Page 19 - Plastics News November 2021
P. 19
CoMPANY NEwS
Direct Pack, Inc. Expands American India Glycols Ltd And
Manufacturing Operations In Mexico SC&T Partners For
Sustainable Chemicals
hell Catalysts & Technologies
S(SC&T) has supported India
Glycols Ltd (IGL) on its journey
of profitable growth in sustainable
chemicals, by providing new generation
catalysts needed to produce ethylene
oxide (EO). IGL is a leading company
in the production of sustainable
intermediate chemicals such as green
EO, mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) and
a wide range of speciality chemical
products, produced from bio-based
irect Pack, Inc. (DPI), a leader consumer recycled PET plastic thanks ethanol. SC&T has formulated EO
Din sustainable, full circular, to the continuous operations across catalysts that provide exceptional
thermoformed plastic packaging, our manufacturing facilities."Direct performance of high selectivity and
announced today that it has expanded Pack Baja Direct Pack Baja is a 200,000 stability under IGL specific operating
its North American manufacturing sq. ft. facility that is capable of PET conditions which can be challenging
operations with the opening of Direct solid-state polymerization, sheet due to the bio ethylene feed derived
Pack Baja in Mexicali, Mexico. The extrusion, thermoforming, automated from ethanol. A high EO catalyst
company was able to build, equip and labeling application, warehousing selectivity results in direct variable cost
staff the new facility in a short 10-months and distribution. Production of savings as less feedstock (i.e. ethylene)
and is now able to supply a higher thermoformed food packaging for is consumed to manufacture products.
percentage of their North American supermarket, foodservice, growers
customer partners with products built in and processor customers started in
the region. This has also better positioned September. Direct Pack Baja will employ
the company to meet its customer as many as 80 people during the full
obligations in spite of the current global rollout of the production equipment,
supply chain challenges. The other which will take place over the next five
DPI manufacturing facilities, including months. The addition of Direct Pack
Sun Valley CA, Rockingham, NC and Baja allows DPI to further expand its full
Guadalajara, Mexico, are all operating circular business model. The company
three-shifts, resulting in a fourfold actively works with material recovery Through being a serial early-adopter
increase in North American production facilities (MRFs) to collect used PET of new EO catalysts from SC&T,
capacity in the last 24-months. "As we plastic clamshells and other packaging – IGL’s production unit has been able to
continue to grow our operations, we both their own and from other suppliers continuously improve its product yield
remain focused and deeply committed – and using it to make new packaging. and lower overall production variable
to sustainability and innovation with When recycled, PET plastic is an infinite costs. The most recent charge of Shell
full emphasis of "Circularity" and an resource. "As we receive consolidated High Selectivity EO Catalyst S-889
ultimate goal of making PET plastic an bales of post-consumer thermoforms started up in July 2020 and achieved
infinite resource," said Craig Snedden, from our MRFs partners, we are seeing 92% selectivity combined with excellent
President of Direct Pack, Inc. "In the a very high percentage of our own DPI stability that has enabled the unit to
last 24 months, DPI has recycled and products coming back to us in post- extend its production cycle. This is the
reused 36 million pounds of post- consumer form," said Snedden. fifth charge of S-889 catalyst.
18 PLASTICS NEWS NOVEMBER 2021 19 PLASTICS NEWS NOVEMBER 2021