ACQUISITIONS/MERGERS

Hercules Inc. has completed the acquisition of the Scripset water-soluble polymer resin business from Solutia Inc. Since 1991, Hercules has had an exclusive license agreement with Solutia in North America for the paper industry and has successfully marketed about half the total annual Scripset sales. In addition to paper, Scripset is currently sold to the adhesive and other industrial specialty markets.

Baan Co. N.V., a supplier of enterprise applications, has agreed to acquire Proloq Holding B.V., a leader in industry specific software for the pulp and paper, primary metals, and cable and wire industries. Proloq Holding has extensive experience in managing dimensions and specifications with the ability to support non-SKU-based operations. It will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Baan.

Sunds Defibrator, Sweden, has signed a letter of intent with Kvaerner Panel Systems GmbH, Germany, covering the acquisition of the company’s technology, machine program and know-how, as well as its subsidiary, De Mets N.V.

Fisher Controls Regulator Div. has acquired Appalachian Controls Environmental (ACE), a maker of tank blanketing valves and related products. Fisher Controls Regulator Div. is part of Fisher-Rosemount – an Emerson Electric Co.

Testing Machines Inc. (TMI), a Long Island manufacturer of testing instrumentation for the paper, pulp, and other industries, has purchased two competitors—Messmer Buchel Ltd. in the U.K. and Buchel van der Korput in The Netherlands—to extend its global presence.

Invensys plc, a manufacturer of automation and control products, has acquired Esscor Inc., a producer of fossil-fueled power generation simulators. Esscor will operate as an independent business unit reporting into the Invensys Intelligent Automation Div. The acquisition strengthens the division’s sensor-to-boardroom solutions for performance improvement in the power, pulp, and paper industries.

GE Fanuc Automation North America Inc. has acquired Whedco Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., a privately held company that manufactures servo and stepping motor control systems for industrial automation. The acquisition will expand GE Fanuc’s product offering and bring additional channels to market under the Whedco brand name.

A.O. Smith Corp. has acquired MagneTek Inc.’s worldwide electric motor operations. The acquisition strengthens A.O. Smith’s position in a number of fractional horsepower motor market segments and will triple the size of the company’s replacement motor business.

The American investment firm E. O. Smith & Co. of Manhattan, the majority shareholder in Magnat Roll and Webex, has purchased Nim-Cor, an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of custom-made airshafts.

Albany International Corp. has announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Geschmay Group.

 

REORGANIZATION

Rauma Corp. and Valmet Corp. have finalized their merger, and the new corporation is now called Metso Corp. Following this merger, Valmet-Rauma organized its businesses into three operational areas:

• Fiber and Paper Technology— consisting of the previous Valmet Paper Machinery, Valmet Converting, and Sunds Defibrator businesses, to be known as “Valmet.”

• Automation and Control Technol-ogy—consisting of the previous Valmet Automation, Neles Controls, and Jamesbury businesses, to be known as “Neles Automation.”

• Machinery—consisting of Timber-jack, Nordberg, and Component groups plus Valmet Automotive and Power Transmission businesses. These groups will continue operating under their existing business names.

Ace World Companies has formed its fifth limited partnership, Ace Machine. Ace Machine will serve the paper and other industries in need of a resource to repair and modify existing process equipment or spare part gearing, shafting, journals, and machine bases.

Chicago Rawhide Americas, a unit within the Seal Div. of SKF, has announced structural changes that will strengthen responsiveness to customers. All customer critical operations have been incorporated under the direct responsibility of each of its four business units—Aftermarket, O.E. Market, Aerospace, and International Market Business.

 

JOINT VENTURES

Moore Process Automation Solu-tions, a provider of process measurement and control products, and Walsh Advanced Control Technologies, a specialist in the application of automation technology for the optimization of plant performance, have signed an agreement for Walsh to provide services for Moore’s Advanced Control & Operations Management (ACOM) program. Under the terms of the agreement, Walsh will deliver the application services for the program’s multi-variable predictive control bundles for the pulp and paper industry.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) has announced the addition of Fisher-Rosemount as a solution partner for continuous and batch-process manufacturing applications. The Performance Solutions Div. of Fisher-Rosemount will use HP Enterprise Link production-integration software within its PlantWeb process automation architecture.

Maxcess International has brought together three manufacturers from the web converting industry—Fife Corp. (guiding and inspection), Magnetic Power Systems Inc. (tension controls), and Tidland Corp. (slitting and winding). The new company, Talis International LLC, is pioneering how web accessory products and systems are designed, produced, and delivered to the converting industry.

Peacock Mechanical Services Div., Montreal, Que., has been named an authorized service center for the repair, refurbishment, and maintenance of Thermo Black Clawson equipment. Peacock operates a network of six service centers across Canada in the following cities: Dartmouth, Montreal, Mississauga, Edmonton, Calgary, and Fort St. John.

Moyno Industrial Products, a unit of Robbins & Myers Inc., has established a joint venture with AFF Industrial SA De CV of Mexico City to form Moyno De Mexico SA De CV, of which Moyno holds a 51% ownership. Moyno De Mexico will be a full service sales and service operation, providing Moyno progressing cavity pumps, RKL pinch valves, and Hercules screens, as well as complete applications engineering support and aftermarket service.

Atrion International and Radian International have formed an alliance to deliver environmental, health, safety, and transportation applications, as well as environmental consulting, implementation services, and support.

