Category Archives: Plastics News

Living Safety Is the Focus tkEP SHIELD Program

shieldThe SHIELD Safety program has been in place for all of 2016 with training, games, quizzes and contests to keep all thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics employees involved and engaged at work and at home. SHIELD stands for Safety and Health Initiatives for Employees to Live Daily and with that in mind Safety should not be something we think about when an accident happens, but a conscience change to think about life choices and the task at hand BEFORE we do it.

I recently asked the Safety leaders in each branch to summarize what SHIELD has meant to employees, their families and how they are looking at safety differently.

  • The team in Grand Prairie Texas said “We look out for one another to catch any slip, trip or fall hazards at work and we push each other to maintain a healthy lifestyle by joining the tkactive program, walking at lunch or participating in 5K runs on the weekends. We are thankful for this program to remind us how important it is to maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle and it motivates us to be better every day”.
  • The Yonkers New York group reported “The pre-shift safety meetings have allowed everyone to be involved in setting a positive tone for all the warehouse associates both at home and work. Everyone has a turn to choose a topic of the day and present it to the team. There was an occasion when our topic of the day directly impacted an occurrence at an employee’s home. The topic was fire extinguishers so the employee went home and discussed this with his family. The following day there was a fire alarm in his apartment building and his 8 year old son knew exactly what steps to take to ensure the safety of his family. This definitely highlights the fact that safety does not only apply to the workplace, safety is even more important at home”.
  • In Riverview Florida “Safety isn’t just wearing a hard hat or making sure your shoes are tied, we don’t only focus on being safe but making sure our surroundings are 100% safe. It doesn’t matter if we are in the office calling customers or in the warehouse building skids. SHIELD has taught us not only to be safe at work but also practice safety at home. ‘When you gamble with safety, you bet your life’”.
  • Auburn Hills Michigan responded “Our employees continue to search for anything that could injure someone and report and correct it as soon as possible. We have never had a recordable injury at this facility and we all want to go home daily with the same amount of blood, skin and bones we arrived with”.
  • Earth City Missouri says “SHIELD means having safety in the forefront at all times. At work we always stress safety and while training a new warehouse associate from another branch we told him to take his time and work within his limits and don’t let others try to influence him to go beyond, especially if unsafe. We recently updated our cut resistant gloves and signage for changing the saw blades. One employee states he recently got his motorcycle license after completing the safety course and he said the one thing stressed was All the Gear All the Time and being prepared for all riding conditions. This is good information for any situation at work or home.”
  • Columbus OH had input from everyone “SHIELD is a reminder at work that our Safety, whether it is wearing steel toe boots or sunscreen impacts everyone including our families. A safe and healthy personal life can work in conjunction with a safe and healthy professional life. This has impacted me by making smart decisions that will affect my future in a positive way. When you work for a company that stresses safety in the work environment it becomes an automatic thinking process when you are outside the work place. SHIELD is inspiration – inspiring us to find new and creative ways to stay healthy and stay safe. SHIELD is responsibility -learning from mistakes and embracing them. SHIELD has become part of our culture.”
  • Lancaster PA “has implemented the SHIELD process into the culture of our workplace. It has shaped how we see the warehouse that we work in enabling us to see potential safety risks and correct them before they become issues. For example when freight came into our facility damaged with no bands we immediately restacked it as we sorted the damaged material for the claim. When putting skids in the racks, if boards or planks are broken off or hanging we remove them at that time so they don’t become a problem in the future causing material to fall. At home whether cooking, enjoying nature or sports, cleaning or working in the garage this conscious thought process keeps family members safe and healthy. SHIELD is a transformative process that first changes ones conscious perspective and then changes one’s world, creating leaders in health and safety.”

As the Operations Manager I can give our employees tools and support but I can’t wave the magic want and change the culture. The real change to embrace Safety and Health as part of our culture is owned by the employees. SHIELD has become part of our daily lives at work and home based on the descriptive responses I received. If our employees are active and healthy and feel safe and confident at work the possibilities are endless!


