ReleasedJuly 14, 2004

NEWTECHNOLOGY CREATES EFFICIENCY IN ROOF BOLTS FROM POST CONSUMER PETBOTTLES

Jennmar Corporation, Terrasimco Inc., NAPCOR and the TOP Bottle Project are pleased to announce a major new technology and application for the use of post consumer PET bottles. The process developed by Terrasimco Inc., a Martinsburg, West Virginia technology company, has been licensed by Jennmar Corp. and will be used in the production of new types of roof bolt products that are used to reinforce coal and other shaft mines.  Pittsburgh based Jennmar is the world’s leading supplier of roof control products for the mining and tunneling industries.  Jennmarhas six manufacturing facilities in the U.S., two in Australia, and a new plant under construction in China.

Keystone Mining Services, LLC,President, Dr. John Stankus, (Keystone is the engineering affiliate ofJ ennmar Corporation) during a presentation made recently to the FederalMine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and coal mine operatorsstated, “We are excited to deliver this new cost effective product thatwill provide better mine safety while increasing productivity.”  

The new bolt will eliminate the two step system that was used previously to install the  bolt into the mine roof by applying a polyester based compound directly onto the bolt. 

Terrasimco President, Walt Simmons, saidthe new product has been christened the “Buddy Bar” not in reference tothe plastic beer bottles recycled in the process but rather tohighlight the buddy system that is used in the mines during theinstallation of the reinforcing system. 

Walt Simmons also thanked NAPCOR for providing the expertise in identifying, developing and sourcing appropriate post consumer materials. “Without NAPCOR’s assistance wewould not have been able to proceed nearly at the rate we have. Their knowledge of PET allowed us to reach a commercialization phase much faster than we otherwise might have,” stated Simmons.

The assistance provided by NAPCOR was part of the TOP Bottle Project initiated by NAPCOR in 2000 to eliminate the barriers that prevent all PET bottles from being recycled irrespective of color or construction. Other TOP Bottle funders include The American Plastics Council, Voridian Company, Anheuser-Busch, Miller Brewing Co., Coors Brewing Co., Ball Corp., Owens- Illinois, Constar,The Coca-Cola Co. and Pepsi- Cola. NAPCOR Vice President of Technology, Mike Schedler claimed, “This is a major breakthrough for PET recycling. The Terrasimco technology allows a wide range of post consumer PET packaging to be subsumed without the expense of cleaning, including PET bottles of any color or barrier construction. This allows these materials to be collected and processed in smaller quantities since an investment in washing is unnecessary.” 

Jennmar expects to have the first of five projected retrofits operational by the fourth quarter 2004. The forecasted demand for the post consumer materials is anticipated to beas much as 15 million pounds by the end of 2005.

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The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) is the trade association for the manufacturers of PET plastic resins and containers, and suppliers to the PET industry in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1987, NAPCOR’s mission is to promote the usage of PET packaging and facilitate the collection of PET containers.