China Array Plastics dairy applications

China Array Plastics introduces dairy components molded of high performance thermoplastic materials to equipment manufacturers.

China Array Plastics LLC, a full service plastics injection molder of high-performance thermoplastics, recently exhibited new dairy components molded of high performance thermoplastics at Chinaplas 2008. These included milk collection bowls and milking claws molded of Solvay Advanced Materials’ Udel P1700 NT* polysulfone and Radel A* polyethersulfone resins. The components are now being manufactured at China Array Plastics’ new state-of-the-art plastics injection molding facility in Wuhan, China and underscore the U.S. based company’s growing importance as a leading plastics injection molder of high-performance dairy parts in China. China Array offers multinational and Chinese dairy OEMs tremendous advantages including top quality parts, faster delivery, lower manufacturing costs, and highly trained U.S. and local expertise.

While the dairy industry in the United States and Europe is relatively mature - expanding and contracting along with population trends - China’s dairy industry has grown to nearly $3 billion in annual sales in recent years, according to chinamarketresearch.com. Rice, once the primary source of protein in China, is being supplanted by protein-rich milk products, such as cheese and butter. Ice cream, a favorite treat outside of China for decades, is also increasing in popularity. Once unaffordable by the general population, these products are in increasing demand as the standard of living in China continues to rise and tastes become increasingly westernized. According to some industry sources, the dairy industry in China could reach $20 billion by 2010.

“The dairy industry in China is booming,” said Russell Johnson, president and founder, China Array Plastics. “Incomes here have tripled in the last 15 years and trends such as rapid urban development, changing consumer tastes, government-driven dairy programs, and the increase of western populations in China are all having a huge influence on the dairy industry’s almost meteoric growth. The call for newer and better dairy technologies to handle this growth is so robust that leading dairy equipment manufacturers are scrambling to set up new facilities here.”

For China Array Plastics, the growth of China’s dairy industry offers major opportunities to supply multinational and Chinese dairy OEMs with dairy components, including replacement parts molded from high-performance engineered thermoplastics.

“Dairy components are used under extremely harsh conditions, on a continuous basis, for gathering and distributing milk at dairy farms,” said Carl Olson, vice president, Sales and Marketing, China Array Plastics. “They need to be exceptionally durable and require outstanding strength and chemical resistance. In many cases, they also require excellent clarity in order to observe milk flow. Traditional materials, such as metals and lower-performing commodity plastics, can’t effectively meet these performance criteria. High performance thermoplastics, as many dairy OEMs are now discovering, are the best and most cost-effective solution; their use in this industry is rapidly on the rise.”

The result is that China Array Plastics is being increasingly looked upon by domestic and global dairy OEMs for its injection molding expertise to mold these components.

“Our business is seeing dramatic growth in dairy applications, which require materials such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, and polyetherimide due to their strength and ability to endure the most punishing cleaning conditions after repeated use,” Olson said. “Working with global suppliers like Solvay Advanced Materials ensures we are on the cutting edge of the newest and most advanced grades of these materials. Solvay’s Udel P1700 NT polysulfone resin, for example, provides all of these properties, along with superior toughness at extreme temperatures and FDA compliance.”

Beyond China, China Array Plastics will continue to mold high-end components for its traditional dairy customers based elsewhere, such as North America, where record milk prices and increased exports have boosted demand. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, (Feb. 23, 2008) the USDA recently raised its estimate of agricultural exports for 2008 to $101 billion, a 10 percent increase from its forecast this past fall. Slightly more than half of that increase is due to higher prices for agricultural products. The report notes that foreign demand remains remarkably strong given sharply higher prices. China's economy, expected to be the fastest growing in the world this year, will drive sales of U.S. dairy products, poultry, and red meats according to the forecast.

* Udel and Radel A are registered trademarks of Solvay Advanced Materials.

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