Acquisitions, expansions.

Acquisitions, expansions

Hi-Tech Screw Engineering has merged with Genca. Hi-Tech Engineering has been serving the rubber and plastics industries with high precision screw technology since 1988. Hi-Tech Screw Engineering brings to Genca the capability to manufacture screws, barrels and shafts from 1/2 to 15 inches in diameter for single and twin screw plastics machinery. Hi-Tech Screw Engineering joins Genca in its 72,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing and laboratory facility in Clearwater, FL. The merger continues the growth and capability of Genca, a provider of high precision single screw extruders and dies, as well as complete integrated extrusion lines.

In line with its ongoing expansion in specialty chemicals, Elf Atochem signed an agreement for the purchase of Findley Adhesives. Findley Adehsives achieves a turnover of $200 million and, with its head office in Milwaukee, WI, operates in the area of high tech adhesives (hot melts for non-woven applications) and industrial adhesives.

Bridgestone/Firestone has formed a new operating unit, Bridgestone/Firestone Information Services, to provide data processing and benefits administration services. The company, based in Akron, OH, integrates existing operations of Bridgestone/Firestone's information technology services department and the employee benefits and claims administration groups, located in Akron.

Union Carbide has completed the purchase of the polypropylene assets and business of Shell Oil, a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies. The purchase comprises Shell's polypropylene technology and manufacturing facilities, and polypropylene assets previously held jointly by both companies, including Carbide's Unipol PP process technology. The Federal Trade Commission approved the transaction in December 1995. Union Carbide announced it will build a 200 million pounds-per-year ethanolamines plant at its Taft, LA petrochemicals complex. The unit is scheduled for startup in the third quarter of 1997. In addition, the company will upgrade its 400 million-pound ethanolamines unit at Seadrift, TX to achieve an effective capacity increase of at least five percent by the fourth quarter of 1996. Union Carbide has completed a 40 million-pound capacity expansion of its Taft, LA acrylate esters unit. It is the first phase of a project that will raise capacity of the esters unit by 80 million pounds to 365 million pounds by the third quarter of 1996. Union Carbide will also launch an extensive modernization of the olefins production facility at its Taft, LA petrochemicals complex. To be completed by late 1997, the project will increase raw material flexibility, lower production costs and enhance the competitiveness of the unit. In addition, the effective ethylene capacity of the facility will increase by nearly 700 million pounds to 2.2 billion pounds per year.

The Formulated Products Division of George Mann & Co., a manufacturer of mold release technology for urethanes and other molding materials, has been acquired by Smooth-On, a Gillette, NJ manufacturer of liquid rubber molding compounds. A new entity, Mann Formulated Products, has been formed and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Smooth-On. The transaction was part of the sale of George Mann & Co. to the U.K.-based Ellis & Everard plc. Mann Formulated Products will continue to produce and market the entire range of mold release technologies formerly sold by George Mann & Co. These include Aqualease water-based release agents, Ease Release solvent-based systems, Permalease semi-permanent mold coatings and Actilease carrier-free mold release application systems.

Minerals Technologies announced completion of an agreement with a Brazilian paper company for the construction of Minerals Technologies' third precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) satellite plant in Brazil. Specialty Minerals do Brazil, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minerals Technologies, will construct the satellite plant, which will be operational by the third quarter of 1996. The satellite plant will be equal to approximately two satellite units. A satellite unit produces between 25,000 to 35,000 tons per year of PCC.

Eastman Chemical opened an office in Johannesburg, South Africa, in January.

A new U.S. office was opened in January in New York for Nowea International, the subsidiary of the Dusseldorf Trade Fair Company in Germany. Nowea International was founded in 1984 in Germany and specializes in the organization of trade fairs held in the emerging markets of the world, including China, Russia, Singapore and Ukraine.

H.W. Wallace & Co. Ltd., a supplier of instruments for testing rubber products, has set up its own sales and service company, H.W. Wallace Inc., in Akron, OH. Wallace, based in Croydon, England has been designing and manufacturing test equipment for the rubber industry for over 60 years.

