Supplier News

Thermo Fibertek Inc., a manufacturer of equipment for the papermaking and paper recycling industries, has finalized its $108 million cash purchase of Black Clawson's Middletown, Ohio-based stock preparation business.

Valmet has made an offer to purchase Atlas Converting Equipment. By combining their complementary product lines, both companies hope to further expand into international markets as a result of the purchase.

Sequa Corp. has purchased Sedgefield Specialties, Jamestown, N.C., a specialty chemicals unit of Burlington Industries Inc. The newly acquired business will be operated as a part of Sequa's specialty chemicals subsidiary, Sequa Chemicals Inc., Chester, S.C. The acquisition adds manufacturing capacity to support the continued growth of Sequa's emulsion polymer businesses.

In a move designed to expand its capabilities in the water and wastewater treatment market, Penn Process Technologies Inc. announced that it has purchased all shares of Stanco Projects Inc., Raleigh, N.C., a supplier of bulk chemical storage systems. Penn Process will now offer everything from bulk chemical handling concept and design to supply, installation supervision, and startup.

Five companies that specialize in developing and installing manufacturing control systems have merged to become the nation's largest independent information and automation technology company -- TAVA Technologies. The five companies are Topro Systems Integration of Denver, Colo., Advanced Control Technology of Albany, Ore., Vision Engineering of Cypress, Calif., All-Control Systems of West Chester, Pa., and MDCS of Atlanta, Ga. By pooling resources, the companies expect to provide the technical capability to serve a variety of manufacturers and integrate all aspects of manufacturing.

EnviroMetrics Software Inc. and EIS International Corp.-both providers of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) software-have announced that they intend to merge into a single company. The new company will be headquartered in Rockville, Md.

Lechler Inc., St. Charles, Ill., has acquired The TCM Co., Staten Island, N.Y. TCM is the North American distributor for a line of tank cleaning machines manufactured in Denmark. Lechler expects to expand service capabilities and tank cleaning system innovations from the merging of product lines.

Entek Scientific, a provider of predictive maintenance technology, has purchased IRD Mechanalysis, a supplier of industrial plant maintenance technology. The new company, Entek IRD International Corp., will provide condition monitoring solutions to major industry segments. In addition, Entek IRD International Corp. has announced its purchase of Diagnetics Inc., a provider of oil analysis and fluid conditioning products for heavy machinery maintenance.

Techtrol Inc. and The Truesdell Co. have merged to form TrueTech Controls. With offices in Englewood and Skillman, N.J., TrueTech Controls has become the authorized technical representative for the Johnson Yokogawa Corp. line of process instrumentation and controls for the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Bronz-Glow Southeast Corp. and Bronz-Glow Coatings Corp., both of Jacksonville, Fla., have merged into a new corporation named >B>Bronz-Glow Technologies Inc. The consolidation will allow the combined companies to better serve customers by having products and services available through a single source.

Ryan Herco Products Corp., a national distributor of corrosion-resistant fluid handling products, has purchased The Chempipe Co., a distributor of industrial thermoplastic pipe, valves, and fittings.

United Sciences Testing (UST) has acquired the stack testing and auditing business segment of United Sciences Inc. (USI). BW/IP Inc., a supplier of advanced technology fluid transfer and control equipment, and Durco International, a supplier of fluid handling equipment, have reported that the waiting periodfor antitrust review of their proposed merger has expired. However, completion of the merger remains subject to approval by the shareholders ofboth companies. Flowserve Corp. is the name chosen for the proposed new company.

PRICING

Reichold Chemicals Inc. has announced price increases of $0.01/lb to $0.02/lb for aqueous adhesives sold under the Swift Adhesives trade name. Reichold cites rising raw material prices for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) as the reason for the increase.

NEW FACILITIES

Insituform Technologies Inc. has begun construction on a new research and development center in Chesterfield, Mo. The 50,000 ft2 facility has been designed to facilitate the development and testing of Insituform's non-disruptive pipe-rehabilitation technologies.

