Cortec® Corporation plans a major 2017 expansion programme at its Cambridge, Minnesota, film extrusion facility, one of the largest film extrusion plants in Midwest North America, and the largest VpCI® film extrusion plant in the world.
Cortec® Advanced Films (CAF) manufactures recyclable Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibiting films, which are used across the globe to protect metal parts and equipment from corrosion during storage and shipping. The plant is now looking at major expansions and improvements for the coming year. An especially exciting development will be the addition of a plastics recycling complex for CAF’s growing recycling program, a cutting edge North American initiative with exciting economic and environmental benefits.
Recycling is nothing new at CAF, where recycling and reprocessing of film scrap has been going on for decades. With the installation of state-of-the-art reprocessing equipment, CAF ramped up its capabilities when it moved reprocessing in house. CAF incorporates the “repro” back into the virgin film at up to 20 percent, a level at which CAF can ensure quality of the new product. “Almost nothing goes in the garbage, ever,” Tim Bliss, CAF Production Manager, said of the scrap and recycled material. “Now, we’ve started a new project where our customers take their wastes, and they send them back to us, and we’re going to recycle them.”me
In March 2017, CAF officially launched its new customer recycling partnership program by beginning to reprocess 12,000 pounds of used VpCI® plastic film that had been baled and sent from a major heavy industry manufacturer. Bliss commented, “It’s just going to be getting something back that we’d normally never have gotten back—that would’ve gotten thrown in the garbage… At the very least, we’re being conscious of the earth that we’re not throwing away that much stuff.”
The recycling program is a win-win-win situation for customers, Cortec®, and the environment. On the customer side, many suppliers or manufacturers use Cortec® VpCI® films to protect components from corrosion. The customer who removes or offcuts the film must decide what to do with the used plastic, which often ends up in the landfill. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for disposal, the customer can now send the used VpCI® bags to Cortec®, who pays shipping and gives customer credit in exchange for the benefit of having an additional source of repro. Environmental responsibility and reduction of carbon footprint are added benefits for both parties. Depending on the customer’s production load, which influences the amount of film used, Cortec® estimates that it will be saving its first recycling partner $10,000-$20,000 per year, and reclaiming potentially 50,000 pounds or more of plastic. Cortec® has other companies waiting in the wings to start this recycling partnership and is looking forward to building many positive long-term customer relationships with them. Boris Miksic, founder and CEO of Cortec® Corporation, summed up the program by commenting that it will “offer great economic benefits, improved carbon footprint, and new jobs!”
In addition to building new warehouse space for its repro program and other operations, CAF will be adding office space and improving common use facilities for the benefit of its employees. The new office building will host a Training Center for employee and customer conferences and will make a positive visual impact on the city with its refreshed architecture.
CAF will also be seeking to increase production this year by modernizing Line #21, CAF’s largest extrusion line. A new die and air ring will allow greater productivity and better control over film thickness, while a new state-of-the-art winder with automatic roll to roll transfer will increase employee safety. Other improvements will follow as CAF strives to increase the efficiency of this important line.
Cortec® looks forward to the many benefits its expansion will bring to customers, the community, and Cortec® itself. By staying mindful of the environment while improving efficiency and employee wellbeing, Cortec® Advanced Films is making important advances and demonstrating its continued leadership in the VpCI® film market.
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