Hi! I’m Rob Armstrong, the General Manager of the EVAL business unit at Kuraray America.
We’ve grown a lot over the last few years here at Kuraray EVAL and we want to make sure that we maintain and improve the relationships that we’ve developed with our customers. It’s especially difficult in the current environment to stay personally connected, so we’re reaching out to say “Hi!” with these short video clips.
Over the next weeks and months, we’ll be rolling out a series of videos, each with a unique QR code like mine here, so be sure to keep an eye out and scan to meet the team.
My road to the EVAL Team began with degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston and the Auckland University of Technology specializing in the development of new applications, commercialization and production of thermoplastic polymers and coextrusions.
I joined the TS&D Team at EVAL over 25 years ago and have never looked back. I think I’ve done just about every job possible here at the EVAL plant over the years on my way to leading the team as General Manager. I have a real respect for each individual on my team because I know that every role is critical in creating and producing the quality product you, our customers, rely on and have come to expect.
Behind the scenes on the Faces of Eval video shoot.
Fun facts about me?
I’m a crazy kiwi, who came to America, fell for a girl from ______ and ended up here at Kuraray Eval in Pasadena, Texas (Robert to edit/expand)
What I love best about working at Kuraray?
I love working with my team, applying our expertise to solve the challenges you bring to our technical services group and to develop groundbreaking applications using EVAL™ EVOH.
Please tell us what you think by taking our Customer Service Survey here [link to the survey].
EVAL™ and the Circular Economy
We’re also really excited about the focus we’ve been able to apply to the demand for sustainability in current times. EVAL™ is a great tool in your sustainability toolbox. You can read more about that below and here [link to EVAL sustainability page].
Environmental benefits of EVAL™
A one-millimeter thickness of EVAL™ EVOH has the about the same gas barrier properties as ten meters of LDPE. With such high performance, EVAL™ gives plastic structures barrier performance that could only previously be achieved with metal or glass.
Protecting quality and value
EVAL™ adds real function to packaging by keeping oxygen out and locking flavor in where it belong, prolonging shelf life without additional artificial additives, and reducing waste – often while reducing the total amount of packaging needed. With EVAL™, companies have the flexibility to create innovative plastic structure designs that are both reliable and safe for use in food applications, usually reducing environmental impact and generating savings.
Reduced emissions
When used in barrier structures for construction, agricultural and automotive fuel system applications, EVAL™ helps create light-weight structures that help protect the environment from gas, fuel and chemical emissions.
Recyclable and recoverable
EVAL™ EVOH is recyclable, and is commonly used as part of a regrind structural layer in rigid packaging and automotive applications. It can also be used for post-consumer recycling, and will not disrupt polyolefin or PET recycling streams. A very high proportion of energy is recoverable from EVOH, often reducing the amount of extra fuel necessary for thermal disposal of sorted waste. EVAL™ does not contain chlorine or metals that can later release into our environment.