Contest Winners! Team Yonkers got top honors and lunch for the entire team for their entry – “What SHIELD Means to Us and Our Families.” Congratulations and thank you for sharing your story of how the tkEP SHIELD program made a difference and showing us how we all win when we put safety first.

 

Photo-Gestewitz-T-DSC_0291Theresa Gestewitz

Operations Manager
thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics

About Theresa Gestewitz –
Ms. Gestewitz began her career with ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division 20 years ago. Her first role was Buyer for the Lancaster, PA facility. She has also held additional positions as Office Manager, Corporate Buyer, and Plant Manager. She assumed her Safety Leadership role in 2010.

Jerry Lane Retires from AIN Plastics

In a time when the average person holds approx. 10 different jobs throughout their career the plastics industry stands out. It is often said that plastics chooses you and once you start working in plastics you stay in the business. For AIN Plastic’s Jerry Lane that has been a very true statement, but after a lifetime in plastics distribution Jerry Lane is saying ‘bon voyage’ and heading into what we all hope will be a long and happy retirement.

I sat down with Jerry and chatted with him about his time in the plastics industry and how it lead to a lifelong career with the majority of those years being at AIN Plastics.

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A Memento of the original AAA Plastics Supply

One of the first things we talked about is what has been the biggest change Jerry has seen in the plastics industry at large. After graduating Babson College in Wellesley 20 miles west of Boston Jerry joined the Coast Guard Reserves and was accepted into a Masters Degree program. 1966 Jerry went to work for his father who had a small plastics distribution company called AAA Plastics Supply. In 1985 this company merged with AIN Plastics which had 5 locations and was looking to expand and AAA Plastics Supply was a good fit. It was in Boston and then Norwood for 16 years before settling in Canton which is the current AIN location. Jerry reminisced that this past Washington’s birthday was the 31st anniversary of agreeing to the terms with Norman and Alex (The original A and N in AIN Plastics) to merge his family’s business with AIN Plastics. On April 19 of that year the formal agreement was signed and he began with AIN. Jerry feels this type of merger has been the biggest change overall in the industry. “There has been a huge consolidation of independent distributors. 30 years ago there were many small entrepreneurs. Now there are fewer but larger.” Jerry went on to add “Most manufacturers were also domestic, now the majority of suppliers are foreign-based companies.”

Jerry also noted one other major change has certainly been the Internet. “The ability to search online has provided the ability to make people smarter. There are so many resources out there. People research and shop differently now.”

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Jerry Lane working the phones at AAA Plastics Supply which became part of AIN Plastics.

One of the things that differentiated AIN Plastics during this time period was it’s internal structure and catalog systems. Jerry explained that AIN Plastics relied on a robust outcall program. He said one of Norman Drucker’s favorite sayings was, “if you aren’t taking a call you are making a call!” In the days before Internet AIN Plastics also managed a large catalog business with separate catalogs for different industries. The largest of these catalogs was a school catalog that was mailed to every school in the country, primarily to shop programs that would teach machining of plastics, metals and other materials. They also had a catalog that went out to distributors. As part of the catalog system one thing that has not changed is AIN Plastics was, and is, known for having strong inventory and fast shipping. The merging with thyssenkrupp Materials NA has only strengthened this aspect of AIN by becoming part of the thyssenkrupp nationwide logistics system.

When asked about what job he held at AIN Plastics Jerry says there have been many. Jerry says he started at the very beginning sweeping floor and doing warehouse work, but as he gained knowledge and experience Jerry has ended with a well balanced and broad career including time in:

• Corporate Operations and Management
• Corporate Quality
• Sales
• Freight and Logistics

Out of all those things, Jerry said one of the most gratifying times was on a recent trip to the AIN Plastics Yonkers facility. The team brought in a retirement cake and Inside Sales Representative George Marotta told Jerry we all wouldn’t be here is it wasn’t for the 2.5 years Jerry worked at our branch.

