IPG Celebrates National Women's History Month

As we celebrate Women’s History Month 2022, we reflect upon advances women have made over time. Women have increased their earnings, education and fields of occupation, and continue to have longer average life spans than men. 

This month, IPG made special recognition throughout the month of March to various women within our company who hold positions that historically were non-traditional roles for women. Here are two of the highlights...

Get to Know Renee Lucas

Q:  How long have you worked at IPG? 

A:  37 years

 

Q:  What does your job entail?

A:  I lead the Intertape Performance System (IPS) driving excellence throughout the site through employee engagement. My role is to support the plant in identifying and prioritizing high impact initiatives.

 

Q:  What do you like most about your job? 

A:  That no two days are the same

 

Q:  What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?

A:  Be open to trying different things

 

Q:  What previous jobs/experiences have prepared you to succeed in the position you hold today (and set you apart from others)?

A:  Supervision – dealing with different situations

 

Q:  What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

A:  I would like to provide a service helping brides to have a cost-efficient wedding.

 

Q:  What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

A:  Reading

 

Q:  What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

A:  I like DIY projects.

 

Q:  Where’s your favorite place in the world?

A:  The beach

 

Q:  What is your motto or personal mantra?

A: I don’t like foolishness.

 

Q:  If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

A:  Queen Elizabeth – I would want to know how she survived in a role that had been traditionally male dominated.

 

Q:  Three words to best describe you:

A:  Loyal, Fair, Honest

 

Q:  What is the one thing, you can’t live without?

A:  God

 

Q:  If you could have any superpower what would it be?

A:  To fly

 

Q:  What is one food that you cannot resist?

A:  Chips

Get to Know Madison Dempsey

Q:  How long have you worked at IPG? 

A:  2 years

Q:  What does your job entail?

A:  Identifying opportunities to improve scrim production output, scrim quality, and safety; and working with the textile team to implement solutions.

Q:  What do you like most about your job? 

A:  I like the versatility of being able to work on various types of projects. I can create a detailed plan to redesign the layout of the looms, I can troubleshoot quality issues to determine a root cause, I can identify opportunities to improve warpout cycle downtime. Having such a wide variety of tasks keeps it interesting.

Q:  What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?

A:  When trying to make change, it is critical to clearly communicate with the people it is affecting. They will be more likely to change if they have an understanding of why the change is happening.

Q:  What previous jobs/experiences have prepared you to succeed in the position you hold today (and set you apart from others)?

A:  I previously worked at McCain Foods as a procurement specialist which helped me develop communication and leadership skills. I co-founded a women’s group where we focused on showcasing women in leadership roles within the company and providing resources to women to help them build confidence and leadership skills. I also previously worked at Irving Oil as an engineering co-op student which helped me develop organization skills and gave me experience with leading projects and working with a team.

Q:  What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

A:  Math Teacher – I was once a math tutor for a small group of high school kids, and I enjoyed helping them learn and building a connection with them.

Q:  What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

A:  Yoga, crochet, hanging out with my ‘Little Sister’ (I volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters)

Q:  What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

A:  I was once a nationally competitive cheerleader

Q:  Where’s your favorite place in the world?

A:  The beach – anywhere as long as it’s warm!

Q:  If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

A:  Mindy Kaling – she is an intelligent, confident, driven woman with an amazing sense of humor.

Q:  Three words to best describe you:

A:  Introvert, curious, kind

Q:  If you could have any superpower what would it be?

A:  The ability to teleport anywhere I want at any time

Q:  What is one food that you cannot resist?

A:  Chocolate cake

IPG's Shrink Film Contains Certified Pre-Consumer Shrink Film Repro

 

View certificate (PDF)

In October 2021 SCS Global Services certified IPG’s Shrink Film Repro as Pre-Consumer recycled resin. Certified Pre-Consumer recycled content is now part of ExlfilmPlus GPL, ExlfilmPlus GPS, and ExlfilmPlus SHIELD film formulations produced in our Tremonton Utah plant. Distributors and end users seeking a premium polyolefin shrink film containing certified pre-consumer shrink film repro will find their solution in ExlfilmPlus shrink films. This approval distinguishes IPG as the industry leader in the quest for meaningful sustainable solutions.

This achievement is one of many sustainable initiatives IPG has secured for its Exlfilm polyolefin shrink film product offering. Past achievements include Cradle to Cradle Silver certification, How2Recycle store drop off pre-approval, Operation Clean Sweep Pledge, and Energy Star Award for Sustained Excellence.  

To learn more, reach out to us at itape.com or 800-474-8273. Or visit our sustainability website.

