Oregon won't tally 1999 recycling rate
PORTLAND, ORE. — The state of Oregon will not calculate a plastic rigid container recycling rate for 1999, because state officials believe the rate has not dropped below 25 percent.
The bottle-deposit state has not seen any major changes in its recycling programs, such as cities dropping plastics recycling, or new containers that substantially weakens recycling, like noncompatible milk jugs, said Bill Bree, a policy analyst with the state Department of Environmental Quality.
According to DEQ's most recent survey, in 1996, 33.2 percent of plastic containers were recycled.
The Portland-based DEQ used to calculate the recycling rate every year, but the Legislature in 1997 gave it flexibility to determine the rate as needed.
If the recycling rate for all rigid plastic containers falls below 25 percent, manufacturers have to prove one of the following: They are using 25 percent recycled content; their resin or their particular type of container has a recycling rate of 25 percent; they meet Oregon source reduction requirements; or their package is reusable.
Most plastic recycling rates nationally have been falling for several years. But Judy Henderson, DEQ recycling survey coordinator, said it is unlikely Oregon's has fallen below 25 percent.
``We don't really know,'' she said. ``We are going to assume for this year they are in compliance.''
DT calls off talks with Irwin Research
SPRINGFIELD, MO. — DT Industries Inc. announced Jan. 8 it has suspended negotiations to buy thermoforming machinery maker Irwin Research & Development Inc. — but talks could resume in the future.
Publicly traded DT of Springfield already owns one thermoforming equipment maker, Sencorp Systems Inc. of Hyannis, Mass. Irwin Research is based in Yakima, Wash.
DT had announced Oct. 15 that it was negotiating to buy Irwin Research. But in this latest announcement, Stephen Gore, DT president and chief executive officer, said: ``We have certain issues we have not been able to resolve. We are not, however, ruling out the possibility of reconsidering this transaction at a later date.''
Gore said Irwin and Sencorp ``will continue working together on cross-selling opportunities where it is mutually beneficial.'' That means each company will refer customers it cannot serve to the other company, said DT spokesman Karl Plath.
Jerry Irwin, president of Irwin Research, confirmed that relationship, which he said was in place before the acquisition talks began.
Sencorp officials could not be reached for comment.
DT bought Sencorp in 1993. Sencorp, along with another thermoforming company, Armac, operates under DT's Packaging Group.
Graham dumps plan to buy Sterling line
EDISON, N.J. — Blow molding machinery maker Graham Engineering Corp. had been negotiating to buy the Sterling blow molding line from Davis-Standard Corp. — but those talks now are over, according to sources.
Graham Engineering, based in York, Pa., and Sterling in Edison both make blow molding machines used to manufacture packaging and industrial parts. Rumors surfaced in October at K'98 in Germany that Graham wanted to buy Sterling. Sources confirmed both companies were talking, but the talks have concluded without a deal.
Interviewed in December, Robert Ackley, president of Davis-Standard in Pawcatuck, Conn., said Sterling is not currently for sale. He declined further comment.
Donald C. Graham, owner and founder of Graham Engineering, declined to comment. A Sterling official also had no comment.
Davis-Standard is a unit of publicly traded Crompton & Knowles Corp. of Stamford, Conn.
Modern Plastics cancels injection show
NEW YORK — Modern Plastics magazine has dropped plans for the injection molding show that was to run concurrently with its mold and tooling exposition in Chicago in October.
"The show is not going to take place ar that time at that place," Thomas Nuebling, vice president and publisher, said in a Jan. 6 telepphone interview. "After listening carefully to the industry, we thought it might be better if we didn't do it."
Two other collocated, separately managed events will occur. Modern Plastics' Modern Mold & Tooling Exposition & Conference and Modern Machine Shop's Electrical Discharge Machining show are scheduled Oct. 5-7 at Chicago's McCormick Place.
McGraw-Hill Cos. Inc. of New York publishes Modern Plastics, and Gardner Publications Inc. of Newtown, Ohio, publishes Modern Machine Shop.
