Bayer expands, MDI, TDI and polycarbonate facilities.

Bayer opened its $140 million facility for the manufacture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and announced an $80 million polycarbonate resin capacity increase at its Baytown, TX site, continuing an expansion program that will see investment of $1.3 billion at that location through 2000. The Baytown investments are part of the $9 billion total that Bayer will invest in its U.S. operations through capital expenditures and research and development from 1995 through the year 2000. Bayer will also locate a new facility to manufacture toluene diisocyanate (TDI) at its Baytown, TX site. The $150 million project will add 220 million pounds of capacity, all of which will be exported, and is tentatively scheduled for completion in 2000. Both MDI and TDI are key components for the production of rigid and semi-rigid polyurethane foams and elastomers that are used in the construction, appliance, furniture and automotive industries, among others. As the largest portion of its strategic $300 million (Canadian) three-year investment commitment, Bayer will increase the production capacity of its Butyl II plant in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, to 90 kt per year. The expansion of the Butyl II plant will take place in two phases and will include the construction of halogenation facilities, enabling the plant to produce both regular and halogenated butyls interchangeably. The project is scheduled to be on line by June of 2000. The plant expansion is said to be Bayer's response to increasing demand from the butyl markets, the largest of which is the tire industry.

Sovereign Chemical has formed a new company, Sovereign Research Center Ltd., which will serve as a base to develop and produce products for the rubber industry. Located in a 53,000 square foot building in Akron, OH, Sovereign Research Center Ltd. will focus on the strengths of Sovereign Chemical in antidegradants, resins, accelerators and other products it distributes to form a basis for research and development efforts.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber's Latin America Region is expanding its sales presence in South America and the Caribbean, with a goal of increasing sales at twice the industry rate. Goodyear also announced plans to complete the integration of Kelly into Goodyear North American Tire operations. Based on different market and retailer requirements, Goodyear's North American Tire operations are said to be in an ideal position to offer a variety of brands, products and services across varying channels of distribution.

Rhodia, Rhone-Poulenc's specialty chemicals company, announced an expansion of its precipitated silica unit located in Chicago Heights, IL. The expansion, expected to be complete during the fourth quarter of 1998, increases capacity for precipitated silica by 20% to 25,000 metric tons. The investment cost was not disclosed.

Freudenberg-NOK broke ground on a new 37,000 square foot facility for axle seal production in Northfield, NH, as part of an initiative to create focused factories dedicated to specific processes and products. The $5 million facility, which will employ up to 240 people from within the Freudenberg-NOK businesses, is being built adjacent to the company's existing 50,000 square foot Tooling Technology Center in Northfield, and will include the latest state-of-the-art production molding equipment. When completed in the first quarter of 1999, the facility will produce highly engineered axle seals for a variety of customers in the sport utility, light truck and heavy truck markets.

Continental General Tire, Charlotte, NC, has introduced Continental brand radial and bias rear farm tires to the U.S. market. Produced in Europe, the agricultural tires are designed to meet both the U.S. vehicle applications, as well as equipment with metric size fitments and newer profile tires in use in North America.

ESI, Extrusion Services, Inc., Akron, OH, a manufacturer of automated downstream systems for rubber and plastic extrusions, has opened a Florida-based technical sales office in Pompano Beach.

DSM N.V., the Netherlands, has sold the Reading, PA-based Nylaflow hose business (including assets) of its Engineering Plastic Products business group to U.K.-based Avon Rubber PLC. DSM High Performance Fibers, a subsidiary of DSM, has successfully started up a new Dyneema UD production line at its site in Heerlen, the Netherlands. By adding this new line, the company has tripled its Dyneema UD production capacity to several hundred metric tons.

Crossville Rubber, Crossville, TN, a supplier of flooring to the off-highway vehicle and heavy truck markets, has created the Crossville Rubber Engineering Group. The engineering group is housed in a 1,900 square foot building located next to Crossville's primary manufacturing operations.

Federal-Mogul, Southfield, MI, has completed the acquisition of Cooper Automotive, a business unit of Cooper Industries, for $1.9 billion. Federal-Mogul has also agreed to acquire Tri-Way Machine Ltd., headquartered in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and its subsidiary J.I.S. Machining Ltd.

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, announced that its subsidiary, Yokohama Tyre Viet Nam, commenced production and sales of Speedline motorcycle tires in August. The first-year output target for these high-performance Yokohama-brand tires, which will be marketed in Viet Nam, is 320,000 units, equal to annual sales of $2.5 million.

The Fluid Systems Division of LCI, Charlotte, NC, has acquired Bovram Screen Changers of Duluth, GA. Bovram is a manufacturer of piston-type continuous, seal-less screen changers for polymer processing and extrusion applications.

Pawcatuck, CT-based Davis-Standard's recent acquisition of Betol Machinery in Luton, U.K. is said to have provided the company with a European manufacturing hub to serve its pipe, profile and tubing customers. Known as Davis-Standard Ltd., the company will manufacture a frill range of extruders and downstream equipment. Davis-Standard also has acquired certain assets of Film Master of Passaic, NJ. All acquired parts and equipment related to the Film Master product line will be retained and transferred to Davis-Standard's Laboratory and Specialty Systems Group in Cedar Grove, NJ, which currently handles the Killion and Versa product lines.

J.M. Huber, Edison, NJ, is combining the engineered minerals and chemicals businesses to create Huber Engineered Materials. J.M. Huber's Engineered Materials Sector has acquired European-based Faxe Paper Pigments A/S, said to be one of the world's largest suppliers of precipitated calcium carbonate, from the Belgium-based Groupe Lhoist.

Elf Atochem has acquired the thiochemicals activity and the chemical operations upstream from Lactame manufacture from Elf Aquitaine Exploration Production France (EAEPF) of Lacq, France. Elf Atochem set up a new entity, Elf Atochem Lacq, to run the operations.

The Heico Companies LLC and Pettibone LLC, Lisle, IL, have acquired the assets of Bartell Machinery Systems, located in Rome, NY, including its operation in the U.K. Bartell manufactures tire bead machinery and wire processing machinery for the pneumatic rubber tire, wire and cable industries. Bartell joins another tire machinery company owned by Pettibone, The Steelastic Company LLC of Akron, OH.

RELATED ARTICLE: Quality registrations

ABB Industri, Oslo, Norway, and ABB August Ltd., Crawley, U.K., have achieved TUV approval of their electronic safety controllers, Triguard SC300E and Safeguard 400 Series.

Akrochem, Akron, OH, a supplier of raw materials for the rubber industry and colorants for the plastics industry, has achieved ISO 9002 certification from Underwriters Laboratories.

Beebe Rubber, Nashua, NH, a subsidiary of Chardon Rubber, has had its design, production and distribution operations certified to the QS 9000, 1995 and ISO 9001, 1994 international quality system standard.

Conap, Olean, NY, a producer of high technology polyurethane and epoxy resin systems, has achieved ISO 9001 certification from Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance.

Franklynn Industries, Cincinnati, OH, a supplier of water-based mold release agents and specialty functional coatings for the rubber, urethane, composite and plastic molding markets, has attained QS 9000 certification.

The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, Piqua, OH, has been certified as an ISO 9001 by Det Norske Veritas Certification.

Skinner Engine, Erie, PA, announced that its quality management system has been registered as complaint with ISO 9001 by Bureau Veritas Quality International.