Italian group Sirmax, a producer of polypropylene (PP) compounds, engineering plastics, post-consumer compounds and bio-compounds for a wide range of applications, has built its second plant in Anderson, Indiana. SER North America has the capacity to recycle 33 million pounds of post-industrial PP annually and is Sirmax’s 13and plant.
The new plant, adjacent to Sirmax North America (built in 2015), aims to select, grind and regenerate post-industrial waste to produce Green Isoplen. The new $30 million project brings Sirmax North America’s total production to 133 million pounds.
The 124,000 square foot SER North America plant includes two production lines, while the 144,000 square foot Sirmax North America plant includes five production lines. The two sites have a total of 100 employees, which will increase to 140 by the end of the year as 40 new hires are considered for the Anderson plant, Sirmax said.
The company claims that incoming waste is controlled at source through careful selection of suppliers and processed to obtain high quality products. SER North America’s recycled PP is intended for use in industrial applications and will be used by Sirmax North America to produce hybrid compounds marketed under the Green Isofil and Green Isoglas brands, which contain mineral fillers or are reinforced with fiberglass and are used to produce goods in the appliance and automotive sectors. The company says that while they perform on par with high-grade compounds, these brands contain varying percentages of green materials (depending on customer specifications), which reduces their environmental impact.
“SER North America marks a new milestone in Sirmax‘s sustainable growth,” says Lorenzo Ferro, Country Manager for the United States at Sirmax Group. “These new green products give us the opportunity to enter sectors where we are not yet present, such as industrial packaging or garden furniture. Our production processes and complete control of supply sources also means we are ready to bring mechanical post-consumer recycling technology to the United States by 2024. The vertical integration we have undertaken with SER allows us to differentiate ourselves in the market and meet Sirmax’s customers demand more sustainable materials in the automotive and appliance sectors, all without compromising the traceability and high quality standards required for materials. high-end, which are already supplied today.”
Since last September, Sirmax has been working with the University of Massachusetts Lowell and MIT on a research project funded by the ReMade Institute (part of the Department of Energy), Chemical Conversion and Process Control for Increased Material Utilization secondaries in polyethylene and polypropylene. UMass Lowell is studying a model for recycling industrial polyethylene and PP waste for reuse in packaging.
With an investment of 100,000 dollars per year, Sirmax Group claims to be the only non-American company to be associated with the project.
“The pandemic has determined a change of pace”, says Massimo Pavin, President and CEO of the Sirmax Group, “as evidenced by the 43 million dollars invested at the federal level to launch up to 24 new technology research projects to reduce energy consumption. and reduce emissions. Among these, the UMass project at Lowell, selected by the Remade Institute. In addition to its economic commitment, Sirmax will contribute by providing its knowledge and making its laboratories available for recycling tests.