This page is an archive of news and news background stories. Stories are placed here when they expire from the news pages and are filed in date order, most recent on the top. Go to the most recent or browse through the headline links.
We quote monetary figures - company results, materials prices etc - in the currency in which they were originally reported. You can convert them to your own currency at today's exchange rates.
August 30, 1999 -
Hallam Polymer Engineering has bought polyurethane and rubber processor H Slater & Sons (Engineers) of Sheffield. Slater's factory at Broadfield Road, Sheffield is to be closed and the company will be moved into HPE's factory in Dronfield, near Chesterfield. Slater's managing director Geoff Slater joins the HPE board as sales director designate, succeeding Peter Galloway, who will retire on November 30.
Improved business management reaps profits for Wavin as turnover dips
August 30, 1999 -
Pipe maker Wavin increased profits substantially in the first half of this year, on the back of a modest increase in sales volume and a decline in turnover.
Net profits rose 53 per cent over the first half of 1998 from NLG 19·3 million to NLG 29·6 million and operating profits rose 33 per cent to NLG 63 million. Improved cost control, geographic restructuring and a product portfolio focused on more added value are given the credit.
Actual sales volume rose 5 per cent, and turnover decreased because of lower raw material prices and restructuring costs.
End of year results are expected to show a slight sales increase, and Wavin expects a net profit increase of 25 per cent.
Husky to concentrate big machine manufacture on Luxembourg
August 26, 1999 -
Husky is to concentrate construction of its large injection moulding machines on its Dudelange, Luxembourg, European headquarters.
For some time it has rented space at GE Plastics' Pittsfield, Massachusetts site in the USA for big machine construction, but this arrangement is to be phased out later this year.
This month the company has also opened the latest in its global network of technical centres, in Detroit, Michigan, US. The emphasis here will be on large tonnage machines, and an 8,000 tonne two-platen machine is currently being installed. It has also started work on a technical centre in France.
Wittmann buys Canadian company and starts Far East expansion
August 24, 1999 -
Wittmann Robot Systems of Austria has bought Canadian materials handling equipment supplier Nucon Systems. Nucon makes vacuum loaders, vacuum pumps, silos, gravimetric blenders and other materials handling equipment, which will join the Cramer range of dryers, bought by Wittmann a year or so ago, to enable the company to offer complete materials handling packages. The Cramer dryer range is currently under redevelopment and Wittmann expects to start selling new models next year.
Wittmann has also recently opened its Hungarian factory, about an hour and a half's drive from Vienna, where it is pre-assembling robots before shipment back to Vienna for completion.
And in the Far East Wittmann has set up Wittmann Asia Pacific and opened offices in Taiwan and Shanghai.
Standard Products to cease manufacture in Huntingdon
August 24, 1999 -
Automotive supplier Standard Products is closing its Huntingdon rubber and plastic seal and trim manufacturing site and splitting the operation between its plants in Maesteg and Plymouth over the next nine months. The rubber mixing division and the company's head office remain at Huntingdon.
The Huntingdon manufacturing operation has made substantial losses in each of the past two years despite reducing material costs and improving productivity, and the company says that with increasing industry pricing pressures it has been forced to make this rationalisation.
Two hundred jobs will be created at Maesteg and Plymouth, but 350 employees will be affected by the Huntingdon closure. Relocation is being offered.
Hosokawa brings Rietz in from Scotland
August 24, 1999 -
Hosokawa Micron has moved its Hosokawa Rietz operation from its original base in Fife to the Hosokawa Micron site in Runcorn and integrated the Rietz product line of size reduction, agglomeration and extrusion equipment with the Micron Powder Process Division.
PE predicted to near £600/tonne in two months
August 22, 1999 -
The Packaging and Industrial Films Association is predicting polyethylene prices approaching £600 per tonne by October compared with less than £400 per tonne six months ago, with consequent higher prices for film. And it is urging film buyers to recognise that this is a worldwide trend, and not to disrupt the film manufacturing sector by shopping around.
