are the net benefits and costs.

LEADERSHIP The hybrid model provides important benefits for workers and businesses alike. Others contend, “Hybrid working is here to stay. But what does that mean in your office”? mentions a study in which employees reported better work-life balance, greater schedule control, and less stress as key benefits. And the C-suite highlighted that the hybrid approach increases productivity and engagement, lowers real estate costs, and helps attract and retain talent.

However, respondents agreed that while working from home has its advantages, being able to access to an office space is critical – not only for building relationships, but also for people to have a space to go to when they need to focus on their work.

Effective workforce management is also critical when it comes to getting the hybrid approach right. Businesses need to set clear guidelines for what tasks need to be done in the office versus at home. And it’s important that managers approach their hybrid plans with empathy and fairness in mind. This means understanding what works best for each employee, but also ensuring that remote work adjustments aren’t being provided to some workers more than others (e.g., parents versus those without children).

Now that workers have had a taste of hybrid and remote work mode, they want to continue it – and employers need to be across this. An article published by the US Institute for Public Relations in May 2022 reports that a survey of knowledge workers in 6 countries has found “inflexible return-to-office policies are harming the employee experience.” A note of warning to employers about the problems that will invariably follow!

Connection risks in a hybrid work environment The hybrid workplace has relationship risks that need to be managed carefully. The biggest risk is the difference in power between managers and their WFH/hybrid staff compared with the stronger connection that other staff gain from working at headquarters or a regional management building.

Pitfalls of hybrid work for managers and employees For employees A significant power differential can happen simply through access in the physical workplace, according to an observation

by Wharton management professor Martine Haas in a 2021 Knowledge at Wharton newsletter. On-site employees get the benefit of immediate access to all the people and product resources available there. Employees can more easily network and collaborate in the office. By contrast, remote/hybrid workers may struggle with personal and technical connections, which make it difficult for them to demonstrate their competence.

“If you have more access to resources and more visibility, that makes you potentially a more powerful, influential person in your team or in your work group,” Prof. Haas said.

For managers Managers are also confronted by new issues in the hybrid

workplace. Some workers may need help in accessing resources, while others may want to feel more connected to their colleagues.

Managers also must be vigilant about worker visibility. They shouldn’t rely on — or reward — only the employees who are with them in the office. Remote managers should be aware of their own visibility issues. They must ensure they are available to both remote and co-located employees. Managers who work away from their teams for some or all the time always run the risk of not knowing exactly what’s going on, according to Prof. Haas.

Half of remote employees and 55% of hybrid staff say they feel lonelier at work than before changing their work patterns.

“Relationship building is the biggest challenge for leaders in this new normal,” according to the Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index study.

“It’s one worth prioritizing,” Microsoft says, because strong team relationships are linked to higher wellbeing and productivity. “Employees are ready to stop emailing and start connecting,” the survey finds. Leaders need to recognize this by prioritizing time for relationship building.

Peer-to-peer recognition is even more effective Interestingly, researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid in 2015 surveyed a representative sample of 1,831 Spanish workers, and found the effect of recognition by peers is “two times greater” than recognition from supervisors on the “positive psychological functioning” of the workers. The researchers point out the influence of recognition given by co-workers as a sign of membership, integration, and acceptance.”

Research has also found that when supervisors felt their organization valued their contributions and cared about their well-being, supervisors in turn provided support to their employees. So, supervisors responded reciprocally, building a positive environment that influenced performance.

Make the small connections count Some companies are experiencing higher productivity during the pandemic. They’re the ones supporting small connections between colleagues—opportunities to discuss projects, share ideas, network, mentor, and coach, for example. Two-thirds of productivity-leading organizations report that these kinds of “micro-transactions” have increased, compared with just 9% of those who haven’t had increased productivity. As executives look to sustain pandemic-style productivity gains with a hybrid model, they will need to design and develop the right spaces for these small interactions to take place. Therefore, a recognition framework needs to be tailored to work in today’s hybrid world.

So, how do we best recognize employees for their good work in diversified workplaces?

Why recognition of hybrid employees matters A significant risk to effective recognition activities in a hybrid workplace is that you can tend to overlook team members’ less obvious contributions if they’re remote, causing resentment, and www.rotoworldmag.com 31

LEADERSHIP the non-monetary rewards that make sense for office workers just don’t translate. Here are some guiding principles to enable effective recognition for hybrid employees: 1. Ask people what they want, and really listen.

2. Remember that remote working isn’t a reward in itself.

3. Be aware of bias and find ways to tackle it. Presence bias, or presence disparity, can leave in-office employees seeming like the model for your organization – and the hard work of hybrid workers overlooked.

4. Create a culture of ‘kudos,’ communicated online. Do you communicate most in emails, messaging tools, or video calls when you’re out-of-office? Whatever it is, use that channel to regularly communicate ‘thank you’ and ‘well done’ – both one-to-one, and to your team as a whole. Fundamentally, people want to be appreciated.

5. Give options and alternatives for team rewards and recognition for hybrid employees.

Transitioning to digital recognition for hybrid employees More organizations are encouraging more employee recognition activities to compensate for the lack of face-to-face engagement.

They are also exploring digital options for many recognition programs such as nomination-based award programs and service award programs. They are pursuing anything that has a mix of offline and online recognition, which has now become mainly an online experience. Organizations are also communicating more about recognition for hybrid employees and are equipping leaders and managers with digital tools for individual and team recognition.

Barriers have also broken down. The manager-employee relationship has now become more emotional. Managers see team members at home due to Zoom, often meeting their families, their children, and their pets. This has taken their relationships to another level. This has created more empathy and stronger bonds between managers and the peers of workers.

Needs vary with each organization. Typically, the foundation of a recognition framework should reinforce your core values.

It’s important to capture personal moments and milestones.

Your employees are more than just employees: They’re now more of a family, a friend, a volunteer, and they have a lot of achievements and milestones outside of work. Managing all those aspects of life can often be challenging.

Encouraging team members to celebrate their co-workers’ 32 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

personal milestones let them know they are perceived as real people; that they are appreciated for who they are and the other events they have in their lives. Birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, earning a degree, many personal milestones deserve recognition. Get team members to have a little fun writing a congratulatory note or finding an appropriate image to personalize such messages.

Recognition in hybrid meetings You should consistently communicate and apply your expectations for new guidelines covering hybrid meetings.

The guidelines will build the foundation for successful employee recognition for people in hybrid working mode.

Recommendations • People working from home tend to be overlooked too often.

You could develop a ground rule that all-team meetings will be held as video meetings, even though some team members may be together in the office. Team members will feel more equal if they are all on the video call. Hybrid meetings are more difficult for those who aren’t gathered together in the room.

Listening is a bit harder, and there is inevitably side chatter in the room and people shuffling papers, which reduce the quality of listening.

LEADERSHIP • Agree on which channels to use for communication, and in which circumstances – email, slack, phone, etc. Decide how and where you are going to communicate, who has access to what information, who needs to be in which meetings, and who needs to be involved in which decisions. The team should agree on how to communicate. Should they always include the entire team? Should they acknowledge every message?

• You need to arrange how your team plans to structure their working hours. Obviously, people in WFH mode will want more flexibility than those still in the office. Some compromises may be needed.

• Ensure staff in the office don’t talk about work in a way that may accidentally exclude remote colleagues. Make certain that all team members are nudged to contribute to discussions.

Encourage your group to bring in remote team members to discuss a topic by simply calling them on the phone. You could also record all video meetings so people who unavoidably can’t attend, can catch up with the gist of the conversation later.

