TPi July 2016

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business & market news
26 Tube Products International July 2016
Interstate Plastics receives
environmental excellence award
The International Association of
Plastics Distribution (IAPD) presented
Interstate Plastics with a bronze award
in Environmental Excellence at the 59th
Annual IAPD Convention in San Diego,
California, USA. The Environmental
Excellence Award was established
in 2008 to celebrate environmentally
conscious IAPD member organisations.
Interstate Plastics was one of seven
companies to receive the 2015 award,
rated on excellence in recycling,
conservation, community awareness
and employee engagement.
In an announcement regarding the award
presentation, IAPD CEO Susan Avery
said, “IAPD is proud to honour these
seven companies with the Environmental
Excellence Award. Life cycle analyses
show that plastics are often the most
environmentally friendly material to use
for applications, and as shown in the
examples from these companies, the
manufacturing of those plastics can
also be done in an environmentally
responsible manner.”
The recognition of Interstate Plastics
followed a company-wide recycling
effort, started in 2014, that includes
recycling scraps, run-off and remnant
material. The company’s safety and
quality manager, Rich McDevitt, who
has spearheaded its green initiatives,
emphasised that “it is important that
we recycle and reuse all materials,
not just plastics. Although sometimes
challenging to implement in large
settings, recycling is very rewarding.”
In addition to the IAPD Environmental
Excellence Award, Interstate Plastics
has joined the IAPD GreenScene™
programme, which honours all
member companies that engage in
environmentally conscious practices.
Interstate Plastics is a full-line distributor
of plastic sheet, rod, tube, bar, film and
profiles, as well as plastic accessories,
tools and care products. With ten US
locations and an online support team,
the company provides simple and
complex CNC manufacturing.
Interstate Plastics – USA
Superior Tube receives Nadcap
accreditation for heat treating
Superior Tube, a US-based specialist in
precision tubing for critical applications,
has been awarded Nadcap accreditation
for heat treating.
Bill Keohane, Superior Tube’s director of
quality and new product development,
commented, “We have had Nadcap
accreditation for our non-destructive
testing programme for many years and
also for our quality system, but this
is the first time we have gained the
accreditation for our heat treatment
processes. This will certainly open up
new business opportunities for us and
provide our existing customers with
even greater assurance about the
strength of our commitment to quality in
everything we do.”
Superior Tube, together with its sister
company, UK-based Fine Tubes, is part
of Ametek Specialty Metal Products.
The two companies have extensive
experience working with a range of
materials, from stainless steels to exotic
nickel and titanium alloys.
Nadcap, created in 1990 by SAE Inc,
is administered by the not-for-profit
Performance Review Institute (PRI), a
global provider of customer-focused
solutions designed to improve process
and product quality by adding value,
reducing total cost and promoting
collaboration among stakeholders in
industries in which safety and quality
are shared goals.
PRI executive vice president and
chief operating officer Joe Pinto said,
“Congratulations to Superior Tube on
successfully passing what may be the
aerospace industry’s most stringent
process capability assessment audit.
Nadcap audit criteria are widely
acknowledged to be hard to meet, and
companies, like Superior Tube, who
succeed at doing so, rightfully deserve
recognition.”
Brian Mercer, director, sales and
marketing for both Superior Tube
and Fine Tubes, commented, “This
can only help to strengthen the offer
that our US/UK partnership can make
to the aerospace industry. With two
similarly experienced and accredited
manufacturing facilities offering equally
advanced processes, we are effectively
able to dual-source any customer’s
requirements.”
Superior Tube – USA
San Diego,
California