Tubed Products phasing out facility
EASTHAMPTON, MASS. — Tubed Products Inc. plans to consolidate its plastic squeeze-tube production in two facilities as it closes a third.
Tubed Products will phase out its Freehold Township, N.J., plant, near Trenton, by summer, said President Alan Wilson. It will transfer some of Freehold's equipment to a facility it is building in Oxnard, Calif., and will transfer the rest to its Easthampton, headquarters plant, Wilson said.
The new Oxnard facility, with 80,000 square feet of space, will replace a smaller Oxnard facility. Wilson did not disclose cost of the new plant or equipment details for any of the three tube plants. The Freehold operation mainly makes monolayer, low and high density polyethylene tubes for personal-care markets. Easthampton makes monolayer and coextruded tubes and Oxnard eventually will make both types.
Tubed Products will offer the Freehold operation's 185 employees jobs in Easthampton and Oxnard, and at a sister company, Setco Inc., that blow molds containers in Cranbury, N.J.
Tubed Products and Setco of Anaheim, Calif., are owned by Baltimore-based McCormick & Co., a major spice and food specialties firm.
Court calls for new ANC-Viskase trial
CHICAGO —A huge, $102.3 million jury award against American National Can Co. has been set aside, and a court has called for a new trial on certain issues in a case brought by Viskase Corp. The award was one of the largest ever handed down for patent infringement.
U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo in Chicago ruled that the verdict in one of two willful infringement allegations was based on erroneous scientific evidence. The court upheld the second finding of willful infringement.
Since the jury granted a lump sum for both findings, the award amount will have to be redetermined. A new trial date will be set next year.
At the November trial, the jury found that two heat-shrinkable plastic film products — made by ANC using Dow Plastics' Affinity and Attane polyethylene resins — willfully infringed on Viskase's patents.
Viskase, a Chicago-based company that makes multilayer, heat-shrinkable film packaging for fresh meat and poultry, brought suit against ANC in December 1993. Viskase alleged that ANC willfully ignored six patents for improvements in two of its product lines.
APC names Lowman as interim chief
WASHINGTON — The American Plastics Council of Washington has appointed Rod Lowman, its vice president of government affairs, to head the group as it searches for a new president.
Lowman, who was appointed chief staff officer effective Oct. 1, will have all the responsibilities of former President and Chief Executive Officer Red Cavaney, who left Sept. 30 to become head of the American Petroleum Institute.
Lowman has been government affairs vice president since 1988, and has been APC's project officer for its ongoing switch to team-based, business-group focused management.
Dow sticks with HIPS hike, others rescind
AKRON, OHIO — Industry leader Dow Chemical Co. is staying the course on a 2 cent price increase for high-impact polystyrene, but several of its competitors have rescinded the move.
Dow PS product manager Bob Koaches said the increase had gone through to buyers. Dow is based in Midland, Mich.
Huntsman Corp. on Aug. 18 was first to reduce a 4 cent increase on HIPS and crystal PS to a 2 cent boost on HIPS alone.
But Huntsman of Salt Lake City, BASF Corp. of Mount Olive, N.J., and Nova Chemicals of Calgary, Alberta, confirmed last week they had removed the 2 cent attempt. BASF PS sales and marketing director David Vranesich said his company ``was responding to competitive moves within the industry'' by withdrawing the attempt.
Huntsman PS business director Bill Brengel said the increase was removed after only going through to a few buyers.
Industry sources said Chevron Corp. of Houston had taken the same step, but Chevron officials could not be reached for confirmation at press time.
