by Molly Ritchie | Aug 25, 2022 | Safety Tips, Star News
Why is it important? One of the key issues associated with hand tool safety is choosing and using the right tool. Unfortunately, many people use tools improperly, by trying to improvise with what they have on hand. Also, many people view hand tools as simple to use,...
by Molly Ritchie | Aug 24, 2022 | Star News
Market demand is up by sector with automotive and appliances are still holding demand, expecting to fill the pipeline and warehouses through the end of the year. Alternatively, housing starts are down 20% year-to-date, with interest rates staying steadily high. Also,...
by Molly Ritchie | Aug 4, 2022 | Safety Tips, Star News
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE Eliminate workplace fire hazards: Damaged electrical outlets, cords, cables, etc.Overloaded outlets and circuitsCombustible objects in unsecured locations (included excessive trash and recycling)—keep these far from...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 8, 2022 | Star News
As we reach the summer of 2022, we see overall demand remaining solid, while prices start to stabilize or only slightly increase for engineering resins. However, Benzene is expected to go up in the near term for Q3 (which is the precursor to PC, ABS and nylons), much...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 28, 2022 | Star News
Sustainability has been the backbone of Star Plastics since our humble beginnings in 1988. Starting in the industry as a post-industrial recycling company, we know the ins and outs of recycling. As a premier provider of custom compounded engineering-grade plastics, we...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 7, 2022 | Star News
Plastics Market Update May 2022 Demand is looking solid through the end of the year, but at the same time, the economy is slowing down. The back log of orders is what continues to drive demand. Manufacturers must keep producing to fill the pipeline of cars,...
by Molly Ritchie | May 2, 2022 | Star News
As we move into the second quarter of 2022, the Eastern European War has slowed the economy across Europe to a crawl, energy costs are up 5-fold, and supply for polymers and additives is difficult at best. This has global implications on costing and supply for nearly...
by Molly Ritchie | Mar 28, 2022 | Star News
Pigments and Additives We’re seeing the same story as last month with specific additives – FR and fiberglass specifically. The fiberglass and FR shortages will continue to exist through 2022, affecting finished good cost of nearly all polymers as well through the end...
by Molly Ritchie | Feb 22, 2022 | Star News
Star Plastics’ growth continues with the installation of the first of two new twin screw extruders at its North American facilities. This new addition marks the first phase of a larger investment that will amount to more than $5 million dollars in 2022 as the company...
by Molly Ritchie | Feb 21, 2022 | Star News, Uncategorized
Just as the story of the plastics industry in 2020 (and the world) was COVID-19, and 2021 was of the resin shortage – we believe 2022 will be the year of the pigment and additive shortage. Otherwise, the market has not changed. Resin costs are still inflated, and lead...
by Molly Ritchie | Feb 18, 2022 | Star News
When customers work with Star Plastics, they know the material will perform and deliver the results they expect. Our material goes through multiple quality checkpoints to ensure customers get the right specifications, and the same product every time with the...
by Molly Ritchie | Jan 19, 2022 | Star News, Uncategorized
Star Plastics and the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) have once again teamed up to show support for their local communities. Each year on January 9, communities across the U.S. take time to recognize the important work of the men and women who have...
by Molly Ritchie | Jan 18, 2022 | Star News
As 2022 begins, additive shortages is the new lead of the story. Flame Retardant additives and pigments will be one of the driving factors in increased prices during the first half of 2022, while the pricing of General-Purpose versions of PC, PCABS, and ABS in NA and...
by Molly Ritchie | Jan 5, 2022 | Star News
Philanthropy West Virginia joined Star Plastics’ leaders to present them with the West Virginia Spirit of Philanthropy Award for Corporate Responsibility this week. Left to right: Doug Ritchie, Tresa Shafer, Brandon Humphreys Star Plastics founder, S. Doug Ritchie and...
by Molly Ritchie | Dec 17, 2021 | Star News
December has been an eventful month so far, so we decided to provide a mid-month update. As we near the year end with status-quo supply, we head into 2022 looking towards normalized supply/demand ratios and building of inventories. All the information below is...
