Filling The Cast

acrylic Void

It is not unusual these days to learn of yet another manufacturer choosing to close its U.S. manufacturing facilities in favor of more cost effective manufacturing options overseas. 

So when Evonik Industries announced that they would discontinue manufacturing of their cast acrylic sheet, Acrylite® GP  at their Maine facility, during the 4^th quarter of 2010, in favor of production in their European and Asian plants, it was another indication that specialty manufacturing in the United States is in need of resurrection…or at least resuscitation.

As an Acrylite® GP distributor, the news has mixed implications.  It is good news because Evonik Industries (formerly known to the market as CYRO Industries), will be increasing their stock inventories of popular cast sheet in regional distribution centers located strategically in the U.S. to feed the U.S. distributors.  It is also good news in the sense that the European and Asian products they will be stocking will be more competitive for some Acrylite® distributors vs. some other brands of cast sheet products, but only in so far as commodity type products.

The more negative implication is that the specialty sheet products that were being cast for U.S. distributors on an “as needed” basis will no longer be available in smaller quantities, or in any kind of reasonable time frame.  On average, it will take approximately 10 weeks to bring in a quantity of “non-stock” colored acrylic sheet from Europe and even longer from Asia, and the minimums required to do so will be higher than the U.S. market has been previously accustomed.  This essentially tells U.S. distributors to look somewhere else for colored, cast acrylic sheets because most of our U.S. customers want everything RIGHT NOW.

This isn’t so bad if you still need a glossy finished, colored acrylic sheet because there are still a few other options in the US for cast acrylic sheet in reasonably small quantities, and with a reasonable production time ie: Spartech/Polycast, and Acrilex Inc.

Of course the moment you want or need an acrylic material with a special finish, such as matte or textured, in a specific color, in small or “smallish” volume for a specific project, and in a lead time a US customer would find acceptable, your options have become even more limited.

If it weren’t for Acrilex’s production of Acriglas® acrylic sheet, this news from Evonik might have spelled the beginning of the end for the U.S. cast sheet market completely.  Fortunately, we are still here to fill the void left in the market.  The demise of specialty cast sheet production in the U.S. by other manufacturers does not require abandoning projects where a special acrylic sheet is required, but requires an understanding of the remaining options in the industry.  At this point, it should be reassuring to know you can still get your special color, with your required finish, for as little as 120 sq ft, and with a turn around time of 2-3 weeks.  It should also be of some comfort that the Acriglas® sheets we manufacture are made from the same acrylic monomer used by Evonik Industries and supplied to us by Evonik Industries, so even if it is not the Acrylite® GP brand product, it is still the same quality material you’d expect from Acrylite® GP. 

Finally, if it should happen that a product that was previously available in the Acrylite® GP product line is no longer obtainable, we can match that product here at Acrilex, as well as any product from any other acrylic manufacturer.

Just as “Nature abhors a vacuum”, so too does our industry.  Fortunately, at Acrilex, that vacuum does not exist.

The Forgotten Value of

Made in the USA

It’s my ongoing pet peeve, but even more, it is the threat that places US manufacturers at risk for going the way of the dinosaurs.  If you ask me my opinion of competition from China and other countries of the world, you are likely to get way more than you bargained for, and certainly an unexpected surprised from someone who would normally call himself a liberal Democrat.  Here’s the thing…Democrat or Republican, we need to remember we are Americans, first and foremost.  We have a vested interest in our own survival.

Imagine you are in a department store, I don’t care which one, they all have what I am about to propose in common.  You look around and see a store full of merchandise, on racks, in shelves, with sale signs, and nice displays.  There are great values to be had all around you.

Next, imagine all the merchandise that was produced in China is removed from the picture.  Continue to remove the products produced in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Mexico, and then any other country in Asia, South America, or Central America.  How much merchandise is left around you? 

But products aren't the only things in the store that are produced overseas.  Many of the racks and fixtures are as well.  Remove these too. What is left now?  If all you were to see in your field of vision were products manufactured in the USA, you’d quickly realize you were in a big empty box with some oddball inventory on a few scattered fixtures.  Of course, the sheetrock on the walls might also have been manufactured overseas. Take that down too.  The electrical outlets that weren't made here...take them out as well, and don't forget to remove the Point of Sale (POS) systems.

Now if you ask “Where have all our jobs gone?” you will have no trouble answering your own question.  If the bare bones of the store you are now standing in were representative of our economy, you'd have a good picture of where we stand today.

Have you ever heard of a product made by an "American" company, Mattel, called “The American Girl” doll?  It is a very high priced premium doll, marketed to a high end customer base and presented as the idealization of what it means to be an "American Girl".  They sell these dolls at an average price of $90 each.  Fairly pricey for fabric and plastic doll, but hey...if it's made here, you can justify it. You’d expect it to be made here because of the values it evokes, however it’s made in China.  In fact virtually everything manufactured for this “American” company is produced in plants they set up everywhere else in the world besides the USA. 

