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Californian company Cereplast, Inc., a major manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, sustainable plastics, also known as bio-plastics,  recently announced the location of a new facility that will increase its production of bio-plastics by half a billion pounds each year when the site becomes fully operational by early 2010. It is expected that the bio-plastic plant will begin operation onsite in January 2008.

A logistics processing center will start off in a matter of weeks, which will enable the company to serve clients in the Midwest and the East Coast more effectively. Cereplast will also start to hire managers, supervisors, extrusion operators, warehouse specialists and maintenance technicians for the bio-plastics plant in early 2008, and by the time the site reaches maximum capacity in early 2010, there will be up to 200 employees and full-time staff working in what would be the world's biggest bio-plastic resin production facility. 

Frederic Scheer, CEO and President of Cereplast, stated that the company decided to settle down in Indiana for this bioplastic project, after doing some research. "One advantage of situating the company in the heart of the Midwest is that there would be easy access to our raw materials for bioplastic production, which will ensure a reduction in operational carbon footprint, by reducing transportation lines," Frederic Scheer, CEO and President of Cereplast.

This new production facility will complement Cereplast's current manufacturing business in Hawthorne, California, which will remain operational. Governor of Indiana,  Mitch Daniels says "Cereplast is exactly the kind of business that we're most interested in attracting. A unique company like this that has market-changing possibilities and the potential for rapid growth is a big win for the state." With operations like these in place, Cereplast would continue to find the need for flexible manufacturing solutions that allow the company to meet current and future demands for bio-plastics, as the industry grows.  The company's management believes that new Indiana facility will help the company to expand its capacity, and will also ensure that Cereplast keeps pace with future growth and improvement.  

Scheer said the company has seen a very positive response to its introduction of the Cereplast Hybrids Resins^TM and it is believed that these bio-plastics will become mainstream plastics. Interest in Cereplast's newest product line, including the world's first sustainable polypropylene (Biopropolyene^TM), has been high, and the company is confident that Biopropylene^TM has replaced over half of the petroleum-based content of conventional plastic resins with renewable resources like tapioca, cornstarch and other types of starch. "Companies are attracted to the fact that the resins have nearly the same physical characteristics and price points as traditional polyolefins, while plastics manufacturers immediately appreciate that they can process the bio-based resins on conventional equipment," Scheer stated, adding that "the bio-based resins contain less petroleum products, and thus, are less vulnerable to volatility in oil prices." It is expected that the ensuing transparency of future pricing and stability will continue to attract customers.

Cereplast Hybrid Resins^TM products combine durability and endurance of traditional plastic, making them ideal for applications in various industries like the consumer electronics industry, the automotive, and the packaging industry. The company's other product family, Cereplast Compostables^TM resins, are almost 100 percent bio-based, and are fully biodegradable, thereby meeting BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) standards for biodegradability and compostability (ASTM 6400 D99 and ASTM 6868), and also European Bioplastics standards (EN 13432). More information about Cereplast and the company's bioplastic products can be found on the company website at www.cereplast.com.

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