by Molly Ritchie | Dec 6, 2021 | Star News
Engineering Resins still on the Rise Engineering resin prices continue to rise due to the multiple ongoing supply chain issues. Since June, regional prices for nylon 6 and nylon 6/6 are up an average of 35 cents per pound, with prices for acetal up 30 cents,...
by Molly Ritchie | Dec 2, 2021 | Star News
Since Star Plastics was first established in 1988, safety has been our main priority. No Time Lost means our employees work in a secure environment that poses almost no risk to their safety. By focusing on safety protocols in the workplace, we help our customers by...
by Molly Ritchie | Nov 10, 2021 | Uncategorized
Material prices continue to steadily climb while the supply-demand ratio remains tight. The market is experiencing strong demand above 2019 levels, with large order backlogs and inventory deficiencies. Logistics issues of costly containers and congestion are still...
by Molly Ritchie | Oct 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on Aug 29, topped the news cycle this month, affecting production of ethylene, butadiene, benzene, styrene and parazylene. Prices continued to heat up for virgin resin, with recycled material prices also joining the rise. Then we...
by Molly Ritchie | Oct 1, 2021 | Star News
What Does Manufacturing Day Mean to Star Plastics? On October 1st, manufacturers will be coming together to educate and promote the manufacturing industry to thousands of companies and educational institutions around the...
by Molly Ritchie | Sep 10, 2021 | Star News
Star Plastics is pleased to announce that Donald Wiseman has been appointed the company’s CEO effective September 2021 following the company’s acquisition by Akoya Capital Partners. Wiseman succeeds Star Plastics founder Doug Ritchie who will become the company’s...
by Molly Ritchie | Sep 7, 2021 | Star News
In August, we continued to see price increases, supply restrictions and lead time extensions on resins and additives alike. Interestingly, the shortages in virgin material supply have led to rising costs for recycled materials in the first half of 2021. The rise...
by Molly Ritchie | Aug 24, 2021 | Star News
Ravenswood, WV – August 20, 2021 — Star Plastics Inc, a North American provider of custom engineered compounds and specialty products, announced today that it has partnered with Akoya Capital Partners in a strategic move to support Star Plastics’...
by Molly Ritchie | Aug 11, 2021 | Star News
What We Saw in July… The entire plastics industry continues to experience record-setting supplier shortages and cost pressures, with the backlog of orders just shy of May’s record pace. Sales allocations and unbalanced supply-demand continues to drive price...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 19, 2021 | Star News
West Virginia state officials recently recognized Star Plastics, Inc in a virtual ceremony for growing export sales to two new countries in 2020. “Exporting to a new country is an incredible accomplishment and we are all proud of their success,” said Gov. Jim Justice...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 6, 2021 | Star News
Lauren Zoller Joins the Star Plastics Team Lauren Zoller is joining our team in the position of Human Resource Manager. Lauren has a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Marietta College, Ohio. She started her professional career in customer service in...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 30, 2021 | Star News
As summer chugs along, price increases, shortages, and logistics issues continue to trouble the plastics industry and related markets. With the late-summer preparations for the holiday season quickly approaching, along with semiconductors allowing the automotive...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 25, 2021 | Star News
Know Your Polymer Options Whether it is simply choosing a restaurant to go to or selecting the most suitable resin material for a manufacturing application, having options is critical. In the current market, plastic resins, especially high-volume resins, have seen a...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 8, 2021 | Star News
In May, we saw more of the same. Demand was still incredibly strong, and price increases continued across nearly all resins. Production has not returned to normal levels and remains inconsistent. ABS, PC and Nylon in North America are sold out through 2021....
by Molly Ritchie | May 3, 2021 | Star News
The plastics industry remains in flux as both material production and logistics industry attempt to catch up to normal levels of availability and demand. Below are highlights of the changes we’ve seen in materials and logistics, as well as other global aspects...
by Molly Ritchie | Apr 22, 2021 | Star News
What makes a good resin partner? While shared goals and open communication are vital to the success of any business partnership, ultimately, the most critical quality is trust. Building trust requires a track record of dependability – providing quality resin materials...