Of course no retirement chat would be complete without asking the question – What are you most looking forward to? After all, it’s the question we all ask ourselves about retirement or winning the lottery. For Jerry he says the first thing is to enjoy the city he and his wife and family have been a part of for so many years. “The first thing is site seeing beginning with Boston, and enjoying time with our new Grandchild due in just a short time. This will be our 2nd grandchild and first grandson.”

After that Jerry said in all his years of travel for work he has been to all of the AIN Plastics branches except TX and Missouri, “but I have not spent time in the actual cities so we plan to tour the US and enjoy being tourist travelers.”

Lastly we talked about what Jerry will miss the most. He said the AIN people are such a big part of his life and that will be what he misses the most. He went on to say, “I have a couple of projects that I know I won’t get to see finished that I know will be really good for company so I really will miss seeing those to their completion. But, there will always be those projects because it’s a part of our future and how we are growing.”

From here, Jerry will be handing over the logistics portion of his job to Lydia Gonzalez who has worked with Jerry for 24+ years. Jyoti Gorur will expand her Financial Analyst job to include some reports Jerry did as well and Debbie Shunk will take on R&A items so everyone will be in good hands.

 

Best Wishes to you Jerry!

and to everyone else –

See you in the blogosphere again soon

 

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division


lisa_anderson_001CroppedAbout Lisa Anderson

Ms. Anderson has been ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division for over 4 years. She brings 20+ years of advertising, award winning graphic design, social media and marketing. She has worked in book publishing, advertising agencies, printing, manufacturing, and the apartment industry. Ms. Anderson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

AIN Plastics Madison Heights HQ Moving to Auburn Hills, MI

thyssenkrupp Materials AIN Plastics branch has greatly enjoyed it’s Madison Heights location for many years. However, growth has brought a need for a larger facility so the Corporate office of AIN Plastics will be moving to Auburn Hills, Michigan in April.

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AIN Plastics Branch Manager, Jeff Garden

Branch Manager, Jeff Garden has been facilitating the move and stated, “we are on track to have our first day in Auburn Hills on April 20, 2016.” However, Mr. Garden also noted, “as with any big move we have a lot to do once we are in Auburn Hills so the branch will not be fully operational until April 26, 2016.” To that end, the Madison Heights Team including Inside Sales, Outside Sales, Warehouse fulfillment, and AIN’s Purchasing team, also housed at Madison Heights, has been working hard to ensure a smooth transition into the new facility. Jeff added, “everyone is really looking forward to the space which will be approximately double in size from the current Madison Heights location.”

The staff asks that if you are planning to come to the branch between April 20 and April 26 that you call ahead. 877.246.7700.

 

The new address for the AIN Plastics Michigan Branch is:

thyssenkrupp Materials NA

AIN Plastics Division

10 Corporate Drive

Auburn Hills, MI 48326

Oh but what about the phone number? No worries! The phone number is still 877.246.7700. This phone number for AIN Plastics will automatically put you in contact with your nearest branch.

As for what the new site looks like, we have a few photos to share and word is it will be bright and modern. We will share more here and on our social channels in the weeks ahead.

LinkedIn 

Facebook

Twitter

 

A Sneak Preview of the new Auburn Hills Facility. The walls are going up and things are beginning to take shape.

AIN Plastics Renews with DuPont for Vespel

In 1993, AIN Plastics was appointed E.I. DuPont’s first national distributor of Vespel® polyamide stock shapes, one of the industries most sophisticated materials. This month thyssenkrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division is proud to be continuing its relationship with DuPont, and now DOW with its renewal of the distribution agreement to continue as the Authorized Vespel® Stock Shapes Distributor for the Eastern half of the US and Canada. DuPont™ Vespel® continues to be the material of choice for high performance applications and it remains unmatched for its unique combination of properties achieved through DuPont’s proprietary Isostatic Molding Process. As for AIN Plastics, we have finalized and agreed upon an extension of our Distribution Agreement with DuPont.

Changes in the Plastics Business make Front page news!

As the Sales and Marketing Manager for DuPont™ Vespel® Authentic Shapes for thyssenkrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division, I get to live and breathe High Performance Plastics.  DuPont™, who invented DuPont™ Vespel® as well as Teflon®, Delrin®, and a multitude of other Engineering Resins known throughout the world, has been a partner with thyssenKrupp MAterials AIN Plastics Division for over 30 years. Through that time frame we

Space ShuttleFlying In The Sky. 3D Scene.

have seen 5 US presidents, the era of the space shuttle, the invention of the Internet, and mobile phones going from the size of a shoebox to being a must-have business and personal communication and entertainment device that fits in our pocket.  Through all of this, steady as a rock, DuPont was DuPont.  Always a technical leader, always an innovation resource in engineering plastics industry, DuPont materials and DuPont™ Vespel® are often considered the Gold Standard by which other plastics were measured.  So recently iStock_000060987992_Doublewhen the announcement that DuPont is merging with Dow was made it was an unexpected piece of news. But it is news that I look to as exciting.

What makes this announced merger of DuPont and DOW so exciting is the potential it brings to the table for more innovation.  This acquisition is called a “merger of equals” for good reason. Dow has a long history of technical advances in the Polyethylene business as well as other performance plastic families.  Meanwhile DuPont has been the leader in nylons and acetals stock shapes and injection molding materials.  I can only imagine what kind of new products these two technical companies and their extensive teams will dream up once they are together.

We will of course be watching as this proposed merger makes it’s way through all the legal channels and we look forward to the future with the new combined DOW DuPont. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions and I will be more than happy to help. To give you more information I’ve added a few links below to new and press releases about the DOW DuPont merger.

 

Press Release Regarding the DOW / DuPont Merger

The Washington Post Takes a look at DOW DuPont Merger and Company histories

USA Today DOW DuPont Merger News and Video

 

Photo-Hanson-DSC_0295Paul Hanson

Industry Segment Manager, DuPont™ Vespel®
thyssenkrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

Blog contributor Paul Hanson has been active in the Sales and Marketing of Engineering Plastics for over 20 years.  From Aerospace to Semicon, Paul’s expertise has been valuable to his customers and a key resource in specifying High Performance materials in demanding applications.

 

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Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

email Paul Hanson at: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

AIN Plastics Lancaster, PA Going Strong After Tornado

AIN Plastics up and running with no downtime after tornado hits Lancaster, PA Branch

AIN Plastics in Lancaster, PA was struck by a tornado in the early hours of Wednesday, September 30th.  Fortunately, the extent of the damage was not as extensive as it first looked. The flow of daily operations was not interrupted. Orders, shipments and sales calls were routed immediately through other AIN Plastics locations.

Within a short two days the Lancaster Sales Team had workspaces set up at a temporary sales office in the City of Lancaster. In addition, AIN acquired a temporary warehouse facility just ten minutes from our regular location on Running Pump Road. All inventory had been moved into this facility for immediate shipments and as of Monday, October 5, just five days after the strike of the tornado all orders are shipping from AIN Plastics PA as normal.

Branch Manager, Terry Tewell stated that, “the team at AIN Lancaster would like to thank all of our associates from the other AIN Plastics facilities for their assistance in shipping our orders out immediately. We would also like to thank ThyssenKrupp Corporate and AIN Plastics Senior Management for all of their support and quick actions. Most of all, we would like to thank the Community of Lancaster and our Customers that have supported us throughout this event.”

Bayer Material Science Now Covestro

As a distributor of Engineering Plastics AIN Plastics has had a long and great relationship with Bayer Material Science. Now, we here at AIN are pleased to be carrying on this same great relationship with Covestro. The company formerly known as Bayer Material Science is now a legally independent company that is still a full subsidiary of Bayer AG.

As a distributor we are looking forward to working with the same great materials and people and we are eager to see what the future brings now that Covestro stands on its own. Although some things remain the same, the change to Covestro is more than a pretty new logo. It is an opportunity that has been embraced by the Bayer team to reflect on it’s goals and it’s purpose and with that has come a new vision that Covestro released along with their new logo:

Covestro Logo Blk Txt CMYK“Making the World a Brighter Place”

In a recent press release Covestro’s CEO Patrick Thomas stated “We fulfill this vision by inspiring innovation and driving growth through profitable technologies and products that benefit society and reduce environmental impacts.”

As has been the case in the years leading up to the change, Covestro and AIN Plastics have worked with customers throughout just about every industry from high tech aerospace, defense and automotive to the demanding applications of medical device, food processing, orthotics and prosthetics and on into fine art preservation and architecture. It’s a broad range and Covestro has the high quality materials needed to supply them all. In addition, one of the things that has made the AIN Plastics / Bayer partnership so successful is our shared focus on continuous growth of industry knowledge that we bring to our customer service. As a company Covestro employs approximately 14,000 workers around the globe and according to news reports that number may be increasing soon. The US headquarters will remain in Pennsylvania where they are already sporting the bright new logo on signs around the property.

AIN Plastics is looking forward to our continued partnership with Covestro. As a top manufacturer of polycarbonate resins, sheets and shapes AIN Plastics is happy to continue stocking and selling their materials. Our team will be on the front line of learning about new Covestro materials and applications in the months and years to come, and as always, everyone at AIN Plastics will be eager to assist customers in finding that just right engineering plastic for their application.

 

 

 

For more information and articles about Bayer Material Science’s transition to Covestro see these links:

Bayer US Website

Pittshurgh-Post Gazzette

Wall Street Journal

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division


lisa_anderson_001CroppedAbout Lisa Anderson

Ms. Anderson has been ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division for over 3 years. She brings 20+ years of advertising, award winning graphic design, social media and marketing. She has worked in book publishing, advertising agencies, printing, manufacturing, and the apartment industry. Ms. Anderson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

Chris Porritt Talks AIN Plastics and TKMNA Talent Program

As a participant in the ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Sales Talent Development Program I am in my third rotation of working at different TKMNA Divisions. My current home is at Copper and Brass sales. I was hired by ThyssenKrupp out of Central Michigan University, where I majored in Law and Economics (Econ. Degree). I learned about ThyssenKrupp through my professional sales and marketing fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. Representatives from ThyssenKrupp Materials NA came to one of our networking nights and I got to speak face to face with Heather Clark, Director of the talent program and Evan Van Buhler about the STDP and the different MBU’s of TKMNA. I was interested in ThyssenKrupp because I knew that it was a huge company where I could grow and develop in-depth knowledge of different industries and have a wide variety of experiences.

The TMX Aerospace Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA hired me straight out of CMU and I spent almost three months in Seattle this summer learning about their business. I really enjoyed my time with TMX this summer, and I look forward to heading back to Seattle, once my time in the Talent Program is done, to start my new role with them. For the past two months I have been with the AIN Plastics Division which is based in Madison Heights, Michigan. My experiences with AIN Plastics have been wide-ranging and I have really enjoyed my time working with the team at AIN. During my three months my I spent time with the Inside Sales team, Outside Sales teams at several branches, the Business Development team in Kennesaw, as well as time in the warehouse in Madison Heights and the machine shop in Kennesaw, Georgia. During my rotation with AIN, I have also had various projects that were assigned to me. These include reports on: productivity, consignment, CRM tools, and long-term projects involving the other members of the STDP and our mentor projects. These projects have been invaluable to me, in terms of working on my time-management skills and increasing my knowledge of AIN’s business processes. They have helped me to build skills that I will carry into my new position once I return to TMX Aerospace. Additionally my rotations are giving me a better understanding of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA as a whole company.

