by Jen Hellmann | Jun 21, 2019 | Articles
Milwaukee, Wis. (September 2018) – The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council has named General Plastics Inc.(GP) a Green Professional level company within its Green Masters Program. Recognizing sustainable actions by businesses from across the state of Wisconsin, the Green Masters program works to identify businesses that have taken at least one action within each of the nine pillars of ‘sustainability’. Participants in the program (almost 200 in calendar year 2017) receive recognition for their sustainability accomplishments and develop ideas for future sustainability actions.
General Plastics has been an environmental steward for many years. Since 2010 GP has reduced their dumpster pickups by 50 percent while at the same time almost doubling production and sales. Currently they have been able to recycle or reuse 91.3 percent of their scrap and waste, diverting them from the landfill. Since 2013 General Plastics Inc. has reduced their electricity cost by 31 percent, as a percentage of production dollars. To achieve these results, they focused in multiple different areas: Improving overall equipment efficiency, former oven-zoning improvements to optimize heat profiles, and developed a compressed air leak program. With their 2016/2017 42,000sq.ft. building expansion and office upgrade General Plastics added energy efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, high efficiency windows, insulated walls, and employee training spaces. They have also reduced the overall transportation cost and distance product travels and have worked with several customers to develop reusable packaging options.
GP has strategically made the decision to aggressively grow the business in an environmentally sustainable way. This decision has also increased their growth into new business because their vision, values, and execution aligned well with the market segments and targeted customers. When GP started their environmental journey, the goal was to develop the programs in a profitable, sustainable, easily managed and monitored way. This was so the programs would be a part of the organization for the long haul. This summer (2018) General Plastics brought in a sustainability intern from UW-Madison. Matt Aronson helped to develop an annual company sustainability report, as well as many initiatives this summer. He also gathered the data required to determine our overall carbon footprint.
The Green Masters Program is an objective, points-based recognition and assessment program that enables Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and from any sector to join a group of like-minded companies that are on the road to sustainability. The program has established three levels of participation: Green Apprentice, Green Professional, and Green Master. Each year at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference, the top 20 percent of companies that applied during the calendar year are identified and recognized as the Green Masters level companies for the year.
In 2017 General Plastics won the Sustainable Business Process Award. “General Plastics has implemented creative strategies which define them as a leader in sustainability,” says Kevin Banas, Program Director of the Green Masters Program. “They’ve made going green personal in terms of their strategy. They’ve adopted environmental and social programs that benefit their community, employees, and their customers.”
General Plastics, Inc. (GP) is an ISO 9001 & 14001 certified, full service custom plastic thermoformer, fabricator, and value-added assembler, located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When Bob Porsche purchased the company in 1987, GP only had 8 full-time employees in an 11,000sq.ft. facility. Currently GP has over 80 dedicated full-time employees and is now a 93,000 sq. ft. building. GP’s mission is to lead the industry in customer connection through support, employee engagement and development, product and process improvement, leading Environment Health & Safety programs (EHS), and to be a steward within the industry and our community. GP is always investigating and investing in the newest technology to ensure that they can support any of their customers current and future needs.
GP provides high quality and cost effective turnkey solutions for Point of Purchase (POP) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) in the following markets: Bus, Rail, Truck, Marine, Office, Lavatory, Medical, Health & Wellness, Gaming, Arcade, Food & Beverage, Agricultural, Construction, and Machine Guarding. The customer base that they service is located throughout the United States and Canada.
The WI Sustainable Business Council is a network of Wisconsin businesses that are leaders in integrating principles of sustainability into business operations. The business case for sustainability (defined in terms of people, planet and profit) has never been stronger. Wisconsin businesses are playing a leadership role in not only ensuring the protection and preservation of our natural resources but in creating a vibrant and growing economy. The Council provides best-in-class sustainability resources and brings businesses together to share knowledge, experiences and tools. Find us on the web at www.wisconsinsustainability.com
by Jen Hellmann | Jun 21, 2019 | Articles
By: APICS Milwaukee Chapter
June 2019
Wednesday June 12, the APICS Milwaukee Breakfast Roundtable Group toured General Plastics, Inc. (GP). GP is an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001: 2015 certified, full-service custom plastic thermo-former located on the northside of Milwaukee.
