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Basell to rebuild and upgrade German HDPE plant July 28, 2006
Basell is to build a new Hostalen Advanced Cascade Process high density polyethylene plant at the Muenchsmuenster industrial site near Munich, Germany. Its first generation Hostalen process plant at Muenchsmuenster was damaged by an explosion and fire in December 2005. The plan is to rebuild the damaged 120,000 tonnes polymerisation unit with the latest generation Hostalen ACP technology - which is used at the Wesseling, Germany site and at the Basell Orlen Polyolefins Polish joint venture - adding a new extrusion unit. Start-up is planned for beginning of 2009. The plant design will accommodate future expansion to 150,000 tonnes.
The ACP technology can produce high performance multi-modal HDPE with applications in high pressure pipes, caps and closures, blow moulding and specialty film.
Shell confirms Singapore ethylene project July 28, 2006
Shell is to go ahead with an ethylene complex at Bukom Island in Singapore. The Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex will be an integrated refinery and petrochemicals project which will include modifications and additions to the Bukom refinery and a new 750,000 tonnes world-scale mono ethylene glycol plant using Shell's proprietary technology on Jurong Island, supplied from the new 800,000 tonnes cracker.
SABIC expands Central European distribution July 28, 2006
SABIC is increasing its penetration into Central and Eastern Europe with the opening of a logistics centre in Poland. A month ago the company opened an office in Hungary which it said it expected to develop into its main office for Central Europe. Now it is planning to open a warehouse for polymers imported from Saudi Arabia in Kutno, Poland, as part of its strategy to grow in Central Eastern Europe.
Claro invests again to expand its capabilities July 28, 2006
Machining specialist Claro Precision Engineering has invested £300,000 in additional work space and equipment including a new Hardinge Bridgeport CNC machining centre which will enable it handle bigger workpieces. Last year the company bought equipment worth £250,000, which enabled it to offer an increased range of services and attract new business.
New chief for W & P July 28, 2006
Dipl-Ing Wolfgang Pöschl has been appointed chief executive of Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer. He will also manage the Compounding & Extrusion Competence Centre, which
the company operates at its two sites in Stuttgart/Germany and Nanjing/China.
MPM chairman is replaced July 28, 2006
Mannesmann Plastics Machinery's chairman Pepyn Dinandt is leaving the company on July 31, to be replaced by Richard C Osborne of Madison Capital Partners, the company which recently bought MPM from American financial investor Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts. Before joining Madison Mr Osborne was the CEO, chairman and president of Scotsman Industries, an international manufacturer of commercial food equipment.
Carrington polystyrene plant to close July 25, 2006
Nova Innovene - the Nova Chemicals/Ineos polystyrene joint venture - is to close its polystyrene plant at Carrington in Manchester in October. The plant has a capacity of 180,000 tonnes and currently employs 82 people.
The move follows hard on the recent announcement by Nova Chemicals that it is to strip out its polystyrene business - including its half share in Nova Innovene - into a separate company called Styrenix to cut costs. Nova Innovene itself was set up partly as an attempt by Nova to get its loss-making polystyrene house in order.
The Carrington plant, formerly operated by Shell, made both expanded polystyrene and general moulding grades. The EPS plant was shut down by Nova last year after being idle for three years.
Nova Innovene says there is significant overcapacity in its PS business and this, combined with significant feedstock volatility, has depressed margins,
making the business unprofitable. It expects to supply equivalent grades to those produced at Carrington from its other European plants.
Nova said that the Carrington closure will remove approximately 6 per cent of European solid polystyrene capacity and reduce Nova Innovene's fixed costs by approximately $14 million per year.
Nova opens packaging bead plant in the centre of Asian demand July 25, 2006
The planned Chinese plant to make Nova's expandable PE/PS 'inter-polymer' has started production at Ningbo near Shanghai. Ningbo Chang-Qiao Engineering Plastics Co is operated under a long-term manufacturing agreement with Loyal Chemical Industrial Corporation, which reckons to be the largest expandable polystyrene producer in the world.
