Harbec, Inc. launches Biopolymer Partners Program

The company is serious about sustainability. Promoting sustainable business practices, Harbec is striving to establish a sustainable supply chain, the use of innovative materials, and the development of more sustainable products.

To that end, Harbec has announced the launch of their Biopolymer Partners Program. Through the Biopolymer Partners Program Harbec is working to connect the dots between sustainable design and manufacturing and materials development and management. Harbec is working with customers who are looking for unique bio-based polymer solutions which can enable their products to reduce or eliminate petroleum-and-carbon based feedstocks within their product portfolio. Harbec is also working with a diversity of biopolymer and bio-origin polymer companies to sample, validate, and assess the vitality of their material within the production parameters and tolerances demanded by customers.

As Bob Bechtold, President of Harbec, Inc. stated: “Our Biopolymer Partners Program is our way to bridge two worlds: materials developers and product developers. By linking need with opportunity we are attempting to streamline and accelerate the transition of bio-based polymers into more mainstream products by demonstrating its ability to be successfully integrated within the modern injection molding manufacturing environment. Our goal is to collaborate with and support the long-term growth, innovation, and sustainability objectives of both our vendors and customers. We see the Biopolymer Partners Program as a mutual benefit to our and their business objectives.”

The new Biopolymer Partners Program works as follows: Harbec commits to testing one bag (30 lb. minimum) of biopolymer with one of its injection molded designs at no cost to the supplier. The company asks that the customer or vendor provide a one bag sample of their biopolymer to Harbec so that they can mold it with one of their in-house designs. In return Harbec will send back ½ of the parts that are produced for inspection and use, including the processing parameters of the part. Harbec will keep ½ of the parts for mutual marketing objectivesand will publish favorable results on its web-site with the key specifications and include links to the customer’s or vendor’s business and materials.

In addition, Harbec undertakes to promote the tested material with customers as an option for producing more sustainable parts, using the specific biopolymer.
Customers and vendors will have immediate access to Harbec’s capabilities as an option for molding their product. They will also gain access to some of our innovative approaches in sustainable product design, and sustainable manufacturing principles.

In July 2014 Harbec welcomed Eco Bio Plastics Midland, Inc. (EBPM) into its Biopolymer Partners Program. Established in 2011 as a joint venture between Michigan Molecular Institute (MMI) and Tokyo, Japan based Eco Research Institute Ltd (ERI), Eco Bio Plastics Midland is advancing research and developing bio-composites for applications in food, pharmaceutical, industrial, and automotive applications.
“Eco Bio Plastics Midland (EBPM) embraces the concept of “WORKING TOGETHER WORKS,” both inside and outside our organization,” said Kyle Volz, Sales and Marketing Coordinator for EBPM. “We are proud to partner with Harbec to supply our innovative bio-polymer resins to help create quality injection molded parts while together fostering a commitment to environmental and social responsibility.”

Harbec’s Biopolymer Partners Programs offers an option for EBPM to collaborate with other industry leaders to accelerate the use and adoption of biopolymer resins for high quality injection molded parts. Further, as a carbon-neutral manufacturing company, Harbec offers sustainably-minded biopolymer companies such as EBPM a unique opportunity to further advance their own sustainability objectives.

http://www.harbec.com/sustainability/biopolymer-information-center

Photo Bob Bechtold by MARK CHAMBERLIN