Supplier News

Hercules Inc. has agreed to acquire the worldwide paper chemicals group of Houghton International Inc., Valley Forge, Pa. Hercules will acquire the operations of the business, including product formulations, trademarks, customer lists, and sales and technical staff.

U.S. Filter/Johnson Screens has acquired WMW Industries, a producer of profile wire and wire-cloth products headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Eslon Thermoplastics, a producer of PVC and CPVC thermoplastic piping, has acquired Guardian Double Contained Piping Systems, New Baltimore, Mich. Guardian’s products address concerns with the prevention of ground contamination from chemical leaks and spills due to damaged or deteriorating pipes.

Degussa has agreed to purchase DuPont’s Western Canada hydrogen peroxide plant located in Gibbons, Alta. The facility, which was commissioned in 1991, primarily serves the regional pulp and paper industry.

Siebe plc, Windsor, U.K., has agreed to acquire Wonderware, Irvine, Calif. Wonderware will remain as a separate operating unit within Siebe, which hopes to expand its Windows NT-based industrial automation software product range with the purchase.

J.M. Clipper Corp., a manufacturer of sealing and gasketing products, has announced plans to acquire Leader Gasket, a Baton Rouge, La.-based manufacturer of spiral-wound and related metal gaskets.

Rexam Coated Films & Papers, Charlotte, N.C., has acquired the latex-saturated paper coverings business of Pajco Products from Coating Technologies International Inc. Pajco Products, headquartered in Lowville, N.Y., manufactures latex-saturated paper coverings for the decorative and book coverings markets.

Automatic Timing & Controls (ATC), a manufacturer of timers, sensors, control components, and instrumentation, has acquired Diversified Electronics Inc. of Evansville, Ind., a manufacturer of instumentation for monitoring and protecting electrical equipment. ATC has also relocated its executive offices and manufacturing facility to Lancaster, Pa., in order to consolidate its engineering, manufacturing, and administrative offices and allow for future growth.

Baldor Electric Co. has acquired Northern Magnetics Inc., a manufacturer of linear motors located in Santa Clarita, Calif.

Aspen Technology Inc. (AspenTech), a provider of manufacturing software and services, has acquired Cimtech SA-NV, a leading European supplier of process information management systems. In addition, AspenTech has just acquired the Pisa, Italy-based Contas Process Control Srl. The Contas acquisition expands AspenTech’s advanced process control and advanced optimization capacity.

UMM Electronics Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a designer of electronic devices, has announced its purchase of Photovolt Instruments, formerly a division of Seradyn Inc., Indianapolis, Ind. This purchase gives UMM manufacturing and sales rights to Photovolt products used in industrial quality control and testing, including the Model 577 reflection meter which is used to measure paper color, brightness, and opacity.

Tranter Inc., a manufacturer of heat exchangers, has purchased ThermoFluid International Inc., Arlington, Texas, a manufacturer of industrial refrigeration products.

Synthetic Industries Inc., a manufacturer of polypropylene fabrics and fibers, has acquired Novocon International Inc., a manufacturer of steel fibers for concrete reinforcement.

Auramo Oy has purchased 41% of Active SpA, an Italian manufacturer of lift masts. The Active-Auramo SpA masts will be marketed in the U.S. through Auramo Inc., Charleston, S.C.

After purchasing 70% of AFE holdings in 1996, GE Fanuc Automation North America Inc. has purchased the remaining 30%. AFE is a manufacturer of operator interface (OI) and software products with subsidiary companies in the U.K., U.S., and Canada. AFE’s products are currently sold under GE Fanuc’s Cimplicity OI products.

Cytec Industries Inc. has announced price increases on all paper chemical resins containing melamine—specifically Paramel resins and certain Parez resins. The increases will average approximately 4%. The company cited the escalating cost of melamine as the reason for these increases.

J.M. Huber Corp.’s Engineered Minerals Div. has increased its kaolin clay production by 20% to satisfy strong worldwide demand for its glossing clay product line.

Stowe Woodward, a provider of roll maintenance and repair services headquartered in Southborough, Mass., is expanding its metal working division. The expansion includes large floor plans, new overhead cranes, lathes to handle 76-in. diameters, milling machines, and other shop equipment. In addition, Stowe Woodward’s Concord, N.H., plant has modified the cooling systems on several 50-in. dia. press rolls, and its Griffin, Ga., plant is overhauling three suction rolls ranging from 48 in. to 60 in. in diameter.