The polyethylene component in Arcel improves the toughness of the expanded bead, enabling it to give the same protection as EPS when used as cushioning for goods in transit, but at a reduced thickness, enabling outer package dimensions to be reduced and so improving shipping density. Demand for Arcel is growing in Asia, and the new plant is intended to shorten the supply chain for the Asian market - Nova's main production site for Arcel is at Beaver Valley, Pennsylvania in the USA.
Negri Bossi seeks finance to become a systems builder July 25, 2006
Italian injection machine manufacturer Negri Bossi has gone to its shareholders to raise Eur 30 million for investment to transform its manufacturing strategy, and it has done so as it plans to announce its first profitable quarter in more than a year.
It is to issue Eur 15·4 million worth of new shares at a discount to existing shareholders, with warrants for further discounted shares to raise another Eur 15·4 million over the next three years, which will be listed on the Italian stock exchange. Backing the initial share offering is 60 per cent majority shareholder Sacmi, which will underwrite 84 per cent of the new issue.
The aim of the recapitalisation is to give Negri Bossi the financial strength to invest in a new manufacturing direction. Instead of producing standard moulding machines, the company intends to build customised integrated production systems. Its display at the Plast exhibition earlier this year indicated this change of direction, showing machines integrated with six-axis robots in production cells for petri dishes, in-line metallised cover plates for electric switches, and in-line painted automotive components.
Further expansion of the company's capital through the exercise of the option warrants will 'make a further Eur 15·4 million available to the company over the next three years to be used in financing strategies for development and expansion beyond 2008'.
Negri Bossi's second quarter results, due to be announced in the next few days, will show the first pre-tax profit after five successive quarterly losses. The company will also report a 20 per cent increase in half year turnover compared to the first half last year and 'excellent performance of the order portfolio'. The result for the full year, however, is still expected to be a loss, with profitability returning in 2007.
Nova puts EPS into building systems joint venture July 25, 2006
Following its move out of commodity polystyrene to concentrate on higher value-added products, Nova Chemicals has joined up with an American steel building products company to develop steel and expanded polystyrene building systems. It has linked with Dietrich Metal Framing to make construction products that combine the design advantages and strength of steel and the thermal and sound insulation of EPS to meet the demand for durable, energy-saving structures that are also cost-effective to build.
Proposed anti-dumping levies on bags not enough, says PIFA July 25, 2006
The Packaging and Industrial Films Association has criticised a proposal discussed last week by the European Commission to impose anti-dumping levies on plastic bags from China and Thailand.
The proposal follows an 'extremely complex' investigation into imports of polyethylene bags and sacks from the Far East and is now expected to pass for ratification to the Council of Ministers and possible implementation in late September. The anti-dumping duties would be additional to the conventional import duties and would be between 5·1 per cent and 15·2 per cent for producers in China and 5·7 per cent and 14·3 per cent for Thailand.
PIFA says that while the EU decision would assist the immediate competitiveness of European producers, the levies will be reviewed after five years so without the security of long term guarantees of supply, additional investment in Europe will be limited.
China and Thailand exported 146,000 tonnes of bags to Europe between them in 2005. PIFA commented that the imposition of further levies would push some production back into Europe - where there was spare capacity because of the growth of Far Eastern production - but that it was inevitable that products will still come from the Far East regardless of the additional duty.
And then there is Malaysia. Malaysian production was below the level required to attract an anti-dumping levy. Imports were 112,000 tonnes in 2005, but PIFA says 'recent growth indicates Malaysia is developing an increasing share of the market' and that 'it is likely that some shift towards increased sourcing of plastic bags from Malaysia will also take place'.
New name for Ark Plastic Products July 25, 2006
Northampton-based injection moulder Ark Plastic Products is changing its name to Cox Plastics Technologies. The company joined the PC Cox Group, which is a specialist in adhesive and sealant applicators, in 2002.