PIFA says price escalation is affecting all volume polymer types - PE, PP, PVC, PET and PS - and stems from a resurgence in demand from the Far East following the collapse of economies there last year combined with an unprecedented series of disruptions to petrochemical plants. On top of this has come strong growth in North America, pushing global demand into an excess over supply. And finally, major plastics users are increasing stockholding as a defence against supply problems which may be caused by the millennium computer date change period.
Despite the transient nature of plant outages and increased stockholding, PIFA says that the market may stay firm for at least the next two years.
Hydraulic co-operation
August 22, 1999 -
Two specialists in complementary hydraulic equipment have set up an alliance to increase the breadth of the packages they can offer to manufacturers and users of hydraulic equipment.
Moog Controls, which makes precision motion control components and systems such as proportional and directional valves, has allied with Oilgear Towler which makes equipment including pumps, motors and valves.
100 per cent PP closed cell foam
August 20, 1999 -
Zotefoams has developed a closed cell foam made from 100 per cent polypropylene which can be recycled. The company believes all other PP foams on the market to be blends of PE/EVA and PP, diluting the benefits of the polypropylene and making the foams more difficult to recycle.
The new Propozote foam is produced at 30 kg/m3 density in sheets measuring 1,800 × 1,000 × 30 mm in black and white. Its main potential is seen in the automotive market where its recyclability is an attractive addition to its high temperature performance and thermoformability. Its low fogging characteristics also make it suitable for vehicle interior applications. It is currently on trial with several vehicle manufacturers.
Propozote's rigidity also gives it potential as a surfboard core, and it is currently in use by a major Australian producer, and on trial with several US manufacturers.
Increase in UV stabiliser production
August 20, 1999 -
Cytec Industries is increasing capacity for its Cyasorb UV1084 light stabiliser by around 30 per cent by a series of debottlenecking steps at its Botlek, Netherlands, plant scheduled for completion by October.
Cyasorb UV1084 is used primarily in agricultural film.
Victrex adds PEK to PEEK
August 20, 1999 -
Victrex is about to introduce a PEK - polyetherketone - material and, as it did with polyetheretherketone, has registered the acronym as a trade mark.
PEK polyetherketone is a semi-crystalline, unreinforced polymer which offers higher temperature resistance and mechanical strength than PEEK polyethetherketone (or as Victrex now prefers to describe it, polyaryletherketone). Glass transition temperature is 157 degC and melt temperature 373 degC. Heat distortion temperature has been measured to ISO R75 as 165 degC, and continuous use temperature to UL 746B, 260 degC.
PEK is supplied in granule form suitable for injection moulding, sheet and film extrusion and wire coating.
Anticipated applications include automotive under-bonnet components, headlamp reflectors, aircraft seating shells, wire and cable insulation, industrial valve linings and heat exchanger parts. The material is already is use in Japan where Nissan Motors is using it to replace aluminium in the turbocharger impeller fitted to its turbo-charged petrol engined cars.
Blow moulding machinery takeover
August 19, 1999 -
Graham Machinery Group of the USA has bought Hesta Blow Molding Machinery from R Stahl of Germany. Graham builds high capacity wheel and accumulator head blow moulding machines. Hesta builds shuttle and small accumulator head machines, which are seen as a good fit with the existing Graham portfolio. Graham anticipates future machines from both sources will incorporate a blend of technologies.
The purchase also gets Graham an engineering base in Europe, which it plans to use as a support centre: it is not planning to build its own machine designs there.
Hesta will henceforth operate as Hesta/Graham, and will take on service for the Graham Machinery Group's European, Asian and African customers. In the UK the Hesblow operation which supports Hesta, and the Giles Associates agency selling Graham machines, will be integrated, although precise details have yet to be decided.
One immediate rationalisation from the takeover will be at Interplas, where Graham will no longer occupy its planned stand but will decamp to the larger Hesta stand.