In response to MacMillan Bloedel's major capital investment to convert newsprint capacity to higher value-added light-weight coated (LWC) grades, ECC International has broken ground at Duke Point, Nanaimo, B.C., for a $12.5 million terminal facility for the distribution of kaolin shipped from Georgia. The clay will be used to boost paper quality and to reduce the amount of fiber required for every ton of paperboard.

Entek IRD International Corp. (Entek IRD) has announced the opening of the Education Center at its world headquarters in Milford, Ohio. This new facility includes 4,500 ft2 of dedicated classroom area for machinery condition monitoring technology education and Entek IRD product training.

REORGANIZATIONS

Voith Sulzer has announced that it has finalized the restructuring of its group of companies. Voith AG will now operate as the new holding company of the Voith Group, replacing the former head organization, J.M. Voith GmbH. The previous board members will continue to manage the business activities of the Voith Group of Companies.

J.M. Voith AG, Heidenheim, is 92.5% owned by the descendants of the Hanns Voith family. The remaining 7.5% of the company's share capital, totaling DM$200 million, will be jointly held by Deutsche Bank AG, Commerzbank AG, and Sal. Oppenheim & Cie. KG a.A.

As part of the company's restructure, a number of subsidiaries and affiliated companies have been reorganized as partnerships, acting as GmbH & Co. KG.

Dana Corp. has announced the reorganization of its Warner Electric Group into two divisions that will link Warner Electric's sales, service, and manufacturing more closely to its customers. Warner Electric Industrial Products Div. is the new division that will provide clutches, brakes, ball bearing screws, linear actuators, and other products. Warner Electric Motors and Controls Div. will provide multi-axis electronic controls, step motors, synchronous motors, variable reluctance motors, AC and DC motor drives, surge suppression equipment, and other products.

Keithley Instruments Inc. has launched Channel K, a new communication and customer service organization for customer reference and ordering of Keithley data acquisition, SmartLink network measurement modules, and other test and measurement products. Athena Controls has established a Custom Products Division that offers total design through manufacturing services for electronic equipment and systems manufacturers. The division was formed to help equipment manufacturers keep their new product plans on track with hardware and software product development, testing, prototyping, and production of electronic devices.

JOINT VENTURES

Micro Motion, a supplier of Coriolis mass measurement technology and services, has formed a strategic business alliance with Coastal Flow Measurement Inc., a provider of gas and liquid flow analysis. This alliance was formed for the two companies to develop and implement a program that will screen, certify, and authorize companies to calibrate and prove Micro Motion flowmeters. Micro Motion is a member of the Fisher-Rosemount group of Emerson Electric.

EnerTech Environmental Inc., a developer of energy and waste disposal technologies, has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi International Corp. (MIC) to jointly market EnerTech's SlurryCarb process in the U.S. This process is a method of chemically changing garbage, as well as other wastes, into a clean, usable fuel.

HIMA, a supplier of industrial automation safety systems, is now a complementary supplier in Fisher-Rosemount's Momentum alliance program. The Momentum program fosters an environment for suppliers to integrate complementary products andservices with Fisher-Rosemount System's process management solutions.

Aspen Technology Inc. has formed a strategic relationship with Yokogawa Electric Corp., a supplier of industrial automation and test and measurement equipment. The outlined plan between the two companies is for the provision of software, hardware, and services for the process control market. The non-exclusive relationship was developed to provide complete solutions for worldwide customers in the areas of information management systems, advanced process control, and modeling and optimization.

EXPANSIONS/MODERNIZATIONS

ICI Forest Products has announced a $30 million expansion project at the company's chloralkali plant in Becancour, Que. The expansion will increase the plant's total production capacity to 360,000 tpy of chlorine and 376,000 tpy of caustic soda. The expansion features the FM21 membrane cell developed by ICI. These cells are efficient and have long-term performance characteristics.