IDI Composites consolidates July 25, 2006
IDI Composites International - part of the US-based Industrial Dielectrics - has revitalised its site in Birmingham. The company, which makes bulk moulding compound and sheet moulding compound, originally had a plant in Halesowen, and also part of the old BIP factory in Oldbury. It initially consolidated into the 'positively Dickensian' BIP site. Now the site owner Revelan Group has flattened all but the IDI manufacturing plant, and fully refurbished that with new warehousing, R & D laboratory and offices so that IDI is now in a single building.
Lucite moves on with its second new technology MMA plant July 25, 2006
Further expansion of methyl methacrylate production using its new Alpha technology has begun at Lucite International. With construction of its first plant in Singapore now underway, Lucite says it is planning plants 2, 3 and 4 - although it is not saying yet where they will be built.
Alpha 2 will be a 250,000 tonnes plant - Alpha 1 is 120,000 tonnes - and is expected to be in full scale production by 2011.
The Alpha process, revealed in 2004 is reckoned to cut the cost of making MMA by 40 per cent, using ethylene, methanol and carbon monoxide feedstocks instead of acetone, HCN and isobutylene.
Rexam opens plastics plant in Poland July 25, 2006
Rexam has opened a plastics plant - its first in the country - at Lodz in Poland. The plant was a work in progress for Precise Technology of the USA, which Rexam bought in December last year.
The 4,000 m² facility will house 14 moulding machines with high-speed robotics and assembly. Capabilities include plastic injection moulding, manual and automated assembly, ultrasonic welding, labelling, and other value added activities.
Pipe producer buys single material reinforcement technology July 25, 2006
Innovative PE pipe producer Egeplast Werner Strumann of Germany has bought technology for making reinforced plastics pipes from Solvay. It has taken over the HexelOne process for making large diameter pressure pipes for water and gas distribution which was developed by Solvay's New Business Development team at the Group's Research & Technology campus in Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium.
The HexelOne process is intended for the production of pipes of between 180 and 1,000 mm in diameter, able to sustain pressures of 25 bar and higher. It uses oriented tapes of essentially the same material as the matrix to add strength, while remaining a single-material structure so easing recycling. An HDPE pipe, for instance, would be made by extruding an inner HDPE mandrel to give fluid tightness, then wrapping that with HDPE mono-oriented tapes to increase the pressure resistance and finally protecting the tapes with an outer layer of HDPE which is also used to colour code the pipe.
While Egeplast is largely known for polyethylene pipes, the HexelOne process can be applied to other materials such as polypropylene or PVC.
Egeplast was the company that worked with Krauss-Maffei to develop the QuickSwitch technology for on-the-fly pipe resizing.
Basell leaves one Far Eastern joint venture and invests further in three others July 25, 2006
Basell is selling its 36 per cent stake in Taiwan Polypropylene Company to Lee Chang Yung Chemical Industry Corporation. In the process it will take over the shares held by TPP in other Basell joint ventures in the region - SunAllomer in Japan (16·7 per cent), PolyMirae in South Korea (10 per cent) and HMC Polymers Company in Thailand (5 per cent).
Polimoon starts its biggest takeover yet July 12, 2006
Norwegian-based packaging group and industrial moulding Polimoon, which bought Fibrenyle in 2003 has embarked on its biggest takeover yet. It is buying the Plastohm group, which was set up at the end of the 'nineties by two French 'plastics valley' companies Slym and La Bellignite, for around Eur 40 million.
Plastohm's operations are divided between injection and injection blow moulding for health and beauty and pharmaceutical packaging, for which it operates at two sites in France and one in northern Italy, and technical moulding with an emphasis on the automotive and electrical industries, with six injection moulding plants - three in France, one in Germany, one in Slovakia and one at Washington in Tyne & Wear. There is also a plant in Tunisia.
