Plastic Container Blog

I learned that as a result of a few acquisitions within the industry, combined with strong organic growth, Sonoco is expecting a large increase in sales in 2008.  You can read more about this here.

Sonoco Releases 2007 Annual Report to Shareholders

Company’s Annual Meeting Scheduled for April 16, 2008

HARTSVILLE, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, today announced that its 2007 Annual Report to Shareholders is now available on the Company’s Web site at http://www/sonoco.com/, in the investor relations section. The annual report entitled, “Progress Forward,” reviews Sonoco’s record financial performance in 2007 and provides an overview of the Company’s strategy to accelerate profitable growth over the next five years.

“We have made significant progress during the past five years in achieving our goal to grow the size and scope of Sonoco while building long-term value for our shareholders,” Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer, wrote in his letter to shareholders in the 2007 Annual Report. “Our strategy to accelerate profitable growth during the next five years is called “Progress Forward.” The key steps of this strategy include: providing average annual double-digit total returns to our shareholders; achieving profitable sales growth through improved organic sales development; geographic expansion; providing total solutions to our consumer product company customers; developing new products and services and making strategic acquisitions; attaining superior returns on investment and equity; maximizing cash flow from operations; and improving execution by having the right people in the right jobs.”

The cover of the annual report has a photo showing vibrant, brand-defining extrusion blow-molded containers that are produced at Sonoco’s Matrix Packaging plant in Addison, Ill. Acquired by Sonoco in May 2007, Matrix Packaging is a leading North American manufacturer of custom-designed, blow-molded rigid plastic containers produced at seven plants in the United States and Canada. As a result of this and other acquisitions, along with strong organic growth, Sonoco is projecting sales of rigid plastic containers are expected to increase to nearly $300 million in 2008, a five-fold gain over 2006 levels.

Sonoco has mailed the 2007 annual report and proxy statement to its shareholders in preparation for its annual meeting which will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at the Center Theater, 212 North Fifth Street, Hartsville, S.C., beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. For those unable to attend the meeting in person, a live webcast of the meeting can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.sonoco.com/, under the “Latest News” section. Those planning to participate should plan to connect to the live webcast at least ten minutes prior to the start. The meeting webcast also will be archived on the Investor Information section of Sonoco’s Web site.

A business man from Ghana makes reusable totes from discarded plastic bags.  You can read more about this here.

Plastic bags are a ubiquitous feature of the African landscape not seen in coffee table books or travel magazines. In Ghana they line roads, hang from palm trees, float in the sea and gather in drifts on the white sandy beaches. In Ghana’s capital, Accra, they clog the sewers that run alongside roads turning gutters into stinking repositories of stagnant water and faeces and prime breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Looking around the city, a businessman Kwabena Osei Bonsu decided something needed to be done. “I wanted to come up with an idea that would solve problems in my lifetime,” he said. His solution? Collect the discarded plastic bags and stitch them together to make new, reusable bags.

This article offers tips for using and shipping plastic totes and how to re-use them after the move.  You can read this article here.

PersonalProperty Office offers tips for moving, shipping plastic totes

By:JPPSO NE

When preparing for an upcoming Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, there are certain things that need to be considered when shipping plastic totes.

Many people have invested a considerable amount of time and money getting organized prior to an upcoming move, and as a result, have accumulated plastic totes. Customers should be aware that these containers can be used when relocating. Just make sure that these simple rules are followed.

Since there is no “packed by owner” permitted on military shipments, and the carrier assumes liability for whatever they pack, the carrier has the right to inspect all items and should be using the appropriate carton(s) to pack all items (i.e., clothes go in wardrobe boxes), thereby affording items the proper protection. Shipping offices should ensure that items are shipped in sealed cartons for stacking in trucks/crates and avoid pilferage. Therefore, one of two things must occur:

You can let the carrier pack all contents in cartons and then stack the totes/tubs separately for onward movement. If you elect to provide an already-packed tote/tub, the carrier will then inspect it and decide to either empty the tote/tub and place its contents in a carton, or ship the tote/tub as is with contents. It will be the carrier’s responsibility to ensure the tote/tub is adequately protected for safe movement. Tape may not be placed directly on the tote/tub. The intent is that at no time will any adhesive touch the tote/tub.

