Our manufacturing processes generate waste in the form of plastic resin runners. Rather than sending these runners to a landfill, we have developed a process to collect, clean, regrind, and incorporate the waste product back into the raw materials that we use for new product production.

“This process decreases raw material purchases and lessens scrap without reducing the quality of Hunter products,” said Rob Wessel, Manufacturing Engineering Inventory Control Manager.

The “Regrind,” as we call it, helps us take responsibility for waste production, turns waste into a beneficial material, and decreases our impact on the environment. Last year, we recovered 250 tons of plastic resin waste and converted it into a usable material for new products.

“Regrinding at Hunter saves the company money while simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint,” said Zach Lewis, Quality Assurance Process Engineer.

As a vertically integrated manufacturer with on-site engineering and tooling facilities, we have total control of how most of our products are produced. This has allowed us to introduce technology referred to as “hot runners,” which helps us eliminate plastic resin waste and create efficiencies in resource consumption.

“At Hunter Industries, we are designing molds with hot-runner systems to minimize wasted resources,” said Dave Morice, Tooling Engineer Manager. “Molds with hot runners eliminate wasted electrical energy, wasted plastic, and wasted labor cost.”