Originally Published MPMN April 2003

INDUSTRY NEWS

Custom Compounder Opens White Room

Norbert Sparrow

A custom compounder of engineering thermoplastics has announced the addition of a white room to its site in Columbus, IN. LNP Engineering Plastics (Exton, PA; www.lnp.com), a GE Plastics company, will use the white room primarily to produce compounds for critical color and/or cleanliness applications in healthcare products. It achieved full production capability in March.

The self-contained facility has a positive-pressure HVAC system to prevent the ingress of airborne contaminants and cross-contamination from other operating lines. Almost all of the production equipment is brand-new, according to the firm, including a state-of-the-art extruder. The production line was designed to permit thorough equipment wash-downs and to ease equipment disassembly, adds LNP healthcare industry manager Bret Mullens.

GE Plastics' facility in Mt. Vernon, IN, provided much of the inspiration for best practices at the site, notes Mullens, from equipment sourcing to operating procedures. Plant operators at the Columbus facility are undergoing an extensive four-week training program on the manufacture of critical clean components.

"LNP's share of the healthcare market has grown year after year," says Mullens. "Our $2 million investment in this white room shows that we are willing to raise the bar and further our commitment to the healthcare industry." Device OEMs also benefit from the company's program of complete lot traceability and its database of known biocompatible materials and fixed formulations, adds Mullens. "Our goal is to be objective with our customers," he says. "We want to find out what their needs are, what they want to achieve, and, if we can, provide them with a solution."

LNP operates nine plants throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America. GE Plastics acquired the company in March 2002 from Kawasaki Steel Corp. ofJapan.

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