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THE
CASE OF THE MISSING SEALS
The Problem
To work closely with the client (A Tier 1 Automotive Manufacturer). To manage commingled waste with possible contaminants. Sorting, grinding & recycling all under one roof.
The client makes automotive parts for a number of leading OEM. IEI makes injection molded seal protectors for the client. The seal protectors we make are from LDPE resin, and they are made in various colors like green, blue, yellow, red, grey, orange, white. There are other seal protectors also made with Polypropylene and PVC resins. These seal protectors are used by the client during transport of their components to the assembly plants. When the components are mounted into the car during assembly, at the assembly plants, the seal protectors are removed and thrown in a bin as scrap. Seal protectors of all kinds are collected in these bins, and hence this scrap is commingled with different plastics and different colors of each of these plastics. Many of these parts might also have grease or oil on them. This scrap had been land fill for years, since it is commingled and might have trash in it or other contaminants.
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IEI Solution
The client and IEI a few years ago intercepted this scrap from going to the land fill. This scrap comes to our facility in Michigan. The parts are hand sorted by Product Type and also by color. The trash or highly contaminated parts are thrown away. These sorted parts are then ground separately generating clean LDPE regrind which can be recycled. In the same facility, under the same roof, we then remake these LDPE Seal Protectors for the client in all of the above colors.
Process Flow
- Commingled plastic scrap ( from the automotive assembly plants ) is shipped to IEI.
- To, sorted clean plastic parts
- To, clean regrind segregated by colors.
- To, Injection Molding these Seal Protectors in the different colors.
- Then, shipped to the the clients' Component manufacturing plants throughout US.
- Then, put on the Automotive component at the client's place.
Which are shipped to the Assembly plants for installation on cars.
- Then, during assembly these parts are thrown in bins as scrap.
And, shipped back to IEI
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