Two new companies formed from Ashland Chemical.

ACQUISITIONS, EXPANSIONS

Ashland, Covington, KY, is forming two new divisions from its largest wholly owned business, Ashland Chemical. The new divisions will include Ashland Distribution and Ashland Specialty Chemicals. Ashland Chemical's distribution and specialty chemicals groups have achieved sufficient critical mass to provide separate growth platforms, according to Paul W. Chellgren, Ashland chairman and CEO. Creating the two new entities, which will be wholly owned divisions of Ashland, will provide them with greater market focus, better definition in the marketplace and an enhanced ability to grow, particularly in distribution, according to Chellgren. Distribution competencies are said to clearly exceed the company's current market participation in chemicals and plastics, and the new structure will enable the company to apply those skills in new industrial distribution markets. The new divisions will continue to be based in Dublin, OH, the site of former Ashland Chemical headquarters. No change in staffing levels is expected as a result of this change. Ashland Chemical's current operations will be divided between the two new divisions. Ashland Distribution will include the following business groups: Industrial Chemicals & Solvents, General Polymers, FRP Supply, Fine Ingredients, Ashland Plastics Europe and Distribution Services. Ashland Specialty Chemicals will consist of Foundry Products, Composite Polymers, Specialty Polymers and Adhesives, Electronic Chemicals, Drew Industrial and Drew Marine and Petrochemicals. In addition, Ashland Chemical's research and development efforts will become part of Ashland Specialty Chemicals.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Akron, OH, confirmed that up to 500 new jobs and an investment of up to $25 million could be directed to its corporate complex in Akron if the city and state are successful in securing a package of investment incentives. The majority of the jobs would be technology-related. Some would be in conjunction with the integration of the Goodyear and Kelly-Springfield businesses and expanded business operations, while others would include the company's growing design and development needs. Within the last 18 months, Goodyear has hired more than 250 scientists and engineers for its global support operations in Akron and Luxembourg. The potential investment could finance new construction of a high-tech training and education center and expansions or modernizations to existing facilities in or near Goodyear's worldwide technical center in Akron.

Neville Chemical, Pittsburgh, PA, has reached an agreement to become the sole owner of Nevcin Polymers B.V. Located in Uithoorn, the Netherlands, Nevcin Polymers has been a 50/50 joint venture since 1960 with Neville Chemical and Cindu International, through one of its affiliated companies. Nevcin Polymers provides the European marketplace with petroleum hydrocarbon resins, modified hydrocarbon resins and coumarone-indene resins.

DSM, Heerlen, the Netherlands, is going 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 NLG 220 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. BASF is said to be one of the world's leading producers of ABS and other styrene copolymers. Its ABS production capacity amounts to 400,000 tpa, divided over sites in Germany, Spain, South Korea and Australia. Within a few months, when a new plant in Altamira, Mexico comes on stream, this capacity will increase to 530,000 tpa. DSM Performance Polymers, renamed DSM Polypropylenes on April 1, focuses on the production of polypropylene and polypropylene compounds. Its overall capacity will reach a level of more than 800,000 tpa in 1999.

Dow Chemical, Midland, MI, has formed a business unit, Concepture, which will provide durable goods sub-assemblies. The initial focus for Concepture will be the large appliance industry, with plans to broaden its offering across the durable goods marketplace.

Jamak Fabrication, Weatherford, TX, is expanding its presence in the silicone medical products market with the near-completion of its 50,000-square-foot expansion at the Weatherford location to include the Medical Products Manufacturing Division. The new facility is equipped with a Class 100,000 clean room housing high precision extrusion and liquid silicone rubber molding technologies and component assembly. The expanded product mix will be represented by Jamak HealthCare Technologies, a division created due to interest in the healthcare market.

