Krupp Rubber Machinery reorganizes in N. America.

Krupp Rubber Machinery Division of Krupp Plastics & Rubber Machinery (USA) in Kent, OH and Midwest -- Werner & Pfleiderer in Topeka, KS have become one company. The new company is Krupp Rubber Machinery, and has its corporate office in Topeka, KS. The Krupp Rubber Machinery office in Kent, OH will continue to provide sales and customer service in the areas of extrusion, tire building and tire curing. The Topeka operation will continue to offer complete turnkey mixing systems and related new and rebuilt mixing equipment. In addition, this location provides engineering field services, rebuilding services, and spare and replacement parts for rubber processing machinery. The new streamlined organization combines all of the equipment manufacturing and services focused on the tire and mechanical rubber goods industries in a coordinated manner from mixing to tire curing.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Akron, OH, announced a $28 million radial tire expansion at its plant in Union City, TN. The capital investment will increase Goodyear's radial light truck tire capacity for the growing light truck and sport utility vehicle markets.

DSM, the Netherlands, has agreed to sell its global transparent sheet business, which is comprised of two operating units, Sheffield Plastics, Sheffield, MA and Axxis N.V., Tielt, Belgium, to Bayer Plastics Business Group. DSM's transparent sheet business, a part of DSM Engineering Plastic Products, produces and sells transparent polycarbonate (PC) and polyester (PET) sheets for building and construction. Serving industrial markets, DSM's transparent sheet business has annual sales of $135 million and employs a staff of approximately 300. DSM also plans to sell its ABS business (including the tradenames Ronfalin and Stapron N) to BASF. DSM Performance Polymers operates several ABS polymerization and compounding plants in Geleen, the Netherlands, with a combined capacity of 60,000 tpa. DSM's ABS business generates sales of about $110 million and employs about 250 people. The production plants will remain the property of DSM and the greater part of the workforce will continue to be employed by DSM.

NFM Welding Engineers, Massillon, OH, has acquired Iddon Brothers Ltd., a manufacturer of rubber extruders, calenders and roll mills, based in Leyland, England. The new company is to be called NFM Iddon Ltd. NFM is a designer and manufacturer of polymer, plastic and rubber processing equipment, including co- and counter-rotating twin screw compounding extruders, as well as single screw plastics and rubber extruders and other related equipment.

North American Oxide, LLC (NAO), Clarksville, TN, completed the sale of its zinc oxide producing assets to U.S. Zinc, a subsidiary of IMCO Recycling. NAO, which has common ownership with Purity Zinc Metals (Canada), is retaining ownership of its zinc dust producing assets in Clarksville, TN. The transaction will have no effect on NAO's zinc dust business located in Clarksville or Purity's zinc dust, alloy and anode business located in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada.

Vredestein Rubber Resources BV, Maastricht, Holland, has expanded the operations of its Vredestein Jakobs subsidiary, a tire recycling facility located in Lommel, Belgium. Vredestein has also formed a U.S. subsidiary to handle the marketing and distribution of various rubber raw materials. The new firm, Vredestein Rubber Resources USA LLC, is a joint venture with Curtis TradeGroup, a Sarasota, FL-based company which since 1992 has been Vredestein's exclusive distributor for North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Rogers, a supplier of high performance specialty materials based in Rogers, CT, has opened a technical sales and business office in Taiwan to better serve its customers in the region. In January, Rogers broadened its moldable composite capabilities through acquisition, purchasing specific product assets of Cytec Fiberite.

Dynamics International, Ltd. has signed a letter of intent to acquire an interest in Formation V Consulting. Both companies are based in Chagrin Falls, OH. Each company will initially maintain separate identities while sharing some management and physical facilities. Dynamics International supports polymer-related companies considering expansion in China, Southeast Asia and North America. Formation V Consulting specializes in turn-key e-business solutions.

Union Carbide, Danbury, CT, announced the divestiture of its non-glutaraldehyde-based biocide business to Bayer AG, Germany.

A European affiliate of Air Products and Chemicals, Allentown, PA, plans to increase capacity of the methylamines derivative, alkylalkanolamine, at its Billingham, England manufacturing facility. The capacity increase, to be completed as part of a two phased engineering project, is slated to be on-stream in mid-1999. Alkylalkanolamine is marketed and sold by Air Products under the Amietol trademark and used in polyurethane and coatings applications.

Norton Performance Plastics, Wayne, NJ, has acquired Sil-Med of Taunton, MA, a manufacturer of silicone-based medical device components and tubing, primarily marketed in North America, with exports to Europe and Asia. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Norton Performance Plastics also has signed an agreement to purchase Sybron International's Nalge Process Technologies Group, known as NPT. NPT manufactures fluoropolymerlined hose systems, flexible sanitary systems of silicone and rubber, rigid ultra-pure plastic piping systems, silicone tubing and assemblies, high performance plastic tubing, pipe and specialty profiles, as well as plastic tanks.

Clariant Masterbatches Division, Easton, MD, a manufacturer of color and additive concentrates, has completed the acquisition of the Hydrocerol business and its sister product businesses Activex and Exocerol from Boehringer Ingelheim KG. In Germany, the Hydrocerol business will be integrated into Clariant Masterbatches GmbH & Co. OHG, with production centered in its Ahrensburg facility. In the U.S., the Hydrocerol business and production site located in Winchester, VA will now be named Clariant Additive Masterbatches. Clariant also has plans to expand the existing Hydrocerol business throughout the Asia/Pacific region.

Quality registrations

Groendyk Manufacturing, Buchanan, VA, was awarded QS 9000 certification by KPMG of Short Hills, NJ. Groendyk is a custom molder, extruder and producer of silicone and organic rubber in solid and expanded form.

ND Industries, a supplier of fastener locking and sealing solutions, has achieved QS 9000 certification and ISO 9002 registration for its Detroit, MI-based Midwestern Fastener Processing Division.

Norcross Safety Products L.L.C., Rock Island, IL, has earned ISO 9001 certification from Satra Quality Assurance Ltd.

Polycorp, Elora, Ontario, Canada, has achieved ISO 9001 registration. Polycorp manufactures specialty rubber products utilizing extruding, molding and calendering processes.