by Molly Ritchie | Apr 8, 2021 | Star News
The story of plastics market shortages continue and even amplified in March, as the consequences of Storm Uri continued to significantly reduce US supply of resin. The storm shook up the market, affecting the production of almost every resin and feedstock made in the...
by Molly Ritchie | Mar 15, 2021 | Star News
How Star Plastics’ Specialty Opens New Possibilities From consumers to OEMs, it’s no secret that we all love customization. From choosing the exact color of our shoes to making a phone case that is uniquely ours, it is not hard to understand why we all love...
by Molly Ritchie | Mar 12, 2021 | Star News
As we’ve said before, there are non-plastics related events that affect us all directly or indirectly, including now the weather, which has changed the supply of the market. Below is a synopsis of what we’ve seeing in the market since the last update....
by Molly Ritchie | Feb 12, 2021 | Star News
At Star, we feel compelled to continue updating you on the market conditions for ABS, PC and related products and services globally. There are non-plastics related events that affect us all directly or indirectly that have changed the supply of the market over the...
by Molly Ritchie | Jan 29, 2021 | Star News
A recap of December, and What We See Moving Forward At Star, it is our priority to produce materials to the quality level that you require and provide lot-to-lot consistency to meet your needs. The events of the last few months have changed the supply of the plastics...
by Molly Ritchie | Dec 21, 2020 | Star News
Christmas spirit is in the air! While for many, Christmas serves as one of the happiest times of the year, for others, it can be a challenging time as they do their best to deliver a magical experience for their kids. At Star Plastics, we believe that everyone...
by Molly Ritchie | Dec 14, 2020 | Star News
LATI Products Now Available in North America On December 15 2020, Star Plastics announced a global partnership with LATI, a European manufacturer of engineering thermoplastics, with the goal of expanding material offerings in North America, Europe, and Asia. This...
by Molly Ritchie | Oct 29, 2020 | Star News
Plastic Additives in Compounding As a dependable custom compounder of engineering-grade thermoplastics, Star Plastics has built a reputation for delivering quality products that provide the perfect solution for your unique applications. We provide custom formulations...
by Molly Ritchie | Sep 23, 2020 | Star News
UL Environmental Validates Star Products Star Plastics, together with our partner site Star Advance Materials Co. Ltd. in Shandong, China, has received recycled plastic validation through UL Environment certification (ULE) to produce post-consumer recycled (PCR)...
by Molly Ritchie | Aug 19, 2020 | Star News
What are Thermoplastics? In plastics, there are two general, but broad categories of polymers, thermoplastics and thermosets. A thermoplastic is a plastic polymer that is moldable at elevated temperatures and solidifies upon cooling. Thermoplastic materials can be...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 9, 2020 | Star News
Manufacturing and delivering plastic compound solutions is just as much of an art as it is a science. While technical, scientific knowledge of material is required to tailor custom formulated compounds to exact specifications and performance characteristics, there is...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 17, 2020 | Star News
This New Cold Temperature Impact PC Copolymer, as part of the StarPrime line, offers improved impact at extreme temperatures. As a leader in custom polymer compounding technology, we’re announcing a new cold temperature impact polycarbonate. The new material is...
by Molly Ritchie | Apr 22, 2020 | Star News
To help in the efforts against COVID-19, the Star team has put together a list of standard products focused on healthcare applications. These plastic compounds cut across our entire material product line, including: ABS FR, ABS GP, PC FR, PCABS FR and HIPS. Many of...
by Molly Ritchie | Apr 17, 2020 | Star News
As the needs of the region within its plant footprint continue to grow amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Star Plastics team has stepped up generously in response. Star Plastics was able to leverage its local, national, and international networks to help deliver...
by Molly Ritchie | Mar 17, 2020 | Star News
Star Plastics Updates Regarding the Global Pandemic As the COVID-19 is changing the world around us, we believe as long as we all pull together, we will get through and come out stronger. Here at Star, we are committed to the health and wellness of our employees,...