DMT Engineering has moved to a new building in Cleveland, OH. The new facility, with 40,000 square feet, will give the company additional room needed. DMT has been repairing rubber and plastic processing equipment since 1951.

Laurel Industries' Specialty Compounding Division completed a major expansion of its Sharon Center, OH facility. Covering 23,000 square feet, the addition includes a new compounding line, supervisory offices, employee locker rooms and materials storage areas. The company's laboratory facilities are also expanded. Laurel's Specialty Compounding Division offers custom and toll compounding of resins and specializes in solving difficult compounding problems.

Measurex announced the acquisition of Data Measurement Corporation (DMC) for $32 million in cash. DMC will operate as a separate subsidiary of Measurex and as part of the Industrial Systems Division. Measurex manufactures and services computer-integrated systems used to control continuous sheet processes.

ITW Tire Mold Division, a supplier of products and support services to tire and automotive manufacturers worldwide, has signed an agreement to sell its thinwall aluminum casting business to Kissell Group Ltd., Akron, OH. The acquisition by Kissell includes the plant and equipment. The new company will operate under the name of Rotocast Technologies.

Davis-Standard annouced the acquisition of ER-WE-PA, a manufacturer of extrusion coating, cast film and sheet extrusion equipment based in Erkrath, Germany. Davis-standard will continue to manufacture and supply the ER-WE-PA line of machinery throughout the world and to make improvements to the equipment to further enhance performance capabilities. ER-WE-P-A produces high performance extrusion, converting and downstream equipment, including extruders, coextrusion blocks, slot dies and winders for most thermoplastic processes. The company also produces associated extrusion control systems for the production of films, sheets, laminates and other coated materials.

Toyota announced plans for a $5 million expansion of its industrial equipment manufacturing plant in Columbus;. IN. Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, a $60 million joint venture between Toyota Automatic Loom Works and Toyota Motor, will add nearly 100,000 square feet to its existing 300,000 square foot facility.

Newly-formed Dicer Corp. announced the purchase of the Bolton line of plastics dicer machines from Bolton Emerson Americas.

The Hercules Resins Division announced a $13 million capital project at its Jefferson plant in West Elizabeth, PA that will increase the capacity of thermally polymerized resins and their hydrogenated derivatives and automate all finishing processes. Targeted for completion in early 1997, the project will allow Hercules to use the most economical feedstocks to make light-colored, heat-stable resins.

UCB has acquired from Courtaulds its cellulose film business, its factory at Bridgewater, Great Britain, and the sates subsidiaries relating to it in Australia, South Africa and Germany, together with the trademark Cellophane. The Bridgewater factory has a capacity of 20,000 metric tons per year.

Claremont Flock announced plans to accelerate its intended capacity expansion of both precision and random cut flock fiber, used in flocked velvet textiles and industrial fillers.

The Dutch chemical concern DSM is to build a 375,000 tpa urea plant in Geleen, The Netherlands for its DSM melamine business group. The plant, based on entirely novel DSM urea technology, will be used to produce raw material for the production of melamine. It will replace an older urea plant with roughly the same capacity at the same site.

Deerfleld Urethane has received final approval from its parent company to build a 100,000 square foot plant in the industrial park in Whately, MA. Deerfield Urethane, a unit of Bayer's Polymers Division, has tentatively scheduled groundbreaking for March.

Oxford Instruments Microanalysis Group has acquired the Microspec Corp. in Fremont, CA, adding Microspec's WDX400/600 wavelength dispersive spectrometers to its range of Link products and systems.

RELATED ARTICLE: Quality registrations

Measurex announced that Measurex Devron, its center for cross-direction profile control systems, recently registered its quality system to ISO 9001 - 1994 standards.

Spaulding Composites' quality system was certified ISO 9002: 1994. Spaulding manufacture specialty composites and precision fabricated components.

ISO 9002 registration was recently issued to U.S. Silica's Mapleton Depot, PA plant, which produces high purity silica sands.

Vredestein Rubber Recycling B.V. has been awarded ISO 9001 certification by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance. The firm produces reclaimed rubber from natural rubber, butyl and EPDM-based scrap.

Wacker Silicones, a manufacturer of basic silicone materials, was recently approved for ISO 9001 certification.