MARIETTA, OHIO - Expansions at the Amoco Corp. plant in Marietta have reduced lead times drastically for Udel polysulfone products. ``The expansions got on line ahead of schedule,'' said spokes-man Matt Bucklad.
The three-phase operation began last year, with the first one being completed in April and the last to be finished in July.
The goal of the first and most substantial of the phases was to increase Udel capacity by one-third, to 30 million pounds per year. According to Bucklad, the sulfone polymer capacity has been increased more than 30 million pounds per year.
``It exceeded our expectations,'' Bucklad said.
He declined to comment on how much was invested in the expansion but said it is in ``the tens of millions.''
Extruders, distillation systems and reaction vessels were some of the machines purchased.
Because of the increased ca-pacity, the lead times for Udel polysulfone products have been reduced from eight to two weeks. Udel has been processed at the Marietta plant since it opened in 1965.
Udel applications include the medical, electrical and automotive industries.
Mobil expanding in OPP film, PE resin
NEW ORLEANS - Mobil Corp. plans to keep and expand its global oriented polypropylene film business and has no plan to sell its polyethylene resins business, according to spokesman Michael Kimmitt.
Dow Jones reported March 25 that Lucio Noto, Mobil chairman and chief executive, said Mobil will sell the rest of its plastics business in 1996.
Kimmitt said the report ``is easy to be misunderstood'' and that Noto was referring to completion of the sale of its Tucker Housewares business to Zeta Consumer Products Corp. of Little Falls, N.J. Mobil expects to complete the sale this month.
Mobil said in its 1995 annual report that OPP film and PE resins are strategic businesses. The Fairfax, Va., firm noted that it will add 145 million pounds of annual OPP capacity worldwide to boost its total to 575 million pounds per year by the end of 1998. It also said it will focus its development of metallocene PE resins on innovative markets to boost profit margins.
Noto told the Howard Weil Energy Conference in New Orleans that his company expects to save $1.3 billion a year from restructuring, reorganization and improving refining operations.