Joint research venture in olefin polymerisation
August 19, 1999 -
Mitsui Chemicals and Dow Chemical are to set up a joint R & D program for high performance olefin polymerisation catalysts designed to allow the copolymerisation of alpha-olefins such as ethylene and propylene with polar comonomers. The aim will be to outperform conventional and metallocene catalysts, with specific aims of enabling the polymerisation of polar comonomers that tend to kill conventional Ziegler-Natta and metallocene catalysts, and to allow control over the molecular architecture of the copolymers produced.
In addition the two companies are to license some patents to each other, one result being that Mitsui could be able to make ethylene copolymers using Dow's Insite technology catalysts.
Exxon LDPE technology for China
August 18, 1999 -
Exxon Chemical, through its affiliate Exxon Chemical Eastern, has licensed Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding to use its high pressure tubular polyethylene technology in China. Mitsui is to sub license the technology to China Petrochemical International Company for use by Yanshan Petrochemical Company, which is to build a 200,000 tonnes plant in Beijing. The plant will produce LDPE homopolymer and products containing up to 10 per cent vinyl acetate. Completion is expected by the end of 2001.
Axxicon to buy Swiss moulder
August 17, 1999 -
Axxicon has made a bid for a 70 per cent stake in Swiss moulder CIPRAS Holding. CIPRAS is a specialist in plastic gear wheels and gear wheel components, and Axxicon sees the acquisition as strengthening its position in plastic transmission components. Last year Axxicon bought French mould maker Seropa.
Change of management at Nextrom heralds company restructure
August 17, 1999 -
Jouni Heinonen, director of Nextrom's plastics business group, has become president of Nextrom Holding. He succeeds Jaakko Asanti, who has left the company.
The appointment of Mr Heinonen marks a toughening in strategy at Nextrom, as it sees business dwindling as a result of new corporate thinking among its customers. Mr Heinonen commented: 'The ongoing consolidation and restructuring amongst our customers has led to a lower level of investment activity.' And he told staff in an internal communication: 'In some cases we will need to exit or divest from business areas with insufficient growth possibilities. We must find a means of improving the utilisation of our resources and to realign them as soon as possible.'
Bayer and AlliedSignal to share nylon 6 resources
August 16, 1999 -
Bayer and AlliedSignal are to share resources for nylon 6 production in Europe and North America. In what is termed 'a strategic business agreement' AlliedSignal is to provide Bayer with nylon 6 in the USA, where it is market leader, and in Europe Bayer will provide AlliedSignal's Rudolstadt, Germany site with caprolactam from which to make nylon 6.
Additive prices going up
August 13, 1999 -
European prices for antioxidants and titanium dioxide are to be raised in September by Great Lakes Chemical and Millennium Inorganic Chemicals.
Great Lakes is putting up its Anox 20, Alkanox 240 and Anox BB and TB blends by 9·5 per cent on September 15. Anox NDB materials will also be increased in price according to the amount of the other antioxidants they contain. Great Lakes increased the price of its Anox PP18 anti-oxidant by 8 per cent on August 1.
Millennium's price increase will be a 7·5 per cent hike on all its Tiona products sold in Europe, effective September 1.
Buy-in injection for Sifam
August 12, 1999 -
Sifam Moulded Products has been bought by Anthony Fry, the man who sold Novara to Waddington plc in 1989 and more recently oversaw the construction of a new factory for Waddington Jaycare in North Shields. He has put together a £2·4 million investment package to buy into the company, which specialises in multi-shot injection moulding.
New management at DSM EPP
August 12, 1999 -
The management of DSM Engineering Plastic Products' Welwyn Garden City site has been restructured following the retirement of manufacturing director John Gill. Steve Pendlebury, who over the past eight years has been materials manager, sales manager and logistics manager, now becomes technology centre Directord Robert Goodsell, who joined the company in January as sales and marketing director, is now additionally responsible for logistics, customer service and the finance department.