The above decision is at the carrier’s discretion. Service members/employees cannot insist that the contents must remain in the tote/tub, since the carrier assumes liability for the tote/tub and the contents.

Additionally, when items are destined for permanent storage, non-temporary storage (NTS), the use of plastic containers (Rubbermaid or similar) shall not be used.

If you have any questions regarding the movement of totes, ask your personal property counselor, or contact JPPSO-NE at (800) 235-7776, (781) 377-7627 or DSN 478-7627. For additional valuable information, visit the Air Force Move Web site at http://afmove.hq.af.mil/.

After a tragedy, a couple has created and made a sign made from corrugated plastic with bright colors that they hope will help save hunters lives.  You can read the whole article and about what inspired them here.

Hunters’ safety

An Emporia couple hopes a product they’ve developed will keep hunters safer in the field and avoid tragedies like the one that claimed the life of an Americus teen in December.

Dr. Rich and Deidra Rattay already were developing signs that hunters can post alerting outsiders that decoys are in use when 18-year-old Beau Arndt was fatally shot while camouflaged among goose decoys. The young man’s death hit home for the Rattays in more ways than one.

Deidra Rattay’s daughter knew Beau from high school.

Rich Rattay knew Beau’s father, Bob Arndt.

And Rich Rattay knew what it was like to be shot while hunting.

“I was shot one time by a hunter because he didn’t know I was there,” the Emporia orthopedic surgeon said.
He was turkey hunting in Missouri and was on one side of a creek. Another turkey hunter was on the other side of the creek. Neither hunter knew the other was there.

“The turkey jumped in the creek area,” he recalled.

The other hunter fired his shotgun and hit Rattay, who was against a tree.

“It hit me in the head, one in the forearm and once in the groin.”

The injuries required surgery, and Rich Rattay considers himself lucky that the shots came from a shotgun rather than a rifle.

In Beau Arndt’s case, a Topeka man is charged with the fatal shooting. Theron Thomas Kent told investigators he was hunting coyotes when the shooting happened. Prosecutors contend he was shooting illegally at Beau Arndt’s goose decoys. The details will be argued in court when Kent’s trial begins in late June.

In the meantime, the Rattays want other hunters and their families to avoid what the Arndts are going through.

“Some hunting you do with blaze orange on, like deer,” Rich Rattay said. “For turkeys, you have to be invisible.

“Especially for turkey, duck, geese, you’re so vulnerable. You’re right behind them (the decoys).”

But it’s not just fowl hunters who can benefit from the signs, the Rattays said. Deidra Rattay recalls deer hunting with her husband while he was setting a deer decoy.

“He was carrying the deer over his shoulder,” she said, recalling that they noticed drivers on the road slowing down as they passed. “I thought, ‘Someone is going to shoot at us.’”

Rich Rattay acknowledges that hunters shouldn’t have to worry, but “anywhere decoys are used, there’s going to be somebody who does something they shouldn’t.”

The signs feature a shield design that the Rattays adopted because the shape wasn’t already associated with safety, unlike, for instance, octagons for stop.

“We wanted something like a symbol people, we hope, will get to know as a hunter warning,” Rich Rattay said.

The signs are made of corrugated plastic to withstand weather conditions and have bright colors to be seen from a distance. They’re produced by a Kansas company that specializes in election promotion materials. They come with a metal stand that can be pushed into the ground, but Rich Rattay said hunters easily could nail them to a post.

Right now, distribution is small. Bluestem plans to carry them, Rich Rattay said, and the couple is working with other Emporia retail outlets.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has purchased a supply for hunter education instructors to display during spring safety classes. The Rattays hope hunters will learn to use the signs for protection. Although retailers will set their own sale prices, the Rattays are hoping to produce them at a price that will fit into most hunters’ budgets.