Fulton Iron Works International has announced that it will construct a four-roll press facility at its St. Louis, Mo., facility. This press incorporates all of the latest designs for optimum liquid extraction from a variety of materials, including pulp, knots, bark screen reject, fruits, sludge, and synthetic fibers. The press will be used to demonstrate the extraction capabilities of the Fulton four-roller press on customer samples.

TKO Doors, a producer of dock doors, has doubled the size of its production and administration facility with a move to a 35,000 ft² building in Sussex, Wis.

Bryant Products Inc., Oconomowoc, Wis., a supplier of material handling components, has begun construction on a new 16,000 ft² corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility. The facility, which will more than double production capacity, will be completed in August 1998.

Beloit Corp. and Valmet Corp. have signed an agreement to end patent litigation between the two companies. Under the agreement, the companies will end all ongoing patent disputes worldwide. They will also cease asserting any rights under their respective patents against each other on current and future patents relating to the pulp and paper industry.

Each company expects that by eliminating costly and time-consuming disputes, valuable resources can be refocused and dedicated to better serve customers. In addition, with freed resources, the companies expect to be able to decrease lead times for releasing and distributing new technological developments.

This agreement is limited to patent rights and does not include the transfer of technology. There are no limitations on competition between Beloit and Valmet, and each company will continue to independently develop its own technology.

JOINT VENTURES

Wonderware Corp. and Moore Products Co. have announced that they have signed an extension to the master agreement originally created in 1997. Under the new terms, Moore will continue to use Wonderware’s FactorySuite automation software as the open foundation for Moore’s APACS ProcessSuite package through the year 2002.

Rohm and Haas Co. and Shanghai Resin Factory, Shanghai, China, have formed Rohm and Haas Shanghai Chemical Industry Co. The joint venture will produce, market, and sell ion exchange resins in China.

Buckman Laboratories has created a product stewardship department to provide health, safety, and environmental support for customers and sales associates. Support includes safe handling of specialty chemical products, the use of available environmentally friendly products, and prevention of accidents. The department also provides services, including 24 hr/7-day emergency environmental and medical consulting services in the U.S., and safety, health, and environmental training programs.

At the same time as its Technical Staffing Div. was purchased by Personnel Group of America, the Business Solutions Div. of IMA Plus was formed into a new company called Baywood Technologies Inc. Baywood Technologies specializes in implementing enterprise application software for clients in forestry, financial, manufacturing, and other areas.

Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has announced that it will be closing its Paris, Texas, plant. The plant manufactures fossil-fueled boilers and components for the power generation industry. The decision will result in reallocation of work to B&W’s Cambridge, Ont., and Melville, Sask., facilities.

Selcom Inc., Southfield, Mich., and Dynamic Control Systems Inc. (DynaVision), Delta, B.C., have expanded their joint marketing agreement for respective marketing of each other’s lines of stand-alone noncontact laser-based measurement sensors. The agreement now covers sales and marketing activities worldwide.

Fourteen of Motion Industries’ locations have received ISO 9002 certification. These locations are: Norcross, Ga.; Decatur and Gadsden, Ala.; Connersville and Evansville, Ind.; Broadview, Chicago, Chicago Heights, East Peoria, Springfield, Niles, Countryside, and Bourbonnais, Ill.; and Dallas, Texas. In addition, the company’s Meridian, Miss., facility received QS-9000 certification. Motion Industries distributes bearings, power transmission equipment, electrical and mechanical power transmission equipment, and hose products.

National Coating Corp., Rockland, Mass., has received ISO 9200 and QS 9000 certification. The company is a contract coater of continuous roll goods.

Spraymation Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a manufacturer of custom adhesive application and automatic spraying equipment, has received ISO 9003 certification.

Vallen Safety Supply Co.’s Chicago, Ill., and Detroit, Mich., branches have received ISO 9002 certification. Vallen Corp. manufactures and distributes safety, health, and maintenance products to industrial customers.

Five Star Products Inc., Fairfield, Conn., a manufacturer of nonshrink cement grouts, epoxy grouts, foundation systems, coatings, and other products, has received ISO 9001 certification.