Voerde Hueck & Schade GmbH, Germany is investing in three new compounding lines for the production of filled and reinforced PE. This equipment from Werner & Pfleiderer will increase the total capacity to 30.000 jato. Voerde is specialised in tailor-made compounds made of almost all thermoplastic materials.
Teplast, Germany has developed a new PA / PE blend with improved properties regarding physical and chemical resistance. The new blend is very suitable for corner profiles and chain protectors.
Kemlite Co. Inc., USA, has acquired Laminated Profiles Ltd. and launched a new branch, Kemlite Ltd., to take over and operate Lampro´s Alton site. The acquisition of the manufacturer of fiberglass-reinforced panels will allow Joliet to more than double European sales.
Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd., Japan and Inoac Corp. will form a joint venture in May to manufacture in Thailand hose mainly used in automobiles. The joint venture, Inoac Tokai (Thailand) Co., will be capitalized at 45 million baht, or about Y120 million. Inoac plans to take an about 40% stake in the new firm, with Tokai taking 34% and a local entity 26%.
Alcoa Inc., USA, a maker of vinyl and metal house siding, has agreed to purchase Gentek Holdings Inc. of Cleveland and its Gentek Building Products subsidiaries, which also make vinyl and metal siding. Gentek, which has five manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Canada, will become part of Alcoa Building Products Inc.
Cray Valley has bought the resins division of Croda International, which manufactures at three sites, two in the UK and at Beranang in Malaysia. The acquisition strengthens Cray Valley’s position in photocuring resins in Europe and in industrial coatings in Europe and Asia. Cray Valley is the resins division of Atofina.
R.S. Tool Inc., USA, has added custom profile extrusion to its array of skills. The tooling and in-line fabrication shop has established a separate company, Extru-Fab Inc., to make vinyl extruded products and other parts. The new firm will make custom profiles for R.S. Tool´s customers.
Film and bag producer Transco Plastic Industries, Canada, has invested more than US$3.2 million to expand. The firm has consolidated all production from two Montreal plants into one facility in the city, added new machinery and replaced some older bag-making machines. The expansion takes Transco from about 120,000 square feet of space to more than 175,000.
NFM Iddon Ltd. , England, is now building TEM-SS corotating twin-screw compounding extruders for the European market. NFM Iddon, a wholly owned subsidiary of NFM/Welding Engineers of Massillon, USA, recently built its first unit as a result of a new extension of the licensing agreement between NFM/Welding Engineers and Toshiba Machine Co. of Japan. NFM/Welding Engineers has been building the TEM series since 1996. Models range from 41 to 136 mm size. NFM/WE and NFM Iddon manufacture all the major components except for the gearboxes, which come from Toshiba.
British Vita plc, UK, has merged two of its compounding operations, creating the largest PVC compounder in the United Kingdom and a significant player in the European Union region. Vitapol of Manchester and Doeflex Vinyl Ltd. in Swindon will form Doeflex-Vitapol. The new company will continue to operate from two sites.