Contracts, licenses.

Hanover, MA-based Cri-Tech signed an agreement with Freudenberg-NOK of Plymouth, MI, to market the latter company's high performance silicone and fluorosilicone compounds used in the medical, electrical and automotive industries. Freudenberg-NOK will formulate and mix proprietary and custom compounds at its Bristol, NH facility and Cri-Tech will market the compounds, adding them to its line of fluoroelastomer compounds.

Akron, OH-based General Tire and its Germany-based parent company Continental AG have reached an agreement with Grupo Carso of Mexico to form a joint venture company that combines the tire production and marketing activities of the companies in Mexico. The combined company, said to be the largest tire manufacturer in Mexico, will have four manufacturing plants, employing 2,800 people. General Tire de Mexico and Euzkadi, a Grupo Carso company, will be merged into a holding company formed by Grupo Carso to operate and manage the venture. The two groups will supply each other with tires to fill their individual product lines.

[ECO.sup.2] signed a letter of intent to sell its tire recycling systems, which employ tire pyrolysis technology, to Thomas A. Dardas, founder of Detox Industries of Houston, TX. In turn, Dardas, who is organizing TireOil, which will be assigned the agreement, has agreed to purchase at least one pyrolysis system, complete with three reactors and all operating equipment, each quarter. The price of each system is about $3 million. The agreement will continue indefinitely, assuming Dardas meets the quarterly purchase commitment. The transaction is subject to the signing of a definitive agreement and completion of due diligence.

E-A-R Specialty Composites signed a five year agreement with the Langer Biomechanics Group, based in Deer Park, NY, during which the companies will market selected products and jointly develop new products. E-A-R will exclusively supply LBG's PPT material. In turn, LBG will market E-A-R's medical grade cellular urethane foam.

The pigments business unit of Ferro's Color Division appointed Tartan Color and Chemical as distributor of its Geode line of complex inorganic color pigments in Canada. Tartan will target the paint, plastics and ink markets in Ontario and Quebec.

Sartomer appointed Seagott and Walsh & Associates to distribute its monomers, oligomers and photoinitiators.

Simplex Cutting Machine, Claymont, DE, named Decarlo Associates, Cheboygan, MI, to represent its cutting machines in Canada.

Reynolds Metals extended Solon, OH-based Seegott's territory for distributing its aluminum pastes and powders to include western Pennsylvania.