Lastly, during my AIN rotation I was fortunate to be invited to take part in their National Sales Meetings and President’s club Awards Banquet where AIN team members are honored for achievements over the past year. It was an amazing experience. I attended Branch Manager meetings where I got to see some of the metrics that are used to gauge AIN Plastics performance each year. From there we all attended breakout sessions where we brainstormed idea’s to save money and increase revenue. I learned a lot from spending time with people who have been with AIN Plastics and in the plastics industry in general for many years. The rest of the time at the National Sales Meeting was spent with representatives from some of our suppliers and then we had the presentations for The President’s Club Awards. I really enjoyed my time at the National Sales Meetings. It was a time where I formed some great relationships with various AIN employees that I know will last into my future years with ThyssenKrupp. (See more about the AIN Plastics NSM and President’s Club Awards)

My time with AIN Plastics has been a wonderfully positivel experience and I can’t say enough about the AIN Plastics team. I could really feel the family atmosphere at the different branches I visited and that is something that you do not see often at companies the size of AIN Plastics. It has been an honor to work with the AIN Plastics team and I look forward to continuing working with AIN and the rest of TKMNA.

 

Photo---Chris-PorrittChris Porritt
Sales Trainee
TKMNA Sales Talent Program

www.tkmna.com

A Little Acrylic Helps a Scout Become an Eagle Scout

AIN Plastics, a Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA. It sounds huge doesn’t it? Well, it is. ThyssenKrupp Materials NA is part of a global company that includes divisions for aerospace, elevators, materials services and much more. But there is also a local side to all of this. AIN Plastics Division has local branches throughout the U.S. and each of those branches provides materials across the U.S. but just as often, they do within their local community. Sales reps are in each area assisting customers personally, and of course these are the communities we live our lives in. Although we do projects and events that the entire company takes part in, our local branches don’t stop at that and say good enough. AIN Plastics  local branches, like many local businesses  enjoy doing events to help improve the community they are a part of. Whether it’s helping out the local school robotics team, donating time at the local food bank, or doing a roadside beautification project, you will find our branches are out getting together and doing things to make a difference in their community.

Recently I was talking with Terry Tewell, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics in Lancaster, PA about a potential new project. As we talked he also shared a project his team helped with earlier this year. Terry said it was a donation of materials, but what really struck the whole team was what it really meant to donate clear acrylic to a young Boy Scout and all that one simple act to us meant to him. Below is the letter the AIN Plastics Lancaster team received back from now Eagle Scout, Derian Erb.

Dear AIN Plastics,

On May 8th, 2013 I was awarded the Rank of Eagle Scout. I would like to personally than you for your donation of three sheets of pled- glass. Without it, my project would not have been completed. As you can see; along with your donation, it took 5 months and over 230 man hours to build and install 2 information kiosks at the Blue Rock Boat Launch along the Susquehanna River.

The purpose of my project was to build information kiosks along the Susquehanna River to assist boaters, hunters, fishermen, and bird enthusiasts in providing updated changes in the PA laws regarding the use of the river for fish and fowl in connection with the PA Fish and Boat Commission.

Because of your donation, support of Boy Scouts and a belief in me and this project, what I learned is immeasurable. This experience has taught me the full extent of how to manage a complete project plan from start to finish. Even though you do projects in High School, nothing can prepare you for the workload of this. At the time I was the Senior Patrol Leader (the highest leadership position in my Troop) and thought I knew how to lead. Boy was I wrong, my confidence, leadership and communication skills (which in my mind were good) greatly developed over the course of guidance, writing a check, writing and mailing a formal letter, soliciting donations and hosting fundraisers, project labor, and lastly; I greatly improved my ability of talking over the phone. I learned a lot throughout this project which I know helped prepare to better me in life.