The group has around 1,000 employees and turns over more than Eur 105 million. Combined sales of Polimoon and Plastohm will be in excess of Eur 500 million, which the company says gives it 'the size to act more confidently in a challenging market'.
Jubb bounces back July 12, 2006
After twice going into administrative receivership in eighteen months, Leicester-based blow moulder Jubb is back in profit.
The original company Jubb Containers merged with moulder Barclay Stuart but was placed in administration in 2004. It was acquired by Midlands injection moulder BME and started trading again as Cenplas. The company invested £100,000 in a clean room in 2005, but in September it suffered a major fire at its warehouse and found itself back in administration at the end of the year.
It was then bought by its landlord, Leicester-based investment firm Studon Holdings and is now trading as Jupp UK - profitably, as its first quarter's accounts show. Jupp is primarily an extrusion blow moulder, but also operates a print and label print and application department.
Vitasheet to close two plants in rationalisation July 12, 2006
VitasheetGroup - the thermoplastic sheet division of British Vita - is to close two plants, one in the UK, as it restructures its operations. The Doeflex plant in Redhill, and the factory at Caleppio in Italy will cease operations at the end of this year, bringing the company's manufacturing sites down from ten to eight.
The closures follow the company's concentration of its operations into manufacturing 'Centres of Excellence'. Both sites have high operating costs which Vitasheet says cannot be reduced through efficiency improvements, and make products which are also made elsewhere in the group at lower cost.
Also part of the group restructure is the setting up of a dedicated European R & D centre at the Metzeler site at Jülich near Düsseldorf in Germany. The centre will be staffed by an international team with a pilot line and testing equipment and will be fully operational by the end of this year.
Huhtamaki hires Rexam MD July 12, 2006
Huhtamaki has appointed Rexam Dispensing Systems managing director Maurice Petitjean as executive vice president, Europe Flexibles, Films and Molded Fiber. He joins the company on September 1 and will be based in Hoofddorp, Netherlands.
RPET trials success brings commitment to continue July 12, 2006
Three major high street names who took part in a trial to use recycled PET in packaging have now committed to keep using it. Coca-Cola Enterprises, Marks & Spencer and Boots have found that recycled RPET can meet technical, commercial and safety requirements for retail packaging - as well as winning plaudits from customers - and all three have either confirmed their intentions to use RPET on a commercial scale in the future or are already doing so.
Of the 30 - 40,000 tonnes of PET recycled in the UK each year, very little was going back into packaging, says recycling organisation WRAP, which organised the trials. In the trials Coca-Cola used 25 per cent RPET in 75 million 500 ml bottles, including Diet Coke; Marks & Spencer incorporated between 30 and 50 per cent RPET in 150 million packs for its salad and Food to Go ranges; and Boots used 30 per cent RPET in 1·3 million bottles for its high profile Ingredients range of toiletries.
Rexam to sell Yate July 9, 2006
Rexam's Yate plant near Bristol is being sold alongside plants at Stilling in Denmark and Lidköping in Sweden. The three plants make thinwall containers - trays and tubs - for food packaging, Combipac containers, and the Lidköping plant also makes single use plastic cups, glasses and plates. Total sales are around £65 million. Rexam says that while these are good operations, they operate in regional, mature markets and with food packaging being such a diverse market it sees little potential to match its overall strategy of global operation.
The company says there has been 'substantial interest' and the sale is well under way, but cannot say when it will take place.
Arburg to build an even bigger machine July 9, 2006
Arburg, the small injection moulding machine specialist which a few years ago decided that small could be a bit bigger, is planning to build an even bigger machine. It is to eclipse its 400 tonne machine with a 500 tonne model making its debut at the Fakuma exhibition later this year.
The Allrounder 920S will be built to the same design as the 630S, 720S and 820S, but with the higher clamp force comes a tie bar spacing of 920 × 920 mm and opening stroke of 900 mm.
