People, Places and Things

2009 SPE Thermoformer of the Year

The SPE Thermoforming Division has named David Bestwick their 2009 Thermoformer of the Year. , Bestwick, along with partners, acquired the thermoforming operation of W. R. Grace in 1975. Tray-Pak started with eleven machines and thirty-six employees, manufacturing cookie and candy trays. In 1981, Bestwick bought his partners shares and created a vision for Tray- Pak that is followed today.

Bestwick has always maintained a focus for Tray-Pak to support the development of new materials and their application in the marketplace. Tray-Pak was involved in the early development of CPET - dual ovenable trays in the 1980s. Tray-Pak’s early involvement in sustainable packaging was further enhanced in the mid-1990s when they were thermoforming recycled or post-consumer PET. Tray-Pak continued to stay in front of the sustainable industry, copresenting to the industry on NatureWorks PLA material.

In the early 1980s, Tray-Pak began working with customers to introduce new designs created to sell more product. In 1982, they added in-house tool fabrication through the purchase of S. R. Schlegel. In 1991-1992, along with Ben Franklin Partners, Tray-Pak integrated their process into CNC and Autocad Technology. Bi-Color Clamshells were introduced and Tray-Pak’s I-POP™ (Images Printed on Plastic) put pre-printed sheet in the marketplace in 1995. Tray-Pak’s Design and New Product Development groups added rapid-prototyping and digital scanning to their in-house capabilities.

In 2000, TPSource was added to support the needs of captive thermoformers. It supplies tools, materials, and tech support to customers a la carte. In 2003, with the help of the late, Scott W. Bestwick Tray-Pak launched Fusion-Pak, a unique concept that married the graphic capabilities of printed board to the flexibility of thermoformed packaging. This package eliminated the need for the “box.” Tray-Pak was awarded a 2009 American Design Award from Graphic Design USA for this program.

Bestwick has grown Tray-Pak to over 250 dedicated employees today. Operating forty-four thermoforming machines in nearly 200,000 square feet of space, Tray-Pak offers custom design, in-house tooling and engineering and automation expertise. Tray-Pak converts a myriad of material types - polystyrene, polypropylene, HDPE, LPDE, PET and PVC as well as co-extruded and laminated materials. Bestwick also directed Tray-Pak’s efforts into markets such as food and food service, automotive, consumer, electronic, health and beauty, industrial, medical, and pharmaceutical products.

For additional information, contact Nancy Bestwick, Tray-Pak Corporation, P.O. Box 14804, Reading, PA 19612, 610-926-5800, Fax: 610-926-9140, E-mail: nbestwick@traypak.com, Web: www.traypak.com.

KYDEX, LLC announced the appointment of Bryan Ciesielski to the role of Quality Manager. Ciesielski will be responsible for the design and implementation of the KYDEX Quality Management System.

Norplex -Micarta announced the appointment of Kevin Brainard to Sales Representative for the Upper Midwest Region of the U.S. Brainard will direct the company’s sales efforts in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota from the company’s headquarters in Postville, IA. Brainard will continue as Manager of the Customer Service Department, where he collaborates with other members of the sales team to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.

Distributor Preference Survey

Business Answers International (BAI) announced the availability of a new Distributor Preference Survey. The purpose of the survey is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the preferences and views of traditional plastic distributors' management regarding plastic shapes manufacturers. The Distributor Preference Survey includes opinions as to which manufacturers are considered the most valuable in the industry today and why they are viewed so strongly. This survey also shows which manufacturers, by material category, are considered to have the best quality, best field sales support, greatest brand awareness, best customer service, most on time delivery reliability, greatest inventory availability, as well as the top suppliers in each category.

The three major categories of plastics highlighted are seethroughs, graphics and mechanicals/polyolefins/corrosion resistant materials. This Distributor Preference Survey also highlights distributors’ perceptions on which manufacturers are considered up and coming as well as reasons why.

For additional information, contact Amy Brooks, Business Answers International, 4440 PGA Blvd., Suite 505, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410, 800-583-4726, E-mail: abrooks@baintl.com, Web: www.baintl.com.