Dynisco Is Sold To Audax Group
Dynisco
LLC has been acquired by Audax Group of Boston from an
affiliate of Madison Capital Partners. The acquired operations
include Dynisco Instruments and Dynisco Polymer Test, both in
Franklin, Mass.; Dynisco Extrusion in Hickory, N.C.; and Dynisco
Europe in Heilbronn, Germany.
DTR Software Bought By Made2Manage
Made2Manage
Systems Inc., Indianapolis, a provider of comprehensive
enterprise software and services for small and midsize manufacturers,
has acquired DTR Software International, Jacksonville, Fla. DTR’s
software, The Manufacturing Manager, will be maintained as a
distinct product but rebranded as part of the Made2Manage suite.
More Eval Capacity Coming in ’06
Responding to growing demand, Eval
Co. of America (Evalca) in
Houston plans to double its production capacity for Eval EVOH
barrier resin at Pasadena, Texas. The company will add 53 million
lb/yr in March 2006.
Graham Buys Owens-Illinois’ Blow
Molding Business
Owens-Illinois (OI), Toledo, Ohio, a pioneer in blow molding
technology, has sold its Blow Molded Plastics Container business
to Graham Packaging Co. LP of York, Pa. Included in the sale
are 31 manufacturing plants—24 in the U.S., two in Mexico,
three in Europe, and two in South America. The business produces
containers for food, beverage, household-chemical, and personal-care
markets. Net sales of the division last year were approximately
$1.1 billion. Graham’s acquisition of the business reinforces
its position as North America’s largest blow molder and
one of the leading processors worldwide. Graham has 57 plants
of its own throughout North America, Europe, and Latin America
that produce custom containers. Its total employment will grow
from 4000 to more than 9000.
The sale is part of a strategy by
OI to focus on its glass container, healthcare packaging, and
closures businesses. OI, however, keeps its plastic container
operation that supplies healthcare markets and will combine it
with the Closure and Prescription Products business.
New Composite Resins Firm Is Born
Resolution
Specialty Materials, Inc. (RSM) in Houston is a new
firm that was formerly the coatings, adhesives, specialty polymers,
and inks (CASPI) business of Eastman Chemical Co. RSM is a sister
company of Resolution Performance Products (RPP), also in Houston,
which used to be the epoxy business of Shell Chemical Co. RPP
and RSM, which supplies unsaturated polyesters and vinyl esters,
among other products, are both owned by Apollo Management, L.P.
a New York investment firm.
Battenfeld Moves Into New Home
Injection machine supplier Battenfeld
of America has moved from
West Warwick, R.I., to new headquarters in the Chicago area.
New address is 1620 Shanahan Dr., South Elgin, IL 60177.
BASF Moves HQ This Month
BASF Corp. will move out of its former U.S. headquarters in Mt.
Olive, N.J., to new offices at 100 Campus Dr., Florham Park,
NJ 07932. The move involves the Chemicals Div., Expandable Polystyrene,
and Styrenic Plastics. Engineering Plastics and Polyurethanes
remain in Wyandotte, Mich. New main number is (973) 245-6000,
toll-free 800-BC-RESIN.
Meet Excel Polymers
The former PolyOne Elastomers and Performance Additives Group
is now called Excel Polymers. It was purchased from PolyOne by
Lion Chemical Capital LLC and ACI Capital Co., Inc. Based in
Solon, Ohio, Excel supplies castable polyurethane systems and
other elastomer materials as well as colorants and additives
for rubbers, urethanes, vinyls, and epoxies.
Swiss Concentrates Firm to Manufacture in U.S.
Sukano Products Ltd., a Swiss maker of additive concentrates
and compounds, opened its first manufacturing facility in the
U.S. last month. The 23,000-sq-ft plant, called Sukano Polymers
Corp., is located in Duncan, S.C. It will produce mainly additive
concentrates for PET and PETG film, sheet, bottles, and injection
molding, as well as masterbatches for PP and PC. The product
line will include white color concentrates, mold releases, uv
absorbers, optical brighteners, matting agents, and clarifiers.