SABIC's Noteborn to retire July 9, 2006
Boy Litjens has been appointed chief executive and chairman of the managing board of SABIC Europe, succeeding Frans Noteborn who is to retire after having been CEO since the company's acquisition from DSM in 2002.
Boy Litjens also came from DSM where he was business unit director, polypropylenes, at the time of the takeover and joined the SABIC Europe board as chief operating officer. He takes over as CEO on September 9.
Succeeding him at SABIC Europe will be Abdullah Bazid, who was instrumental in SABIC's major acquisitions in Europe, and now becomes chief operating officer and managing director, chemicals and intermediates.
Atlas sheeters business goes solo July 9, 2006
The former Atlas Converting Equipment sheeting machinery business has been bought from Bobst Group and renamed Apollo Sheeters. It is controlled by Christopher Rogers who set up Atlas Converting Equipment in 1976 and was its chairman and chief executive for around 20 years. During that time he involved the company in sheeters by buying the Meltog sheeter business in 1996.
Apollo Sheeters remains in Kempston in Bedford alongside Atlas Converting Equipment, with all the existing staff transferring to the new company.
Trelleborg buys another company July 9, 2006
Trelleborg has continued its trail of niche rubber business acquisitions with an agreement to buy Mehren Rubber of Sande in Norway. Mehren Rubber is a contract producer of down-hole packers (oil/gas extraction equipment for sealing the area between the tubing and the wall of the bore hole) for Easywell, a global company within Halliburton in the down-hole packer market.
The take over will extend Trelleborg Engineered Systems' expansion in the offshore business. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.
RPC expands in beauty packaging July 9, 2006
RPC Group is expanding its rigid packaging business focused on the beauty and personal care sector by buying two plants from Crown Group Risdon. Both plants are in Europe - at Marolles near Le Mans in northern France and at Mozzate near Varese in northern Italy - and augment RPC's European presence in this market through plants in Germany and the UK.
Clariant moves additives into Omya July 9, 2006
Clariant UK has transferred distribution of its pigments and additives - with the exception of some direct accounts - to Omya UK. Omya will manage the distribution in the UK and Ireland of all products in the Clariant PA range, except waxes and flame retardants.
Vacuum former bought out of automotive panels group July 9, 2006
Birmingham-based automotive panels supplier Sertec Group has sold its Sertec Plastics subsidiary to its management, led by Mike McDonough, who founded the company in 1986. Sertec Plastics is primarily a vacuum former, making parts in ABS, polycarbonate and polypropylene and also has a reaction moulded polyurethane facility. It makes components for car manufacturers from Aston Martin to Renault, as well as parts for use in construction, agriculture, work vehicles and general engineering. It has a current product manifest of around 300 parts and in the last 12 months has added JCB and Land Rover to its customer list.
The company's operations were no longer regarded as core by Sertec Group, which is mainly involved in steel and aluminium pressings. In its new independent role Sertec Plastics is looking to a higher level of investment, and is planning to expand its 36,000 ft² Witton premises. Staffing has already grown from 32 to 43, and the company anticipates hiring more skilled staff as the business grows.
Omega starts reinvestment as it emerges from Fitstogether July 9, 2006
Omega Plastics has taken delivery of a DMG high speed tooling centre as the first step in its renaissence from the Fitstogether Group which went into administration earlier this year. Omega Plastics was set up in 1998 and merged with Tooling Technologies and Amsys Rapid Prototyping in 2002 in the Fitstogether Group offering rapid prototyping, rapid cut tooling and low volume component production, and fully hardened long-run tool manufacture.
Omega Plastics is now run by operations director Dave Crone, originally from Omega Plastics, chairman Chris Thompson, who is chairman of the Express Engineering Group which was a partner in the setting up of Omega Plastics and was also one of the owners of Fitstogether, and rapid prototyping veteran Gordon Styles, formerly of Styles Rapid Prototyping who has joined the company as managing director.
