AKRON, OHIO - A number of important changes happened after Plastics News published its 1995 ranking of pipe, profile and tubing extruders June 19. The biggest news involved pipe, with deals destined to affect both PVC and high density polyethylene pipe. In PVC windows, two U.S. extruders became linked with European companies in August and September.
On the HDPE side, Hydro Conduit Corp., the big Houston concrete pipe maker that bought PE pipe extruder Quail Pipe Corp. in 1994, should rocket up the chart next year. Hydro Conduit bought Poly Pipe Industries Inc., a four-plant extruder of HDPE pipe, in a deal announced Nov. 1. A third Quail plant was scheduled to begin production late in the year.
Poly Pipe was tied for 38th in the 1995 ranking. Quail was tied for 61st.
When the dust settles, Hydro Conduit, which wasn't even in plastic pipe two years ago, expects to generate about $70 million in sales from PE pipe in 1995. Those combined numbers would have been good enough to put Hydro Conduit in the top 25 in this year's ranking.
In PVC pipe, the big news came out West with an ownership change at PW Pipe, formally known as Pacific Western Extruded Plastics Co. Mitsubishi Chemical America Inc. of White Plains, N.Y., bought PW - which, with estimated 1994 sales of $206 million, is North America's third-largest plastic pipe extruder and No. 8 in the overall chart.
Whether that affects the Plastics News' ranking next year depends on what changes, if any, Mitsubishi makes at the already-formidable PW, which had been owned by wood products company Simpson Investment Co. since 1967.
Other moves that could change next year's ranking:
Vinyl Building Products Inc. of Oakland, N.J., which ranked as North America's seventh-largest window extruder, with $31 million in sales, formed a joint venture with Thyssen Polymer of Munich, Germany, a major European profile extruder. Thyssen's expertise in dies and calibrators could help VBP improve technology, boosting sales. The deal was announced Sept. 12.
Acro Extrusion Corp. of Wilmington, Del., the No. 12 window extruder, with sales of $14.1 million, was acquired by Deceuninck Plastics Industries NV of Hooglede-Gits, Belgium. The new owners plan to expand Acro's production.
No. 4 firm Royal Plastics Group Ltd. added more than $50 million to its extrusion sales by acquiring vinyl window blind producer Novo Industries Inc. of Houston, which has 26 profile extrusion lines. Royal reported sales of $329.1 million in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 1994. But since the Novo deal was announced Oct. 16, two weeks after the close of Royal's 1995 fiscal year, it apparently will not be credited to 1995 sales, and therefore would not help Royal in the Plastics News ranking next year.
In vinyl siding, ABT Building Products Corp. bought the BPCO Inc. Vinyl Siding Division of Emco Ltd., a Canadian producer that ranked No. 40 on the overall chart, with $39.3 million in sales.
One pipe deal closed July 10, a few weeks after the ranking was published. Minneapolis-based Eagle Pacific Industries Inc. bought Pacific Plastics Inc. on July 10. Together with its core pipe holding, Eagle Plastics Inc., Eagle Pacific said it will have total annual sales of about $64 million in PVC and PE pipe and tubing.