Ampacet, Tarrytown, NY, has signed a letter of intent to purchase the Concentrates & Compounds business of Equistar Chemicals L.P. The transaction includes two manufacturing facilities, located in Heath, OH and Crockett, TX, with related inventories. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Clariant, Performance Plastics, Millington, MD, announced that several facility improvements are being made to support the growth of specialty business in proprietary engineering plastic materials. Two state-of-the-art twin screw compounding lines have been installed and are currently operational. Four twin screw lines are also being installed with an anticipated startup date in the second and third quarters of 1999. Automated packaging equipment is also part of this project.

Air Products and Chemicals, Lehigh Valley, PA, has brought on stream a 500 million pounds-per-year dinitrotoluene (DNT) production facility in Geismar, LA that will supply the North American DNT requirements of BASF and Rubicon. BASF and Rubicon produce toluene diisocyanate (TDI) at sites adjacent to the new Air Products DNT plant. DNT is a key ingredient in the production of TDI, which is used to manufacture flexible polyurethane foam for a variety of applications.

ND Industries has expanded its Western Fastener Processing Division located in Santa Fe Springs, CA. ND's second facility will allow the company to meet expanding market demands by increasing their capacity to develop and provide comprehensive locking and sealing products and services.

Motoman, a provider of robotic solutions, completed a 70,000 square foot facility expansion at its state-of-the-art headquarters in West Carrollton, OH.

RELATED ARTICLE: Quality registrations

Advanced Polymer Alloys, Wilmington, DE, the manufacturer of melt-processible rubber, has received ISO 9002 quality management system certification from ABS Quality Evaluations.

Chardon Rubber's Industrial Rubber Goods Division, St. Joseph, MI, a producer of engineered sealing systems, has been registered to the QS 9000, 1995 second edition.

Clariant, Performance Plastics, Millington, MD, a supplier of engineering plastic compounds to the automotive industry, has attained registration to QS 9000/ISO 9001.

Dynaloy, Indianapolis, IN, a manufacturer of specialty solvents, has begun the process of becoming ISO 9000 certified.

Everhard Products, Canton, OH, a manufacturer of hand tools and related products for the tire and rubber industry, has achieved ISO 9002 registration with Quality Management Institute.

RELATED ARTICLE: 1998 RMA Safety & Health Improvement Excellence(*) Award Winners

   Company                            Plant

             General Products Group

Acadia Elastomers Corp.                     Paragould, AR
Advanced Elastomer Systems                      Akron, OH
                                            Pensacola, FL
Ames Rubber Corp. (Ames Amesil)              Oakridge, NJ
Beloit Corp., Manhattan Products                Aiken, SC
                                             Columbus, MS
                                         Clark Summit, PA
Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.                  Prescott, AR
 (Firestone Building Products)
Chardon Rubber                                Chardon, OH
Chardon Rubber                            Greeneville, TN
 (Chardon Electric Co.)
Chicago Rawhide                              Franklin, NC
                                               Seneca, KS
Custom Rubber Corp.                         Cleveland, OH
Freudenberg-NOK,                   Ligonier, IN (Plant 2)
 General Partnership                       Northfield, NH
                                                 Troy, OH
Gates Rubber Co.                              Red Bay, AL
                                                 Iola, KS
                                       Siloam Springs, AR
Goshen Rubber Co. (GKI)                        Goshen, IN
Goshen Rubber Co. (GSH)                      Snowhill, NC
Goshen Rubber Co., Inc.                        Goshen, IN
HBD Industries                                  Elgin, SC
                                           Greenville, SC
Nichirin Flex                               Cucamonga, CA
Ottawa Rubber Co.                             Holland, OH
Rubber Rolls, Inc.                       Meadow Lands, PA
Southland Technologies                VA Beach, VA (1424)
                                      VA Beach, VA (1431)
Titan Industries                        Commerce City, CO
                                           South Gate, CA

                      Tire Group

Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.                    Wilson, NC
The Standard Products                          Export, PA
 (Oliver Rubber Co.)                            Paris, TX

(*) The Rubber Manufacturers Association's Excellence Award is based upon the ability of a plant to achieve an incidence rate for lost workday cases that is 75% better than the average achieved by plants that provided data to RMA.