Husky starts work on French technical centre
August 12, 1999 -
Husky has started work on its third European technical centre. After Dudelange in Luxembourg and Coventry in the UK the Canadian-based injection moulding machine manufacturer has started construction of a 1,500 sq m building at Plaine de l'Ain near Lyon and Oyonnax in France. Husky has a plan to open technical centres in key geographical areas at the rate of one a year. The French centre is costing FF 5 million.
Initial construction work will be complete by December and Husky Injection Molding Systems will move to the new site from its current office in Péronnas.
Columbian ups Brazilian blacks
August 12, 1999 -
Columbian Chemicals is to increase production of carbon black in Brazil. The company is to expand the capacity of Columbian Chemicals Brasil by 25,000 tonnes of carcass and tread type blacks, to reach a total of around 200,000 tonnes.
Columbian bought the plant, reckoned possibly to be the largest in the world, in October last year.
3D blow moulding simplified
August 9, 1999 -
Fischer-W Müller Blasformtechnik, one of the Thyssen Krupp blow moulding machine companies, has developed a modular parison manipulation system for 3D blow moulding of parts such as vehicle filler pipes and air ducting. The system replaces the traditional clamping unit with what the company is calling a 'desk' to accommodate and simplify the mould. The parison is guided into the cavity by a six-axis robot.
Fischer-Müller says the new Flat Desk (FD) system, which will become available next January, has been developed in response to automotive suppliers' demands for higher output with minimal invstment.
The mould is laid flat on the 'desk' and has a one-piece lower half. The upper half is divided into sliding sections, the number depending on the complexity of the moulding. The sliding mould sections close in sequence as the robot lays the parison into the mould. Full blow pressure is applied immediately the slides close.
The company claims a number of benefits for this system, including the ability to mould sharp radii because the parison is gripped by the lower sliders, preventing it slipping. Because there is no further movement of the mould after closing, cycle time can be reduced, and wall thickness uniformity is improved due to the reduced contact between the parison and lower mould half prior to inflation.
The FD system can be incorporated into a carousel for use with several moulds. Because the drives and controls for actuating the sliders are part of the desk, moulds can be simpler and cheaper.
Extrusion units can be supplied to produce parisons for mono-layer, sequential coextrusion or multi-layer coextrusion.
Extended light emission from luminescent compounds
August 6, 1999 -
Growing awareness - in Europe if not at present in the UK - of the potential of light re-emitting polymer compounds has led Douglas Baker Plastics to formulate new compounds and masterbatches. The company has been working in this field for the past year and has now achieved a light emission capacity of up to 10 hours using strontium-based additives.
Compounds which absorb light and then re-emit it have been around for 20 years or more, but have found little application, partly because of their high price. Cheaper organic materials have been used in novelty goods but they only give a relatively short period of light emission. Now, says Douglas Baker, luminescent polymers are beginning to be used in Europe for safety applications, and the company is gearing up to meet demand in this country.
The potential for safety-critical products which can be made to luminesce in the dark is enormous - light switches, safety helmets, warning signs, barrier fencing, the list goes on. The first project taken on by Douglas Baker, however, is somewhat different: fishing nets.
A company had approached Douglas Baker to produce a twine for fishing net manufacturer which would absorb light during the day, and then glow under the water to attract fish, and make the net easily located by trawlermen.
A range of compounds has been developed using additives of varying cost and giving progressively longer light emission periods, as well as colour options. At present they are used in opaque polymers, so the effect is principally from the surface, but Douglas Baker is also developing applications in clear polymers, which should allow a greater 'bulk' of additive to be activated.
These light re-emitting compounds can be based on a wide range of polymers, although the strontium additives do impose some restrictions on choice. They are also susceptible to UV damage, and hence need careful blending with stabilisers to produce the finished additive package.
Nippon Gohsei buys into British Traders
August 6, 1999 -
PVOH and EVOH producer Nippon Gohsei has reinforced its position in Europe by buying 25 per cent of its UK distributor, British Traders & Shippers of Dagenham. British Traders has distributed Nippon Gohsei products for 40 years. Dr Ryuji Suzuki has been seconded from Nippon Gohsei to become technical director.