 

Thank you for your support,

Sincerely Yours in Scouting,

Darian Erb, Eagle Scout – Troop 267

 

Photo---Erb-Eagle-Scout-11-13Photo---Erb-Eagle-Scout-02-11-13

It’s great to do big events. But I’m happy to be part of a company that also values the local side of life and the the things we can do in our individual communities that might make a big difference for someone in their life. Best wishes to Eagle Scout, Derian Erb. We know you have a great future ahead of you!

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

A Look at Semicon West 2013

This month I attended the Semicon West show in San Franciso, California.  Semicon is the largest industry trade show for the Computer Chip market and all who service it.

Against a backdrop of declining Personal Computer sales and a flat year in the equipment that makes the chips for the PC’s, I was eager to see if this was going to be a good show.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the industry is not so much contracting as it is instead getting ready for the next “big thing” and there were a few I’d like to highlight here.

The “Internet of Things” Emerges at Semicon West This Year

An interesting concept floating around at Semicon West this year was the emerging “Internet of Things”.  Steve Wigley, VP of Marketing at LTX-Credence, presented in a session where he discussed this topic in some detail.  In a nutshell, more and more things are connecting to the internet!  Many of these “things” communicate thru Radio Frequency (RF) and as items become RF enabled they are void of the need for wires to pass the data around. So look for fewer wires and more devices around your home and office!

Drevil_million_dollars

Yes, I’d like one trillion sensors please.

One Trillion Sensors!
The term “Trillion Sensors” was also knocked around throughout Semicon West. The term highlights the number of sensors needed to collect the data that is estimated will be computed in our world soon.
Tech giant companies including the likes of Intel are talking about putting as many as 20 billion connected devices into use in the next 5 years.  The number of chips to handle this would be huge, but the number of sensors generating the data is downright mind-boggling. From the perspective of what I do, I can certainly see that these technologies will in crease the need and use of lightweight materials such as DuPont™ Vespel®, and Quadrant Engineering’s PEEK which are currently staples in chip production equipment.

One good example of this emerging technology is your vehicle. Today your car talks to you and tells you when it’s time for a lube job, oil change, or tire rotation.  The next generation of vehicles will have additional sensors that will determine if things like the alignment of your wheels is correct and, if adjustment is needed, the sensor will handle it directly with the factory. It made me think about how technology is changing the face of customer service as well.

Connecting Us for Better Health Care?

Semicon also featured displays showing how circuits can be printed right onto our skin. These breakthroughs in technology show how circuits on skin can hold a variety of possibilities, from monitoring the bodily functions of patients without the use of so many chords and connections to machines, to immediately reporting changes in a patient that may be helpful in a recovery room setting where seconds can make a big difference in survival.

Driving much of this development will be the new “sensors” (see photo on right) designed to gather data.  Each sensor will run through a processor which will take the information and that, in turn, will drive an action like sounding an alarm at the nurse’s station for example.

Semicon West Speaker Looks at Dollars and Market Value. The Message – Mobile Devices Rule!

I have heard it said that mobile devices are now used more often to access the web than traditional computers and Semicon West offered proof of that this time around. In fact, I think I read it in an article I saw on my iPad. A speaker at Semicon noted a new milestone that occurred the week of the convention when the dollar value of semiconductor revenue from mobile devices surpassed the revenue from traditional PC and Notebook computers. So, I it certainly appears the trend toward smaller and more powerful technology will  continue its evolution in coming years and I expect we will see much more of that at next year’s Semicon West.

If you are looking at your calendar for next year. I say be sure to put Semicon West 2014 on it folks. From what I saw at Semicon 2013, the 2014 show will be the dawn of even more new and amazing technology. Attendees will never be thinking “Oh its the same old thing at Semicon West.” On the plastics front, look for more lightweight materials like Semitron MP370 to become popular in the all important test sockets which ensure chips are as perfect as possible. If you haven’t heard of Semitron MP370 yet, check out the overview on our website by clicking here

I for one am already looking forward to seeing what’s in store for next year at Semicon West 2014. Of course I’ll be on the lookout for how plastics are being utilized in this field and I’m sure there will be a good showing of that I won’t want to miss learning about. Will I see you there? If you’d like to learn more about Semicon West, keep tabs on the news for 2014 by visiting their website www.semiconwest.org

Paul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager, DuPont™ Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com
Phone: 770.362.9712

www.tkmna.com

 

AIN Plastics “Get Framed” Event

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The Gabarron Center for the Arts in Manhattan was the site for the AIN Plastics “Get Framed” event.