Omega Plastics is concentrating on rapid aluminium mouldmaking and low-volume moulding of complex plastic parts.
German/American thin film deposition manufacturer Applied Films has been bought by Applied Materials of the USA for $464 million. Applied Films makes equipment for manufacturing flat panel displays, solar cells, flexible electronics and energy-efficient glass and will complement Applied Materials' thin film nanomanufacturing technology.
EDI takes multi-layer film to extremes July 9, 2006
How many layers do you need to make an effective barrier film? Five, seven, nine? How about 80? US die specialist Extrusion Dies Inc has taken a licence from Dow Chemical for its 'layer multiplier' system, and is contemplating 50 micron packaging film with up to 80 layers - or more.
Such a film would improve moisture and gas barrier, encapsulate gels and 'un-melts', and enable manufacturers to make more economical use of high-cost materials, says EDI. The enhanced barrier properties would come from the creation of a more tortuous path for gas and moisture molecules to cross the film. Increasing the number of layer-to-layer interfaces would encapsulate defects, so reducing the likelihood of breakage caused by pinholes in film, particularly in biaxially oriented products subjected to post-extrusion stretching.
Material cost savings would be achieved because many key properties of a polymer do not decrease proportionately with layer thickness, so creating microlayers could reduce the amount of high-performance polymers needed while still achieving target properties, says EDI. For example, in oriented PET film, layers of more expensive high intrinsic viscosity grades could be combined with layers of low IV material and achieve film properties superior to those of film produced from a physical blend of high IV and low IV PET.
EDI says there could be even further benefits in film properties. The same polymer exerts different effects on end product properties according to whether it is distributed into one or two layers or into many super-thin layers. Layer-multiplier technology makes it possible to produce film that is more flexible, for example, without reducing the overall amount of a rigid polymer used as one of the raw materials. One benefit is greater processing latitude in subsequent thermoforming processes.
In a typical line configuration, three or more extruders would feed melt streams into an EDI feed block, which produces a uniform multi-layer 'sandwich'; this would then be fed into a layer-multiplier device where the layers are multiplied in stages: for example, three layers are multiplied into twelve, which are multiplied into forty-eight. The finished micro-layer structure would then be distributed in a coextrusion manifold to the target product width.
EDI sees much of the barrier packaging sector adopting layer-multiplier technology in coming years, with microlayer co-extrusion speeding the incorporation of nanocomposites in food packaging for enhanced barrier, thermal, and mechanical properties.
There are alternatives to the Dow system for extruding micro-layer products, but according to EDI, Dow's layer multiplication is more effective than other systems because it causes a layer structure to travel a greater distance than in conventional coextrusion, increasing the tendency for viscous encapsulation of one layer material by another. The layer-multiplier technology is already proven in practice. 3M Corporation is using it to make sophisticated optical films for electronic screen displays and other products. EDI's licence excludes such polymeric reflective films, but enables it to supply systems for cast film, oriented film, sheet and extrusion coating, primarily for packaging.
EDI's technology package includes designing feed-blocks to present the proper layer structure to the multiplier device, building the multiplier device to provide the pressure drops and balanced polymer flow channels for combining materials of differing viscosities and flow rates, and machining streamlined manifolds to distribute the microlayer structure to final width.
EDI has built a 190 m² process development laboratory at its Chippewa Falls plant in Wisconsin, USA, equipped to run a wide range of film and sheet structures.
US-based colour measurement specialist X-Rite has bought Amazys Holding of Switzerland, better known for its GretagMacBeth brand of colour measurement equipment and software, for around $280 million. The combined company will be called X-Rite, Incorporated. The global headquarters will be in Grandville, Michigan, USA, with European headquarters in Regensdorf, Switzerland, and Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong.
