CLEVELAND - Lamson & Sessions Co. has announced it has completed the restructuring of its $65 million secured credit facility, which will reduce annual interest expense by about $900,000. The restructured agreement provides for Eurodollar and commerical paper borrowing options, and prime-rate based options.
Lamson & Sessions is a Cleveland producer of thermoplastic conduit and pipe, enclosures, wiring devices and accessories for the construction, consumer, power, communications and waste-water markets.
The company also makes fasteners for the aerospace engine and airframe markets.
Connor Corp. buys Magnavox facility
FORT WAYNE, IND. - Connor Corp. has purchased the former Magnavox headquarters in Fort Wayne for its world headquarters.
The firm moved its corporate and management, engineering and design, and sales and customer service departments into the building at the end of August.
The move was made so that Connor's other facilities could focus on manufacturing.
Connor bought the 32,750-square-foot building because it needed more space after its April 25 purchase of Witco Corp.'s Richardson Battery Parts Division, said company spokesman Brian Barlow.
Connor operates three plastics plants: Jecto Custom Plastics of New Haven, Ind., a custom injection molder; and two Richardson facilities. One is in Indianapolis and injection molds polypropylene and rubber battery cases, and the other, a molder of PP battery cases, is in Philadelphia, Miss.
Richardson plans to expand into other products but is unable to provide details, according to Barlow.
Connor's five manufacturing plants have more than 600,000 square feet.
Its other divisions, which mold rubber, are Acro Custom Rubber in Fort Wayne and Connor Rubber Technologies, also of Fort Wayne.
Connor is a maker of plastics, hard rubber battery containers and custom rubber components. With the Richardson purchase, Connor's reported sales have topped $63 million.
The company employs about 560 and intends to hire 10 more at the corporate and managent level, and 150 in the manufacturing end.
The new headquarters is located at 1319 Production Road, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46808; tel. (219) 483-9000, fax (219) 483-0059.
Fire-ration verifiable on Kemlite panels
JOLIET, ILL. - Kemlite Co. Inc. has begun production of fiberglass-reinforced plastic panels with a permanent face-side identification that distinguishes a Class A fire-rated panel from a Class C.
This provides a way to verify the installed product against the specification and building code requirement.
Once in position, the panels look the same, so, clear, fluorescent nylon lines have been embedded in the face of the panel during manufacture.
The clear lines are invisible to the naked eye and become visible when under an ultraviolet light.
Two lines identify Kemlite's Class A panel Fire-X Glasbord, and one line identifies its Class C Glasbord-P.
Kemlite of Joliet is a subsidiary of Crane Co.
Briefly. . .
Croda Universal Inc., a producer of slip additives, has relocated its North American headquarters from Germantown, Tenn., to Houston. The move was made to better serve the firm's customer base on the Gulf Coast, according to the company. Croda Universal's new addresss is 4014 Walnut Pond Drive, Houston, Texas 77059; tel. (713) 282-0022, fax (713) 282-0024.
ICI Films of Wilmington, Del., has included Kaladex polyethylene naphthalate film in its distributor agreement with Active Industries of Willowbrook, Ill. ICI Films is a unit of ICI Americas Inc.
Molded Fiber Glass Cos. of Ashtabula, Ohio, has been licensed by Isorca Inc. of Granville, Ohio, to manufacture, sell, use and sublicense its Alba-Core structural core material for sandwich composites.
The owners of Charter Plastics Inc., Terry and Charlene Ruot, were awarded the Entrepreneurial Success Award by the Pittsburgh office of the Small Business Administration. Charter of Titusville, Pa., produces polyethylene pipe.
Printing Press Inc., a thermoformer of plastic clamshells and blisters in Union Gap, Wash., was named by Washington CEO's as one of its 25 best companies to work for in Washington.
Ropak Corp. has appointed Genei Inc. a distributor of its Materials Handling Group's collapsible plastic materials handling containers. Genei, based in Howell, Mich., also will provide cleaning and repair services. Ropak of Fullerton, Calif., is a subsidiary of Linpac Mouldings Ltd.
The following companies have received ISO 9002 certification: thermoplastics processor Spartech Corp.'s Spartech Compounding of Goddard, Kan., and Spartech Plastics of Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Miami-based Atlantis Plastics Inc.'s Tulsa, Okla., stretch film manufacturing facility; plastic extrusion company Vinylex Corp. of Knoxville, Tenn.; Wise-Hamlin Plastics, a custom injection molder located in St. Charles, Ill.; Manitowoc, Wis.-based Vinyl Plastics Inc.'s extruded profiles division; compounds, packaging products and raw materials maker Syner-gistics Industries Ltd.'s Valleyfield and St. Remi, Quebec, facilities and two Orangeville, Ontario plants; DJ Plastics Inc., a custom injection molder based in El Paso, Texas.