• Advisers suggest starting each regular (e.g., weekly or monthly) all-team meeting with recognition gestures to deserving individuals and even the whole team for good work.

And give the team members the opportunity to praise each other when deserved.

Work anywhere. Recognize from everywhere Here are some helpful recognition strategies. BI Worldwide say the first 8 strategies have worked well for their own staff as well as their clients: 1. Make every interaction count – Interactions that employees have in a hybrid working environment mean more to them now than they did in an office environment at the start of the pandemic.

2. Make it personal – More than ever, successful leadership involves a strong appreciation of each employee’s abilities, aspirations and how they work best. Success with this rule is critical to achieving all the others.

3. Make it real, genuine, and authentic – Empower your team members to own the recognition that they received. Your employees have an opportunity in every interaction to engage their peers, their managers, and even their clients.

4. Check in – While regularly taking time to say hello to employees and check in with them might seem like an unnecessary drain on manager productivity, but these interactions are valuable points of connection for your team and for you.

5. Send employee appreciation gifts – Show your staff how grateful you are with employee appreciation gifts – even standard gifts like flowers, cards, chocolates, etc.

6. Conversations – Conversations are a very effective way of strengthening relationships. With Zoom and digital fatigue becoming more common, making a Zoom call with your employees to just “have a chat” can help support individuals.

7. Virtual celebrations – Celebrating a birthday or service anniversary? Make a video call together for lunch or a drink.

Decorate your backdrop, play games, wear hats. Being virtual is a great opportunity to get creative. And remember to treat your hybrid colleagues equally.

8. Instant recognition – In a hybrid environment where you can’t walk over to a person’s desk to thank them, it’s important to make the recognition instant over video to make it meaningful and maximize impact. Understand from the person you are praising whether they are comfortable to be praised in front of a group (during all-team video meetings), or directly person-to-person on a video call.

Other constructive suggestions 1. Share the praise your team has earned from customers – internal and/or external.

2. Provide some home-workout equipment for best workers.

3. Suggest your team start a virtual book club.

4. Plan virtual happy hours and game nights if your group members are receptive.

5. Plan a virtual wellness plan for those interested.

6. Offer a gift to your team members’ pets, after making sure they are suitable and welcomed by the individuals concerned.

7. Offer online and development courses.

8. Handwrite a simple ‘thank you’ note and post to arrive as a surprise at their home.

9. Recognize good work attitude and results everywhere – People used to base their recognition efforts on an office environment. But not now. Learn what works for you and your team in a hybrid environment. There’s no set formula. And rememberwhen peer recognition is given, also arrange a gift for the giver.

Some suggestions from Gallup These suggestions from Gallup take into account hybrid and remote workers: • Start your next team meeting by recognizing someone on the call who did exceptional work in the past week while working remotely.

• Every Friday, think of three people who really helped you this week. Recognize them privately or publicly, based on your knowledge of what they prefer. (If you don’t know how they like to be recognized, ask.)

• Find creative ways to make recognition special.

• If your team is fully remote, establish regular, non-required virtual hangouts for employees to connect socially. Use these times to encourage, support, and praise your team.

Adapt!

A vast number of recognition activities can be used for faceto-face recognition. You can easily adapt many of them to suit remote and hybrid workers as well as in-office recognition. www.rotoworldmag.com 33

StAR ROTOCON’22

Virtual Conference was a Continued Success S.B. Zaman, StAR Executive Director

After coming very close to holding an in-person 2022 annual conference, the oncoming third wave of COVID 19 in India left StAR with only one option, to hold ROTOCON’22 Virtual Conference from 7th to 9th March 2022.

34 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Just under 200 registrations led to 92 attendee connections during the live session of the conference on days 1 - 7th March, followed by 62 attendee connections on Days 2 & 3. Reports also came in of presentations being viewed in groups in some offices and the session recordings were being replayed by registrants at convenient times in different time zones. The feedback indicated a good appreciation of the overall programme and Roto Trade Show with quality and variety of programming receiving special mention. The stated bottom line was that even if the wait got longer for the feel and liveliness of a physical StAR conference, there were still a number of good takeaways from the virtual conference in each of the three live two hour evening sessions India time.

There were 15 presentations on a good selection of interesting

topics by an eminent panel of International and Indian speakers around the theme INNOVATE THROUGH ROTATE. Two Plant tours, two Live Demo Videos, and a Panel Discussion at the end of each of the three sessions constituted the programme. These kept attendee satisfaction at a high level. Accepting feedback suggestion from ROTOCON ’21 for shorter presentations, the pace of the programme kept proceedings sharp, flowing, and seamless. Different facets of rotomoulding were well covered.

Programme The range of topics and quality of presenters is evident in the presentations list below. The value in it for the attendees as well as how the format suited them in the online mode is very clearly expressed in feedback received.

ROTOCON’22 PROGRAMME TOPICS TOPICS

PRESENTERS

Day 1, 7th March StAR President’s Welcome & Message StAR Report 2021 - 22

Ravi Kadivar, StAR President SB Zaman, StAR Exec Director

ARMO Problem Solving App & ARMO Welcome

Wayne Wiid, ARMO Chairman

Sustainability in Roto – Is it a Threat & Opportunity?

Martin Coles, Matrix Polymers, UK

The Future Today: Rotational Moulding for the Future

Matteo Cortesi, Persico, Italy

Video Plant Tour

SCG, Thailand

Rotomotive…Opportunities and Challenges

Dominic Polayil, BAPL, India

Easy Automation Systems for Conventional Rotomoulding

Oliver Wandres, Maus, Germany

Post Moulding Operations – Plastic Welding

Demo Video

TotalEnergies Rotomolding Materials for Diesel Fuel Tank Applications

Eric Maziers, TotalEnergies, Belgium

RMCER; Innovation & Incubation Centre of Roto Industry

Panel Discussion Panel: Dr. Sachin W., Umakant S., Prashant T., and Dr. Marek S.

Day 2, 8th March Life as a Custom Moulder

Blaise Costabir, GMI Zarhak, India

Stay Afloat with Rotational Moulding

Martin Spencer, UniqueRoto, UK

Failure Investigation Case Study of Rototank

R. Ravikumar, Roots Multiclean, India

Expanding the Horizons of Rotomoulding for the Automotive Industry

Aldo Quaratino, Matrix, Polymers, UK

Mould Release – Correct process of application

Demo Video

Recycling of Disposable Polylactide (PLA) Cups by Rotational Molding

Joanna Aniśko and Prof. Mateusz Barczewski, POZNAN University, Poland

India as a Global Manufacturing Hub for Rotational Molding

Panel Discussion Panel: Akshay S., Satish K,. Martin S, and Blaise C.

Day 3, 9th March Emerging Rotolining Opportunities

Sunil Raithatha, Vinodrai Engineers, India

New Horizons to Rotomolders in Carbon Zero Environment

Celal Beysel, Floteks, Turkey

Providing Innovative Solutions for Rotomolders Growth into Performance Market Segments

Shraya Sapru & Jishnu Prakash, ExxonMobil India

Product Conversion from Other Materials and Processes for Rotomoulding

Mike Paloian, IDSYS, USA

PolymerLinks India

Plant Tour Video

Roto Polypropylene Market and Opportunities

Ted Humphreys, PSD Rotoworx Australia, and Umakant Savadekar, Phychem Technologies, India

What’s Your Question ?

