Places
Valerie
Glover
Glover has a strong background in corporate communications and brand management with a focus on global manufacturing and distribution.
She also holds an M.S. in Management from Northeastern University and maintains active involvement in professional associations such as the American Marketing Association and Women in Manufacturing.
“We are excited to have Valerie as a member of our marketing team,” said Vice President Sales & Distribution Strategy Alicia Spence. “Her passion for marketing and experience with implementing effective digital tools will lead to success in this new role.”
The Jackson, MS, USA location of Curbell Plastics, Inc. continued its ongoing relationship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Vicksburg, MS by inviting their FIRST Robotics Team 456 to visit for a plant tour, plastic materials learning session and a material donation pick-up.
The partnership began when Business Manager Eric Hensley learned that several orders from the U.S. Army Vickburg, MS Research and Development Center were actually for a robotics center for local high schoolers. Upon learning that the orders benefit the education of students, Curbell Plastics, Inc. began providing donations of drop materials including HDPE, polycarbonate, acetal, nylon and acrylic. These donations allow students to get hands-on experience with different plastics materials for robotics applications.
FIRST Robotics Team 456 left the Curbell facility with new plastics knowledge and a haul of donated materials to experiment and learn with.
Originally founded in 1973, CartierWilson LLC underwent a transformation in 2008 when Adam Mellen assumed ownership. Under Mellen’s leadership, the company saw great growth over the next 15 years. In 2022, CartierWilson welcomed Chris Corona as its new principal, heralding a new era.
Over the past decade, CartierWilson LLC has earned several prestigious awards. Notable accolades include the IAPD Education Circle of Champions Gold Level in 2023, 2022 and 2021, Silver in 2020 and Bronze in 2017. The company’s dedication to marketing was recognized with the IAPD Marketing Excellence Beacon Award in 2022.
In a groundbreaking achievement, Chris Corona, Principal of CartierWilson LLC, was elected to the IAPD Executive Committee, marking the first time the association has elected a manufacturers’ representative agency for this esteemed role. Moreover, two CartierWilson LLC employees have been honored honored with the IAPD Pacesetter Award: Deena Baker, Vice President Sales Operations, in 2022 and Peter Daumeyer, Territory Manager, in 2019.
Looking ahead, CartierWilson LLC remains steadfast in its commitment to investing in people, training, and its customer base. CartierWilson LLC’s 50th anniversary celebration is a testament to its unwavering dedication to excellence and its significant contributions to the performance plastics industry.
Piedmont Plastics announced the opening of its newest branch location in Louisville, KY. This expansion introduces the company’s first branch in Kentucky and its 55th branch in North America. The Louisville branch will operate as a full-service distribution facility with a comprehensive inventory, cut-to-size services, routing capabilities and local delivery options.
“We are excited to add Louisville to Piedmont’s growing list of distribution facilities in North America,” says Saul Rubio, Branch General Manager. “This new branch not only enhances our ability to cater to our valued customers in the region, but also positions us for future growth in Kentucky and the surrounding areas.”
Forbes India partnered with D Globalist to select 200 companies with global business potential. Among the 200 companies named was IAPD manufacturer member, Tilara Polyplast, pvt. Founder and CEO Brijesh Tilara, Founder and Managing Director Jaysukh Tilara and Founder and Director Manoh Tilara were recognized in the article.
Forbes India said of Tilara Polyplast, pvt. “Tilara Polyplast has been at the forefront of the plastics industry, specializing in the manufacturing of high-quality polycarbonate sheets, acrylic sheets and polysterene sheets. The company’s extensive product range and innovative solutions for architectural projects, safety glazing, walkways or signage aims to meet all manufacturing needs.
PLASKOLITE acquires Vycom in a move that will their expand thermoplastic manufacturing capabilities.
PLASKOLITE announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Vycom, a subsidiary of The AZEK Company, for US$140 million.
John Szlag, Co-President at Plaskolite, said, “We are excited to welcome Vycom into the Plaskolite family. They complement our employee-first culture and focus on strong customer relationships, safety and sustainability. Furthermore, Vycom recycles and reuses 99% of its scrap, which will expand Plaskolite’s involvement in sustainability and recycling.”
Based in Scranton, PA, Vycom manufactures highly engineered Olefin and PVC thermoplastic sheet for the semiconductor, outdoor living, playground, marine, industrial and graphics markets.
The transaction closed November 1, 2023.
Over 30 prospective customers and distributors were invited to watch live, up-close demonstrations of high-speed panel applications in action.
“Automated material-handling systems strategically placed along a manufacturing cell or line can increase throughput tremendously,” said Brent Warren, Regional Sales Manager. “These systems are integrated as well as balanced to keep production continuously flowing. Speeding up some operations only to create bottlenecks downstream doesn’t help a production line or your bottom line.”
In addition to the live demonstrations of nested, routed cabinet parts, simultaneous machining of nine drill holes at once (using a drill block), and a variety of automation systems (infeed, outfeed, pusher/sweeper), the event included a tour of the factory and a software demonstration. Attendees also learned about integrated third-party labeling and storage and retrieval systems as well as had the opportunity to talk one-on-one to C.R. Onsrud CNC experts about their specific manufacturing challenges.
This is the second event the company has done in recent months, and it hopes to offer more.
Manufacturing Day is a national event dedicated to education about manufacturing career opportunities and to improving public perceptions of manufacturing. With the ever-growing estimated number of manufacturing jobs going unfilled by 2025, SEKISUI KYDEX hosted students from Bloomsburg Area High School, Central Columbia Area High School, and the Columbia Montour Area Vocational Technical School. Students were given the opportunity to explore the various career options available in manufacturing, enabling them to make a more informed decision about whether to pursue college, a technical program, or other post-college opportunities.
This event showed the varying career opportunities at SEKISUI KYDEX, which include inspector/packer, extrusion operators, quality technicians, colour technicians, production engineers, automation engineers, appLab™ engineers, graphic designers, and more, such as traditional business support positions. Additionally, members of the Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT) were present to provide career guidance and acquaint students with the resources and programs offered by PCT. These opportunities enable students to earn college credits while still in school without incurring costs.
This year, students spent their day exploring how compelling plastics manufacturing can be throughout the various demonstration spaces set up around their Bloomsburg South Campus facility. The program featured a company and careers overview, a campus tour to see how KYDEX® Thermoplastics are made, and several workshops to understand the thermoplastics industry. Stabler continued, “We aim to interact with the students in a playful yet scientific manner, so they have a positive experience that they can reflect upon when considering their future careers.”