More IPG Products Achieve Cradle to Cradle Certification

 

IPG is pleased to announce two additional product lines have achieved Cradle to Cradle Certification™

In an ongoing effort to provide the market with sustainable packaging alternatives, IPG has implemented the demanding standards held under the Cradle to Cradle certification process. William McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart first introduced Cradle to Cradle® as a circular design philosophy in the 1990s. Together, they founded the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute in 2010. The institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is dedicated to transforming the safety, health and sustainability of products through the administration of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard.

Cradle to Cradle Certification is a rigorous auditing process across five critical performance categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. A product is assigned an achievement level (Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) for each category. A product’s lowest category achievement also represents its overall certification level.

ExlfilmPlus® Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver

In July 2020, IPG ExlfilmPlus performance shrink films were Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver. ExlfilmPlus polyolefin shrink film is the first Cradle to Cradle certified shrink film in the world. Exlfilmplus films are crosslinked, providing customers with a stronger film capable of working on a wider variety of equipment and sealing systems.

NovaShield® Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze

In August 2020, NovaShield Structure Membrane products were awarded Cradle to Cradle certification and became the first structure membrane fabric in the world to be Cradle to Cradle Certified. NovaShield Structure Membrane products are used to construct fabric buildings for all climates. Featuring a patented weave which produces impressive strength-to-weight ratios, NovaShield's lighter weight makes for easier, faster, money-saving installations.

Water-Activated Tape Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze

In February of this year, IPG’s Natural Kraft Water-Activated Tape (also known as WAT or Gum Tape) was Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze. All of IPG’s WAT is recyclable with the carton it is applied on. Cartons are one of the most widely recycled packaging products in use today. When you use IPG’s WAT tape to seal the carton, the paper from the tape contributes to the recycling stream with the corrugate. 

Doing Our Part for a Sustainable Future

With a keen eye toward validating and continuously improving our process, and our overall stewardship of the industry we serve, IPG is committed to sharing our progress and doing our part to uphold the promise of the UN global compact through the implementation of the Cradle to Cradle Certification design principles.

The Material Health Category requires IPG to evaluate all chemicals down to 100 parts per million to determine each chemical’s effect on human and environmental health. Cradle to Cradle Certification requires products to contribute to the Circular Economy, which means the product is able to be recycled and/or use recycled materials in its production. For Cradle to Cradle certified products, IPG’s Manufacturing was audited to ensure that both the Energy and Water Categories have minimal impact on the environment. Social Responsibility, the final category, requires IPG to be accountable to all stakeholders within the company and the communities where they conduct business. The standard encourages continuous improvement over time by awarding certification on the basis of ascending levels of achievement and requiring certification renewal every two years. These ongoing audits endeavor to ensure IPG’s customers receive a product that leads to a sustainable future.

To view IPG's 2019 Sustainability Report, click here.

Installing Vapor Barriers and Vapor Retarders

 

What are Vapor Barriers?

Vapor barrier in basement/crawlspace

Vapor barriers and vapor retarders provide additional layers of protection in basements and crawlspaces, under foundations and concrete slab. They are important in saving time and money through the mitigation of moisture and air by reducing mold, musty odor, and water penetration. Examples of vapor barriers and vapor retarders include film, non-woven fabrics, and metalized or foil covered laminates. Each provides different properties including surface protection, reflective properties and vapor permeance (water vapor transmission).  

Installation with Vapor Barrier Tapes

To provide effective installation of vapor barriers and vapor retarders, pressure-sensitive vapor barrier tapes are important in sealing, repairing and seaming the vapor barriers or retarders during application. They are used to seal overlapped seams during installation, attach vapor barriers to the top of the footings and against the wall, repair damaged vapor barriers and installation cuts, and seal protrusions such as pipes, duct work, rebar or wire bundles.

Vapor barrier seaming in concrete underlayment application

Vapor barrier tapes used include those tapes providing low permeance, which include: polyethylene tapes of varying thickness providing conformability, polypropylene tapes with aggressive, low permeance adhesive systems, and aluminum foil tapes providing basically zero water vapor transmission.   

Compliance to specifications is essential to the effective installation of vapor barrier and vapor retarder systems. Some standards include ASTM E1643, ASTM 1745 and IRC 408. 

(IPG manufactures vapor barriers and vapor retarders. To learn more, please contact mwaltner@itape.com.)

Filament Tapes for Space Force "Mission Critical" Applications

BY CHRISTOPHER RUHL, SR. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, IPG

Image credit: Northrop Grumman

Not all filament tapes are created equal!

Most people look to filament tape for bundling pipes, extrusions, holding items on a pallet, or securing appliance components. It’s removed, discarded and not really considered.