So I wrote to Mattel and asked them how they could market this product as an "All American" ideal, yet manufacture it at factories outside of US, and they responded with; "We cannot afford to manufacture a product like this here because it is not cost effective, and the manufacturing facilities to produce such a product no longer exist here".  It seems that at $90 a pop, there is a phenomenal profit margin on these dolls.  You mean to tell me we can't make a comparable doll here, at a price that would still allow American Girl to sell their dolls for $90, and still make a terrific profit?  Maybe, but from Mattel's perspective, I'm sure they like making even more money the way they do things now.  So should their stockholders.  Somebody is making a lot of money...just not anyone in the US labor force.

Maybe I'm picking on Mattel unfairly, but I recently purchased one of those dolls for my girlfriend's daughter and boy do I feel ripped off!

And if you look at the label on the American flag you may hang from your deck or flagpole to show your patriotism on Memorial Day, you will find it says “Made in China” or "Hecho en Mexico", or wherever…probably not "Made In USA".  It makes me sad, and a bit angry too.

The proponents of free trade will blame US environmental regulations, taxes, labor unions, Social Security, Medicare, Disability Insurance, Unemployment coverage, medical and dental coverage, and pension plans, and consumer advocacy groups as being the onerous reasons for the demise of the American manufacturers, and the reason we can buy cheap products from outside the US is because those countries don’t care about those things.

Think about that!  Really think about that!  It’s not that the reasoning is completely wrong, in fact, there is much truth in much of these explanations, but aren’t all the things we blame as the reason for our manufacturing demise precisely the reasons why WE SHOULD BUY AMERICAN?

We want “Green” products to protect our resources and our planet, just not the regulations to make that happen. 

We need taxes to support our infrastructure, military, social programs, etc and for repayment of loans from foreign countries, we just don’t want to pay them.  

Labor Unions, were designed to represent the American Worker and prevent exploitation; isn’t exploitation exactly what we are engaged in overseas? 

Social Security was created to help support our elderly population in the years beyond their ability to earn incomes, yet we don’t want to pay into a system we are being told won’t be there to help us when we need it.  Could it be, one of the contributing causes of the inability of Social Security to sustain itself is the loss of the American workforce to contribute to it?

Of course other benefits of being an American Worker are the protections we receive  from Unemployment insurance, Medicare, Disability, medical care, and still in many cases pension plans paid for by American manufacturers, American Workers and ultimately American Consumers.

American manufacturers have implied or written warranties and are subject to consumer protection laws.  Consumers have real recourse with US manufacturers, and US manufacturers are expected to comply with regulatory agencies, and have more accountability in regard to the protection of the general public and our environment.

Most importantly is the ability of the American company to innovate, create solutions, and deliver within our country in a timely fashion.  Our companies create the quality by which others are expected to perform.  American manufacturers still bend over backwards to provide affordable products that can be delivered quickly with the highest quality, and back up their claims with customer support, and exemplary service.

Finally, the American worker is the core of our economy, our tax base, our future social security benefits, our safety and well being as individuals and a nation.  If we lose our manufacturing base in this country, we may very well be jeopardizing our futures, and our children’s futures.

When we invest in our own products, we invest in ourselves.  For the present, and the future, it behooves us to remember, the only way to insure our own security, is to continue to support American Manufacturing.

Perhaps you've seen it...the section on our website called "Eco-Awareness"?  In essence, it is our interpretation of what it means for Acrilex to be a "Green" or greener supplier of plastics.

If you're like me, you might be a little confused about what it means to be green, and I'm one of the people involved in the actual "greening" of our company.  So if I'm confused, what hope is there for everyone out there?  On second thought, it's not such a challenge to confuse me. 

In our Eco-Awareness section, we talk about the energy-saving methods in place at our factory, and recycling initiatives for our waste products. Now with the introduction of our Acriglas Minerals series and Ecoglas Environmental Acrylic sheets, we also have several product offerings which take advantage of the ability to incorporate post-industrial scrap materials into our decorative acrylic sheets.  I feel satisfied that we have joined the ranks of responsible companies in the green-stream.  But is that what it means to be Green?

I've been asked, "Is Acriglas bio-degradable?"  The answer is no.  I've also been asked, "Is Acriglas recyclable?", and the answer to that question is yes...but by processors overseas who recycle post industrial acrylic scrap. This raises the shipping issue, which gets into "carbon footprint".  These are the questions asked in regard to the products we manufacture, the other questions are related to the products we distribute.  Suddenly, where our suppliers are located in geographic distance from our warehouses, and whether a bio-plastic product like Natureworks PLA needs to ship in a refrigerated truck and be stored in a temperature-controlled warehouse become "issues" for discussion in the world of Green.  Whether a product has 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent or more recycled content is now relevent, but what answer is the right answer to be Green enough?