Open Forum Panel: Prashant T., Divya R., and Swetang D.

www.rotoworldmag.com 35

SOME PRESENTATIONS Roto Trade Show A lot of display, scheduling, and interaction made possible in virtual exhibitor booths was realised by those who participated.

The exhibits included some of the leading suppliers from India and around the world. There were thirteen exhibitors in all. As the list shows, they represented the main supplier categories – Materials, Machinery, Secondary Processes, etc.

Beginning with an interaction between exhibitors and attendees an hour before the conference commenced on 7th March, the Roto Trade Show continued until 21st March, ’22.

Exhibitors Indian Deepak Polyplast Greenage Ind. NA Roto Phychem Tech Reinhardt Teknik Dover India M L Industries MPlast International Matrix Polymers, UK 36 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

PSD Rotoworx, Australia Persico, Italy Lysis Tech, UK PolymerLinks, International Plant Tours Video tours of modern plants along with presentations about companies and their manufacturing processes made for good viewing. SCG Chemicals of Thailand, and PolymerLinks, with plants in Malaysia and India produced good videos showing their plant, machinery, and processes. They combined them well with presentations on the bigger picture of the companies.

Live Demo Videos Two Live Demo Videos accessed with due acknowledgement to their producers and presented by Dr. Umakant Savadekar of StAR with explanations at the right places brought alive post moulding processes to the attendees.

These were: • Plastic Welding • Mould release application Panel Discussions Rightly chosen topics and panels added great interest for the

Virtual Booths of leading suppliers

VIRTUAL BOOTHS OF LEADING SUPPLIERS audience at the end of each of the three live sessions. The audience participated with a variety of questions and answers that were informative and educational for all.

Topics and Panels were: • RMCER; Innovation & Incubation Centre of Roto Industry Panel: Dr. Sachin W, Umakant S., Prashant T., Dr. Marek S. • India as a Global Manufacturing Hub for Rotational Moulding Panel: Akshay S., Satish K., Martin S., and Blaise C. • Open Forum - What’s Your Question?

Panel: Prashant T., Divya R., and Swetang D The enthusiasm of registrants was noticeable right from the

PLANT TOUR

announcement of the virtual conference, and it spoke volumes of their appetite for new knowledge. It was great affirmation that sustainability for the future of rotomoulding in the region has the necessary interest and support.

Sponsorship support for such events is a key contribution to keep the industry on the path of progress. Continuing support from the four Primary sponsors was highly commendable indeed. The four were Greenage Industries, Ahmedabad; Matrix Polymers, UK; PSD Rotoworx, Australia; and NA ROTO, Ahmedabad.

We sincerely hope that the next annual conference of StAR will be in–person with lots to exchange when all meet.

LIVE DEMO VIDEO www.rotoworldmag.com 37

ROTO around the world

Ian Hansen, RotaConsult

Most islands are low lying and exposed to tsunami

On January 15, 2022 a volcanic eruption and tsunami ripped through the South Pacific country of Tonga, generating a plume of ash that rose >50km (31mi) and >500km (300 mi) in diameter. The volcanic blast was reportedly heard in Alaska, nearly 9,000km (6,000mi) away. It caused catastrophic damage in Tonga, with waves between 1.2m -5m (4’ -10’) hitting the island nation. Communities, roads, and airports were blanketed in thick ash, and flood waters damaged low lying infrastructure, homes, and schools. Sadly, four people lost their lives.

The damage caused by the volcanic eruption, mostly from ashfall, had a larger impact than the tsunami. Ports and wharfs were mostly damaged by the tsunami. Around 80 percent of damage to agriculture, roads, power, and water infrastructure has been attributed to ashfall.

Major undersea communication cables were cut, limiting communications to Tonga for the initial week. The eruption 38 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

cut Tonga’s single international fiber-optic cable, limiting communications to the rest of the world, until it was repaired after 5 weeks.

Tonga’s population is spread across 36 islands, however 70% live on the main island of Tongatapu. An estimated 85,000

“One of the biggest challenges for the business was the ability to provide drinking water for their manufacturing team.”

— Jyotsna Chauhan

people (85% of population) were estimated to have been affected, with over 2,000 people displaced.

Mango Island was only 32km (20mi) from the undersea volcano. All 62 residents of Mango Island had to be relocated as their homes were destroyed.

Rotomould Pacific Limited (RPL) is part of the Rotomould Group of Companies (RGC), an international company with rotational moulding operations in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Tonga.

Tonga based RPL commenced rotomoulding in 2006 and confirmed their commitment to making quality water tanks in 2017 becoming the only Some of the severe damage to coastal buildings local moulder to receive and maintain independent certification to the internationally from coast and was spared the direct impact from the tsunami. recognised water tank Product Standard; AS/NZS4766.

However, they received significant ashfall on the buildings, RPL has their factory on Tongatapu, located located 5km vehicles, storage yard, and on top of tanks awaiting dispatch to customers.

RPL were able to get their rotomoulding operation back up and running after about 1 week of cleaning, and most of the manufacturing team were able to return to work within 2 weeks.

Jyotsna Chauhan, RGC Director, advised one of the biggest challenges for the business was the ability to provide drinking water for their manufacturing team. They were reliant on rainwater collected in their own tanks, however like everyone else, their water had been contaminated.

The RPL team struggled to get bottled water and food from supermarkets due to Ashfall on tanks, solar panels and roofs www.rotoworldmag.com 39

ROTO around the world

around the world

Damaged water tanks after tsunami hit Tonga

“One of the advantages of rotomoulded polyethylene tanks is that they are robust and able to withstand relatively large amounts of impact damage.”

lack of supply and high prices. Most fresh crops were completely destroyed by the ashfall, and little was available at the local markets. RGC ended up sending drums of drinking water and food supplies from New Zealand to Tonga to help them get by while the recovery process slowly began.

The main drinking water supply for Tongan people is from home water tanks. Where available, town or municipal water is very hard water, salty to taste, and normally only used for hygiene purposes. Not ideal for drinking.

RPL had just started to get back into some state of normalcy when Tonga had to deal with its first COVID-19 outbreak, after getting its first infections from aid workers delivering humanitarian supplies from countries including Australia, China, France, Japan, and New Zealand - despite strict quarantine rules and procedures around the handling of goods.

The rotomoulding factory was again shut down, due to the enforced lockdown, until they were able to get an exemption.

40 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

One of the advantages of rotomoulded polyethylene tanks is that they are robust and able to withstand relatively large amounts of impact damage. Many of the polyethylene water tanks were expected to be recoverable, with the biggest immediate problem being access to clean drinking water.

RPL have been repairing tsunami damaged tanks at no charge for customers.

The RPL factory was fully operational by March, but production of water tanks has not recovered to pre-eruption levels because Tonga has been only slowly getting back on its feet. It is expected to take many months before the Pacific Island nation returns to pre-eruption economic activity.

Australian Red Cross is one of many aid organisations seeking public support for an International Disaster Fund to raise funds for the Tongan relief effort. Donations to the Red Cross can be made at redcross.org.au/tonga.

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www.rotoworldmag.com 41

AT ISSUE Martin Coles, Matrix Polymers

Rotomoulding Polyethylene Supply – Why All The Shortages?

We thought we were nearing the end of a tumultuous two years of Covid and that we could look forward to returning to some normality.

Instead, we have a never-ending global supply chain problem, a major energy crisis, and rampant inflation!

One of the biggest concerns for many rotomoulders worldwide throughout the pandemic has been the supply and cost of Polyethylene. Issues surrounding material availability have been different in different parts of the world, but some regions have had a tough time.

