Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
March 04, 2002 01:00 AM

Newsclips

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    ESS mulls fate of plastics division

    ST. LOUIS - Engineered Support Systems Inc. is contemplating the long-term fate of its plastics division.

    The St. Louis-based firm hopes to make a decision within six months, said Dan Kreher, director of investor relations and acquisitions. He said ESS is exploring various alternatives but he would not discuss them in detail.

    ESS' plastics division lost about $600,000 in the company's first quarter, ended Jan. 31. Sales plummeted 43 percent to $2.8 million from the year-earlier period. Kreher said weak demand in the telecommunications sector caused most of the sales decline. Other markets supplied by the plastics unit include housewares, food processing, lawn and garden and automotive.

    ESS runs custom injection molding plants in Hot Springs, Ark., where it has its headquarters, and in Bossier City, La., a facility it bought in July 1999.

    Kreher said the plastics division is not very integrated with ESS' other military-related businesses.

    Milacron licenses technology to Sipa

    CINCINNATI - Another skirmish is over in Milacron Inc.'s patent war over personal-computer-based machine controllers, as Milacron announced it will license the technology to Sipa SpA, an Italian supplier of blow molding machines and injection presses for making PET bottles.

    The deal, announced Feb. 27, covers Sipa, Sipa North America Inc. and its parent company, Zoppas Industries SpA, based in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Cincinnati-based Milacron said it will grant Sipa a paid-up, nonexclusive license to use the PC-based control technology. Milacron in turn will drop its lawsuit against Sipa in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, and also dismiss claims pending before the International Trade Commission.

    Milacron had filed complaints in mid-2001 with ITC against Sipa, German injection press builder Dr. Boy GmbH, Italian injection press maker Sandretto USA Inc. and Groupe Sidel, a French maker of blow molding and packaging machinery. Sidel and Milacron have not reached a settlement.

    Honda to make watercraft in S. Carolina

    TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. - Vehicle maker Honda Motor Co. Inc. is bringing its new personal-watercraft production to the United States with an $11 million investment in Timmonsville.

    Fiberglass suppliers in the United States already launched production for the first Honda personal watercraft last year, shipping composite decks, hulls and liners to Japan for assembly. The new plant in South Carolina will take over production later this year, making up to 100 of the AquaTrax PWCs daily, depending on consumer demand.

    The plant joins the Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing Inc. operation already running at Timmonsville, with 1,500 employees making all-terrain vehicles.

    The ATV operation has its own in-house injection molding and blow molding, said Bill Kalp, senior vice president for Honda of South Carolina, in a Feb. 28 telephone interview.

    Alcoa purchases Engineered Plastic

    FRANKLIN, TENN. - Automotive supplier Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. has bought the remaining 50 percent interest in precision injection molder Engineered Plastic Components Inc., a company that Alcoa Fujikura helped start.

    Alcoa Fujikura's automotive division, a maker of electrical and electronic systems, had owned half of EPC, based in Mattawan, Mich. EPC's owners, including the Molitor family, had been seeking an exit strategy before retirement, according to sources close to the companies.

    The EPC plants include a 206,000-square-foot site on 46 acres in Mattawan and another 30,000-square-foot injection molding facility in Dundalk, Ireland. Together, those facilities have more 160 injection presses, according to company information.

    EPC, also a molder of automotive parts for electrical and electronic systems, will become the centerpiece of Alcoa Fujikura's auto components business, based in Franklin, Tenn., an Alcoa Fujikura spokeswoman said.

    EPC will be folded into the firm's automotive unit, said Robert Alexander, president of Alcoa Fujikura Worldwide Automotive, in a written statement. EPC has more than 800 employees

    Alcoa Fujikura is a joint venture between Pittsburgh-based aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. and Tokyo-based wire and cable maker Fujikura Ltd. Officials with both EPC and Alcoa Fujikura declined to comment beyond a written news release.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Georgia home to new PET chemical recycling plant
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Tornadoes, severe weather impact Texas resin plants
    2
    Eastman posts lower profit, plans job cuts
    3
    Plastics firms work to eliminate PFAS use as pressure mounts
    4
    OSHA: Worker died at plastics firm after duct tape covered safety guards
    5
    Georgia home to new PET chemical recycling plant
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified