Plastic Fabrication Company: Trends and Manufacturers in the Context of Quality Control Policies

The plastic sector is one of the most dynamic and competitive industries. The challenge before a sudden changing world is to learn new behaviors, flow with the difficulties, and understand the opportunities for improvement.  

One of the most relevant topics is the quality and compliance factor, and production decisions for creating strategies to improve the sector.

Any plastic fabrication company that complies with quality control policies can guarantee that its products or services meet minimum quality and safety standards to meet customer or user expectations.

The advantages are not only for the producer but for all industries involved. Many of these benefits include [1]:

• Sets product and service quality & health requirements.
• Simplifies Investment Planning.
• Facilitates the commercialization and sale of goods. 
• Facilitates comparison between different offers.
• Aids for economic development.
• Drives competitiveness.
• Brings in a common technical language.

According to ISO, standardization is the activity that aims to create provisions for popular and repeated uses in the face of actual or potential problems, to achieve an optimum level.

But what does it involve? Well, let's go back to the basics.

How’s the Production Process at a Plastic Fabrication Company?

In an oil refinery, plastics begin with a distillation process that involves separating the oil into lighter groups called fractions. Polymerization and polycondensation are the two most common methods used to produce plastics. The plastics are divided into two major polymer families [2]:

- Thermoplastics (they soften with heat and harden with cooling)

- Thermostables (once molded, they never soften).

You can learn more about plastic fabrication processes in our article 
about Plastic injection molding.

Plastic Fabrication Stages

In a very general way, the production stages are divided as follows [3]:

• Mold Production 

 Mold size, core, and complexity (DME standards).

• Mass Production

 Short-run production

 High volume development with robotics

• Post-Treatment

 Printing, electroplating, welding, assembly, and packaging.

• Quality Check

 Dimensional check as well as material composition to check to meet REACH, ROHS, FDA standards.

Do you want to learn more about these processes? 
Please, read our article about Plastic product design.

Global Quality Control Policies

ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

As we stated earlier, an ISO standard is the worldwide quality management policy that a plastic manufacturing company adopts. ISO is an autonomous, non-governmental body with 165 national standards bodies as members.

You can check a comprehensive list of these standards 
at ISO for Plastics in General. [4]

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals)

REACH seeks to improve the protection of human health and the environment by recognizing the intrinsic properties of chemical compounds better and earlier. It came into force on 1 June 2007 (EC1907/2006) and directly affected all plastics supply chain members, including manufacturers of chemicals, plastics suppliers, plastics converters, and retail businesses. [5]

ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)

RoHS Directive 2011 (2011/65 / EC) restricts the use of hazardous materials in the production of electrical and electronic equipment sold within the European Union. Materials restricted by RoHS Directive include lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium heavy metals. [6]

An international standard is issued by a universal standardization body or  organization related to the subject matter, recognized by the Mexican government under the terms of international law [1].

FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

FDA was created to set standards for the safe production and storage of food, beverages, and drugs. Plastic must be compliant with the type of food with which it will be in contact and not leach any chemicals. [7]

The successful manufacture of a plastic product takes a lot of planning, if you are considering a project, our article Retail marketing can help you.

Top 5 Largest Plastic Fabrication Companies in The World

Now, who are the world's largest plastic producers in 2020? The following is a list of the world's largest plastic manufacturing companies according to their sales, assets, and brand value. [8]

Dow Chemical Company

Dow is a chemical corporation based in Midland, Michigan, United States. Dow produces plastics, additives, and farm products and operates in more than 160 countries. In 2018, Dow generated revenues of USD 60.278 billion, making it the leader in incomes among the world's top 10 largest plastic manufacturing firms.

LyondellBasell

The company currently has headquarters in Houston, Texas, and operations globally in London, UK, and is the largest polyethylene and polypropylene technology licensor. Last year, LyondellBasell reported sales of USD 34,484 billion.

Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil is one of the largest sales firms globally, outside of just the plastic goods sector. In 2018, Exxon Mobil generated revenues of USD 279.3 billion, most of which, of course, was outside the plastics sector.

SABIC

SABIC is a Saudi plastics producer involved in the petrochemicals, cosmetics, synthetic polymers, fertilizers, and metals industries. In 2017, SABIC reported sales of USD 39.8 billion.

INEOS

INEOS is a privately-owned company based in the UK and headquartered in London, UK. INEOS is involved in more than just the plastics industry; INEOS supplies products to many markets, including fuel and lubricants (23.3 percent), packaging and food (18.5 percent), and construction (16.1 percent). In 2019, INEOS' revenue amounted to USD 85 billion. [8]

Quality Control Policies in Mexico

According to the Ministry of Economy's General Directorate of Standards to comply with the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, international standards will be used as a guide for the elaboration or modification of Mexican standards. [1] These are the ISO standards for the plastics industry.

In Mexico, standardization is mandatory in the Official Mexican Standards (NOM), prepared by Federal Government Agencies and Mexican Standards (NMX) of a primarily voluntary nature, promoted by the Ministry of Economy and the private sector, through the National Organizations for Standardization.

The voluntary requirements which the plastics industry and its products are to follow are those with the designation NMX-E. 

ANIPAC is a member of the national plastic and chemical industry standardization technical committees (COTENNIP, COTENNIQ) [1].

It participates in the development, modification or cancelation of the Draft Projects, Projects, and Mexican Standards. ANIPAC also contributes to the integration and compliance with and supplementation of the National Standardization Programme.

Conformity Assessment in Plastic Fabrication Companies

The Conformity Assessment process is undertaken to demonstrate that the product complies with the norm which governs it. The benefits of having a norm approval are:

• Demonstrating that the product, process or service complies with a standard or specification.
• Competitive advantage.
• Greater possibility of entering other markets.
• Generates greater confidence in materials and product performance. [1]

You can check a comprehensive list of these standards at
 NMX-E Standards for Plastics and its products.

You can contact us if you’re looking for toy manufacturers in compliance with Mexican quality control policies, we’ll be happy to help.

Context of Plastic Manufacturers in Mexico

Over the past decade, Mexico's plastic manufacturing industry has increased its exports by an average rate of 13%, bringing in over USD $20 Billion a year. [9]

The plastic processing is primarily used for the manufacture of packaging materials and molding structures. Additionally, plastic goods are the key contact point for supplier ties with the aerospace, automotive, and appliance industries.

Jalisco, Querétaro, Mexico City, Nuevo León, Puebla, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí are the top locations for the more than 4,000 plastics manufacturing companies throughout Mexico. [9]

The advancement of 3D printing (including medical devices, automotive, and aerospace) has had a significant and positive impact on Mexico's plastics production. [9]

Are you looking for help with your Promotional products? Please contact us.

Martin’s Plastics: A Successful Plastic Fabrication Company

Since we started in 1984, we make sure that brands deliver real value to their customers through our products, from toys and promotional articles to home utensils.

We trust in our wide offer of manufacturing and transformation processes that begin with design and product development, package design and manufacture, storage, and international distribution, with our most important markets in mind, America and Europe.

We believe that creativity and innovation are the core ideals that foster development in every company.

Our products are made under the highest international standards for quality, which allows us to work under brands of all sizes. [10] We also have the ISO 9000 certification, which is important for quality systems. 

If you’re looking for a professional that fulfills your requirements, do not hesitate to contact us.

The global plastics market size is projected to reach USD 754.3 billion by 2027 and rise over the forecast period at a CAGR of 3.5 percent [8].

If you’re interested in manufacturing in Mexico, please check our article:
 Manufacturing in Mexico and its benefits.

Trends of Quality Manufacturing

These are the five industry trends to improve plastic manufacture quality/reliability, consistency, and speed to market. [11]

1. Sustainability: The first pledge is to take on more environmental responsibilities by partnering with manufacturers committed to low- or zero-waste projects and using recycled products to support the circular economy. 

2. Bioresins: Bioresins are gaining popularity as alternatives because they are based on natural extracts of plants and vegetables or renewable resources that lead to healthier processing, energy-efficient production, and reduced toxic emissions.

Since its natural brown color makes it perfectly pigmentable, Martin’s work with polyagave. It also has FDA approval because it is free of heavy metals and BPA.

