Alside Inc. parent plans public offering
DALLAS — Associated Materials Inc. of Dallas, the parent of vinyl window and siding extruder Alside Inc. of Akron, Ohio, is planning a public offering of more than 2.8 million shares at $18 per share.
The company plans to use some of the proceeds to build a new vinyl siding plant, according to a prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Alside accounts for about 90 percent of Associated Materials' sales, according to the prospectus. Alside reported 1996 sales of $314 million, of which about $300 million came from vinyl-related products such as siding, windows, fencing and garage doors.
Alside extrudes window lineals, fence profiles and garage door panels in West Salem, Ohio, and assembles the finished product at fabrication plants in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Kinston, N.C.; and Akron. The company operates a siding plant in Ennis, Texas.
Conair Franklin's Downie heads Arburg
NEWINGTON, CONN. — John Downie, former president of auxiliary equipment firm Conair Franklin, has become the new leader of injection press supplier Arburg Inc.
Arburg of Newington is the North America sales and service unit of Arburg GmbH + Co. of Lossburg, Germany. The company makes smaller injection molding machines, with 17-220 tons of clamping force.
Downie replaces Andrew Lord as Arburg Inc.'s executive vice president and general manager. Downie took over the Arburg position earlier this month.
Lord, who has a background in the machine tool industry and joined Arburg in 1996, has left the company. He could not be reached for comment.
Downie said his plans for Arburg include improved customer service, technical support and availability of spare parts.
Downie worked at Conair Franklin for six years, most recently as president. In April, he became a consultant to Conair Franklin's parent, Conair Group of Emsworth, Pa.
Ohio molder opens $1.9 million facility
WINCHESTER, OHIO — Maca Plastics Inc. expanded its injection molding space and capacity with the Jan. 13 inauguration of a new facility in Winchester.
Maca spent $1.9 million on the 12,600-square-foot building and new equipment, including four Van Dorn Demag presses, said Jennifer Giles, Maca account specialist. It now has 11 presses with clamping forces of 35-170 tons in the new plant.
Maca specializes in molding electronic switch parts and assembling them for automotive and other industries. Giles cited auto windows, defrosters and illumination systems as typical automotive uses for such switches.
Giles said Maca continues to use another adjacent facility about the same size as the new one for assembly. A sister company, AeroFrame Corp., took over Maca's original, smaller building in Winchester to machine aerospace components.
Maca President Andrew Culbertson and Vice President Norman Allen established the company in 1995.
Aim Plastics moves, doubles plant size
SALT LAKE CITY — Aim Plastics Inc., an extruder and thermoformer, doubled its operating space with a fourth-quarter 1997 intracity move to a 44,000-square-foot building.
The Salt Lake City food packaging company and manufacturer of plastic cups and scoops acquired the 15-year-old structure and reportedly will spend $300,000 on capital improvements, according to the Enterprise-Salt Lake City newspaper.
Aim officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Spectra acquires Conn. pigment supplier
LEOMINSTER, MASS. — Spectra Polymer Co. announced it acquired Datacolor Corp. effective Jan. 1.
Spectra of Leominster provides colorant and additive concentrate compounds and specializes in highly loaded concentrates for engineering resins. Datacolor mainly supplies imported pigments. Founded in 1995, Datacolor's offices are in Southbury, Conn. The company uses public warehousing in South Brunswick, N.J.
Datacolor's offices will move to Leominster. Warehousing will continue in New Jersey. Datacolor will operate as a Spectra division and Spectra expects to expand sales of Datacolor's competitively priced pigments.
Spectra, established in 1962, also noted it is seeking a patent for a new universal concentrate system.