OASIS (Optical Alignment Systems & Inspection Services Inc.) has opened two new offices in Richmond, Va., and Texarkana, Texas. The company, a subsidiary of Beloit Corp., now serves its customer base from eight locations in North America. With full-equipped mobile machine shop/tool cribs, OASIS offers complete turnkey service, from diagnosis to physical adjustment of rotating machinery.

FAG Bearings Corp., a manufacturer of precision bearings, has announced a multi-million dollar expansion of its Joplin, Mo., manufacturing facility as part of an aggressive $52 million worldwide capital improvement plan by FAG Bearing's parent company, FAG Kugelfisher Georg Schafer AG. The expansion will significantly increase production capacity at the company's U.S. facility and boost product supply for both domestic and world markets.

Solvay Interox Inc. will delay the startup of its new hydrogen peroxide production plant under construction in Deer Park, Texas. Although the plant will be mechanically complete July 1, startup will be postponed for six months because the anticipated growth in market demand has not yet developed to justify the initial startup costs.

TurboCare, a div. of Demag Delaval that offers repair services and replacement parts for turbomachinery designs, has expanded its Jacksonville, Fla., operations. The expansion includes the addition of 20,000 ft2 of plant capacity, 50- ton lift capability with 17 ft clearance, submerged arc welding capabilities, and increased machining capabilities. The Jacksonville facility will provide service throughout the Eastern and Central U.S.

MARKETING/LICENSING

Voith Sulzer Paper Technology and Raahen Tevo, have signed an agreement for the sales, marketing, and servicing of TEVO spreader rolls throughout North America by Voith Sulzer Service Div. These rolls are used in paper machine, coater, and winder applications. Raahen Tevo, a manufacturer of spreader rolls in Finland, has primarily supplied roll sales and service to the European market.

Under the new agreement, Raahen Tevo will benefit from Voith Sulzer's established North American sales network and support organization. For Voith Sulzer, Raahen Tevo fits into its plan to incorporate products from small and medium size manufacturers that are complimentary to its current sales and marketing network.

James Ross Ltd. has announced exclusive sale agency agreements with Evergreen Mill Supply (Pacific Northwest), Marin International (Mexico), and Moon Sung Trading (Republic of Korea).

ISO

TurboCare, a div. of Demag Delaval Turbomachinery Corp., has been awarded ISO 9001 certification for its Houston, Texas, operations.

Gerhardt's, a distributor and service provider for prime mover controls and accessories,has announced that its New Orleans, La., and New Castle, Del., facilities have received ISO 9002 registration.

NEW COMPANIES

Applied Paper Technology Inc. has been established in Atlanta, Ga., by Vann Parker, pres., along with other Mead Coated Board employees who worked in the Mead Coated Board Technical Institute. The independent company will provide technical services for manufacturers of paper and paperboard, printers and converters of paper products, and end users who use paper and paperboard to package their products.

Michael R. Koplik, pres. and CEO of Perry H. Koplik & Sons Inc., and William M. Parilla, pres. of Anticosti Paper Corp., have formed Koplik Anticosti lnc. The new company combines the newsprint, groundwood specialty, printing/writing paper sales activities of Koplik and Anticosti in order to satisfy long-term concerns of worldwide suppliers and customers.

AWARDS

Buckman Laboratories has been awarded the 1997 Computerworld Smithsonian Award for innovative applications of technology in the manufacturing category.

Albright & Wilson has received President Bill Clinton's Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the "Designing Safer Chemicals" category. This award is part of President Clinton's Reinventing Environmental Regulations Initiative to promote pollution prevention and industrial ecology. "Green chemistry" is chemistry designed to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances. Albright & Wilson was honored for its development of THPS biocides, a new class of antimicrobial chemistry.

The Queen's Award for Technological Advancement was awarded to the Advanced Products Div. of Scapa Group plc for the development of an innovative membrane fabric applied in the manufacture of press fabrics. These press fabrics are marketed under the trade name Spectra in the U.S. Comparable to the U.S. Commerce Dept.'s National Medal of Technology, the Queen's Award recognizes significant advancement in the application of technology to a production or development process used in British industry.