Our tour focused on “Sustainability”. GP is certified to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard and are part of the Green Master’s Program in which they have attained “Green Professional” status.
Our host, Patrick Cain is the plant manager. He discussed with us their processes to keep their employees safe and engaged. Their sustainability program’s goal is to develop programs that are profitable, sustainable and easily managed and monitored. He shared their environmental dashboard and how they track their progress in reducing electricity, water and gas consumption as well as reducing dumpster pick-ups.
GP has developed a “Best Practice” process of recycling plastic by color coding containers by type of plastic and placing that scrap in the color-coded container. This way they can ship back to their suppliers to use in more of their raw materials and get a higher price for their recycling.
There were also many ergonomic improvements that were implemented throughout the site including a vacuum pick up so one person instead of two can move heavy equipment and materials. They have also implemented adjustable tables for better ergonomic workspaces.
Thank you, GP, for your hospitality and support of the APICS Milwaukee Chapter!
Your APICS Milwaukee Chapter, with approximately 500 members, is a non-profit association with a mission to serve Supply Chain professionals and their companies in the Milwaukee area. We recently added our Fall instructor-led certification classes for CPIM, CSCP and CLTD! Check out our website for more information on how you can advance your career today!
If you are interested in hosting a tour at your company to showcase how you are addressing today’s supply chain challenges, please contact us via our website at: http://apicsmilw.org or via email at: APICS-MILWAUKEE@APICSMILW.ORG.
by Jen Hellmann | Mar 19, 2019 | Articles
There are many thermoforming materials used in thermoplastics the most familiar are listed below.
ABS
Good general-purpose thermoforming material, very tough yet very hard and rigid, good impact and electrical. Available in gauges from .040 to .475 with several extruded textures. Comes opaque and can be provided in custom colors to match client brands.
ABS/PC
A blend or alloy of ABS and polycarbonate that thermoforms and weathers well, has good color retention, is very hard and has excellent impact.
ABS/PVC
Flame retardant, tough.
Acrylic
Outstanding weather resistance, excellent optics and electrical properties, poor impact, high gloss and deep luster. Available in standard gauges from .080 to over 1″. Available in clear, transparent and opaque colors.
Acrylic, cell cast
Excellent optics and hot strength, more expensive.
Acrylic, continuous and extrusion cast
Large volume use and best price, good optics.
Acrylic film
3 or 6 mil film for laminating, decorating, and weathering of extruded ABS.
DR acrylic
Modified acrylic with higher impact properties.
Acrylic/PVC
A blend of acrylic and PVC that is a tough, chemical-resistant material that weathers well and is flame resistant. Available in custom colors.
HDPE (high-density polyethylene)
Crystalline, very tough materials, good weather resistance with UV inhibitors, resistant to many chemicals. Available in standard gauges from .040 to .500. Available in opaque custom colors. Tough and stiff. Good low temperature. Economical.
HMWPE (high molecular weight)
Excellent environmental stress crack properties, thermoforms well, good low temperature.
HIPS (high impact polystyrene)
Good general-purpose material, rigid. Available in clear but usually opaque custom colors from .030 to .350, low cost.
PVC (vinyl)
Good general-purpose material, good abrasion and chemical resistance. Available in clear but usually opaque custom colors from .030 to .125.
TPO
A great alternative for replacement of composites and comes in several grades that have “paint” like appearance. The melt strength of PP has been modified so you can form deep drawn parts which was very difficult in the infancy of the thermoforming grades.
Expanded PVC
Stiff, light, flat, thermoformable. Available in stock colors and gauges, generally 3 and 6 mm but others are available.
PETG
Clear, higher impact than acrylic, easy to form. Available in gauges from .030 to .500.
Please let us know if you need specific information on materials listed or not listed above. We are here to help!
