Its Calumet City, Illinois lab achieved accreditation by A2LA in July 2010. "This achievement is the culmination of many months worth of work," says Asheboro Lab Manager Jennifer Presnell. "This recognition by A2LA only reinforces the quality control we build into every test we perform for our customers and during the course of our polymer research. Our customers understand the value of accreditation and in some cases demand it." A2LA tests a lab's quality control measures, record keeping, equipment calibration and conformity to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 requirements. The certification takes the bias out of lab results, thus ensuring accuracy for any test approved within the scope of the accreditation.
In addition to North Carolina and Illinois, PCC also operates a lab facility at their Nanjing, China plant and at the new California clean compounding facility.
The Asheboro lab works in conjunction with PCC's Solutions Center. The Center is a constantly evolving product design area on PCC's North Carolina campus. It consists of a high-end color design area affectionately known as the "light box," linked to a comprehensive research laboratory. It's an ideal marriage between the art of color and the science of plastics, a creative and problem-solving area where clients can immerse themselves in brand ing and product line development, buoyed by decades of PCC expertise and state-of-the-art equipment.
"We engaged our customers; we asked them what a solutions center should look like, how it can actually benefit the -- and that's the way we are building it," says PCC Director of Development Tim Workman. Workman says that the project is ongoing and evolves every time PCC discovers a new customer requirement they can add to it. Currently the design center features a balance of real-world color lighting conditions including straight fluorescent, fluorescent/daylight and cool gray; a 10,000-chip color library, a resource library, and all the amenities of a relaxed living environment -- fully stocked refrigerator, big screen plasma TV, inspirational and informative wall art, and ultra-comfortable furnishings. "Designers like to be in a relaxed work environment," says Strategic Accounts Manager Noah Bronson. When creating a b rand identity, when a new product line needs to have consistent, perfect color across a broad spectrum of polymers, the design sessions can get very long. "Looking at colors for that long you can get really goofy," jokes Bronson, adding, "It's almost like writing a script. That's really what we do here? tell a story in colors."
"The investment in the Solutions Center is paying off," says Workman. Two products that have already emerged from research at the Solutions Center are SoluPET£, PCC's line of colors for PET, and SoluPLAs£, a line of additive and toner packages that make PLA more "user friendly."
In addition to North Carolina and Illinois, PCC also operates a lab facility at their Nanjing, China plant and at the new California clean compounding facility.
The Asheboro lab works in conjunction with PCC's Solutions Center. The Center is a constantly evolving product design area on PCC's North Carolina campus. It consists of a high-end color design area affectionately known as the "light box," linked to a comprehensive research laboratory. It's an ideal marriage between the art of color and the science of plastics, a creative and problem-solving area where clients can immerse themselves in brand ing and product line development, buoyed by decades of PCC expertise and state-of-the-art equipment.
"We engaged our customers; we asked them what a solutions center should look like, how it can actually benefit the -- and that's the way we are building it," says PCC Director of Development Tim Workman. Workman says that the project is ongoing and evolves every time PCC discovers a new customer requirement they can add to it. Currently the design center features a balance of real-world color lighting conditions including straight fluorescent, fluorescent/daylight and cool gray; a 10,000-chip color library, a resource library, and all the amenities of a relaxed living environment -- fully stocked refrigerator, big screen plasma TV, inspirational and informative wall art, and ultra-comfortable furnishings. "Designers like to be in a relaxed work environment," says Strategic Accounts Manager Noah Bronson. When creating a b rand identity, when a new product line needs to have consistent, perfect color across a broad spectrum of polymers, the design sessions can get very long. "Looking at colors for that long you can get really goofy," jokes Bronson, adding, "It's almost like writing a script. That's really what we do here? tell a story in colors."
"The investment in the Solutions Center is paying off," says Workman. Two products that have already emerged from research at the Solutions Center are SoluPET£, PCC's line of colors for PET, and SoluPLAs£, a line of additive and toner packages that make PLA more "user friendly."
Companies in this article