Disposable garments offer new market for Hytrel film July 9, 2006
New potential for DuPont's Hytrel polyester TPE as a waterproofing fabric has been found in a finite-life outdoor garment produced by Swiss company Exten. Jackets made with the fabric are waterproof but not washable, making them multi-use but ultimately disposable.
Exten already uses Hytrel in co-extruded membranes for waterproof fabrics under its Smylex brand. The new laminate consists of a waterproof and breathable Hytrel film between two layers of non-woven material - one of which is based on spun-laced, ultra-soft polyester fibres, the other on spun-laid hydrophobic polypropylene. The inner non-woven layer acts as a collector of water vapour - in most cases perspiration - creating a humidity gradient between inside and outside of the jacket; this gradient 'pushes' water vapour through the hydrophilic and breathable Hytrel membrane, before evaporation through the non-woven outerlayer. The outerlayer is tear- and scrub-resistant, as well as water-repellent. The finished garment has long-term water-resistance and breathability, but is not washable.
Exten anticipates 'a vast market potential' for high-performance outdoor wear with the benefits of weatherability and comfort but at a lower price than established premium performance garments through the use of lower cost materials and production efficiencies from the high-speed processing of non-woven materials.
Hytrel was specified partly because of its ability to absorb, diffuse and evaporate water vapour, and its water- and wind-resistance from its monolithic physical structure, and partly for its ability to be processed by extrusion lamination and hot-melt lamination with the non-woven materials.
Expansion by speciality resins company July 9, 2006
Speciality resins company Eliokem is increasing its reactor capacity at Le Havre in France, with the new capacity expected on line in early 2007. The new reactor capacity will be multi-functional and will allow the company to increase the output of all its product ranges: coatings resins (Pliolite and Hydro Pliolite), latices (Pliocord) and elastomeric modifiers (Sunigum and Chemigum).
Earlier this year the company increased the capacity of its plant in Akron, Ohio, USA to support the growth of its Pliotec water-borne resins for floor coatings in North America.
The current combined production capacity of the three plants, Le Havre (France), Akron (Ohio, USA) and Ningbo (China) is in excess of 70,000 tonnes.
M & H makes second jars acquisition this year July 4, 2006
The Audus Noble PET jars business has been bought by M & H Plastics, following the recent closure of Audus Noble. The company had been hit by overseas competition and the cost of buying Dines Plastics of Basildon last year and went into administration in May. It stopped trading after administrator Grant Thornton was unable to sell it.
Audus Noble was one of the biggest suppliers in Europe of PET jars, and its range was augmented by that of Dines Plastics. It recently introduced a glass look-alike Kilner jar. M & H has taken over the original Audus Noble jar range and that of Dines Plastics, and also the new Kilner jar series. It plans to start production at its Beccles plant at the end of this month, moving into full scale production in September.
M & H Plastics has an extensive range of jars in SAN, polypropylene and polystyrene. The Audus Noble range is the company's second acquisition in three months. In April it bought another major jar manufacturer, HPL Jars and Containers of Liverpool, which brought a technology boost in the use of higher cavity density tooling and robotics.
Coperion becomes exclusive provider of TekFlow July 4, 2006
A melt processing technology which can reduce viscosity without a loss of molecular weight is undergoing development at Coperion Werner & Pfleiderer. The company has linked with Stratek Plastics, an offshoot of the Polymer Research Laboratory at Stamford University in the USA, to develop Stratek's TekFlow process, for which it has agreed an exclusive worldwide production and distribution licence.
TekFlow, which has some 25 years of research behind it, is described as a disentanglement process. It uses a combination of shear and extensional flows to disentangle the knotted polymer chains in a viscous melt, lowering the viscosity and making it easier to process, and at lower temperatures. Coperion says this technology is of benefit for virtually all manufacturing processes by shortening cycle times and increasing throughput or by greatly reducing the pressure requirement when producing polymer blends and incorporating critical filler materials.