BASF bucks the business trend
August 6, 1999 -
Sales and earnings in the plastics and fibres division of BASF suffered less in the first half of this year compared with last than other major material companies which have reported recently. Sales were down 2 per cent in the half year at Eur 3·878 billion, and up in the comparative second quarter periods by 0·6 per cent at Eur 2·029 billion. Unlike other companies which have hung on to turnover through increased volume but seen margins crash, BASF recorded first half earnings in plastics and fibres only 3 per cent down at Eur 233 million, and an increase in second quarter earnings of 1 per cent at Eur 133 million.
The company commented that its polyurethanes/PVC and styrenic polymers divisions in particular performed well.
Business in the UK was not as good as the overall group result, and turnover in plastics and fibres dropped 13 per cent in the first half. However the company says that prices for plastics are showing clear signs of recovery.
Dow to take over Union Carbide
August 5, 1999 -
Dow Chemical is taking over Union Carbide to form the world's second largest chemical company. The merger of the two companies will be managed by a share exchange - Union Carbide shareholders will receive Dow shares in exchange for their Union Carbide Holdings, and will then become around 25 per cent of Dow's shareholders.
Initially the deal has to be approved by Union Carbide shareholders and the appropriate regulatory bodies. It is expected to take some six months to complete, being finalised in the first quarter of 2000.
The acquisition of Union Carbide was described by Dow chief executive officer William Stavropoulos as a step to make Dow bigger, after several years of making it better. Since 1993 Dow has reduced its structural costs by $2·2 billion and divested more than $10 billion of non-strategic businesses. It has also added $10 billion in new business assets, the most recent being on August 2 when it announced an agreement to buy speciality chemicals producer Angus Chemical Company.
The combination of Dow and Union Carbide is expected to save around $500 million a year through structural rationalisation and improved buying power. The workforce will be reduced by about 4 per cent to 49,000 in 168 countries. Annual sales will be more than $24 billion with an operating income of $3 billion. The share deal values Union Carbide at $11·6 billion, including $2·3 billion of debt. The combined company will have a market capitalisation of $35 billion and assets of more than $30 billion.
The detailed effects of the merger on the polymer businesses of the two companies will doubtless emerge over the next months, but the major effect will be the creation of the world's biggest polyolefin producer, and the domination of the polyethylene market. Based on figures produced by Borealis at the end of 1998, the new Dow will have a polyolefins capacity of 6,205,000 tonnes, eclipsing Exxon's 4,030,000 tonnes. Total polyethylene capacity would be 5,705,000 tonnes - Dow was previously rated at 3,165,000 tonnes, just ahead of Exxon's 3,145,000 tonnes.
Klöckner Pentaplast buys Stanley Smith
August 4, 1999 -
Barlo Group of Ireland, which owns the expanding plastics sheet manufacturer Barlo Plastics, has pulled out of rigid films manufacture by selling its Stanley Smith subsidiary.
Stanley Smith, which makes 10,000 tonnes of thermoforming sheet a year at its site in London, has been bought by Klöckner Pentaplast, the films division of Klöckner-Werke. It will continue to operate under its existing name and management, with the addition of three directors nominated by Klöckner Pentaplast.
Barlo expands management
August 4, 1999 -
Barlo Plastics has made four management appointments. Marc Van den Cruyce has joined the company as business development director at the company's head office in Geel, Belgium. Rafael Fernandez also joins the Geel office as logistics director. Dr Gunter Zimmer has been appointed director of research and product development for Barlo Plastics Europe, based at Mainz in Germany. And also at Mainz, Karl Endlich becomes site operations manager.
Taita PS production to be updated
August 4, 1999 -
A 100,000 tonnes plant for HIPS and crystal polystyrene is to be built in Taiwan using technology from Nova Chemicals Corporation. The plant, for Taita Chemicals, will replace an existing lower capacity crystal PS line.