UV and Paint replacement
For the most part these topics may be discussed in the same conversation.
Most of our materials have high aesthetics for replacing paint and multi-layer extruded product. These materials could be ASA, acrylic or higher-grade substrate material. Multi extruded product allows accomplishing the goal in the most cost-effective method.
Some materials that require UV resistance mainly to avoid color shift rather than promote gloss and/or depth of perception – a UV package is added to the entire substrate as an additive. A good example of this would be HMWPE. This package can range in price and the number of hours (which equates to years) is what drives the cost and minimums. Typically, a 3-5-year package is normal.
Color shift of a material that is protected may range from 1-5 delta E whereas the same product, not protected, may have a shift in the range of 15-25+ delta E. These are generic statements; color, base material and time all affect these results (based on 2500 hours QUV test data). The above is meant to make a general point that the extra cost of adding protection does offer results.
Gloss retention is also an important factor when discussing color shift.
Many of the developments involving paint replacement take in QUV/color shift, gloss retention, depth of image, and scratch and mar resistance. The material suppliers continue to improve their alternatives to the premium of painting a part.
Please contact us for more information on this topic
by Jen Hellmann | Jan 23, 2019 | Articles
Upgrading to thermoforming from metal has many advantages that provide the aesthetics required in today’s market at minimal cost.
There are several benefits for converting metal to a thermoformed part. The four most important (benefits) are:
- Cost
- Weight
- Design Flexibility
- Material advantages
COST
- The more complex the geometry of the part’s design the greater the cost savings. A customer may experience a cost savings of up to 50 percent on a conversion to plastic on a complex part.
- As the part’s complexity and the production volumes increase the advantages of thermoforming grows exponentially. In a metal fabrication, investments in component ancillary tooling may be needed (stamping dies) to achieve shipment releases and cost reductions.
In-direct benefits include:
- Decrease in weight will reduce assembly cost (one assembler rather than two).
- Customer perception of an advanced product due to the flexibility of design and materials available to General Plastics.
WEIGHT
- Thermoforming resins allow engineers to obtain the properties required, while allowing designers the flexibility to achieve the aesthetics required and reduces the cost and weight of the product.
- Depending on the metal alloy, thermoformed plastics may be up to 75 percent lighter based upon specific gravity.
In-direct benefits include:
- Fuel efficiency.
- Decreased emissions.
- Decreased noise and vibration levels.
- Lower overall weight of the product.
- Logistics/freight advantages.
DESIGN FLEXIABILITY
- Ability to produce complex shapes and designs without secondary assembly steps. These same shapes manufactured in metal are expensive and may require ancillary stamping and tooling.
- Ability to form logos and warning labels as well as other branding directly into the part.
- Mating points easily designed in the part.
- Multiple finishes on the same part.
- Part Consolidation.
Indirect benefits include:
- Decreased cost.
- Decreased assembly time.
- Decreased part numbers, carrying costs and inventory.
- Increased aesthetics.
- Part consistencies and repeatability from part-to-part as well as lot-to-lot.
MATERIAL ADVANTAGES
- There are many thermoforming resins available – HIPS, ABS, PC, PE, TPO, acrylic and alloys – the correct material is matched to achieve the clients’ needed requirements and pricing.
- Materials meet flame, smoke and toxicity requirements that are required by the transit industry.
- Monolithic color eliminates painting.
- Texture availability without cost implications on sheet.
- Texture tooling for specific texture requirements.
- No corrosion.
General Plastics, Inc. is your full-service thermoforming solution with more than 30 years of experience with expertise in the following applications:
- Pressure forming (6’ x 10’)
- Vacuum forming (6’ x 10’)
- CNC & Robotic trimming
- Full assembly and sourcing
- Packaging and kitting
- Prototype and production tooling
- DFMA assistance
- Design freedom for undercuts, texture and color
To discuss your Thermoforming needs, call General Plastics, 414-727-6855; Toll Free: (888) 611-0270 or email us sales@genplas.com.
by Jen Hellmann | Dec 19, 2018 | Articles
Follow Us!