Contracts, licenses.

Smithers Scientific Services has been approved to conduct tire testing as part of a U.S.-Mexico agreement to streamline the approval and certification process for new truck and passenger car tires exported to Mexico. Smithers has been identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to provide test data to Mexican authorities. Under the agreement, NHTSA said Smithers is competent to test to the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

Boyd Coddington, a designer and builder of custom hot rods, has announced the renewal of his business relationship with BFGoodrich for the third consecutive year. The cooperative marketing agreement has made BFGoodrich the official tires of The Coddington Companies, while BFGoodrich fully endorses Boyds Wheels and vehicles through advertisements and catalogs, as well as at trade shows across the country.

The film business of Bayer's Polymers Division, Serigraph and Comptec International Ltd. joined forces to develop a 12" by 18" single cavity injection molded tool, which produces a 4" by 6" concept part. The tool will be housed in Bayer's Pittsburgh facility, where interested OEMs and molders can see the insert molding process first-hand.

Acadia Polymers, Roanoke, VA, has been selected by Chrysler to supply the sealing system for their new 45RFE transmission scheduled for the 1999 model year. The system includes over 30 components such as high tech bonded pistons and composite seals, as well as traditional lip seals and D-rings. Production is expected to begin in mid-1998.

Buhler Gmbh has been awarded by Snamprogetti S.p.A. in Milan with an order to install complete pneumatic conveying systems for PE-powder and PE-pellets for a new plant. The plant will be installed in Al-Shuaiba/ Kuwait and is laid out for a capacity of 450,000 t/a.

Eastman Chemical Netherlands B.V. has awarded two engineering companies contracts for engineering, procurement and construction of its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants. Foster Wheeler Iberia will be the engineering company for the 130,000 metric ton PET plant and Fluor Daniel in Haarlem, Netherlands, for the adjacent supporting 290,000 metric ton PTA plant and infrastructure. Both plants are expected to be operational first quarter 1998. The amounts of the contracts were not disclosed.

Kistler-Morse announced the execution of a definitive agreement to merge with and into a wholly owned subsidiary of Danaher. Kistler-Morse, headquartered in Bothell, WA, develops, manufactures and markets weight and level instrumentation systems to a diversified customer base. Danaher, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is an industrial manufacturing company that operates in two business segments which are tools and process/environmental controls. Kistler-Morse will continue to operate under its own name and will join the process/environmental control division of Danaher.

Toshiba America Electronic Components and electronic components distributor Richardson Electronics, Ltd. have entered into a distribution agreement which authorizes Richardson to sell Toshiba's industrial power tubes and medical products to numerous worldwide markets.