Dow Chemical acquires General Latex & Chemical.

ACQUISITIONS, EXPANSION

Dow Chemical, Midland, MI, has completed its acquisition of General Latex and Chemical, Cambridge, MA. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. General Latex is said to be one of the largest rigid polyurethane suppliers in North America and a leader in rigid polyurethane foam formulations. The company also is a supplier of custom compounds produced from natural and synthetic latex. General Latex has annual sales of more than $100 million. The company operates six manufacturing sites in North America, including Ashland, OH; Brampton, Ontario, Canada; Billerica, MA; Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Dalton, GA; and Charlotte, NC. General Latex will be consolidated into the overall Dow Systems Houses operations. Dow Polyurethanes is said to be a leading supplier of polyurethane systems and raw materials, with 36 manufacturing sites worldwide.

Quality Mold, Akron, OH, said to be one of the largest non-captive tire mold manufacturers, has completed and opened its new world headquarters and manufacturing facility in Akron, OH. Located on a 12-acre site, the 80,000 sq. ft. facility dedicates 21,000 sq. ft. to model making and foundry operations, 42,000 sq. ft. for mold manufacturing and 17,000 sq. ft. for design engineering, quality control and administration. The consolidated complex cost $4 million to build and $3 million to equip.

Cooper Tire & Rubber, Findlay, OH, has reached a definitive agreement to sell a portion of its automotive plastics division to Plastech Engineered Products for an undisclosed sum. The agreement covers the sale of Cooper's entire painted injection molded plastics business, all of which is conducted at its Winnsboro, SC plant. Under terms of the agreement, the plant and equipment, related inventories and certain other assets will be acquired by Plastech, which will assume the contracts between the business and its customers and certain specified liabilities.

Desma (KDE Sales and Service) has completed the installation of injection molding equipment in the development area of its new facility in Hebron, KY.

The 2,500 sq. ft. area has been equipped with injection molding machines for mold and material trials, and for process development for turnkey molding projects. Currently installed equipment includes five Model 968 ZO injection molding machines ranging from 110 tons to 785 tons clamp force.

Neville Chemical, Pittsburgh, PA, recently completed the plant expansion at the company's European facility, Nevcin Polymers B.V. The expansion at the Dutch plant site, located in Uithoorn, the Netherlands, includes a new polymerization reactor which will add 30% capacity to Nevcin's production of dicyclopentadiene resin.

Amcol International shareholders approved the proposed sale of Amcol's superabsorbent polymer business to BASF AG. Amcol International, Arlington Heights, IL, is a specialty chemicals and minerals company that produces and markets primarily liquid-absorbing products for a range of industrial and consumer markets.

Milacron, Batavia, OH, has acquired the business and all technology rights of Akron Extruders, a single-screw extrusion specialist located near Akron, OH. This acquisition comes on the heels of Milacron's sale of its Vienna, Austria extrusion systems business last December to concentrate on long-term growth for its stronger U.S. operation.

Parker Hannifin's Seal Group has moved its North American headquarters to a new location in Irvine, CA. The site contains 350,000 sq. ft. of office and manufacturing space.

Minerals Technologies, New York, NY, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Specialty Minerals, is investing more than $10 million to expand two of its processed minerals facilities. The company is expanding operations at Lucerne Valley, CA and Canaan, CT to meet continued growing demand for ground calcium carbonate.

Santa Fe Rubber, Whittier, CA, has expanded its manufacturing capacity and scope with the addition of an injection molding department. Three injection molding machines have recently been added to the company's facility.

Nusil Technology, Carpinteria, CA, has relocated its European Technical Center from Arklow, Ireland to Sophia Antipolis, France. Nusil Technology is an ISO 9001 certified supplier of silicone raw materials. The 1,200 sq. meter facility will provide added laboratory research and specialized manufacturing capabilities.

Polibrasil, the joint venture company between Montell and the Brazilian group Suzano, plans two major polypropylene expansions that will reinforce its position as a leading Latin American polypropylene producer. Polibrasil will increase the capacity of the Spheripol process polypropylene plant it will construct in Capuava, Maua, in Sao Paulo, from 240 kt/a to 300 kt/a. Representing an investment of $200 million, the plant is expected to begin operations at the end of next year. In addition, Polibrasil plans to invest $15 million to expand the capacity of its Duque de Caxias plant from 180 kt/a to 240 kt/a by the end of 2001. When on-stream, the two planned expansions will increase Polibrasil's total polypropylene production capacity to 660,000 metric tons per year from its three Brazilian plants.