42 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

If I give you my take on what has happened recently in Europe, hopefully molders in other regions can gain some valuable insights.

Over the past two years, this continent has been impacted more than any other region on earth. Having invented Polyethylene in 1933 (in England), Europe became a pioneer in developing the polymer and used to be a significant producer and net exporter of Polyethylene.

However, over the past 30 years, there has been minimal new capacity built in Europe, where traditionally, Polyethylene has

AT ISSUE mainly been produced from oil (naphtha). Instead, a massive wave of new Polyethylene plants were built in the Middle East region, benefitting from abundant, cheap, and sometimes excessive gas feedstock that was often previously just burnt off.

So, Europe became a net importer of Polyethylene, dependent upon supplies of polymer from the Middle East and worldwide.

And then in early 2020, Covid hit us all. The world seemed frozen, Europe was locked down, and everyone thought demand would plummet, so producers cut back capacity.

But at the same time, every country in the world became desperate for PPE, healthcare products, and plastic containers for the growing demand for supermarket food and take-aways!

Suddenly single-use plastic was ironically our saviour, and the demand for our planet’s most popular plastic, Polyethylene, soared, and there became a global shortage.

And in China, the world’s two most prominent manufacturers of shipping containers suspended production on the assumption that Covid would reduce world trade and there would be too many shipping containers. Shipping companies brought forward the scrappage of older vessels and cancelled orders for new ships.

But as we know, the opposite happened. The demand for ships and shipping containers surged as the supply reduced. Due to multiple issues between sailors, port workers, truck drivers, and customers, the supply chain was snarled. This resulted in massive port congestion, containers stuck on ships or at ports, and the resultant scramble for more containers, more shipping space, and more port capacity.

So back in import-dependent Europe, the cost of shipping a container from East Asia to Europe rose more than ten times from $2,000 to over $20,000! The issue became not about price but whether you would receive your container and how many months late it would be.

The price of Polyethylene in Europe rose to historic levels as it became unrealistic to import material due to the container and sea freight situation. Manufacturers of the polymer were highly incentivised to maximise output, but this brought about further frustrations as the availability of critical additives and ingredients became sparse. Due to the lack of new capacity being

built over the past 30 years many European factories are old and less reliable. These factors led to a series of force majeures being declared and availability being reduced by some suppliers, further amplifying the shortage.

So, Europe became starved of Polyethylene. There was insufficient local capacity, and it became challenging to import, so although prices rose substantially, there was still a shortage.

Two years since the Covid crisis began, Europe is starting to

adapt to “Living with Covid”, but the supply chain problems don’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon.

And Europe is facing yet another crisis! Some eastern European countries that were part of the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago view Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an existential threat. And crucially, Europe is highly dependent on Russian gas and oil, with more than 50% of Germany’s gas coming from Russia.

If the supply of gas from Russia is cut, there could be rationing of gas, and this could seriously affect rotomoulders ability to mould their parts. In addition, even if this does not happen there is already a significant impact on the price of energy globally and therefore the cost of Polyethylene, which impacts all of us.

Rotomoulding and the rest of the plastics industry have been on a bumpy ride for the past two years, and I’m afraid we must remain buckled up. www.rotoworldmag.com 43

ARM

REPORT

Serving the Rotational Molding Industry Worldwide for Over 40 Years

The mission of the Association of Rotational Molders is to promote, educate, and inspire the rotomolding industry. For more information, visit ARM’s website at www.rotomolding.org or contact the Association at 630-942-6589 or info@rotomolding.org.

Creating Efficiencies

“We learned there is not typically one “magic bullet,” rather there can be multiple directions taken to reach solutions.”

The 2022 Spring Executive Forum in Amelia Island was a huge success! This year we welcomed over ninety attendees, experienced the great vibe of free association with our roto peers face-to-face and hosted numerous sessions with industry experts. Thank you for your worthy contributions.

Our theme – Creating Efficiencies – was explored across several areas of the rotomolding business. We learned there is not typically one “magic bullet,” rather there can be multiple directions taken to reach solutions. This is one of the most valuable benefits of ARM membership: sharing perspectives and ideas.

We are in the midst of our online Safety Webinar Series! By the time you’re reading this, all of the webinars in the series will be available on demand to all members. Topics covered in the Safety Series include: • Fire and Explosions • Slips, Trips, Entanglements, and Static • Electricity, Gas, Water, and Compressed Air • Machinery • Hand tools • And more Please check it out and review all of the titles in our existing webinar library. Thank you for your continued support of ARM, which has helped us expand our mission to provide the resources and education necessary for the rotomolding industry to thrive.

We hope to see you all at the ARM annual meeting in Atlanta, November 6-10. Watch this space and visit www.rotomolding.org for more information in the coming months.

We’re moving forward!

Matt Bushman 2022 President, Association of Rotational Molding President, Plasticraft Corporation

44 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

ARM

REPORT Technical Director: Five quick fixes to reduce your gas usage I have previously written about the possibility of a gas-free future for rotomolders. (You can find that article at blog. rotomolding.org). Since then, we’ve witnessed the situation in Ukraine, which has added to the pressures on natural gas supply in many European countries. Even if you are based in a country with a secure gas supply, it’s highly likely that your unit cost of gas (natural or LNG) will be rising. The supply of oil and gas is a global business.

Conventional rotomolding, using gas ovens, is not an economical process, as far as energy utilization is concerned.

Rising gas prices will create an extra headache that rotomolders could certainly do without.

Fix 1

There are a number of far-reaching strategies that rotomoulders can apply, to build a more energysecure future. However, these don’t help much in the short term.

Is there anything helpful that you can do immediately? YES! Here are 5 “quick fixes” that could help.

Fix 1: UNDERSTAND your cycle Despite all the equipment that’s available to monitor the temperature inside and outside your molds, many rotomoulders still think that they can “fly blind”. Guessing which Oven Set Point and Cook Time will give you the most optimized process is strictly for those with psychic powers – the rest of us need help!

For anyone wondering which of the many systems out there will work best for their operation, here’s some good news! ARM will be running a webinar on this subject. ARM members can find the sign-up link in the email newsletter.

In the meantime, there is an excellent webinar on the ARM website entitled “Seven Stages of Rotomolding”. Look for it in the “Members’ Section”. You’ll need a Username and Password to enter this area; if you don’t have one, ARM staff will be happy to help you.

Fix 2: TUNE your process If you run a carousel machine, what proportion of the time is your oven empty, waiting for an arm to become available? If it’s more than 10% of the time, you haven’t got a well-tuned process!

If you run a two-arm shuttle machine, it’s likely to be even harder to keep your oven full.

An empty oven represents wasted gas, however you run it. If it’s programmed to maintain Set Point Temperature while empty, you will be losing heat, via the oven extraction fan, on a continuous basis. If your burner is programmed to lo-fire when the oven is empty, the whole oven structure will cool down and will need an extra burst of energy to heat it up again, when an arm becomes available.

The normal reason for an empty oven is the lack of an arm to fill it. This is because cooking is almost never the rate-determining step in a roto cycle.

If you’re molding large thick parts, the rate-determining step is most likely to be cooling. There will be a limit to how much you can speed

Fix 3

www.rotoworldmag.com 45

ARM

REPORT up cooling before you encounter warpage problems.

If your arm is full of small molds, the unloading / reloading step is probably holding you back. There may be some things you can do – applying extra labor, semi-automation, etc. – but there will be practical limits to this.

What to do? If you REDUCE the Oven Set Point Temperature, your burner will use less gas. Of course, your cook cycle will lengthen but, if you presently run an empty oven, you can accommodate it.