The first two signs went to Beau Arndt’s father, Bob. The Rattays plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from the signs to Beau Arndt’s memorial fund, which the family dedicated to hunter safety education.

Eventually, the Rattays hope to build their company, Dr. Hunter LLC. They incorporated in early December, shortly before Beau Arndt’s death.

“We planned on having a company making hunting-related products, videos and we could take people on hunts,” Rich Rattay said.

But for now, the decoy signs are the most important project of the new company.
“We talked about it for a long time,” Deidra Rattay said about the signs. “But when someone you know in the community is killed, it hits close.

“We thought we just have to get it out there.”

For those without a nearby retail outlet, the signs can be ordered directly from Dr. Hunter LLC by calling (620) 341-9129.

This robot was designed to free up skilled employees by delivering materials on pallets and pulling carts, as well as other functions.  You can read more about this here.

Mobile Robot suits material handling applications.

March 21, 2008 - Employing Industrial Mobile Robotics technology, vision-guided Model GT3 moves through manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations utilizing stereo cameras to build 3D map of environment. It then uses map and its own reasoning ability to navigate predetermined path to complete assigned transport task. Designed to free up skilled employees, GT3 pulls carts, delivers palletized materials, and positions supplies without wire guides, magnets, or lasers.

I just learned that a new report shows that the global material handling equipment sales will hit $104 billion by 2010.  You can read the article in it’s entirety here.

Material Handling Equipment to Hit $104 Billion by 2010

Asia-Pacific region is growing the fastest and is expected to reach $25 billion in 2009.

Compiled By Adrienne Selko

March 20, 2008 — Tendency toward complete integration of material handling systems with procurement systems, manufacturing management systems and shipping operations is expected to bolster demand for automation equipment and software. That will put the global material handling equipment at $104 billion in sales by 2010 according to a new report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

After reading this article, I now understand that with ARC, it will require little maintenance and the belt can be changed quickly.  You can read this entire article here.

Blesco, Inc. Introduces the ARC Belt Curve

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 21, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Blesco, Inc., a Grand Rapids, MI material handling firm, introduces ARC, a belt curve with new patented technology that allows for limited maintenance and quick belt change time.

The ARC Curve is designed with a patented belt guidance system that allows a standard Endless Belt to be changed in 15 minutes with only two people. Requiring only the removal of the inner frame rail and a turn of the patented quick-release guide holders, changing the belt requires significantly less time and manpower than comparable models.

The curves exceptional durability is due to the innovative guide roller design, which reduces variations in the contact between the belt and the guide by allowing the rollers to conform to the belt guide, minimizing the wear and maximizing the life of the belt. In comparable models, even minor variations can cause excessive wear to the belt.

One might be interested to find that by simply switching from bottled water to tap water, you can reduce your own CO2 emmissions.  The article can be found here.

I’ve only just discovered The Guardian newspaper’s Tread Lightly campaign. It’s a wonderful idea. Every week the paper carries a new pledge for you to sign up to. All of the pledges involve ways of cutting your carbon footprint and becoming less impactful on the natural resources of the world. This week’s pledge is to switch from bottled to tap water.

Tread Lightly is a community of people, and includes a blog section where you can join in debates and share CO2-saving ideas.

The aim of the site, and the pledges, is to enable people to step up their efforts to reduce their own CO2 emissions, to track the combined efforts of the community, and provide a space in which you can be reassured you’re not the only one who cares and is willing to change.

You may ask, what’s wrong with bottled water? Well…

CARBON CRIME no. 1
Sold in glass or plastic containers, at least eighty per cent of shop-bought water in the UK comes in plastic bottles made from petropolyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic made from crude oil. Manufacturing a tonne of PET produces around 3 tonnes of CO2. The UK bottled water industry uses 50,000 tonnes of PET per year, which equates to 150,000 tonnes of CO2. Globally, the industry uses 1.5m tonnes of plastic annually, emitting 4.5m tonnes CO2.

CARBON CRIME no. 2
Transportation further increases emissions. Evian alone pumps out 14,000 tonnes of CO2 travelling from Lake Geneva to Britain.

