Speaker Interview: Bill Novak, Leistritz Extrusion
Monday, October 9, 2023 by Karla Stock

In our next interview, we spoke with William L Novak, Product Manager at Leistritz Extrusion.

As product manager, Bill is in direct contact with management teams and engineers who are considering adding Leistritz twin-screw extruders to increase their production capabilities. These same teams may also be looking to upgrade or maintain more reliably the equipment they already have. His responsibilities include helping to specify new equipment as well as proposing de-bottlenecking projects so the Leistritz equipment can perform more efficiently, increasing production reliability and profitability.

 

What are the biggest challenges facing the market today, and how can this be overcome?


Inflation has put pressure on every company in the plastics industry. One of the biggest challenges is being able to offer a high quality, high value product without pricing it out of reach of your customers. At Leistritz, we have been able to continuously improve our product offerings while staying in-touch with the market. Flexibility has been key in staying economical and providing equipment and solutions in a timely manner.


In your opinion, what do you consider to be the greatest development in your industry in the last decade?


The greatest development has been our industry’s overall awareness of how we fit into the world's ecology along with the economy. We are clearly a healthy and all-encompassing industry.  Now, sustainability, recycling and biopolymers are part of the everyday conversation. Admittedly, the plastics industry is a little behind in the publicity and education of what is possible, as well as how one thing affects another. However, there are many caring and understanding people involved at a grassroots level to build business strategies that support the issues instead of hiding from them.


How do you see the sector developing in the next five to ten years?


We are in a particularly charismatic industry where sometimes very small items are trumpeted, and great advances are accomplished quietly.  New technology is already driving recycling and biopolymers production, so it stands to reason that across the next decade we will see plastics plants come online producing polymers and using these new materials in ways we have not yet considered. We need to stay alert and be creative.

 

You will be speaking at the AMI Plastics World Expos in North America, could you give us a preview on what you will be talking about?


Leistritz supplies many turnkey-like systems, but it is still a twin-screw machinery company at its heart.  My talking points will include the overall importance of maintaining equipment, with a focus on the twin-screw extruder. I’ll review the primary maintenance areas and focus a bit of attention on the process section specifically.

 

Bill Novak will be speaking at the AMI Plastics World Expos in North America.