According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.  Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.”

What is Mr. Chain doing?

M R Products, Inc. (M R Products), trade name Mr. Chain, recognizes its responsibility to promote conservation. We also recognize that, as a manufacturer of plastic products, we need to do whatever we can to promote recycling and reduce waste to increase sustainability. We are committed to the safety of the people who make our products, those who use our products, the protection of our planet and the environment we live in. Our processes and products reflect these fundamental philosophies. We have chosen to make environmental responsibility part of our corporate business operating philosophy, starting with these goals:

1. Waste minimization – M R Products uses a material handling system that maintains product purity and reduces waste. Any extra material produced as part of the manufacturing process is reused in another product. Significant improvements have been made to the manufacturing facilities in the last two years that reduce energy used for heating and cooling. M R Products installed its own water tower to recycle and reuse all the water used in the manufacturing process to cool the machinery. Additionally, more efficient lighting has been installed along with insulating all warehouse buildings to eliminate heat loss while increasing efficiency.

2. Consumer and employee safety – Colors used in the manufacturing process have been reformulated to  eliminate heavy metals for the safety of consumers. These standards meet or exceed all federal and state requirements for product safety. We have instituted safety training for all our employees and plans are underway to add additional fire prevention and protection to our facilities.

3. Recycling – Almost all our products are made from high density polyethylene. Therefore,  we have added the following international recycling symbol to the bases of all our posts and stanchions. All scrap material is reused and with consistent efforts of all employees, new recycling practices have been implemented and are continually executed.

Our current environmental policies and practices serve to protect our employees, our customers and the sustainability of our planet. We will actively maintain partnerships with like-minded organizations to develop even more efficient systems and formulations. M R Products, Inc., trade name Mr. Chain, will continue to factor safety, conservation, recycling, and sustainability in meeting the needs and standards of the future.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)-Every employee or visitor that enters the plant must wear safety glasses at all times. Additionally, studies on new machines are preformed to pinpoint the necessary PPE to be worn while operating that machine.

Workplace Safety Program-M R Products has implemented a workplace safety program to minimize injuries or damage to property.

Operator Rotation-In an effort to prevent repetitive motion injuries, machine operators are required to work a different station every day.

Clean and Organized Plant-Plant Manager, Dennis Stacey, has made it a personal goal to urge his employees to maintain a clean and organized plant. With minimal obstacles and clean, dry floors, many injuries are prevented daily.

Til Next Time,

Mr. Chain

This spring Mr. Chain is attending three trade shows/expos. Brian Majestic-Sales Manager, will be traveling to San Antonio, Texas to display our products at the 2012 DPA “Saddle Up for Profits” Show. The show is dedicated to the promotion of safety products.

May 1st kicks off the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Maree Mulvoy-President, Brian Majestic-Sales Manager and Bambi Steffen-Order Entry will be attending.This year’s show is very exciting as we launch our new lawn edging: The Lodge Collection and The Orleans Collection.

Finally, the GSA Training Expo in San Antonio, Texas begins May 15th. Shirley Singletary-Customer Service and Alexandria Bower-Marketing will be in attendance. As our government sales increase, we look forward to furthering our knowledge of government contracting and gaining exposure in the arena.

Stay tuned for show results!

Til next time,

Mr. Chain

KeepAmerica.com CEO, David Seliktar, has made a commitment to American jobs and the domestic economy by creating a website dedicated to selling goods manufactured in the U.S. With these efforts, if every American spent an extra $64 per year on American made products, Americans could potentially create over 1 million jobs in the U.S. in 2012.

Learn more here:

Over 2000 American made products are available on the eCommerce site including New Balance tennis shoes. New Balance made their first pair of shoes in 1938. Currently, they are the only US manufacturer of athletic shoes. They too are “Committed to American Workers.”

Check out Mr. Chain products at KeepAmerica.com.

Til Next Time,

Mr. Chain

Mr. Chain products, especially the smaller chain sizes, are extremely versatile and fun to use. One application lies in the art of jewelry making. Plastic chain does not have the added weight of metal chain which allows the jewelry to be more comfortable to wear. The chain can be cut to any length and with 18 colors the possibilities are endless! What you do with it is all up to your imagination.

Girlprops has created some unique pieces, one is pictured below. Sport this particular piece at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan and be the envy of all your friends!

Cherry Necklace on Plastic Chain in Red with Red finish (3/4" Links from Mr. Chain)

For more Girlprops unique items, click here.

A Few Fast Facts on Plastics and the Economy

• The plastics industry is the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States, providing significantly to the nation’s economy.
• The U.S. plastics industry employs more than 1 million workers.
• The U.S. plastics industry creates $327 billion in annual shipments.
• There are nearly 18,500 plastics facilities in the United States.
• The plastics industry has a presence in every state.
• Since 1980, U.S. plastics industry shipments have grown 3.4 percent per year.
• Over the past 26 years, productivity in plastics manufacturing has grown 2.3 percent per year, which is faster than productivity growth for manufacturing as a whole.

