Quality Mold builds larger facility in Akron, OH.

Quality Mold, Akron, OH, a designer and producer of tire molds, consolidated its business by building a newer, larger facility in Akron, OH. The new headquarters and factory will increase its tire mold capacity by 35%. By consolidating operations, the complex will reduce the time it takes to design tooling, make the molds and ship them to the customer, according to the company. Located on a 12-acre site, the one-story, 80,000 sq. ft. facility dedicates 21,000 sq. ft. for 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 complex cost $4 million to build and $3 million to equip.

Uniroyal Chemical's global pilot plant, currently under construction in Elmira, Ontario, Canada, will receive additional advanced instrumentation and automated equipment to help the company respond more quickly with new and higher quality products for customers in Canada and around the world. The Elmira pilot plant will be used to produce samples large enough for customers to use in their processes. It will also be used to develop full-scale production processes and equipment for Elmira and Uniroyal Chemical's other production facilities. The plant is expected to begin operations later this year.

RPD, Elberfeld, IN, a manufacturer of adhesive sealants and preformed tapes, will complete its construction of a 21,000 sq. ft. complex in southern Indiana near Evansville. The new expansion is designed to expand to 60,000 to 90,000 sq. ft. to accommodate expected future sales in toll manufacturing and expanded product designs directed towards pipeline protection.

Union Carbide, Danbury, CT, is adding 20 million pounds of annual capacity and upgrading process controls at its Seadrift, TX semiconductive compounds facility, while the company's Nippon Unicar joint venture with Tonen Chemical adds another 10 million pounds of semiconductive compounds capacity to its facilities in Kawasaki, Japan. The Seadrift and Kawasaki semiconductive compounds plants are dedicated to the production of specialty polyolefins-based compounds for conventional and supersmooth conductor shields and insulation shields used in medium- and high-voltage power cables. These capital projects will expand Union Carbide's worldwide annual capacity for semiconductive compounds for power cable applications to well over 100 million pounds.

Polyfoam Packers, Wheeling, IL, a foam plastic processor, has acquired Pac Masters of Joliet, IL. In a sale completed on July 29, Polyfoam Packers added capacity for the fabrication of both rigid and flexible foams to its roster of five plants.

Hauser Laboratories is adding 3,000 sq. ft. of small scale manufacturing capability to its Boulder, CO facility. The expansion will consist of three hazard class suites equipped for natural products isolation, purification and synthetic processes. At the same time, the company will be adding larger-scale synthetic capabilities to its Clear Creek facility, located in Denver, CO. At this site, a class 100,000 clean room will be fitted with various chemical synthesis apparatus, including a 200-liter glass-lined reaction vessel.

In a strategic move to expand its product offering, Freudenberg-NOK, Plymouth, MI, has created the Valve Business Unit to design and produce a wide range of valve products for the North American market. Through the new focused business unit, the company plans to significantly expand its North American valve business, with an initial thrust in fuel-system valves.