Australia releasing anti-dumping review SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — An Australian Customs Service review of anti-dumping measures for woven polypropylene carpet-backing fabric will be released Aug. 2.
Anti-dumping measures were imposed on companies in the United States, Belgium, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom Jan. 28, 1999, and are due to expire Jan. 28, 2004.
The measures were imposed after an application in 1998 by Sydney-based Amoco Chemicals Pty. Ltd., the only Australian manufacturer of similar backing material.
Neither Amoco nor the Customs Service will name the U.S. companies involved.
According to an Australian Customs dumping notice, Amoco applied for the review because the price of PP has risen. The review will examine normal values and export prices of the goods.
Andrew Amer, Amoco Chemicals managing director, said product dumping had "affected the business significantly," as the carpet backing was sold cheaper in Australia than in the country of origin.
Ray Cork, customs assistant director operations, said the department is visiting the fabric exporters from Belgium and Saudi Arabia that had made submissions to the review.
Recycled PET mesh filtering roadways
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — An Australian joint venture has manufactured a drainage filtration mesh for roads using recycled PET.
Visy Plastics, a division of Melbourne-based Pratt Holdings Ltd., and Albury Wodonga-based Geofabrics Australasia Pty. Ltd., have just started manufacturing the drainage mesh after six months of development.
Visy Plastics currently recycles 200 million PET bottles a year. The PET is cleaned and purified and made into fiber, then sent to Geofabrics, which turns the plastic into drainage filtration mesh and road-stabilizing material.
Ed Kosior, Visy Plastics research & technology manager, said the mesh filters water and stops clay and earth from getting into the roadbase.
Michael Locke, Geofabrics manufacturing general manager, said the mesh is burst- and tear-resistant and can be used for reinforcement, separation and drainage engineering applications.
Kosior said Visy Plastics was building an Australian market for the mesh before looking overseas.
CPI CEO forms firm with acquisitions
OLATHE, KAN. — A new flexible packaging distributor has been created by Craig Beasley, president and chief executive officer of the former Corner Packaging Inc.
Beasley bought out his partner in Corner Packaging and acquired the Midwest division of competitor Shrink Packaging Systems Corp. Terms of the deals were not announced.
Corner Packaging of Olathe was established in 1971 as a box converter with a small amount of flexible packaging distribution. The firm diversified into more packaging materials and machinery in 1976. Beasley bought the distributor of flexible packaging and equipment and contract packager in 1992.
Shrink Packaging's Midwest facilities are in Lenexa, Kan., and St. Louis. It also distributes flexible packaging materials and equipment and includes Cryovac shrink film and Shanklin machinery in its lineup.
Bank of America Small Business Investment Co. helped finance the deals. The newly formed company, called New Century Packaging, is minority-owned.
Spin-Cast features intricate products
SOUTH BEND, IND. — Spin-Cast Plastics Inc. has taken a new perspective on the rotational molding world.
Traditionally a molder of large tanks and trash cans, the South Bend company has decided to push its more intricate molding capabilities by showcasing rotomolded parts with more difficult shapes.
"[Rotomolding] just isn't for tanks anymore," said David Eggleston, product manager.
While Spin-Cast will not discontinue its manufacturing of those large, bulky, rounded parts, it will focus more on the intense products that contain more curves and grooves, he said.
"It's where the money is at," Eggleston said.
AE Plastics acquires 2 injection presses
ELGIN, ILL. — Elgin-based AE Plastics recently added new machinery and now is out of room, signaling an expansion in the next several years.
The custom injection molder installed a 400- and a 300-ton machine as well as two computer numerically controlled routers, President Maynard Ostrowski said.
"We're full. We're jampacked right now," he added.
AE currently houses 14 presses and employs 45 at its 40,000-square-foot facility. However, when the time comes to expand, Ostrowski said he already owns the property next door, so moving will not be required.
The company also has its own tooling operation.