Making a change like this is really only possible if you can properly measure what’s actually going on.

Which brings me back to…Fix 1.

Does this sound counter-intuitive? If you need convincing, there is another relevant webinar in the Members’ Section of the ARM website entitled “Process Tuning 101”.

immediately afterwards, which represents a lot of heat energy effectively doing… nothing. 493K did some studies to evaluate this effect, which they presented at ARM’s Montreal conference in 2010. They found that, once the cycle had settled down, the temperature of an un-insulated arm varied by approx. 80ºF from hottest to coolest state. In contrast, an insulated arm only varied by 20ºF. Taken over a period of time, after repeated cycles, this adds up to a lot of energy, which you simply don’t need to waste.

Fix 3: Upgrade the performance of your BURNER If your machine is brand new, this is probably not applicable. For the rest of us, this is well worth a look. Perhaps there is an economical retrofit which would make your burner significantly more efficient?

Or maybe your existing burner hasn’t been maintained in a while? If not…give it some love…

Fix 4: Insulate your ARMS Fix 5 Really? Surprisingly, YES! Especially on a large machine.

To survive the roto process, the arms of a machine need to be robust and heavily built. So, as well as being the thing that moves your moulds around, an arm is also a great big lump of steel. We routinely heat this lump up and then cool it down

Fix 4

46 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

Fix 5: Install a HEAT SINK I’ve seen several molders do this, to good effect. Quite simply, they line the oven floor with firebrick, or a similarly dense material. This acts as a heat store, which will add back heat to the oven as it cools and reduce the number of times your burner is required to fire.

Obviously, you need to check that you have sufficient clearance to do this, between the fully loaded arm and the oven floor.

Hopefully there is something here that helps. As always, ARM is here to help its members. This topic is just one example of the valuable store of information and wisdom that our website contains. I really do recommend that you visit it soon.

Happy rotomolding!

Dr Nick Henwood serves as the Technical Director for the Association of Rotational Molders. He has 30 years-plus experience in rotomolding, specializing in the fields of materials development and process control.

He operates as a consultant, researcher, and educator through his own company, Rotomotive Limited, based in UK.

ARM

REPORT The Benefits of Membership

Train your employees, reduce scrap, connect with customers, learn from experts and peers. This is what comes with membership and the return on your investment is tremendous.

Complimentary Registration for the 2022 Annual Meeting Provided for one employee for each new member company. This is your free entry to the world’s preeminent rotomolding meeting, held once every three years.

Sales Inquiry Notifications We review sales leads typically from companies seeking molders – and email them to our member companies. We actively advertise for leads on behalf of our members.

Sample Operator Instructions An 80+ page document calling out the highlights of nine company’s operator instructions. Also more than 700 documents and presentations from past Annual Meetings.

Immediate Free Access to more than 100+ on-demand webinars Topics range from Determining Your True Cost to Proper Sampling Techniques. Twenty new titles were added in 2022.

Immediate Free Access to ARM’s classic training video library Includes programs on curing, venting, and good manufacturing practices. All videos include Spanish subtitles.

Free Access to Troubleshooting Calls These moderated teleconferences are conducted every six weeks (eight

per year) and allow you to troubleshoot your process and discuss HR issues with other molders, suppliers, and rotomolding experts.

Networking with Industry Peers The greatest ARM benefit: Informal learning at a coffee break could revolutionize your process or reduce your expenses by tens of thousands of dollars. We hear it from members again and again.

Awards and Awareness Showcase your company in our online member directory and through awards including Safety Award, Product Competition, and more.

Discounted Registration to all ARM Meetings Includes regional meetings, the in-depth Hands-On Rotomolding Workshop at Penn College, and our Executive Forum which will be held in Italy.

Rotolink Our twice weekly e-newsletter shares important industry news.

Annual Meeting The premier event for rotomolders, their suppliers, designers and educators. Programming includes professional and industry speakers, valuable networking, group workshops, and exhibition.

To apply for membership, please visit www.rotomolding.org

www.rotoworldmag.com 47

What Rotomolders Need to Know about Polymer Chemistry – Part 2 Dr. Nick Henwood, Rotomotive Limited and ARM Technical Director

How Density Relates to Physical Properties The density of a PE reflects the proportion of molecules that are in the crystalline phase, against the proportion that are in the amorphous phase. The presence, or otherwise, of tie molecules does not materially affect these considerations.

48 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

The density of pure crystalline PE is approximately 1.0 g/cm3, whilst the density of the amorphous phase is approximately 0.850 g/cm3 (both measurements taken at standard room temperature i.e. 23°C / 73°F). By measuring the density of a PE grade (which is relatively easy to do), an indication of the balance between crystalline and amorphous phases can be determined. The higher the material density, the more crystallinity there will be.

Why is this important? In simplistic terms, the crystalline phase is what gives PE its stiffness and the amorphous phase is what gives PE its toughness. Selecting an appropriate grade for an application will involve finding a balance between stiffness and toughness requirements.

Figure 1 shows the relationship between material density and stiffness (measured as Flexural Modulus) for a variety of PE grades. In this experiment, different material densities were produced by blending. The direct relationship between these two properties is clearly demonstrated.

120,000

100,000

Flexural Modulus (psi)

Rotomolders tend to be more mechanically minded than chemically minded and typically they do not have a deep understanding of polymer chemistry. Fortunately, the technical experts within polymer supply companies can often help with material selection decisions and with resolving performance issues. While this approach usually works from a practical standpoint, “knowledge is power” and molders will benefit from sufficient understanding of polymer chemistry to make the right choices, especially when they are receiving conflicting advice from different suppliers!

The Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) frequently receives queries from members who are trying to make the right choices, whilst navigating their way through a maze of information. As ARM’s Technical Director, most of these queries land on my desk. I always try to provide the most direct and straightforward answers that I can, but often a little background information is required to explain my comments and recommendations. In this series of articles, I will seek to provide useful insight, without getting readers too immersed in unnecessary detail, concentrating on some of the more common questions that I get asked.

The rotomolder’s go-to material of choice is usually Polyethylene (PE) and a range of grades are available from commercial suppliers. The Technical Data Sheet for a roto grade PE will highlight two key properties: Density and Melt Index.

This article will focus on what density means in a PE context, how it affects overall material physical properties and how it can be affected by processing. Issues involved with Melt Index will be covered in Part 3 of this series.

In Part 1 of this series (see RotoWorld®, Volume XVI, Issue 5, 2020 p42-44), it was stated that: PE is a semi-crystalline material; in its solid state, the molecules contained in PE may exist in one of three different configurations.

• Some molecules will be folded up in regular structures; these are in the crystalline phase.

• Some molecules will not be folded up and are present in a more irregular arrangement; these are in the amorphous phase.

• A few molecules may stretch between different crystalline regions, with their ends embedded into two different regions; these are called tie molecules.

80,000

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0 0.910

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Figure 1: Stiffness versus Material Density for Polyethylene

How Processing and Cooling Rates Affect Density An important aspect of PE is that its density can be affected, in a small but significant way, by the way in which the material is processed.

The crystalline phase starts to develop as the material cools down from its melt state (which exists above approximately 260ºF) into its solid state. Crystalline development in PE is fast compared to other semi-crystalline polymers, but it still takes a finite time. It can take up to 24 hours to fully develop; this is why in applications where dimensions are critical, rotomolded parts are often left overnight before they are finally measured.