Cameron Elastomer Technology, Houston, TX, has expanded its Katy, TX facility to enhance capabilities and increase production of elastomer products for the drilling and production industries. The expansion includes the addition of 5,000 sq. ft. of production area to the existing 72,000 sq. ft. plant. New equipment includes five injection molding machines, a hot feed extruder, a batch-off unit and a five-ton crane. In addition, the existing rubber laboratory has been enhanced to increase capabilities for process quality control and research and development of new products and materials.

CIL (Compounding Ingredients Limited) will expand its Preston, Lancashire, England plant, increasing the capacity for Cilbond bonding agents up to 1,200 metric tons per year.

DSM, Heerlen, the Netherlands, plans to create a corporate e-business center.

Laser Measurement International (LMI), Heerlen, the Netherlands, has expanded the scope of its Industrial Sensors Division by integrating four of its six divisions to better meet customer needs. The three divisions to be integrated into Industrial Sensors include Rubber and Tire, Robotic Guidance, and Road and Highway.

M.A. Hanna, Cleveland, OH, has signed a definitive agreement to sell a substantial component of its Cadillac Plastic shapes distribution and fabrication business to GE Plastics. The agreement with GE Plastics includes substantially all of the assets and leased facilities of the Cadillac Plastic shapes distribution operations in North America, Asia, the U.K. and the Netherlands. The sale price and certain other details of the transaction were not disclosed. The shapes distribution businesses covered by the current agreement had 1999 sales of $378 million, representing approximately 16% of total company revenues.

Penn Specialty Chemicals, Conshohocken, PA, announced the sale of its Furcarb and Farez businesses to Perstorp Chemitec, a division of Perstorp AB, Sweden. Pursuant to the sale, Penn Specialty Chemicals has transferred the technology, production procedures, process data, specifications and trademarks of its Furcarb and Farez businesses to Perstorp. Penn Specialty Chemicals develops, manufactures and markets specialty and fine chemicals.

Mox-Med, Portage, WI, specializing in custom fabrication and engineering of silicone components, has reported across-the-board growth, attributed to recent improvements the company has made in its manufacturing and production techniques. These improvements include a streamlined and abbreviated manufacturing process and new and/or upgraded manufacturing equipment.

Conoco, Houston, TX, plans to construct a manufacturing facility in Ponca City, OK to produce a pitch-based carbon fiber. When the plant is expanded to full capacity, it will be capable of producing eight million pounds of carbon fiber per year. The facility is expected to come on-line by the end of 2001.

The Bipel Division of the recently liquidated Carmeron Nash Limited has been acquired by the J.R.D. Group, Manchester, U.K. The new company will trade as JRD Bipel Limited. The J.R.D. Group manufactures new, reconditioned and special purpose machinery and control systems for industry.

GreCon opened its recently completed 10,000 sq. ft. facility in Tigard, OR. The facility provides more efficient production and testing areas, direct modem contact, allowing on-line technical support, troubleshooting and upgrades, and customer consultation and individual training during equipment production and testing phases.

Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster, PA, will sell its Armstrong Insulation Products company to the leading Dutch investment firm Gilde Investment Management N.V., Utrecht, the Netherlands, for $280 million. Gilde immediately said it intends to invest further in the continued growth of AIP and its products, which include Armaflex pipe and sheet insulation. Under terms of the transaction, Gilde will purchase all the shares and assets of AIP, which was spun off into a separate corporation by Armstrong last year. AIP's current management team will continue to run the business, along with its 1,410 worldwide employees. AIP operates 12 manufacturing facilities in nine countries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Australia and China.

Wardwell Braiding Machine, Central Falls, RI, has taken steps to increase production capacity at its headquarters facility in the U.S. and its German subsidiary, Schnellflecter Berlin, GmbH.