3. Reinforced Plastics: The expected size of the global demand for reinforced plastics was estimated at approximately $16 billion at the end of 2019. 

Carbon, glass, rubber, and graphite-reinforced plastics are most commonly embraced as replacements for metal parts by the automotive industry.

4. 3D Printing: Although 3D printing is not, in some cases, a feasible alternative to injection molding, advances in technology lead to some fantastic results with direct benefits for some OEMs including:

• Less time required to produce a part use 3D printing

• More effective manufacturing molds reducing cycle times without losing component quality

• Prototyping without making production impediments

5. Automation and Industry 4.0: Automation meets the demand from the plastics industry for simplification of processes and cost savings. Industry 4.0's emergence provides prime prospects for more convergence of robotic technology and computer controls to:

• Make cycles faster, make maintenance easier, and simplify the programming.

• Use automated cells integrated next to the press, with multiple downstream operations.

• Replace conventional pneumatics with "collaborative" robotic programs for quicker, more accurate on-line programming. 

Plexiglass: The Great Opportunity for a Plastic Fabrication Company

As businesses look to re-open in this new world of social distance, transparent partitions will soon become as ubiquitous as trash bins. It seems there's nowhere plexiglass isn't going to be.

All of this rising demand for transparent shields means that the industry of humdrum plexiglass has suddenly become a hot market. "From this time last year, we are up over 200 percent [in sales]," says Russ Miller, TAP Plastics' president [12].

Manufacturers turned to Plaskolite, the nation's biggest thermoplastic sheet maker, the glass-like material used to make face shields.

Plaskolite was founded in 1950 and is the pioneer in the approximately $4 billion acrylic sheet industry known as plexiglass. The company made sales valued at $650 million last year. [13]

Plexiglass demand will continue to grow, as it is being used in increasingly unusual ways. Some scientists have started arguing that critical staff should wear face shields in plexiglass instead of face masks in cloth [12].

We invite you to learn our approach to COVID pandemic in
Plastic manufacturers 2020: challenges and solutions in the post-pandemic world.

Being aware of production trends and following quality control policies promotes the coordination and simplification of projects and their success and proper functioning. Due to this effectiveness, more and more companies are adopting the corresponding standards. If you need professional advice about the most successful trends and how to implement quality standards, do not hesitate to contact us.

REFERENCES:

[1] ANIPAC. Normalización (in Spanish). Asociación Nacional de Industrias del Plástico A.C. (ANIPAC), 2018. Accessed Aug 2, 2020.

[2] Avant. Especificaciones de plásticos (in Spanish). Avant Blog, 2020. Accessed Aug 2, 2020.

[3] China plastic-molding. Manufacturing. China plastic-molding, 2020. Accessed Aug 1, 2020.

[4] ISO. ISO 25337:2010 Plastics — Production quality control — Statistical method for using single measurements. ISO, 2020. Accessed Aug 4, 2020.

[5] Plastics Europe. REACH.  Plastics Europe Blog, 2020. Accessed Aug 5, 2020.

[6] RTP. Rohs Directive Compliance. RTP Company, 2020. Accessed Aug 5, 2020.

[7] A&C. What are FDA Approved Plastics for Food Contact? A&C Plastics Inc. Accessed Aug 5, 2020.

[8] BizVibe. Top 10 Largest Plastic Manufacturing Companies in the World 2020, Plastic Products Industry Factsheet. BizVibe Blog, 2020. Accessed Aug 1, 2020.

[9] Tetakawi. Plastics Manufacturing in Mexico. Tetakawi Blog, 2019. Accessed Aug 3, 2020.

[10] Martin’s. About Us.Martin’s Plastics Blog, 2019. Accessed Aug 10, 2020.

[11] Ben Harrison. 6 Plastics Industry Trends Predicted to Impact Manufacturers in 2020. Kaysun  Blog, 2020. Accessed Aug 4, 2020.

[12] Amelia Tait. Plexiglass Is Having a Moment. Medium, 2020. Accessed Aug 1, 2020.

[13] Jonathan Ponciano. The Market For Plexiglass Is Booming–And The Nation's Largest Manufacturer Says It's Here To Stay. Forbes, 2020. Accessed Aug 3, 2020.