The rate at which the PE cools can affect the crystallinity that develops. In this context, crystallinity is defined as the relative

Density Development vs. Cooling Rate 450 PIAT

400 350

Internal Air Temperature (ºF)

proportions of crystalline and amorphous phases, which can be assessed by the material density.

Fast cooling will tend to “freeze” the crystallinity development, whereas parts subjected to long slow cooling will tend to develop a higher density. In addition, crystallites formed by fast cooling tend to be smaller than those created by slow cooling (see Figure 21).

15.0 ºF/min

300 250 7.3 ºF/min

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Figure 4: Internal Air Temperature (IAT) Variation in a Rotomolding Cycle

Figure 2: Crystallite Formation at Different Cooling Rates1

Figure 3 illustrates the development of density, for a typical rotomolding “tank” grade (nominal density, according to the Technical Data Sheet = 0.940 g/cm3).

Density Development vs. Cooling Rate

Part Density (g/cm3)

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Figure 3: Density Development versus Cooling Rate

When the average cooling rate is very slow (e.g. 1ºF/min), additional crystallinity develops, causing the overall material density to be significantly greater than the Data Sheet density (0.945 g/cm3 in this instance). At a faster cooling rate (e.g. 40ºF/ min), the density is near to the Data Sheet density (0.940 g/cm3 in this instance). This makes sense, because 40ºF/min is close to the cooling rate specified in the standard ASTM test by which the Data Sheet density measurement is specified. So, the bottom line is that the rate of cooling will affect the actual density developed in the part.

How Part Wall Thickness Can Affect Density Examination of the Internal Air Temperature (IAT curve), after the Peak IAT has been reached, allows cooling rates to be measured. Figure 4 shows the familiar curve for the variation of IAT against run time, for a thin walled rotomolded part (approximately 1/8 inch thick).

On this particular curve, the average cooling rate in the melt state (e.g. from 380ºF to 260ºF) is 15.0ºF/min. After the melt solidifies, the slope of the IAT curve is considerably shallower: from 230ºF to 160ºF it is approximately 7.3ºF/min.

These values may vary, but it is reasonable to assume that the rate of cooling of this rotomolded part was in the range 7 - 15ºF/ min. At these rates of cooling, an increase in density of 1.5 – 3.0%, would be expected, compared to Data Sheet density. For a thicker walled part, the cooling rates will be considerably lower than those measured from Figure 3. In this case, an even greater variation in actual density from its Data Sheet value would be expected. The overall conclusion is that the actual density developed during rotomolding will invariably be higher than the Data Sheet density. Whilst these differences may seem relatively minor, they can be sufficient to create significant effects in the final rotomolded part.

The Challenges for Rotomolders trying to Control Density While controlling part density is of great importance, there are limitations: Firstly, rotomolders must recognize that cooling rates cannot be precisely controlled. When using conventional air cooling, the rate of temperature drop will be dependent on the temperature of the ambient air being blown across the outside of the tool. So, for example, the rate of cooling at night in winter is likely to be considerably faster than for midday in a hot summer.

This will manifest itself in density differences, which may in turn create measurable differences in key dimensions of a part.

Maintaining narrow tolerances then becomes a problem. If water spray is included in the cooling cycle, there will be even less control over the precise cooling rates that are being applied.

Secondly, conventional cooling is applied exclusively from the outside of the part. During the cooling process, the material next to the mold cools first, while the heat from inside layers tends to slowly dissipate to the outside layers. This means that the inside layers of the part will cool significantly slower than the outside layers. In consequence, the inside layers of material will experience a slower cooling rate and they will tend to be denser than the outside layers. The visible manifestation of this www.rotoworldmag.com 49

difference can be a bowing inwards of a flat section, commonly described as “warpage”. This effect will be exacerbated with thicker wall sections and when molding materials of higher nominal density.

Thirdly, it is possible that a complicated shaped part will experience significantly different rates of cooling across different sections of the mold. This is because the heating and cooling of a complex mold may well be non-uniform. The consequent differences in density development may create other visible warpage effects.

The occurrence of shrinkage and warpage effects in rotomolded PE parts is a complex phenomenon and density development is only one factor, albeit a significant one. Other factors include release behavior at the interface of the part and the tool, wall thickness variations, the temperature of the part when it is extracted from the mold and the effects of additives and pigments on polymer crystallization behavior. However, it is widely acknowledged that variable cooling rates are a key factor in the occurrence of shinkage and warpage effects in rotomolding.

It should be stressed that the occurrence of shrinkage and warpage is a feature of all semi-crystalline polymers. Other semi-crystalline polymers can experience similar effects when molding; these include polypropylene, polyamide (“nylon”) and polyoxymethylene (“acetal”). When rotomolding fully

50 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

amorphous polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”) and polycarbonate, much less variation due to shrinkage and warpage will be experienced. Having said that, rotomolding amorphous polymers invariably presents a number of other significant challenges!

The contents of this article should be considered as an explanatory guide only and individual material suppliers should be consulted for specific information about their polymer grades.

For critical applications, it may also be advisable to undertake performance testing.

For ARM members, there are a number of additional information resources available, including the Resin Properties List and various subject-specific webinars.

References: 1. McDowell G.W.G et al; The Effect of Cooling on Rotationally Molded Parts, Proc. ANTEC, (2003)

DESIGN

COMMENT

Michael Paloian, Integrated Design Systems, Inc.

Top 5 Qualifications to Consider When Hiring Designer?

Hiring new employees is always fun, isn’t it? NO! It is always a gamble and it’s risky business. You never know what you will end up with. So, what precautions should you take to minimize your risk and employ the best designer for your company? I will share a few suggestions in this brief article. Below are a few of my suggestions for qualifications and verifications during the hiring process.

Qualification #1 – Honesty and Integrity I place these two traits as #1, above all others. If you hire a knowledgeable, creative, experienced, and productive person who is dishonest, you’re planting a bomb in your business. A dishonest person will eventually leak confidential information and steal as well as sabotage your business. You can verify a person’s integrity by cleverly phrasing questions during the interview and evaluating the candidate during a one to three-month probation period.

Qualification #2 – Intelligence and Inquisitiveness A great design candidate should possess high intelligence and an inquisitive mind. High intelligence is beneficial for solving complex problems, retaining a great wealth of knowledge, and applying these skills creatively. A curious mind initiates questions, inspires research, and leads one to consider the potential pitfalls of a proposed design solution. These traits can be evaluated by careful observation of one’s behavior. If the interviewee asks a limited number of questions, it’s a sign they are not very curious.

Qualification #3 – Imagination and Creativity Designers are required to create something from nothing. They must comprehend abstract ideas and concepts that must be converted into tangible physical products. Designers must often understand complex technical concepts or marketing objectives and translate that information into several possible solutions.

This process requires one to relate diverse facts and ideas to each other and combine them into many innovative design solutions.

You can test a candidate’s creativity by presenting them with a simple problem that they must solve within a specified period.

Qualification #4 – Technical knowledge and Skills Qualified designers should possess an extensive technical knowledge foundation. If they are designing rotational molded parts, they should understand the process, secondary operations, tooling, and materials. This background will provide them with the necessary information to effectively transform their ideas into realistic designs that can be easily manufactured. Well-educated designers familiar with the rotational molding process will be

much more effective in creatively developing designs into highly innovative products than designers unfamiliar with the process.

Evaluating a design candidate’s knowledge of these technical facts is relatively simple and needs no further discussion.

Qualification #5 – Open-Mindedness and Flexibility Exceptional designers exhibit flexibility and adaptiveness in their thinking. Designers who are insecure and egotistical are typically much less willing to accept ideas from others and are stubborn.