Maag Pump Systems Textron, Matthews, NC, a division of Textron Fluid Handling Products, has acquired Engineered Filtration Company, Fort Mill, SC, a manufacturer of filtration systems and accessory equipment for the polymer and monomer process industry. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Omnova Solutions, Fairlawn, OH, has acquired the specialty/textile coatings business of High Point Textile Auxiliaries, LLC, a subsidiary of Kao Corp. The move broadens the total solutions capability of Omnova's Performance Chemicals segment. In the transaction, Omnova acquired High Point's specialty/textile coating product lines, technology, customer base and certain other assets. A limited number of technical and sales personnel will join Omnova to support the new product lines. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Crown North America, Wooster, OH, a supplier of van and truck equipment and telecommunications enclosures, expects the pending sale of the business to Leggett & Platt to strengthen Crown's recent growth initiatives. Leggett & Platt, with 1999 sales of $3.8 billion, recently announced plans to purchase Crown from Trans-Pro.

Marathon Equipment, Vernon, AL, has begun production of conveyor systems in a new 100,000 sq. ft. facility located in Fayette, AL.

Bohler-Uddeholm North America, Rolling Meadows, IL, has sold Uddeholm Heat Treatment, located in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, a division of Bohler-Uddeholm Thermo Tech, to Bodycote International plc. The facility, a commercial heat treatment plant mainly supplying tier one and two automotive suppliers, was not part of Bohler-Uddeholm's core business, which is the manufacture and distribution of tool steels and related products.

Wenger Manufacturing and Extru-Tech, both of Sabetha, KS, have combined operations via Wenger's acquisition of Extru-Tech's machinery division. Wenger plans to keep the Extru-Tech name and integrate Extru-Tech's existing operations with its own. Each company will continue to market and sell its own machines under their Wenger and Extru-Tech brand names. Extru-Tech's plant will remain operational and managed by the firm's personnel.

Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd., Kariya, Japan, makers of Toyota Industrial Equipment products, announced a public offer to shareholders of BT Industries AB of Mjolby, Sweden, to purchase the Swedish manufacturer of material handling equipment. The total offer is valued at approximately $890 million.

Gaska Tape, Elkhart, IN, has expanded its industrial foam and tape production with the acquisition of a Dusenbery 280 slitter duplex and surface-center rewinder.

Quality registrations

Arrowhead Industries, Cleveland, OH, announced that its design, production and distribution operations have received certification to the QS-9000, 1998, third edition and ISO 9002, 1994 international quality system standard.

Cadmold, Sarasota, FL, has received QS-9000 registration from Entela, Grand Rapids, MI.

Clarion Technologies, Greenville, MI, has received the ISO/TS 16949 Certificate from Entela.

Cooper Tire & Rubber, Findlay, OH, announced that three of its Global Sealing Division facilities have earned ISO 14001 environmental certification. Earning the certifications were the Nishikawa Standard facility in New Haven, IN, and the Maesteg and Plymouth, England facilities.

Corver Engineering, Detroit, MI, specializing in the design and construction of injection molds and hydroform dies, has achieved QS-9000 TE compliance, and has been registered by Entela.

Entela, Grand Rapids, MI, announced that it is the first North American registrar to receive its Certificate of Recognition to perform ISO/TS 16949 audits from the International Automotive Task Force. The ISO/TS 16949 standard is a pilot program of international standards for automotive suppliers.

ND Industries, Troy, MI, a supplier of fastener locking and sealing solutions, has achieved ISO 9002 registration for its ND Technologies Group and ND Chemical Production divisions. These divisions manufacture adhesives, sealants, lubricants and coatings.

Santa Fe Rubber Products, Whittier, CA, has passed its QS-9000 registration audit and has been recommended for registration by Det Norske Veritas, Houston, TX.

Technical Industries, Peace Dale, RI, a manufacturer of water-based chemical additives, has attained ISO 9001 registration from ITS Intertech.

Tecknit, Cranford, NJ, a designer and producer of EMI/ RFI shielding materials, announced the ISO 9002 certification of Tecknit de Mexico, its Mexico manufacturing site near Monterrey, from TUV Essen.

Uniroyal Chemical, Middlebury, CT, a business of Crompton, announced that its manufacturing facility in Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico (Uniroyal Chemical Mexico, S.A. de C.V.) has received ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management operations.