1. M A N U FA C T U R I N GG S A B U S I N E S S | M o n d a y , O c t o b e r 1 , 2 0 0 7 | w w w . g s a b u s i n e s s . c o m
in Focus
EMILY PAYNE, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
hank rising gas prices for the growth of the
advanced materials industry in the Upstate.
“With gas prices up, it’s advanta-
geous to find new ways to make products
with fewer and thinner materials,” says Jon
McClure, CEO of ISO Poly Films Inc. in
Laurens.
ISO Poly Films manufactures plastic
film used in protective packaging. Some
of the specific plastics developed at ISO
are used to line boxes of cereal, wrap around
magazines and protect car bumpers.
The company is also working with Clemson
University and the U.S. Army to develop new
packaging for the ready-to-eat meals soldiers
carry in their backpacks.
“Our packaging will enable the outer packag-
ing of the food to serve the same function,
but with half the resources and mate-
rials,” McClure says.
Researchers at Clemson are look-
ing for ways to make packaging
more environmentally friendly.
“We’re trying to source materials
from renewable resources, using materi-
als that degrade, using less materials,” says
Robert Kimmel, chairman of the packaging science
department.
In addition to fewer materials, researchers at
Clemson are also trying to create smarter materials.
In the realm of “active packaging,” an item’s pack-
age interacts with the contents to provide anti-
microbial capabilities or enhance presentation, such
as maintaining flavor or preserving aroma. Such
packaging is mainly used for food products.
“New technologies are finally being used commer-
cially,” Kimmel says.
The relationship between Clemson and Upstate man-
ufacturers may boost that trend. Several companies
have partnered with Clemson, a move that has ampli-
fied the school’s research and development initiatives.
“Companies use the facility on a regular basis,” says
Joseph Kolis, executive director of the Clemson
University Research Foundation. “We’ve got an
electron microscope. Companies
that locate here have access
to that. GE is sending
stuff (to us) from all
over the world.”
Kolis says compa-
nies benefit in other
ways from Clemson’s
presence. He cites the
annual wave of “best
and brightest,” who grad-
uate from the university looking for jobs,
as benefits for Upstate manufacturers.
“We’re providing companies with
Clemson grads trained in the latest tech-
nology,” Kolis says.
While Clemson provides benefits to
manufacturers, the companies them-
selves play an important role in the
local economy.
“All you have to do is drive up
and down I-85 to see the impact of
advanced materials in the Upstate,”
Kolis says.
Employment is one of the most obvious impacts.
Easley Custom Plastics Inc., which performs injec-
tion molding, painting and parts assembly for man-
ufacturers, employs 200 people on a regular basis.
Manufacturing companies also pump income into
other businesses in the area.
“Duke Power likes us, I can tell you that,” says
Steve Olson, vice president of sales and marketing
at ECP.
McClure echoes Olson’s sentiment.
“We have good, reliable electricity. You can’t
make plastic without raw material and electricity,”
he says.
However, companies such as ECP and ISO are
valuable to the Upstate for more than their payroll
and electricity usage. Large capital investments,
such as the ones made by advanced materials manu-
facturers, pay a large chunk of property taxes.
“Last year alone we were in the top 10 taxpayers
in Laurens County,” says McClure. “It funds schools,
roads, prisons.”
Jerry Howard, president and CEO of the
Greenville Area Development Corp., sees a posi-
tive trend.
“As we get more and more capital expansions and
investments, more companies will move here,”
Howard says. “The future is more important than
what we’re doing presently.”
There are endless uses for plastics, which is one of
the few products manufacturers can still successful-
ly make in the U.S. As a rule, if labor costs are
greater than 15 percent of the overall cost of a prod-
uct, that product is typically priced out of the mar-
ket, especially against Chinese competition.
“Why did Mattel move to China?” says McClure.
“Putting a small toy together and painting the eyes
on it is very labor-intensive. Plastics-making is not.”
Kolis hopes that the Upstate’s affiliation with
Clemson will be a draw for large businesses looking
to create spinoffs.
“I’m hoping we will be an attractor of landing par-
ties, companies from around the U.S. or the world
who may not know much about the Upstate aside
from the fact a research university is located here,”
says Kolis.
He believes Clemson will be the source of some of
the knowledge and intellectual property, a source of
“bright, young graduates who won’t know enough
not to do this.”
The university, large companies and outside indi-
viduals are expected to merge to create a formidable
advanced materials base in the future.
“What you see now is the tip of the iceberg,” says
Kolis. “There’s lots of advanced materials in the
Upstate.”
CASHING OUT
Weak dollar impacts business
INDUSTRIAL PARKS
Manufacturers seek best locations
page 15
page 18
Future is still in plastics
Clemson, local companies tout advanced materials
“All you have to do is drive up and
down I-85 to see the impact of
advanced materials in the Upstate.”
— Joseph Kolis, Clemson University
Easley Custom Plastics Inc. is one of several Upstate manufacturers dealing in advanced materials.
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