Your Business In Brief - April 2008

WEB EXCLUSIVE Pergan GmbH of Germany, which acquired the Marshall, Texas, organic peroxide plant and business from Chemtura Corp. last August, is changing the trade names of some of its products. The former Chemtura and Witco operation is now Pergan Marshall, LLC. It will retain familiar Hi-Point and Quickset trade names for ketone peroxides but all others, including former Esperox and Espercarb, will be converted to the Pergan Group trade names of Peroxan, Pergaprop, and Pergacross. Pergan has four plants in Europe, China, and North America. For more information visit Pergan Marshall, LLC 's PTOnline Showroom.

WEB EXCLUSIVE Fast Heat Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., has sold its U.S. business in heating elements and sensors to Tutco., Inc., Cookeville, Tenn., a major supplier of electric heating elements. Fast Heat’s U.S. business in band, cartridge, tubular, and strip heaters and thermocouples and RTDs will be merged into Tutco’s Flex-Tech Group, Greenwood, S.C. Fast Heat retains its hot-runner business and is diversifying into RFID technology. For more information visit Fast Heat Inc's PTOnline Showroom.

 

Wittmann Buys Battenfeld Injection Molding

Wittmann Group of Austria will take over insolvent Battenfeld Kunststoffmaschinen, including its plant and headquarters in Kottingbrunn, Austria, its worldwide sales subsidiaries, and the formerly separate service units. The deal was expected to close March 31. Battenfeld will operate as separate company in the Wittmann Group, according to Michael Wittmann, general manager.

One rationale cited for the sale is the combined firm’s ability to supply presses plus a full range of auxiliary equipment. In addition, Wittmann hopes to increase opportunities abroad for both businesses in countries where one or the other already has a strong presence and established sales network. From now on, Battenfeld will use Wittmann robots, which will be integrated with the press controls. Controls of other Wittmann auxiliaries may later be integrated as well.

Battenfeld’s future had been uncertain, owing to its financial problems and its abortive sale in 2007 to British investors by the German Adcuram Group, which bought Battenfeld from SMS Group in 2006. The Austrian service unit was briefly separated from the machine builder and then reunited.

 

KraussMaffei & Toshiba Cooperate on Technology

KraussMaffei of Germany and Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. of Japan have agreed to cooperate in plastics machinery development projects. The companies already have joint projects under way, and the first results are expected this year. Both firms are involved in injection molding and extrusion.

 

Arburg Opens California Technology Center

Arburg, Inc., Newington, Conn., has opened its third U.S. Technology Center, in Irvine, Calif. Its other two are in Newington and in Elgin, Ill. The 5500-sq-ft center will provide customer service and training, and it has room for six machines for tests and demonstrations. For more information visit Arburg, Inc's PTOnline Showroom.

 

Techmer Opens New Lab

Techmer PM, Clinton, Tenn., has opened a new 2000-sq-ft technical center equipped for testing and analyzing plastics films, fiber, and moldings. The lab includes facilities for wet-chemistry analysis, accelerated weathering, and controlled-temperature and humidity testing. For more information visit Techmer PM's PTOnline Showroom.

 

Budget Merges with PPE

Budget Molders Supplier of Macedonia, Ohio, has merged with its larger sibling, Plastic Process Equipment, Inc. (PPE) at the same location. PPE now offers the Budget line of molding supplies. For more information visit Plastic Process Equipment Supplier's PTOnline Showroom.