GenCorp has announced that its Performance Chemicals business has formed a strategic alliance with PolymerLatex, a joint venture between Bayer AG and Degussa-Huls AG, to serve the needs of their global paper customers.

 

NAME CHANGES

The Valmet-Rauma merger has impacted the names of legal operating entities in North America. Valmet Inc. (both paper machinery and automation units) in the U.S. and Valmet Canada Inc. will remain the legal entity counter parties. Sunds Defibrator business have changed as follows: Sunds Defibrator Inc. U.S.A. is now Valmet Fibertech Inc.; Sunds Defibrator Ltd. Canada is now Valmet Fibertech Ltd.; and Sunds Defibrator Woodhandling Inc. is now Valmet Woodhandling Inc. Valmet North America requests that these names be changed on all formal documents and records.

 

EXPANSIONS

Rixan Associates Inc., the North American distributor of Mitsubishi and Samsung robotic systems and supplier of systems integration and robot software, has expanded its headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, by 33%. The new facility incorporates new engineering offices, repair facilities, and assembly areas.

Southern States Packaging Co., a manufacturer of paperboard packaging products, has opened a sales office in Cincinnati, Ohio, and also an offline coating facility in Spartanburg, S.C. The state-of-the-art coating system delivers pre-coated repulpable barrier and decorative coatings on a wide range of substrates.

Motion Industries, a Birmingham-based distributor of mechanical, electrical, and fluid power transmission equipment as well as bearings and hose products, has opened new branches in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Carlsbad, N.Mex.

The environmental engineering and consulting firm, Brown and Caldwell, has opened a new office in Austin, Texas.

 

NEW COMPANIES

Lee Technologies Group, a company specializing in power and environmental products, installation, facilities integration, and service for data centers and other critical environments, has added Lee Technologies Facility Wide Services Inc. as its fourth affiliated company. The new company provides comprehensive, one source power and environmental services.

 

CERTIFICATIONS/AWARDS

The Karhula Foundry of Ahlstrom Pumps Corp. has been awarded the IQRS (International Quality Rating System) level 5 quality certificate as the second enterprise in Finland and as the first unit of Ahlstrom Pumps Corp. The IQRS concept developed by Det Norske Veritas is a system for the assessment and development of quality management in businesses. The IQRS scale runs from 1 to 10, with the normal ISO 9000 level corresponding to IQRS level 3.

Neles Automation’s facilities in Shrewsbury, Mass., have been awarded ISO 9001 quality certification.

Buckman Laboratories Asia PTE Ltd. has been awarded the Singapore Quality Class Award (SQA) by the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board. The award recognizes Buckman for its use of a world-class quality management framework to manage business operations and attain a high level of quality achievement and performance.

 

TECHNOLOGY

Albright & Wilson has received approval from the U.S. FDA for the use of tetrakishydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate (THPS) in food-contact paper applications. THPS, the active ingredient in Tolcide PS biocides, controls the growth of microorganisms in the nutrient-rich papermaking environment.

LITIGATION

Les Traitements des Eaux Poseidon Inc. of Quebec has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mass., against Krofta Water Inc. and Krofta Engineering Inc., both of Pittsfield, Mass. The suit seeks to enforce one of Poseidon’s U.S. patents that relates to a new and innovative industrial water clarifier. In the lawsuit, Poseidon alleges that Krofta has infringed the patent through its sale of the Megacell clarifier. The suit seeks an unspecified amount of damages and an injunction to stop Krofta from its continuing infringement of Poseidon’s patent.

 

PRICING

The Dow Chemical Co. has increased the off-list selling prices for all grades of caustic soda sold in the U.S. by $25.00 per dry short ton (basis 76% Na2O). This increase is for all spot customers or as contract terms permit.

Solvay Interox Inc. has increased off-list prices for all grades of hydrogen peroxide. Prices will increase US $0.03/lb in the U.S. and CDN $98/metric ton in Canada for 100% basis hydrogen peroxide.

The North American Adhesives, Sealants, and Coatings Group of H.B. Fuller Co. has announced a price increase of 3% to 5% on most of its hot melt and water-based adhesive product lines.

 

MARKETING/LICENSING

AES Engineered Systems, Queensbury, N.Y., and Poly Hi Solidur (PHS) of Fort Wayne, Ind., have entered into a new marketing agreement. AES will assume the responsibility for mill level and OEM sales and service of PHS products to the paper industry within the U.S. and Canada. PHS will supply AES with all of its polyethylene raw materials needs.

Millennium Inorganic Chemicals has named Ashland Canada Inc. as distributor for Tiona titanium dioxide products sold in Canada.

 

In the September 1999 Supplier News, Pulp & Paper gave incorrect information regarding the purchase of the pulp and paper interests of Scapa Group plc, Blackburn, Great Britain, by JM Voith AG, Heidenheim, Germany. Scapa Paper Machine Clothing merged with Voith Appleton. This month, the combined companies will be known as Voith Fabrics with global headquarters in Raleigh, N.C. Ivan J. Fearnhead is chief executive officer of the new company. Scapa Rolls was merged into the Service Div. of Voith Sulzer Paper Technology and has taken on that name VSPT Service Div. Global headquarters have been moved from Middletown, Ohio, to Charlotte, N.C. Ray Hall is executive vice president of that division.