Gabarron Carriage House Center for the Arts in Manhattan is not the place you might typically think of to go to when you want to find out about plastics, but on June 6, 2013 this Manhattan Art Gallery hosted the unveiling of a very special piece of acrylic at the AIN Plastics “Get Framed Event.”
Evonik ACRYLITE® OP3 with UV protection in a 101 x 150 inch 1/4 inch thick sheet is the largest UV sheet manufactured in the U.S. and it is the perfect material for large pieces of art or items in need of preservation and display. The AIN team has fondly named it “The Monster Sheet.” John Colleluori, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics Yonkers stated this ACRYLITE® material is available exclusively from AIN Plastics, and it is so special that we felt it deserved a true New York Gallery unveiling. AIN Plastics will stock these sheets for easy delivery to museums, galleries and preservation specialists. AIN Plastics President, John Shepherd noted, “Our unique product offering combined with the high service requirements of this industry makes it an attractive and profitable market for AIN’s distribution model.”
Over 80 people from the New York gallery, framing, and museum industry gathered at Gabarron Carriage House Center for the Arts and enjoyed an evening of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Evonik brought in key specialists and provided educational demonstrations for guests. Werner Mashig, Evonik Product Manager for Lighting demonstrated ACRYLITE® LED material, an innovative way to illuminate art and photos with the use of ACRYLITE® LED. Using a simple channel frame with a single strip of LEDs placed at the edge of ACRYLITE® LED, images measuring up to 39″ can be uniformly illuminated. Evonik’s Bud Frega – was demonstrating the advantages of ACRYLITE® Optical mar resistant acrylic which is also chemical resistant so it can be cleaned with common household cleaners such as Windex®. Also at his table was ACRYLITE® non-glare (P99) which minimizes glare and reflection at any angle and ACRYLITE® framing grade (FF3) which is our premier acrylic glazing product guaranteed to be defect free. Evonik Adhesive specialist Andy Baumler was on hand demonstrating ACRYLITE® UV filtering (OP3) to show how ACRYLITE® provides the highest protection against damaging UV light as compared to other UV acrylics. Using a blacklight and two identical photos, the non ACRYLITE® photo was brighter indicating saturation of harmful UV rays while the ACRYLITE® side remained dark, showing a higher level of UV protection. Andy also spoke about ACRIFIX® Specialty Bonding Agents including solvent and reactive cements. In addition he was speaking about ACRIFIX® AC1010 which is a specially formulated cleaner that eliminates static charge.
John Collelouri noted the entire “Get Framed Event” was a collaboration brought about by the strategic partnership between AIN Plastics and Evonik CYRO. “We could not have created such a fantastic and successful event without the support of the entire branch staff, our marketing department and without our strategic partners at Evonik CYRO.” Antoinette Spages, Laura Torsiello and Kanika Mohal helped with finding the venue and lining up the presenters while Lisa Anderson developed marketing materials and promoted the event on our social media. Carolyn Hayduk assisted with gifts for event attendees. The entire Yonkers team dedicated themselves to delivering personal invitations created in Evonik CYRO acrylic Blue P-95 just for the event.
The evening provided an excellent opportunity for building new and stronger relationships with customers by providing education and a first hand look at the materials in use as well as the opportunity to ask questions and talk with industry professionals. It also provided a great opportunity to build a stronger relationship with an already strong strategic partner, Evonik CYRO.

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See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

To learn more about all the ACRYLITE® materials available through AIN Plastics visit the Sheet Plastics section of our website. You can also talk to someone directly by calling 877.246.7700.

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