by Molly Ritchie | Mar 12, 2020 | Star News
How Star Plastics Met a Unique Light-Transparency Requirement On-Time Summary: A watersports OEM had a material failure while developing a next-generation hood deflector cover design. This product challenged our team to meet precise specifications to maintain color,...
by Molly Ritchie | Nov 6, 2019 | Star News
Do you use concentrate + natural material at the press for custom color projects? Switching to pre-colored materials will save you time, money, and the headache of getting the perfect color part every time. When it comes to color-specific parts, processors have a few...
by Molly Ritchie | Sep 12, 2019 | Star News
Recycled content is often portrayed as lesser quality material or a cheap solution. With many cheaper solutions, you get what you pay for. Star Plastics dives into the misconceptions, concerns and common questions consumers and manufacturers may have about recycled...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 30, 2019 | Star News
Star Plastics welcomes Howard McCready to the Star Team as the Millwood location’s new Plant Manager! Howard comes to Star with a 20+ year background of operations, logistics, and business management experience. Howard has a Bachelors of Arts in Materials...
by Molly Ritchie | May 24, 2019 | Star News
Star Plastics, Inc. launches ReStart, a high-performance and UL-recognized material product line that contains 35 to 50 percent recycled content, ideal for customers looking to satisfy their sustainability initiatives. With roots as a recycling company, recycling and...
by Molly Ritchie | Feb 26, 2019 | Star News
Star Plastics recently supported a customer with a unique custom compounded material used to reduce the number of materials they were purchasing into one material that met all their physical property and UL requirements. They also saved money by being able to purchase...
by Molly Ritchie | Dec 20, 2018 | Star News
Safety has been first-priority since Star’s inception in 1988, and we officially crossed the threshold of five-years with No Lost Time incidents on Nov. 29, 2018 at our Ravenswood, WV facility. While we’re proud of our 1,800+ days without a hiccup, we still have a...
by Molly Ritchie | Nov 30, 2018 | Star News
Here at Star Plastics, we pride ourselves on being an extension of our partners. We routinely hold inventory for many companies while assisting and managing the processing, fulfillment, and shipping of their compounded material. Recently, Star had the pleasure of...
by Molly Ritchie | Nov 15, 2018 | Star News, Uncategorized
RAVENSWOOD, WV–Star Plastics celebrates 30-year anniversary with an employee event that pulled record-breaking attendance numbers. As part of Star’s yearlong 30th anniversary celebration, Star Plastics hosted a celebration at the end of October for their...
by Molly Ritchie | Oct 17, 2018 | Star News
While the whole team at Star Plastics is celebrating 30 years in business this fall, a good chunk of the company’s heartbeat – its employees – are also toasting to their own milestones. More than a dozen employees have worked at Star Plastics for at least 20 years,...
by Molly Ritchie | Sep 12, 2018 | Star News
Star Plastics recently developed a compounded product that achieves 85% Light Transmittance values, adding a new option to our ever-growing product offering. Our customer needed a prime-alternative, custom compounded material that met all of their application...
by Molly Ritchie | Aug 10, 2018 | Star News
RAVENSWOOD, WV — The Star Plastics team is excited to celebrate 30 years in business this August. “Star celebrating 30 years in operation is the celebration of an idea that can become a successful reality,” says Doug Ritchie, Founder, President and CEO. Star’s...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 16, 2018 | Star News
RAVENSWOOD, WV– At the beginning of June, a long term and key customer of Star Plastics had a successful visit to Star Plastics’ Ravenswood plant. Mike Watson, Chief Asia officer and 28-year veteran of Star, gave the three customer representatives a tour of...
by Molly Ritchie | Jul 6, 2018 | Star News
RAVENSWOOD, WV — Color matching is our specialty at Star Plastics and a strength our team takes pride in. From a bird’s eye view, the process is quick and efficient: A team member receives the request for a match from a customer (in the form of a part, chip,...
by Molly Ritchie | Jun 21, 2018 | Star News
RAVENSWOOD, WV — On the evening of June 5, 2018, our friend and coworker Jack Lee Fetty passed away suddenly in his home. Jack celebrated his 14th work anniversary days before his passing. He joined Star Plastics on June 3, 2004 as a production associate. Since...
