Houston, TX, Aug. 26--North American Technologies Group says it has acquired a 200,000-square-foot plant on 40 acres of land near the East Texas city of Marshall where it will manufacture railroad crossties from recycled plastics and scrap tires, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The Houston-based company has already sold more than 100,000 of its TieTek patented ties, which are an alternative to creosote-treated wood.
In December, it announced a six-year, one-million-tie contract from the Union Pacific Railroad valued at more than $55 million.
About 87 percent of the content of its ties are recycled plastics, such as milk jugs and plastic bags, plus scrap tires. The other 13 percent is binders, chemical additives and reinforcing agents.
The components are mixed, melted and molded into what closely resembles a wooden tie. A crosshatch pattern on the back helps grip the ballast rock.
Union Pacific said the ties worked well in tests involving heat, humidity and heavy load conditions. It has been cooperating with the company since 1996.
They can be installed interchangeably with wood ties, but are expected to last considerably longer. At the end of their life, the plastic and rubber ties can be recycled.
The plant in Marshall, purchased from Trinity Industries of Dallas, is on a main line of the Union Pacific, with a dedicated spur into the plant.
North American plans to renovate the plant, build two new manufacturing lines and start producing the composite ties by the spring of next year.
The company will continue making the ties at its existing but smaller plant on West Hardy Road in Houston.
In June, North American Technologies received a cash grant from the Carpet Recovery Effort for continued research into the use of worn-out carpet as a raw material. The firm is also the latest additions to Solutia's Partners For Renewal carpet recycling program.
The company's TieTek subsidiary has successfully used old tires, plastic buckets, bottles and film in the making of its crossties.
