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Infiltrator gets two giant injection presses
OLD SAYBROOK, CONN. (July 24,6 p.m. EDT) -- Infiltrator Systems Inc. is installing two huge injection molding presses from Engel North America — among the largest Engel has on the continent.

Russian plant will make fiberglass products
ALABUGA, RUSSIA (July 23, 5:10 p.m. EDT) -- A joint venture between Germany’s Preiss-Daimler Group and Russian oil and gas producer OAO Tatneft is constructing a fiberglass products plant in the special economic zone of Alabuga.

JM Eagle donates pipe for Millennium Villages
LOS ANGELES (July 23, 4:20 p.m. EDT) -- Pipe-making giant JM Eagle has teamed up with Columbia University’s Earth Institute to bring sanitary, potable water to villages in the African nation of Senegal.

ITW purchases Dow’s Trymer foam operation
GLENVIEW, ILL. (July 18, 8:20 p.m. EDT) -- Glenview-based Illinois Tool Works Inc. has acquired the assets of Trymer — the polyisocyanurate rigid foam business of Dow Chemical Co.’s building solutions unit — for an undisclosed sum.

Mexichem purchases geotextiles unit in Peru
MEXICO CITY (July 17, 5:40 p.m. EDT) -- PVC and specialty chemicals maker Mexichem SAB de CV has acquired the geotextiles operation of Lima, Peru-based Comindustrias del Perú.

AERT cuts jobs, closes facilities
SPRINGDALE, ARK. (July 11, 3:45 p.m. EDT) -- Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc. has mothballed its extrusion plant in Junction, Texas, and is laying off an additional 5 percent of its workforce. The company also shut down a painting facility in Tontitown, Ark., and a recycling plant in Alexandria, La.

ICF company Arxx purchases PolySteel
PORTLAND, ORE. (July 11, 3:30 p.m. EDT) -- Two of the most well-known and long-standing insulating concrete forms companies joined forces when Portland-based Arxx Corp. acquired Albuquerque, N.M.-based American PolySteel LLC for an undisclosed sum.

Vinyl Institute stepping out on its own

Bocchi

ARLINGTON, VA. (July 11, 12:05 p.m. EDT) -- The Vinyl Institute is reorganizing itself as an independent trade organization to promote and defend vinyl aggressively. VI, a longtime affiliate of the American Chemistry Council, needs to establish a stronger identity, Greg Bocchi, who took over as president and chief executive officer of the Arlington-based association two months ago, said July 9.

Cargill building soybean-based polyols plant
CHICAGO (July 8, 2:55 p.m. EDT) -- Cargill Inc. has broken ground on a $22 million plant in Chicago to make soybean-based polyols, targeting the material as a replacement for petroleum-based chemicals traditionally used in polyurethane products such as flexible foam.

Turkey reaping global rewards
LAS VEGAS (July 7, 2:40 p.m. EDT) -- The Turkish plastics industry is right smack in the middle of a lot of action as global markets redefine themselves.

Green design can bolster bottom line
CHICAGO (July 1, 5:15 p.m. EDT) -- “Going green” will demand changes in how people live, design products and operate businesses, but also can more than pay for itself. That was the message from a pair of sustainability experts at a "Greenstorming" workshop June 26 in Northbrook.

Norandex buy boosts position in South
MACEDONIA,OHIO (June 25, 7 p.m. EDT) -- Norandex Building Materials Distribution of Macedonia, Ohio, said it has acquired Area Vinyl Siding Distributors LLC, which serves the Baton Rouge, La., area.

European plastics turning to timber
VENICE, ITALY (June 23, 10:45 a.m. EDT) -- For pontoon operators and Venetian homeowners, marine borers cause a yearly problem in the canal-filled streets of Venice. To remedy this, two companies have introduced wood-plastic products to replace the age-old timber-made poles that make up many of the boats and homes. These innovative replacements are just one example of the growing European wood composites market.

ADS launching corrugated PP sewer pipe
HILLIARD, OHIO (June 23, 10:35 a.m. EDT) -- With a track record of success as piping material in Europe, polypropylene is expected to be a winner in the North American sanitary sewer and drainage markets as the continent’s largest corrugated pipe maker launches a new PP product. Hilliard-based Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. announce that it will launch a triple-wall corrugated PP pipe in spring 2009.

New methods shore up window profiles
PARIS (June 23, 10 a.m. EDT) -- PVC window frames exceed user demands in many respects, especially in cost and durability, but the relatively low stiffness and rigidity has proved to be a drawback. However, window makers continue to explore alternatives, with the goals of reducing cost and opening the way to more demanding commercial applications.

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