Not in my world! Consider an application that is “mission critical” -- an application where if it doesn’t work properly, hundreds of millions of dollars go up in smoke in a matter of seconds! Or how about a component that is critical to the success of America’s future Space Force and national security?! IPG just developed that product for Northrop Grumman’s OmegA rocket, which is in development to support the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. Together, we addressed supply chain challenges to help increase their productivity, resulting in significant savings that helped them meet production goals and free up money which could be used to solve other issues to meet their project timelines and maintain cost projections!

Northrop Grumman test fired the second stage of the OmegA rocket at its facility in Promontory, Utah, in February. Image credit: Northrop Grumman

As shown in picture above and the video below, the casings for the OmegA rocket from Space Force’s NSSL program are made from a series of round composite tubes.

IPG developed a filament tape that performed the important task of compacting the resins and fibers prior to the cure process to ensure no embedded air bubbles exist, which would be truly catastrophic. They use it and discard it, but I assure you, it was REALLY considered. We are all proud to be an important part of the future of our Space and Defense programs!

So if you need a bundling, holding or compression solution, feel confident that IPG has it, and like our space program, it’s Made in America!

Learn more about IPG's Aerospace Solutions, where regardless of the type of manufacturing or maintenance performed – fixed wing or rotary, commercial or military aircraft, component parts, space craft, missile or other aerospace systems – IPG has the right solution for you.

Read the LinkedIn article from the program director at Northrop: The OmegA rocket marches toward National Security Space Launch

IPG Supports Advanced Recycling Initiative by the University of Florida

"Waste to Syngas" Initiative

IPG is proud to be an initial donor of the University of Florida’s “Waste to Syngas” initiative.

University of Florida’s “Waste to Syngas” initiative will be focused on research and development to best convert carbon rich waste into syngas. The leading technological contender is a process known as Plasma Assisted Gasification and Vitrification (PAG/V). PAG/V is a robust advanced recycling technology that can accept all the materials in municipal solid waste (MSW). PAG/V converts carbon rich materials such as plastic packaging materials to syngas, a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen - the building blocks of most commonly used plastics.

The University of Florida is leading this initiative. IPG, other donors and the University of Florida support the concept that with research and funding, this nascent technology can evolve into a leading advanced recycling technology. Syngas, which can be produced using PAG/V technology, is commonly converted to methanol, which is a primary feedstock chemical to many products. As more industry participants demand "recycled content" those demands can be potentially  met by "recycled content methanol" produced from waste derived syngas.
 
Our global waste problem cannot be solved solely by mechanical recycling. Many plastic products either cannot be recycled due to their resin type or material mixture. Furthermore, even recyclable products frequently have no viable end markets due to contamination and material quality issues.  Our waste crisis is continuing to grow, and today’s technologies are not robust enough to address current recycling needs and certainly not a viable solution for us to recycle the waste plastic that exists in the global environment. PAG/V has the potential to become a technology to facilitate recycling plastic packaging waste from our existing waste streams or our existing landfills into new and pristine resins. 

At IPG it is our goal to support solutions that improve  the circularity of our products. We are proud to support the efforts of  the University of Florida and this emerging initiative. To learn more, please check out: Syngas is the key to packaging sustainability.

IPG Named 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence

IPG is pleased to be named an ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award winner for the 5th consecutive year! In 2019, IPG reduced its energy intensity by 3.7 percent over 2018. Here are some other key accomplishments from 2019:

Key 2019 Energy Management Accomplishments

✔ Sharing IPG's knowledge and experience on the importance of continuous energy improvement and the benefits of ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunts through three stories in local and trade publications. IPG participated in the inaugural ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunt Campaign.

✔ Supporting energy management in the community by conducting a Treasure Hunt for a local arts museum, where IPG engineers highlighted energy waste and advised on ways to reduce energy costs.

✔ Training engineers and aligning newly acquired manufacturing facilities in the IPG energy management system.

✔ Promoting energy awareness and ENERGY STAR tools in a regional energy management network and sharing best practices with other ENERGY STAR partners.

✔ Establishing long-term goals for energy intensity and carbon emissions reduction, increased use of renewable energy and additional environmental impacts.

Each year, EPA honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Whether a first time Partner of the Year winner, or a Sustained Excellence winner, these small and large organizations from across the country are saving money, saving energy, and protecting the environment. Learn how the 2020 ENERGY STAR Award winners are helping millions of individuals, families, and businesses save energy and protect the environment. Get more information at energystar.gov. For a list of 2020 ENERGY STAR AWARD Winners, click here.