DE KALB ILL. - Alloyd Co. Ltd. will open its fourth thermoforming plant, in Branford, Conn., in April. The 26,000-square-foot, leased facility will house eight thermoforming machines and employ as many as 30 by year's end, said Tom Kramer, director of business development.
Alloyd, which builds all its own thermoforming machines at De Kalb, custom manufactures blister packaging and other plastic packaging in De Kalb; Spartanburg, S.C.; and Fontana, Calif. Its markets include consumer electronics, automotive, cosmetics, toys - ``just about everything,'' Kramer said.
With $40 million in sales, Alloyd placed 13th in Plastics News' recent ranking of North American thermoformers. Companywide it employs 275 and operates 60 presses in pressure forming and thin-gauge thermoforming. Alloyd also manufactures and markets its own line of sealing equipment.
Wingate's Century Products unit for sale
MACEDONIA, OHIO-Wingate Partners has put its Century Products Co. child car seat and juvenile products unit up for sale.
Century of Macedonia claims to be the largest U.S. car seat producer and has been making strollers, walkers, children's furniture and similar products for more than 30 years.
Century announced the proposed sale March 1. Wingate has retained Bear Stearns & Co. of New York ``to study strategic alternatives for Century.'' Century officials declined to comment on the possible sale and would not describe details of the firm's operations.
The company in the fall of 1993 laid off about 200 workers at its Perry Township, Ohio, plant, near Painesville, Ohio, where it had more than 20 injection presses. It kept about 60 workers there while it consolidated some operations at Macedonia.
The Akron Beacon Journal reported March 2 that Century recalled 30 workers to Perry Township in February and another 60 were expected to be rehired in summer. The Akron, Ohio, newspaper estimated employment of the firm at 600.
Nimbus expanding new CD plant in Utah
PROVO, UTAH - Nimbus CD International Inc. plans to expand its recently opened compact disc manufacturing plant in Provo.
Nimbus, based in Charlottesville, Va., opened the 40,000-square-foot plant in September. The plant now is near full capacity at 15 million units per year.
Nimbus operates four molding/manufacturing lines, with another six lines planned for the second quarter of this year. Each line produces discs in 41/2-second cycles. Nimbus is experimenting with 4-second cycles.
The plant has room to expand capacity to 37.5 million units annually. At that level, the facility nearly will double the company's U.S. manufacturing capability and raise its worldwide capacity by one-third.
The Provo site was selected because of its proximity to R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.'s Global Software Services operations in Provo, with which it formed a strategic alliance a year ago. Donnelley made a minority equity investment in Nimbus.
Terms of the agreement called for the construction and operation of a new, multiline manufacturing operation by Nimbus and an exclusive manufacturing agreement with Donnelley.
Plastipak adds blow molding facility
PLYMOUTH, MICH. - Plastipak Packaging Inc. of Plymouth expanded its blow molding operations by opening a 108,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta.
The company invested $1.8 million in the plant, according to information released by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. The plant is the company's ninth facility. Company officials could not be reached for comment.
Plastipak blow molds containers and beverage bottles, and had sales of $302 million for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31. The company ranked fifth in the Plastics News 1994 blow molders survey.
Rotonics nixes Mexican joint venture
GARDENA, CALIF. - Rotonics Manufacturing Inc. has dropped plans to form a joint venture with a Mexico City rotational molder, blaming the economic and political turmoil in Mexico.
Rotonics, one of the largest U.S. rotomolders, had agreed to form the venture a year ago with Plastinak SA de CV. Gardena-based Rotonics announced March 9 that it might reconsider the plan if conditions in Mexico stabilize.