PolyOne Corporation is a $2.6 billion global polymer services company that lives by a simple ideal: Helping customers succeed by providing them with products, services and solutions that they need, want and appreciate.
Having been ranked #1 on the Plastics News ranking of top North American compounders, PolyOne is often the preferred choice of customers who require high quality and rapid delivery of polymers, colorants, and additives.
The new ENTEK E-MAX™ 40mm twinscrew extruder, introduced at NPE 2006, is specifically designed to run small-to medium sized lots of custom formulated materials. The capability of the E-MAX™ to start-up quickly and run challenging material formulations without significant
scrap means it is ideally suited to help PolyOne meet the stringent performance and delivery demands of its customers. PolyOne purchased its first E40 machine off the floor at NPE, and according to PolyOne personnel, it has become a workhorse machine and is performing well beyond their expectations.
Filling a Void
This story begins a few years ago, when PolyOne identified the need to be able to produce smaller lots of custom color concentrates more efficiently. “We needed a high output machine that would efficiently manufacture smaller order sizes with rapid turnaround” said Dale Yarbrough, director of manufacturing for PolyOne’s Color and additives, North America. “Our customers were increasingly looking for small-to-medium sized lots, from 500 – 3,000 lbs., delivered more quickly than in past years.”
ENTEK’s new 40mm twin-screw extruder corresponded perfectly with PolyOne’s needs. “When we saw ENTEK’s new machine we believed it might be an ideal solution,” said Yarbrough. “Once we took delivery, ENTEK helped us get it up and running with superb technical service and support. Their team was and is there when we need them.”
Improving Operations
According to Curt Jamison, operations support manager, the ENTEK machine has helped Poly-One improve its operations. “The machine is performing well within our expectations,” he said, “it has helped us achieve the improvements in quality and service we needed.” The plant where the ENTEK machine is located is dedicated to fast turnarounds. “We run a lot of special color matching and special effects products and the ENTEK machine not only runs well, but since it is designed for fast changeovers, it allows us to run many different types of materials with minimal downtime.”
Yarbrough mentioned the simplicity of the ENTEK control system and the company’s swing-out die design as key features of the E40. But clearly, he feels a critical attribute of working with ENTEK is the company’s customer service. “We are currently exploring bringing in more of these machines,” he said. “ENTEK is a preferred vendor not only because of the quality of their products, but because they provide us with superior service and support.”