This attitude always leads to inferior designs and difficulties in project management. Designers who are resistant to change quickly become outdated and counterproductive. You can test a candidate’s ability to accept ideas and change their perspective by having them interact with others in your organization.

I hope this brief editorial was helpful for those of you anticipating the hiring of a designer in your organization.

I know it’s not easy, and your choice will significantly impact your business. Your alternative is to contract with an outside design expert with a proven track record. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at paloian@idsys.com www.rotoworldmag.com 51

ARMO

NEWS

ARMA | ARM-CE | ARMSA | BPF | IT-RO | NORDIC ARM | StAR

ASSOCIATION OF ROTATIONAL MOULDERS AUSTRALASIA LTD • ARMA

ROTOMOULD 2022 Returns In Melbourne With Australia and New Zealand completely opening up, the ARMA Board has made the decision to move ahead with the conference this year. It will be our first in person event since 2019 and we are already excited to see you all again.

The conference dates are confirmed for the 18th to the 20th of September at the Pullman & Mercure On the Park Melbourne.

The event will run like in the past with a schedule that includes a full program, networking events, and an exhibition.

SUNDAY Afternoon Registration Exhibition Conference Sessions Welcome back drinks with the ARMA Board Welcome Dinner MONDAY Conference Sessions Exhibition Conference Dinner TUESDAY Morning Conference Session Exhibition Destination Melbourne Leading the way for events, arts, culture, sport, and infrastructure, Melbourne offers something for all types of visitors. The city is in the state of Victoria, Australia and is set around the shores of a picturesque bay and is enhanced by the Yarra River, immaculate parks and gardens, public art, enchanting laneways, classical buildings, and innovative design.

Famous for its laneways, stunning waterfront precincts, and trendy neighbourhoods, the city provides an endless choice of restaurants, cafés, and bars in original locations. Melbourne is at the forefront of culinary innovation with thousands of restaurants, cafés, and bars, some 75 ethnic cuisines, boutique beers, creative cocktails, and local and imported wines.

Travel to Melbourne is easy with direct flights from all states, New Zealand, and is a hub for international travel from other parts of the world.

Conference Program With half of the conference program already full, there are still 52 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

spots available for those that are interested in sharing their story with complimentary attendance for moulders that meet the requirements. If you are interested, reach out to events@ rotationalmoulding.com Exhibition & Sponsorship There is a select amount of table top exhibition spaces for this event with over half already booked. As a lot of the sponsorships were held over from the postponed conference over the last 2 years, the majority are already taken but there are still a few prime opportunities left. If you are interested in more information email events@rotationalmoulding.com To keep up to date on the progress of the conference visit www.rotationalmoulding.com

ARMO

NEWS ASSOCIATION OF ROTATIONAL MOULDERS AUSTRALASIA LTD • ARMA

Rotomarket Do you have machinery or tooling sitting around the factory that you have been thinking of selling but are not sure how?

Rotomarket is available on one of the most visited websites in the industry, www.rotationalmoulding.com and currently items are selling faster than we can put them up and we still have enquiries for more.

Members and supporters can advertise for free but it is a low cost fee of AUD$330.00 including GST for others. This not only includes an advertisement on Rotomarket, but also on our social media channels and in our newsletters.

If you are interested, you can visit the site and download a booking form at https://rotationalmoulding.com/rotomarket/

ARMA In-Factory Training

With major issues around skill shortages, ARMA has now launched its new initiative that offers training within your factory around a choice of subjects. They are scheduled throughout the year at a range of locations in Australia & New Zealand and the response has been positive.

The program includes 2 hours of training on your chosen topic such as an introduction to rotational moulding, mould management, troubleshooting, machine maintenance, and more.

Assistance with an Operation Clean Sweep self-audit is also included to ensure that our industry is working towards a zero pellet /powder loss.

Rotomoulding veteran Ian Hansen, with over 35 years experience currently provides independent assistance to the rotomoulding industry through his business Rota Consult and is working with ARMA on the training section of the program.

Networking dinners will also be organised in each location for members and supporters to catch up providing much needed time to talk shop!

The In-Factory training is available to all rotational moulders, with special rates for our members and supporters so if you are interested email michellerose@rotationalmoulding.com for more information. www.rotoworldmag.com 53

ARMO

NEWS BRITISH PLASTICS FEDERATION ROTATIONAL MOULDING GROUP • BPF

British Plastics Federation Launches New Logo The British Plastics Federation has revealed a new logo, alongside a completely refreshed website, representing a major branding change for the trade association.

The new logo reflects the BPF’s focus on boosting the industry’s image, intended to fortify the BPF’s constructive influence across key stakeholder groups, and via its reports and initiatives.

With the upcoming release of the BPF’s Net Zero report, a new interactive online carbon footprint tool, alongside many economically significant initiatives of the BPF’s eighteen business groups, this style evolution will further solidify the BPF’s role as a leading voice in plastics and sustainability.

With the tagline Supporting a Sustainable Plastics Industry, the BPF’s new look alludes to the organisation’s focus on communicating the importance of the industry as more than just an economic force but also a positive environmental one.

Part of spreading this message has involved the BPF nurturing its relationship with the UK government, as well as with major media titles and key organisations across the supply chain. The refreshing new look is intended to reflect a forward-thinking, innovative industry, committed to positive, sustainable change.

Inspired by the theme of collaboration, the plastics resin identification symbols, and the famous mobius recycling loop, the new icon is intended to deliver a swift and positive association in the mind of the BPF’s many audience groups. The new icon’s three core parts can be said to represent the three parts of the plastics supply chain, beginning with polymer suppliers, followed

by the plastics processors and recycling companies who, together with equipment suppliers, overlap to make up the bulk of the BPF’s extensive membership network.

BPF members have been invited to display the new BPF logo on their websites and other marketing materials as a sign of their company’s status as an accepted member of the trade association.

Philip Law, Director General of the BPF states: “The British Plastics Federation reached well over six million people in its communications last year and can quite rightly claim to be a leading global voice on sustainable plastics. Given our vital role in supporting the UK industry’s tremendously positive track record, we are thrilled to release this refreshment of our branding.

We recognise how this visual change will support the BPFs many initiatives promoting a sustainable future for the UK plastics sector.”

BPF Members’ Offer to Exhibit at Advanced Engineering 2022 BPF is inviting members to exhibit as part of the BPF Pavilion at Advanced Engineering, 2 & 3 November 2022, NEC, Birmingham with an offer of an easy walk-in package stands.

Advanced Engineering is the UK’s leading annual gathering of OEMs and engineering supply chain professionals. Held on the 2 & 3 November 2022 at the NEC, Birmingham.

The BPF Pavilion stands are a 4sqm (2mx2m) easy walk-in package stands at £2,700 +VAT located next to the British Plastics Federation stand.

Advanced Engineering is now in its 13th edition and has continued to be “the event” for the engineering industry Join the UK’s leading annual supply chain event Advanced Engineering is the UK’s leading annual advanced 54 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

manufacturing and supply chain event. It is your opportunity to meet, network, and discover the latest technologies with OEMs and supply chain partners spanning design, test, measurement, inspection, production, and assembly… reaching into the key sectors of aerospace, automotive, civil, rail, transport, and more…

Exhibiting at Advanced Engineering gives you access to thousands of potential clients in two days under one roof.