The above information came from the SPI Plastics Data Source, which also includes individual state data.

Til Next Time,

Over the past five years, plastic material has gotten an increasingly bad reputation. There are many commercials promoting the use of reusable water bottles and reusable shopping bags and slamming the same items made of plastic. Many consumers are unaware of the truth.

Society of the Plastic Industry Business Blog, In The Hopper, first drew our attention to “the folks at Bag The Ban, a website sponsored by bag maker and recycler Hilex Poly.” By utilizing humor, Bag The Ban has been able to capture a large audience in an effort to spread the truth about plastic bags.

Below are a few facts about plastic bags from baganxiety.com.

• Plastic grocery bags are made from U.S. natural gas. Unfortunately, the same isn’t true of many reusable bags — they’re often made from foreign oil. (That “eco-friendly” bag in your closet might have more oil in it than your car’s engine.)

• Plastic grocery bags are 100% recyclable. If you live in a community with curbside bag recycling, just toss them in with your other paper and plastic products; if not, drop them off in your grocery store’s plastics recycling bin. (Your bags even have the little recycling symbol on the bottom, so you know it’s true.)

In an effort to spread the truth about plastic materials, their benefits and wide range of uses, Mr. Chain encourages all of you to arm yourself with the facts.

Til Next Time,

Mr. Chain

According to CNNMoney, many United States businesses are searching for domestic suppliers and steering clear of China. Some may ask why? There are many examples in the full article (view here) but here are a few reasons: Too Expensive, Poor Quality, Production Delays and Higher Cost per Unit. Inc.com infers the “Two issues are behind the revival: the rising price of Chinese manufacturing and the uncertainly regarding the American economy.” The lack of consumer confidence in the U.S. economy has left business leery of committing to large orders from their suppliers.

In the past year Mr. Chain has seen evidence of this. Everything Mr. Chain sells is manufactured, produced and shipped from our plant in Northern Michigan. Our customers value the timely arrival of their shipment and know lead times are very reasonable.

Til Next Time,

Mr. Chain

Plastic manufacturing continues to evolve as technology improves and human knowledge expands. Today plastic material is taken for granted as it is a part of many aspects of our lives.  Taking a minute to appreciate how it came to be may help us to respect the material a little bit more.

John Wesley Hyatt

1868-John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, more popularly know as cellulose nitrate, a material commonly used in plastics.

1909-Dr. Leo Hendrik Baekeland experimented with synthetic resins which lead to the creation of Bakelite, a sturdy but mode-able material.

Dr. Leo Hendrik Baekland

1929-Cellulose Acetate was introduced as a safer product that also had the ability to be molded and shaped.

1930s-Commercialization of polystyrene took place during this decade that later became the 3rd best selling plastic material.

1940s-Polyethylene was developed during WWII to fill the need for superior insulating materials use in products such as the radar cable.

1950s-Polypropylene became the plastic material to compete directly with the metal industry by its strength and dimensional stability.

1960s and 1970s-Polystyrene became popular for its use in the packaging industry.

Plastic Chain (Polyethylene)

Tray Table (Polystyrene)

Today, Mr. Chain manufactures products out of both polystyrene and polyethylene. More recently, it appears that there is renewed activity in the plastics industry. What do you think the plastic industry will do in 2012?

Til Next Time,

All over the world, people are beginning to see the unlimited number of benefits plastics have to offer due to organizations aimed at raising awareness. Here in the US, the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), is dedicated to exploring avenues of sustainable growth of the global plastics industry, and communicating the industry’s contributions and benefits.  SPI offers a wide range of resources including a suppliers directory, business development, even trade shows much like the National Hardware Show Mr. Chain attends.

DuPont Engineering Polymers--Polymer Producer of the Year

However, there are organizations all over the world supporting and promoting the plastics industry such as the Annual Plastics Industry Awards held annually in London. The UK has come to highly respect the awards banquet and it is often referred to as the “Oscars of the plastic industry.”  The awards seek to provide insight to current innovative development and uses of plastics. The event was launched in 2001 and continues to be a popular and growing event. “This event is dedicated to rewarding innovation and exceptional performance. The Plastics Industry Awards acknowledge the best companies and the best people in the market.” (http://www.plasticsawards.com/ )

Plastic Industry Awards are given in many categories, below are just a few:

Consumer Product Design of the Year, Industrial Product Design, Young Designer of the Year, Best Energy or Environmental Initiative, Best Business Initiative.

Til next time,

Mr. Chain