Strictly-Extrusion

Davis-Standard Corp., USA,and cpm GmbH in Germany, have entered an aftermarket service agreement that will allow Davis-Standard to supply cpm screws and barrels for counter- rotating twin-screw extruders. The agreement will allow Davis-Standard to supply retrofit kits for competitors’ extruders, whereas previously it only retrofitted Davis-Standard extruders. Davis- Standard can now also supply cpm components for compounding and extruding wood-filled PVC.

ACS Group in Wood Dale, parent of auxiliary- equipment manufacturers AEC, Cumberland, and Sterling, recently opened a new national technical center and regional parts/service facility in Flint, Mich. The new site will serve as the firm’s central customer-training and equipment demonstration center for North America, as well the corporate product-development center for material-handling equipment (drying, blending, and conveying). The facility has injection molding and extrusion capabilities. The new center can be contacted at (810) 720-7300.

Global polypropylene leader Basell NV is cutting back PP resin production by 727 million pounds annually and compounding capacity by 70 million pounds, closing lines in Spain and Britain next year and cutting 160 jobs. While it blames the shutdowns on continuing overcapacity in Europe, it still plans to open a new plant in Spain next year.

Heywood Williams plc is restructuring its United Kingdom operations. The plan includes the merger of Heywood Williams Plastics Ltd., which extrudes PVC window and door profiles, with HWBP Ltd., which makes cellular foam extrusions. The reorganization is expected to save $4.4 million by early 2003 and may mean an unspecified number of job cuts.

A.G. Petzetakis SA, an Athens producer of plastic pipe systems and hose, is purchasing the south European flexible hose operations of a major competitor, Smiths Industries plc. Petzetakis agreed to pay US$11.5 million for Induplas SpA of Varese, Italy; Flexiplas SA of Barcelona, Spain; and their commercial arm, Eurohose Ltd., a distributor in Slough, Britain.

A British publication is reporting that Apax Partners & Co. Ventures Ltd. “has abandoned” its deal to buy the giant Mannesmann Plastics Machinery AG , the world’s largest manufacturer of plastics equipment, from Siemens AG. Despite the press report that Apax is pulling out, a U.S.-based executive said it appears that negotiations over the deal actually are continuing.

Enercon announces the expansion of the company’s representative network with the addition of Canflexographics. The Brampton, Ontario, company will serve as Enercon’s exclusive Canadian sales representative and will provide sales and service support for Enercon’s full line of narrow and wide web surface treaters.
David Markgraf, Enercon’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing says, “This strategic partnership between Enercon and Canflexographics represents the combination of two leading suppliers to the Canadian film, packaging and converting markets.”
Canflexographics, started in 1986 by Dave Horsman, represents a wide range of manufacturers for the Flexographic industry, currently including Dover Flexo Electronics, Fischer & Krecke, Harper Corporation, J.M. Heaford, MEGTEC Systems, Micro-Clean, Norcross, Powerwise, Enercon and Harris & Bruno Machine Company and has over 40 press installations in Canada. The company has extensive involvement in North American industry associations including the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA), Technical Association of Pulp & Paper Industry (TAPPI), Canadian Plastic Industry Association (CPIA) and Flexo Canada.

Royal Group Technologies Ltd., USA, has acquired the extrusion operations of an Atrium Cos. Inc. subsidiary in a US$ 3,8 million deal. Royal will absorb the extrusion operations of Pittsburgh-based Thermal Industries Inc. and will supply about US$ 7 million per year of extruded profiles to Thermal’s vinyl railing, window and door fabrication plants in Pennsylvania through 2006.

Macfarlane Group, USA, is planning to sell its plastics film division to Tyco Plastics of the USA for US$ 70 million. The sale follows Macfarlane’s abortive attempt to buy British Polythene Industries last year. Failing to add BPI meant that Macfarlane could not achieve the market position it saw as necessary in the films business, so it has decided to quit the business altogether and focus on its Packaging Division, to which it has added National Packaging Group and A1 Packaging during this year.

APV Baker’s Industrial Extruder Division has moved from Newcastle-under-Lyme to Peterborough, where the extruders have been built for some time. With the move comes the setting up of a customer trials and product development facility at Peterborough for both production and laboratory extruders.
The address is: Manor Drive, Paston Parkway, Peterborough PE4 7AP. Tel: 01733 283000, fax 01733 283004.