Dip moulder sold to US company
August 4, 1999 -
The Flexible Mouldings dip moulding division of United Moulders has been bought by Sinclair & Rush of the USA. Sinclair & Rush has a plant in Maidstone and reckons to be the UK and European market leader in dip moulded vinyl products. The acquisition of the Flexible Mouldings business should increase its sales here by 50 per cent.
There are no plans to consolidate the two businesses. The Flexible Mouldings plant in Aldershot will be retained, although administrative functions will be transferred to Maidstone.
Composite resin prices up
August 4, 1999 -
Ashland Speciality Chemical is raising the price of its composites resins for the second time this year. The price of speciality, general purpose and isophthalic resins was increased by up to 5 cents/lb on July 26 to compensate for increases in the price of raw materials used in polyester and vinyle ester resins - namely styrene, dicyclopentadiene, propylene glycol, phthalic anhydride, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol - which were imposed on July 1.
Nylon rationalisation in the USA
August 4, 1999 -
AlliedSignal is to swap its North American textile nylon business for the Nyltech nylon 6 and speciality nylon resin business in order to leave non-strategic textile nylon fibres and concentrate on engineering plastics. The Nyltech business was set up in 1994 by Rhone Poulenc of France and Snia of Italy, and has a plant at Manchester in New Hampshire. It extends AlliedSignal's position as America's biggest producer of nylon 6.
AlliedSignal's textile business is being sold to Nylstar, a Rhone Poulenc/Snia joint venture which is the second largest producer of textile nylon in the world.
Brazil Spherilene plant 'the biggest yet'
August 4, 1999 -
The biggest polyethylene plant to be built so far using the Montell Spherilene process has started operating in Brazil. The 260,000 tonnes plant is operated by OPP Petroquimica under license from Montell.
Faught to head DuPont Dow Elastomers Europe
August 4, 1999 -
Donald W Faught, vice president performance elastomers of DuPont Dow Elastomers, is to succeed Jean-Louis Raynaud as president of DuPont Dow Elastomers Europe. Mr Raynaud will work on special assignment projects until his retirement next spring.
Maughan invests as it secures overseas contracts
August 4, 1999 -
G H Maughan (Plastics) of Bolton has won an order for £1,200,000 to supply injection moulded food containers to an anonymous Irish company, and is planning to add a clean room for the purpose, taking its Bella Street manufacturing space up to 40,000 sq ft.
The company has recently completed a £500,000 investment in a 440 tonne vertical rubber press and 440 tonne thermoplastic moulding machine to make flexible pipe couplings for Fernco of the USA, with whom it has set up a joint operation to sell products in the UK and Europe.
Mixed results at DSM
August 4, 1999 -
Lower prices forcing tighter margins characterised polymer sales at DSM in the first half of this year, although prices improved in the second quarter. Sales value at the company's polymers and industrial chemicals division dropped 17 per cent year-on-year from Eur 1,607 million to Eur 1,339 million, but profits plummeted 73 per cent from Eur 194 million to Eur 52 million.
Sales at DSM's performance materials division also fell (Eur 1,017 million to Eur 944 million), but this was more the result of divestment than market pressures, and profits increased from Eur 53 million to Eur 69 million.
Better business for Borealis - despite the naphtha hike
August 4, 1999 -
Half year figures from Borealis reflect continued improvement in the polyolefins market in the second quarter over the first, but still represent a considerable decline over the first half of 1998. Volumes were up substantially, but lower prices forced down profits. Turnover for the first half in 1999 was up from Eur 1,150 million to Eur 1,270 million, but operating profits were down from Eur 123 million to Eur 67 million.
Comparison of the second quarter figures shows a better position, with 1998's turnover of Eur 550 million increasing to Eur 657 million and operating profit edging up from Eur 44 million to Eur 47 million. This improvement, with selling prices increasing from their March low point, was in the face of feedstock prices based on dollar naphtha prices which rose 51 per cent in Euro terms over the first quarter.