Development so far has been mostly on a laboratory scale. The plan is to commission a unit this year at Stratek's base in Wallingford capable of running at up to 60 kg/h to demonstrate the process. The availability of large-scale machinery with throughputs between 500 and 1,000 kg/h is planned for 2007.
Bayer has appointed Martin Dawkins as managing director for the UK and Ireland region. He moves from Bayer's headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany, where he headed Bayer HealthCare's Hæmatology and Cardiology business in Europe. During his 20 years at Bayer Mr Dawkins has held a number of international posts in England, the USA, Japan and Denmark, mainly in the diagnostics and medical equipment businesses and, latterly, with hæmatology and cardiology products.
Mr Dawkins replaces Lambert Courth who, after three and a half years in the role, has been appointed to lead the integration programme for Bayer's acquisition of Schering.
Trelleborg buys more niche business July 4, 2006
Elastomer-based international engineering group Trelleborg of Sweden is buying two more niche businesses. Through its Engineered Systems business it has acquired Mar-Con Group of Finland which specialises in elastomer applications for the electronics and telecom sectors, with products such as multigates, standard/special grommets and EMC gaskets. Its key technology is the manufacture of thermoplastic elastomer composites with metal or plastics.
The other acquisition is the UAB Trella protective suit operations of Lithuanian company Svytis, which is an established supplier of protective suits to Trelleborg Protective Products. Trelleborg Protective Products, also part of Trelleborg Engineered Systems, makes protective products for extreme environments - including chemical protective suits under the Trellchem brand and Viking dry diving suits.
BASF buys US chemical company July 4, 2006
US-based Johnson Polymers has been bought by BASF. Johnson Polymers makes coatings and inks, and in the plastics sector makes flow additives, reactants and compatibilisers, chain extenders and plasticisers. The company has production sites in the USA and the Netherlands, and technical centres and offices in the Asia Pacific region.
The business, which adds a range of water-based resins to BASF's existing resins portfolio, will be integrated into BASF's Performance Chemicals division.
Deceuninck family sells to secure the future July 4, 2006
The family owners of Belgian-based international PVC profile producer Deceuninck have sold 17·5 per cent of the company to Belgian financial institution Sofina. The move is intended to bring stability to the shareholder base. Last year the company reported an approach by a financial investor which came to nothing, but says now that the sale of equity to Sofina offers 'the best guarantees for a stable shareholdership which will safeguard the future of the company'.
DSM to increase acrylonitrile output July 4, 2006
DSM is to expand the output of its acrylonitrile plant at the Chemelot chemical complex in Geleen, the Netherlands. The Eur 15 million project should add 24,000 tonnes to the plant's 235,000 tonnes capacity, with the additional capacity available from the third quarter of next year.
Graham adds Berry July 4, 2006
US based international packaging manufacturer Berry Plastics is being sold by Goldman Sachs - which bought it in 2002 - to Apollo Management and Graham Partners, a private equity firm related to Graham Packaging and Graham Packaging Machinery. As well as its 23 US sites Berry has plants in Norwich, Mexico, Milan and Hong Kong and more than 6,800 employees.
Malvern buys in the USA July 4, 2006
Rheometry specialist Malvern Instruments has bought Spectral Dimensions, a US manufacturer of near infrared chemical imaging instrumentation and software. Spectral Dimensions will cease trading and the organisation will be integrated into Malvern's US subsidiary.
Williams in the EuPC chair - again July 4, 2006
Former LinPac managing director David Williams has been appointed for a further two-year term as president of EuPC, the European plastics converters' association. He was first elected to the post in 2002.
Land Instruments bought by Ametek July 4, 2006
Land Instruments of Dronsfield, which makes on-line temperature measurement instruments, notably infrared instruments used in polymer processing, joins testing equipment manufacturer Lloyd Instruments as a member of the international Ametek group. Ametek has bought Land Instruments International and added it to its Electronic Instruments Group. Ametek Land will remain at Dronsfield and operate as a business unit within the Process & Analytical Instruments Division.
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