Charles "Hank" White, director of the Plastics Manufacturing Center (PMC), says that PMC fills a critical need because most companies don't have internal research and development resources, and they want graduates skilled in thermoforming.

The Plastics Manufacturing Center (PMC) at Pennsylvania College of Technology has followed that cinematic advice with such success that the PMC--founded in 1992--has since spun off two other internationally recognized programs to help the plastics industry develop new manufacturing processes and workforce training programs. The two programs--the Rotational Molding Center of Excellence and the new Thermoforming Center of Excellence--are proving invaluable in assisting one of Pennsylvania's largest industries.

"Leaders in the plastics industry came to us and said that though there were a lot of companies involved in the thermoforming business, there wasn't a lot of research and development going on," says PMC Director Charles "Hank" White. "That's why the PMC was created. Most companies don't have the internal research and development resources, and they want graduates who are skilled in thermoforming."

Thermoforming involves heating plastic resins so they can be molded and shaped into desired forms, such as packaging or dashboards for automobiles, and it offers great potential for more cost-effective and environmentally friendly plastics production. Rotational molding creates enclosed, hollow products by heating and spinning the plastic inside a form.

PA Plastics Industry Ranks Fourth in the Nation
The plastics industry is one of the largest employers in the United States, with 25,000 employers and more than 1.1 million employees producing $360 billion in shipments nationwide. In Pennsylvania, the numbers are equally significant. Approximately 800 employers provide 60,000 jobs and $19.4 billion in shipments in the Commonwealth, and Pennsylvania ranks behind only California, Texas and Ohio in plastics production.

“The plastics industry came to us and said that while there were a lot of companies out there involved in the thermoforming business, there wasn’t a lot of research and development.” —CHARLES "HANK" WHITE, DIRECTOR, PLASTICS MANUFACTURING CENTER

That's something the Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) recognized when it provided financial support to start the plastics program at Penn College in 1988 and, later, the PMC and its subsidiary centers. BFTP provided $283,000 in support for the programs between 1997 and 2002.

"BFTP helped us with the academic program, it helped us with the Plastics Manufacturing Center in 1991, the Rotational Molding Center of Excellence in 2001 and the Thermoforming Center of Excellence in 2008," White says, adding that his organization was funded by and works closely with both the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern and Central/Northern Pennsylvania. Penn College, the home of the PMC, is a special mission affiliate of Penn State University committed to applied technology education.

Providing Industry-Specific Laboratory Resources
In addition to the R&D assistance and job-force training, White's staff provides laboratory resources for materials selection, testing and analysis, as well as custom compounding and process technology. The PMC and its sister centers offer access to more than $2 million in semi-commercial equipment that allows manufacturers to advance their ideas and train workers on the latest techniques and machinery.

For instance, East Penn Manufacturing of Lyon Station, Berks County, worked with the PMC to reduce the costs of virgin materials for producing battery covers. The work involved on-site recycling of polypropylene from used batteries to mold new battery covers. The reduced materials costs--combined with further cost reductions from optimizing the extrusion and injection molding process--allowed the company to be more cost competitive. As a result, East Penn Manufacturing was able to create 148 new jobs and retain 577 existing jobs.

White says the centers also work closely with manufacturers who are seeking new technology and processes to keep them competitive, such as McClarin Plastics in York County and Fabri-Kal in Hazelton. McClarin specializes in materials for the transportation, construction and industrial fields. Fabri-Kal is a leading manufacturer of thermoformed plastics packaging.