In Europe, the company also compounds flame retardants, impact
modifiers, antistats, and slip/antiblock packages. Address is
P.O. Box 580, Duncan, SC 29334. Tel: (888) 278-5266
ATH Capacity Expanded
Almatis in Bauxite, Ark. (formerly Alcoa World Chemicals), will
add 33 million lb/yr of additional capacity for fine precipitated
and white alumina trihydrates by the end of this year. An additional
22-million-lb expansion is due next year for these Hydral and
Onyx Classica products.
Rockwood Buys Pigments Unit of Johnson Matthey
Rockwood
Pigments NA Inc., Beltsville, Md., will acquire the
Pigments and Dispersions business of Johnson Matthey Plc, London.
The acquisition includes plants in England and Australia that
make cadmium pigments, transparent iron oxide, and complex inorganic
pigments, as well as pigment blends and the Micraflo free-flowing
colorant system for PVC. Rockwood is a major supplier of synthetic
iron oxide pigments for plastics and other markets.
Mitsui to Make More TPX
Mitsui
Chemicals, Inc. in Japan will expand capacity for TPX
polymethylpentene by 12 million lb/yr next July. Its total capacity
will then be 28.6 million lb/yr. TPX is a polyolefin with outstanding
heat and chemical resistance and clarity. Demand is growing in
electronics, IT products, and industrial applications. TPX is
sold here by Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
Management Buys Moldmaker Axxiconfrom Mikron
Axxicon
Mould Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands (U.S. office
is in Aliso Viejo, Calif.), has been acquired from Mikron Technology
Group of Switzerland by a management-led buyout. Axxicon specializes
in highly engineered molds used in such markets as optical discs,
medical components, and mobile telephones. It was bought by Mikron
three years ago.
Westlake Chemical Buys Bristolpipe
A sign of further consolidation of the PVC pipe business in the
hands of PVC resin suppliers, Westlake Chemical Corp., Houston,
has purchased the independent pipe maker Bristolpipe Corp. of
Elkhart, Ind. Westlake makes PVC and PE resins, as well as PVC
pipe, windows, and fencing. Bristolpipe has around 200 employees
and three plants in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Georgia that produce
PVC DWV, sewer, and underground water pipe, as well as telecommunications
cable ducting.
ITW SprayCore Moves to Florida
ITW SprayCore, a supplier of syntactic core materials for composite
boats and other reinforced laminate structures, has moved its
headquarters from Cincinnati to Clearwater, Fla. “The move
was made to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity,
expand its product line, and combine the technology of ITW SprayCore
and Magnum Venus resin products under one brand,” says
Bill Lauersdorf, general manager. ITW SprayCore recently acquired
the resin business of Magnum Venus products, which is based in
Clearwater. The acquisition included brushable radius-filling
compounds, bedding adhesives, barrier coats, and Ceramic Shield
ceramic core materials. The new address is 11701 56th Court N.,
Clearwater, FL 33760.
Ex-Engel Execs Form Molding Consultancy
Jack S. Flatt and Reinhard P. Rieder, two former executives of
Engel North America, have formed an injection molding consulting
group called Quillion Corp. in Kitchener, Ont. Rieder’s
background is in tooling, manufacturing, molding, and customer
service. Flatt’s expertise is in sales, marketing, communications,
corporate management, and business development. Their new firm
serves a global client base of both small and large firms.
Says
Flatt, “Globalization has irrevocably changed our
industry. Many realize that they badly need transformation to
survive, let alone prosper. Our company helps by sourcing and
selecting new opportunities, infusing money, and providing marketing
savvy and manufacturing expertise.”
Distributors to Merge
Distributor
Composites One, Arlington Heights, Ill., intends
to acquire another major distributor of composite materials,
Fib-Chem Industries, Inc., Monessen, Pa. The acquisition will
give Composites One additional coverage in the eastern part of
the country.
Advanced Glassfiber Yarns Emerges from Bankruptcy
AGY Holding
Corp., formerly Advanced Glassfiber Yarns, LLC, recently
emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Aiken, S.C.,
firm is one of the world’s largest producers of glass-fiber
yarns as well as S-2 glass fibers and VeTron and ZenTron rovings.