EVC: PVC market still tough but looking more hopeful
August 4, 1999 -
European Vinyls Corporation continued to suffer the effects of last year's trading difficulties in the first half of this year, but has started to see encouraging signs. Western European PVC demand was down 2 per cent on that of the first half of 1998, but prices were forced down 26 per cent. However, the company says that trading conditions in Asian and US markets strengthened in May and June, and that the trend is continuing into the third quarter. Better trading in Western Europe, coupled with a lack of imports, are enabling PVC producers to increase prices.
Group turnover in the first half fell 19 per cent on 1998 to Eur 411·5 million. The 26 per cent decline in average PVC polymer prices was offset a little by a 3 per cent increase in volume, mainly as a result of the acquisition of the Schkopau, Germany plant in June 1998. Turnover in compounds and rigid films also fell 19 per cent through lower volumes and prices.
Lower ethylene and chlorine prices failed to compensate for the crash in polymer prices, and the group made an operating loss of Eur 32·5 million in the first half compared with a Eur 2·1 million profit in the same period last year. After financial and exceptional costs EVC lost Eur 37·2 million, compared with a Eur 1·8 million loss in the 1998 first half.
Plastics hit Solvay's profits
August 4, 1999 -
The plastics businesses were together the worst performers at Solvay in the first half of this year, more than countering the group's improvements in pharmaceuticals to bring an overall 4 per cent reduction in sales and 16 per cent reduction in profits.
Plastics sales fell 10 per cent to Eur 1,190 million with profits falling 47 per cent to Eur 66 million.
Since May Solvay has been able to increase vinyl prices and various restructuring activities have improved its European position.
HDPE volumes have remained at good levels and polypropylene has 'experienced a slight improvement in Europe in recent months'.
In Solvay's special polymers business unit PVDF sales gradually improved over the position forced by the Asian crisis last year, as did PVDC.
§ Start up of the Solvin joint venture between Solvay and BASF took place on August 1. Solvin pools the PVC and PVDC activities of Solvay and BASF, and by 2001, following further rationalisation, will have a capacity of 1,100,000 tonnes of PVC and 40,000 tonnes of PVDC at four sites in Belgium, France and Germany.
Uniroyal building its first European Adiprene plant
August 4, 1999 -
Uniroyal Chemical is building a plant in Italy to make Adiprene low-free TDI polyurethane prepolymer. The plant, at Latina, is Uniroyal's first European Adiprene plant and is scheduled to open next March. Uniroyal operates two other LFTDI plants, both at Gastonia, North Carolina, USA.
Männer buys Lego mouldmaking plant
August 4, 1999 -
German mould maker Otto Männer has bought Lego's mould factory at Au in Switzerland. The Lego factory opened in 1985 and was expanded four years ago. It has 6,200 sq m of production space with nearly 70 employees making moulds up to 800 mm x 600 mm and weighing up to 1·5 tonnes for use in medical engineering, telecommunications, toys and the food industry.
Männer Precision Mold specialises in moulds up to 128 cavities and stack moulds, with 70 per cent of its production going to the USA. The addition of Lego brings the group up to 260 employees. Turnover this year - excluding Lego - is expected to be DM 60 - 62 million.
Growth predictions for US plastics machinery demand
August 4, 1999 -
A nearly six per cent annual increase in demand for plastics processing machinery in the USA is forecast by market research organisation Freedonia. The company predicts a 5·8 per cent annual growth to $2·9 billion in 2003. This represents a deceleration from recent gains because of reduced investment by plastics processors and end users, but still marks a continuation in the trend to convert from other materials to plastics. The growth in value also represents higher machinery prices brought by more advanced designs, larger machines and more sophisticated controls.
Freedonia says that injection moulding machines will represent more than half the machinery demand in 2003, with increased value brought about by more sales of the generally higher priced all-electric drive machines. The fastest growing sector will be blow moulding machines, with demand growing 6·4 per cent annually.
The full 245 page report costs $3,300.
US Plastics Processing Machinery Demand (million dollars)
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