Continental PET growing in Hungary GYOR, HUNGARY — An Owens-Illinois Inc. unit in Hungary is expanding with a single-stage Aoki injection blow molding machine.
Continental PET Technologies Magyarorszag Kft. of Gyor already has eight machines, including two-stage Husky injection presses and Sidel stretch blow molding equipment. The firm serves customers in Hungary, the Czech Republic and neighboring countries.
The Aoki machine was transferred from sister company PET Technologies BV in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands. The move helps the firm serve customers in Eastern Europe that currently rely on plants in England and the Netherlands, said Stephen Carter, PET Technologies' sales manager for Europe.
"The installation of this single-stage technology will help us diversify into other product areas, to offer more specialist and short-run containers to existing customers, and increase our share of the ever-growing PET market," he said.
The Gyor plant currently produces multilayer and hot-fill bottles for clients including Coca-Cola Co. and Gatorade.
Continental PET Technologies, which Owens-Illinois acquired in 1998, has other European plants in Ryttyla, Finland, and Chalgrove, England, which is its European headquarters.
The unit, which makes containers for the juice, foods and personal-care markets, recently began using standard PET bottles from Etten-Leur for the launch of French supermarket chain Leader Price's new Eau de Cologne toilet water.
SPM's Ore. plant gets gas-assist equipment
HILLSBORO, ORE. — SPM Inc. has invested about $700,000 for gas-assist equipment at its Hillsboro plant.
Cinpres Ltd. of Tamworth, England, supplied the equipment, which went into use in early February, Bernie Taylor said in a telephone interview. Taylor is Pacific Northwest business development manager for SPM.
The plant molds parts for automotive, telecommunication and medical applications and is rebuilding following the loss of business machine customers to offshore processors.
"We've had a tremendous recovery in the last year," he said.
SPM in Oregon was more diversified and less reliant on Hewlett-Packard Co. than some other Pacific Northwest molders, Taylor said. H-P and Epson America Inc. procurement changes have impacted many of the region's plastics processors in recent years.
The Oregon facility employs more than 200 and operates 31 injection molding presses of 15-1,500 tons and two structural foam presses suitable for parts up to 34 pounds.
"We can do molding and structural foam and painting under one roof," he said. SPM in Oregon received QS 9000 certification in October.
After a strategic review of plastics and metals businesses, parent firm Dynacast International Ltd. of Alcester, England, said Dec. 23 it intends to sell the SPM custom injection molding unit.
In addition to Oregon, SPM operates U.S. plants in Anaheim and Fremont, Calif.; El Paso, Texas; Houston; and Minneapolis; and other sites in Kirkland, Quebec; Las Pintas and Apodaca, Mexico; and Mountain Ash, Wales.
Foxx River Molding goes out of business
ATTLEBORO, MASS. — Injection molder Foxx River Molding Co. Inc., which listed $8 million in sales in the 1999 Plastics News ranking, is no longer in business.
According to a former employee who did not want to be named, Foxx closed in early November when a lien holder cut off its line of credit.
The company's sales had dropped from $11.5 million in PN's 1998 survey. Employment dipped from about 130 a few years ago to less than 70 by the time it closed.
The company had 20 presses with clamping forces from 75-600 tons. The presses were auctioned off Jan. 19 in Attleboro by Joseph Finn Co. Inc. of Newton, Mass. The property auction is set for Feb. 25.
Foxx had two sites in Attleboro and two machines located off-site in Mississippi.
"Everything was sold," said auctioneer Steve Finn at Joseph Finn Co. "It was well attended."
He did not disclose the amount raised at the auction.
UAE injection molder now extruding pipes
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Pipe fitting injection molder Bin Mansour Plastics Factory of Abu Dhabi is breaking into pipe production.
The company is investing 2.2 million Deutsche marks ($1.16 million) in two complete extrusion lines from Battenfeld Extrusion Technology.
One line is designed to produce polypropylene pipe, and the second to make PVC pipe, according to Battenfeld.
Bin Mansour decided to start its own pipe production following a market study it conducted in 1998.
A single-screw BEX 1-60-30B extruder with a 2.4-inch-diameter screw can achieve output rates up to 660 pounds per hour, with help from its grooved feed bush and barrier screw, according to Battenfeld.
The PVC line is equipped with a BEX 2-65-22V counterrotating twin-screw extruder capable of turning out 550 pounds per hour. The extended screw design allows for gentle plasticizing.