The Plastic Products and Resins Dept. was formed on January 1, 1976 by the merger of the Film Dept. and the Plastics Dept. It was merged into the Polymer Products Dept. on January 1, 1980.
The earliest departmental antecedents were the Ammonia Dept., formed in 1931, and the Plastics Dept., formed in 1936. The two were consolidated on October 1, 1949 to form the Polychemicals Dept. The Executive Committee and President Crawford Greenewalt implemented the merger because they realized that polymer-based technology was changing the character of the chemical industry and they wanted to centralize responsibility for these polymer products in one strong department. The new Polychemicals Department manufactured and sold three very different product groups: (1) chemicals made by high-pressure technology (ammonia, methanol, and ethylene glycol antifreeze), (2) nylon intermediates, (3) plastics. The department developed a relatively new group of plastics which included nylon resins, methacrylates, polyethylene (film), and Teflon. The Polychemicals Dept. was renamed the Plastics Dept. on April 16, 1962.
From the description of Records, 1950-1979. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86134330
