The challenge was to deliver a lighter, polymeric replacement that would lower overall finished part costs yet retain reliable performance in rigorous-use environments. Nearly 40 percent lighter than the cast aluminum it would replace, the long fiber material also added the benefit of injection molding for faster, single-step production to drive down costs. This eliminated secondary painting and finishing, offering further cost savings.

Developed to meet the growing luxury packaging industry needs for a cost-effective alternative to metal, the portfolio expansion includes 15 grades suitable for electroplating and physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. The combination of our density modified technology with metal plating allows customers to have more design freedom and elevate the sensory experience while also saving time and cost.”  Injection-moldable Gravi-Tech can help designers achieve the evenly distributed weight, complex designs, and visual surface effects of metal without the extra costs and steps associated with die cast mold tooling or secondary assembly operations.

Omnicolor™ Multipurpose Colorants delivered short lead time and cost effective solution for small cable reel Concentrates for electrical and electronic applications that allow fast, cost-efficient project management  Read how a manufacturer cut heat sink costs and improved agility for LED lighting assemblies by replacing aluminum with Therma-Tech™ thermally conductive polymers

Omnicolor™ Multipurpose Colorants delivered short lead time and cost effective solution for small cable reel Concentrates for electrical and electronic applications that allow fast, cost-efficient project management  Read how a manufacturer cut heat sink costs and improved agility for LED lighting assemblies by replacing aluminum with Therma-Tech™ thermally conductive polymers

Manufacturing Efficiency: Pultrusion is a continuous process that provides benefits over alternative composite manufacturing methods such as high volume output, lower costs, and faster lead times.  Higher manufacturing component cost: The molds and dies used in pultrusion can be expensive. Cost requirements: What is the budget for the application?

Manufacturing Efficiency: Pultrusion is a continuous process that provides benefits over alternative composite manufacturing methods such as high volume output, lower costs, and faster lead times.  Higher manufacturing component cost: The molds and dies used in pultrusion can be expensive. Cost requirements: What is the budget for the application?

Manufacturing Efficiency: Pultrusion is a continuous process that provides benefits over alternative composite manufacturing methods such as high volume output, lower costs, and faster lead times.  Higher manufacturing component cost: The molds and dies used in pultrusion can be expensive. Cost requirements: What is the budget for the application?

Manufacturing Efficiency: Pultrusion is a continuous process that provides benefits over alternative composite manufacturing methods such as high volume output, lower costs, and faster lead times.  Higher manufacturing component cost: The molds and dies used in pultrusion can be expensive. Cost requirements: What is the budget for the application?

The company expects to incur cash costs of approximately $5 million associated with these actions and non-cash charges of $12 million primarily associated with accelerated depreciation and asset impairments. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the effect on foreign operations of currency fluctuations, tariffs, and other political, economic and regulatory risks; changes in polymer consumption growth rates where the Company conducts business; changes in global industry capacity or in the rate at which anticipated changes in industry capacity come online; fluctuations in raw material prices, quality and supply and in energy prices and supply; production outages or material costs associated with scheduled or unscheduled maintenance programs; unanticipated developments that could occur with respect to contingencies such as litigation and environmental matters, including any developments that would require any increase in the Company’s costs and/or reserves for such contingencies; an inability to achieve or delays in achieving or achievement of less than the anticipated financial benefit from initiatives related to working capital reductions, cost reductions, and employee productivity goals; an inability to raise or sustain prices for products or services; an inability to maintain appropriate relations with unions and employees; the speed and extent of an economic recovery, including the recovery of the housing markets; the financial condition of the Company’s customers, including the ability of customers (especially those that may be highly leveraged and those with inadequate liquidity) to maintain their credit availability; disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit markets that may limit the Company’s access to capital; other factors affecting the Company’s business beyond the Company’s control, including, without limitation, changes in the general economy, changes in interest rates and changes in the rate of inflation; the Company’s ability to realize anticipated savings and operational benefits from the realignment of assets, including the planned closure of certain manufacturing facilities; the timing of closings and shifts of production to new facilities related to asset realignments and any unforeseen disruptions of service or quality caused by such closings and/or production shifts; the timing of the recognition of the charges that will be incurred; separation and severance amounts and plant exit costs that differ from original estimates; amounts for non-cash charges related to asset write-offs, asset impairments, and accelerated depreciation realignments of property, plant and equipment, that differ from original estimates; the Company’s ability to identify and evaluate acquisition targets and consummate acquisitions; the ability to successfully integrate acquired companies into the Company’s operations, retain the management teams of acquired companies, and retain relationships with customers of acquired companies, including, without limitation, Spartech Corporation; and other factors described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 under Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”

The initial costs of using sustainable raw materials may be more expensive than traditional materials. While there are economic challenges during growing demand, the long-term environmental benefits of sustainable materials can far outweigh the cost.  Using sustainable raw materials may cost more, but the overall benefits to your company and customers can help offset the cost difference.