ENTEK Extruders enjoyed record growth in 2010, as the company experienced a bounce-back in sales after the global recession of 2008-2009. This growth has continued into 2011 and the company has increased its workforce by 40% since March 2010 to keep up with demand. Sales of the company’s twin-screw extruders to wood-plastic composites (WPC) producers have improved but not dramatically, according to John Effmann, ENTEK’s Director of Sales and Marketing.
“The WPC market suffered greatly from the recession,” he said. “The housing market was stagnant, which affected the demand for WPC decking and other building products.” “The good news is the housing market for remodeling/additions is improving, and we have seen an uptick in business in this market over the past year.” ENTEK is selling twin-screw extruders for WPC applications globally, and there has been increased activity in the ASEAN countries. In North America, ENTEK continues to supply WPC industry leaders like Fiberon with high-output machinery for WPC decking. In this highly competitive market Fiberon continues to develop new products that are being produced with ENTEK machinery which include lighter-weight boards, grooved edges for hidden fastening systems, and new durable colors. ENTEK’s most popular machine for WPC applications is the high-output 103mm E-MAX co-rotating twin-screw extruder, which features throughputs of 3,000-4,000 lbs/hr (1,350-1,800 kg/hr), based upon the composite formula. Besides machines, ENTEK also offers complete turnkey manufacturing systems for WPC’s. These inclusive systems include a wide range of co-rotating twin-screw extruders that are specifically engineered and optimized for production of these materials. In addition to offering its twin-screw extruders, ENTEK also can provide all auxiliary equipment, start-up and engineering support for complete WPC production lines. Equipment offered includes: -loss-in-weight feeders -melt pumps -dies -cooling tanks -cutting saws -surface molding -process control systems ENTEK also offers complete turnkey solutions for entire processing plants.