For more information and to book a stand as part of the BPF Pavilion contact Justyna Elliott at the BPF on jelliott@bpf.co.uk”

ARMO

NEWS BRITISH PLASTICS FEDERATION ROTATIONAL MOULDING GROUP • BPF

Karen Drinkwater re-elected as BPF President At the British Plastics Federation’s Council and AGM, which took place on 18 May, Karen Drinkwater, a founding director of JSC Rotational Limited, was re-elected as the BPF President to serve for a second year. The same event saw Nigel Flowers, managing director of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, elected as vice president.

Key appointments at the trade association are voted upon by members of the BPF Council, who were in attendance. The BPF’s healthy growth and solid financial basis was reported at the meeting, with the trade association welcoming 43 new members in 2021.

Karen Drinkwater chaired the BPF’s Rotational Moulding Group for many years before she was elected BPF President.

Starting the second year of her tenure, she was thanked by BPF Director General Philip Law for her continued insights and guidance during challenging and uncertain times. In her report to the BPF’s members, she recounted highlights from the previous year, mentioning the well-attended parliamentary reception, held in November 2021, at which she met and discussed core issues with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Lee Rowley MP. Karen’s speech also mentioned the compounded issues the plastics industry faces including bouncing back from the

coronavirus, increased energy costs, supply chain issue, and securing staff. Thanking the council and BPF staff for their support, she stated: “We still face many challenges – but by working together, the UK plastics industry will seize the opportunities and continue to excel.”

The newly-voted-in vice president of the BPF, Nigel Flowers, has been the managing director of Sumitomo Demag since 2006. Nigel is a strong supporter of education and skills, was a trustee of Aylesbury Training Group from 2012 to 2016, and is a member of the BPF Education & Skills Committee and is also an ‘enterprise advisor’ to a local secondary school, linking education to work. Nigel also represents the BSi on both CEN and ISO Committees, developing technical safety standards for manufacturing plastics production equipment.

For more information about the BPF visit: bpf.co.uk.

Association of Rotational Moulders Australasia Inc. Tel: +61 (0) 7 3812 1450 www.rotationalmoulding.com CEO: Michelle Rose Cheif Executive Officer: Michelle Rose michellerose@rotationalmoulding.com

Association of Rotational Moulders Southern Africa PO Box 6966 Birchleigh 1621 Gauteng, South Africa Tel: +27 82 772 3769 Fax +27 12 541 1738 Chairman: Grant Heroldt info@armsa.co.za www.armsa.co.za

IT-RO Italia Rotazionale Katia Zoppetti Via E. Brigatti 12 20152 Milano (MI) Italy Tel: +039 348 7652560 www.it-ro.it

Association of Rotational Moulding (Central Europe) e.V. (ARM-CE) MAUS GmbH - Rotationsgießformen Am Viehweg 9 - D-76229 Karlsruhe Amtsgericht Mannheim, HRB 103433 Tel.: +49 (0) 7 21 / 9 48 74 12 Fax: +49 (0) 7 21 / 9 48 74 44 Mr. Oliver Wandres, ARM-CE Chairman info@rotational-moulding.de www.rotational-moulding.de

British Plastics Federation Rotational Moulding Group 6 Bath Place Rivington Street London EC2A 3JE United Kingdom Tel: 020 7457 5000 Fax: 020 7457 5045 Chairman: Mr. Philip Maddox PhilipM@LeafieldEnv.com

The Nordic Association of Rotational Moulders Executive Board Chairman: Mr. Ronny Ervik ul. Zielona 8, 61-851 Poznan, Poland Tel: +48 607-126-004 Fax: +48 61-858-8611 info@rotomoulding-europe.org www.nordicrotomoulding.org www.rotomoulding-europe.org

Society of Asian Rotomoulders (StAR) 40/145, Ground Floor, Chittaranjan Park New Delhi 110019 Tel: + 91-11-41630157 Fax: +91-11-41634952 Mob: + 91- 9810305356 sb.zaman@staraisa.org arnacz@satyam.net.in www.starasia.org

www.rotoworldmag.com 55

GLOBAL

CALENDAR JUNE 14-16, 2022

SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2022

ANTEC® 2022

ARMA ROTOMOULD 2022

Charlotte Convention Center Charlotte, NC

Pullman & Mercure Melbourne Albert Park Melbourne, Australia www.rotationalmoulding.com

OCTOBER 19-26, 2022

K – SHOW

Fairgrounds Düsseldorf, Germany www.k-online.com 56 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

GLOBAL

CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 6-9, 2022

NOVEMBER 7-10, 2023

ARM ANNUAL MEETING

PLASTIMAGEN

Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta, Georgia rotomolding.org

Banamex Mexico Mexico City, Mexico

www.rotoworldmag.com 57

ADVERTISERS’

INDEX

14 Diversified Mold & Castings 19800 Miles Road Warrensville Hts., OH 44128-4118 USA 216.663.1814 | 888.642.1222 info@diversifiedmolds.com www.diversifiedmolds.com 60 ExxonMobil Chemical Co. PO Box 96126 West Springs Calgary, Alberta Canada, T3H 0L3 800.668.0177 kevin.c.jamieson@exxonmobil.com https://www.exxonmobilchemical.com /en/products-and-services/ polyethylene 5 Ferry Industries, Inc. 4445 Allen Road Stow, OH 44224-1093 USA 330.920.9200 sales@ferryindustries.com www.ferryindustries.com 9, 41 Jerico Plastic Industries, Inc. 7970 Boneta Road Wadsworth, OH 44281 USA 330.334.5244 Minerva Plant: 330.868.4600 steve@jericoplastic.com www.jericoplastic.com 11 Matrix Polymers The Priory Orchard Hill Little Billing Northhampton, NN9 9AG United Kingdom +44.1604.789100 sales@matrixpolymers.com www.matrixpolymers.com 7 OREX Rotomoulding SP. Z O.O. Cieszyriska 6, 43-520 CHYBIE Poland +48 32 440 83 15 magda.wantola@orex.pl www.orex-rotomoulding.com 19 PSI Brand 16 Thames Street Napier 4110 New Zealand +64 6-834 4808 sales@psibrand.com www.psibrand.com 58 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022

57 Polnac Lázaro Cárdenas, No. 49, Col. San Jerónimo Tepetlacalco, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, Mexico C.P. 54090 +52.55.5362.5360 ext. 275 glenn@polnac.com www.polnac.com 21 Poliplast S.p.A. Via Carrali, 8 24020 Casnigo (BG) Italy +39.035.724145 info@poliplastspa.com www.poliplastspa.com 3 Powder King, LLC 41780 N. Vision Way Unit 120 Bldg. 2 Anthem, AZ 85086 USA 623.551.9897 sales@powder-king.com www.powder-king.com 2 Roto Polymers 26210 Emery Road, Suite 202 Cleveland, OH 44128 USA 1.844.POLIMER (1.844.765.4637) info@rotopolymers.com www.rotopolymers.com 59 Rotomachinery Group Via Crosa, 53 28065 Cerano (NO) Italy +39.0321.772021 polivinil@polivinil.com www.rotomachinerygroup.com 50 VMP, Inc. 24830 Avenue Tibbitts Valencia, CA 91355-3404 USA 888.4.VMP.INC 661.294.9934 info@vmpinc.com www.vmpinc.com 23 Wittmann Battenfeld Canada Inc. / ROTOLOADTM 35 Leek Crescent Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C2, Canada 905.887.5355 Toll Free: 1.888.466.8266 info@wittmann-group.ca www.wittmann-group.ca

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VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 2 • 2022

TECHNOLOGY

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