My head starts to spin, from the marketing pitches that tout the environmental advantages of particular products, and the backlash from manufacturers who are quick to point out that their competitors "Green products" don't fit nicely in the Green world because they aren't this, that, or the other thing.

Is 'Greenguard" or "Leeds" certification the best way to determine whether or not something is Green??  Maybe in our rush to save the planet, we have completely lost the real meaning of environmental responsibility, and Green manufacturing.  Products are submitted for certification (a process that a manufacturer has to be willing to pay for, and the certification is the marketing tool to be purchased), and often times it is only the information relevant for achieving a "Green" stamp of approval that is volunteered.  The arguments against the benefit of a particular product are often left ignored, or even squashed.  So can a certification really be trusted?  Should specifiers just use products that have a certification to cover their behinds on the issue, even if the designations lack real teeth?

I don't know...I may be a cynic, but it doesn't mean I'm wrong.  Personally, I really believe the Green Movement has lost it's way, and is busy being distracted by the over-selling of virtually everything as environmentally responsible.  So now there are "Green Police", who decide whether a product is really green, or just said to be green.  If you make the claim to be environmentally responsible, you better be able to back it up...or at least have really, really good green marketing tools to make it look that way, or the "Green Police" will bust you.

So again I ask you...what does Green mean?  I want your opinions!  Is it:

a) Reduced carbon footprint in manufacturing?  

b) Close proximity from production to end-user?  

c) Products manufactured with whatever percentage of recycled content is deemed green enough?  

d) Products which are recycleable?  

e) Products which are bio-degradable?  

f) Products which are blessed with a "Greenguard" seal of approval?  

g) Products made from bio resources rather than petroleum?  

h) Products made from other "renewable" resources?

i) Non-green products which are made by companies that use green principles of manufacturing like wind, solar, etc.?

My last question to you all is ... does affordability factor into this equation?  Is the world really ready to pay the higher prices associated with "Green products" and "Green technologies"?  As an environmentalist, I really hope so, but as a pragmatist, the lagging sales of the products bearing the eco-friendly banners, and lack-luster response from customers when they hear the price tags for the new designer greens, suggests not.  It seems to me one of the benefits of a good economy is also the ability to take the righteous path, or moral high ground, but when times are tough and competition is fierce, paying more green to be Green is not such a priority.

Welcome everyone, to the new Acrilex blog!  I'm Dr. Dan (you can just call me Dan), and I'm really glad to have this opportunity to get to know you all!

Many of you are experienced bloggers who love to read the words of the wisest people out there and make wise comments of your own. I do not claim to be one of those wise men, nor am I a very experienced blogger.  What I am however, is very eager to open a dialogue with you, and so I'm hoping you'll respond with comments, interesting links, and feedback that not only work for me, but work for the other like-minded bloggers who are interested in the same topics we discuss here.

Now, I'm not 100% sure what direction our blog will head in or what the subject matter will always be, however I see this as an opportunity for us to interact in ways our website alone won't allow.   I'm hoping that the experience this blog allows is one where we have direct interaction, similar to the day to day business we do with all our clients, vendors, and industry experts.

 If you already do business with Acrilex, then what you probably already have learned is that we do our best to make our customers feel like we really do understand their needs. We also deliver the best service based on those needs.

We KNOW you! If we don't, we want to!  After 40 years in this business, we've developed close business and personal relationships, and hopefully this blog will provide another avenue for us to talk, get to know each other, and figure out together how we can really forge long lasting relationships.  If we haven't yet met, let's talk!!!  We LOVE to talk!

 So please, tell us what's on your mind...what do you want to know about (within the world of plastics that we are qualified to discuss)?   

Did you use our custom acrylic materials for a really cool application you want to show off??  If so, post it here!  We want to show it off for you too!

Did we do some acrylic or plastic fabrication for you and now you want to praise us??  Praise it good, I promise not to delete those comments or posts! :) Do you want to offer some constructive criticism?  As long as it's constructive, I want to hear about that too, and maybe you'll even want to respond to a comment someone else has made (I hope).

Do you want to learn about cool new products, trends, applications of our products, or would you like to teach us and our audience about cool new products, trends and applications of our products? 

Whatever is on your mind, I look forward to taking it wherever it leads us.  In the meantime, I'll try to offer topics of interest on new plastic materials from our suppliers, fabrication services we offer, and other stuff you might like to hear about.

Till then... 

Happy reading!

Dr. Dan 

I love Acrilex.