CARBON CRIME no. 3
A litre of Volvic involves the release of 0.185kg of CO2 and the same volume of Evian costs the world 0.172kg. A litre of mains water releases around 0.0003kg—six hundred times less.

CARBON CRIME no. 3

This crime isn’t only committed in relation to plastic bottles of drinking water, but three quarters of the plastic bottles we throw away in household waste ended up in landfill in last year.

That’s a lot of carbon crimes. The bottled water industry has to change or disappear altogether. The only hope of either of those scenarios happening is to be found in individuals deciding simply to stop buying the stuff. We’ve learned by now, or should have, that we cannot expect radical and honest measures from our political leaders. Of course the industry won’t change overnight, or tomorrow, or even this year—but if nobody bought its products, even if sales dropped significantly, it would sit up and take notice.

After reading “Consumers Urged To Cut Use of Bottled Water” found here, I’ve learned that not only is bottled water expensive, the bottles have other drawbacks.

Consumers urged to cut use of bottled water

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

BRINGING bottled mineral water may be the most convenient way to quench your thirst during long trips, but they do have some drawbacks.

Aside from being expensive, they cause problem of disposing their plastic containers, which sometimes contribute to the garbage woes—not to mention the pollution caused by producing the plastic containers to meet the ever-increasing demand for bottled mineral water, which greatly contributes to global warming.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watchdog, is urging consumers to cut their consumption of bottled mineral water, especially during the Holy Week, as millions of Filipinos flock to bus terminals, seaports and airports to journey back to their hometowns or go on a pilgrimage during the Lenten season.

“Many consumers find bottled water convenient as they carry on with their plans for the Holy Week. However, it is worth reminding the public that the ever-increasing demand for bottled water is polluting and warming the planet,” said Baby Reyes of the Mother Earth Foundation and the EcoWaste Coalition.

“Cutting back on the number of plastic water bottles that we consume is a simple act that will have tremendous benefits to the environment and the climate.  It will be eco-friendly to use reusable water container and fill it with clean tap water from home or, if necessary, with filtered or boiled water,” Reyes said.

“If buying bottled water cannot be avoided, we remind consumers not to throw the empty ones out of vehicles, leave them on the sidewalk or beach, or burn them along with their trash, but to place them into the ‘recycling’ bin,” she added.

The EcoWaste Coalition explained that fossil fuels such as coal and oil are burned to produce, ship, deliver, advertise and dispose plastic water bottles.  The burning of fossil fuel energy and the ensuing toxic pollution, the group said, is mainly to blame for the climate change.

Last year’s report “Take Back the Tap” by the US-based Food and Water Watch confirms that the production of plastic water bottles “consumes energy, pollutes the environment and contributes to global warming.”

To illustrate how much fossil fuel energy is used in the production of plastic water bottles, the EcoWaste Coalition, citing figures from the Earth Policy Institute, revealed that 1.5 million barrels of oil is consumed annually in the US to produce plastic water bottles.

This is said to be enough to fuel some 100,000 cars in the US for a year.

The World Watch Institute estimates that 86 percent of the used plastic water bottles in the US get dumped instead of being recycled.

In addition to the pollution issue, the EcoWaste Coalition also raised concern about the possible leaching of chemicals from the plastic bottles into the water, specially Bisphenol A, which is a known endocrine disruptor. This chemical is widely used in the manufacture of plastic polycarbonate bottles.– Business Mirror

 I realize the impact that this new bulk container may have.  It is a 48 x 40 in. footprint of a pallet which may allow professionals to eliminate pallets.  You can read more about this here.

Bulk Container shares footprint with most common pallet type.

March 12, 2008 - Rotationally molded of 100% polyethylene, reusable Ship Shape(TM) Bulk Container features 48 x 40 in. footprint, enabling professionals to eliminate pallets and unitize loads. Container also eliminates potential for phytosanitation contamination and supports environmental efforts to safeguard forest resources and minimize landfilling of failed pallets. Providing lift truck access from 2 sides, container is weatherproof and impervious to chemical attack, rust, and corrosion.