Rubbermaid adding 200 Tenn. jobs
MARYVILLE, TENN. - Newell Rubbermaid Inc. is expanding its Maryville plant and boosting employment at the 400-person facility by 50 percent.
The firm's Wooster, Ohio-based Rubbermaid Home Products division will invest $38 million for upgrades and to add production machinery. Spokeswoman Keri Butler said the operation mainly does injection molding but she did not provide details of what machinery will be added.
Newell Co. acquired the Maryville operation in 1997 when it was part of Rubbermaid Inc.'s Office Products business. Newell and Rubbermaid merged later, in 1999.
Now the Maryville operation is being merged into the Rubbermaid Home Products division. Butler would not speculate on possible changes to the product mix made at the 620,000-square-foot site.
Trend's Payton offers to buy assets
CHINO, CALIF. - Bankrupt electronic enclosure maker Trend Technologies Inc. aims to complete an asset sale this month. While a purchaser is in place, other bidders may emerge.
``Trend's goal is to get the court to approve the sale on Dec. 20,'' Brad Godshall, a Los Angeles lawyer representing the company, said by telephone.
Trend voluntarily filed Nov. 7 in Wilmington, Del., for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. A group led by Trend Chief Operating Officer Earl Payton has agreed to buy most of the operating assets for about $70 million.
The court will evaluate the timetable at a Dec. 13 hearing and expects to monitor a Dec. 19 auction of assets.
Trend retained investment bank Chanin Capital Partners to sell the company and, in the process, seek additional bids. Some plastics industry players have shown interest, according to Tom Thompson, vice president in Chanin's Los Angeles office. Competitive bids could cause the court to delay the proposed schedule.
Chino-based Trend had 2001 sales of $523.9 million.
Merki to replace Klug at Netstal
NÄFELS, SWITZERLAND - Injection press maker Netstal-Maschinen AG will experience a changing of the guard Jan. 1, when Bernard Merki becomes president and chief executive officer, replacing Dieter Klug, who will retire after 10 years at the Näfels company. Klug will be vice president of the company's board until September 2004.
Merki has served as Netstal's managing director of marketing and sales.
Netstal also named Jakob Albrecht director of finance.
This summer, a new president took over at the press supplier's U.S. operation, Netstal Machinery Inc. in Devens, Mass. Rick Shaffer, vice president and general manager of Demag Ergotech USA, became president and general manager, replacing the retiring Werner Christinger.
Eger growing, reports strong sales
AMELIA, OHIO - Coming off a strong sales year, molder Eger Products Inc. is completing an expansion of one of its two manufacturing plants to enhance production.
The Amelia-based company is adding 15,000 square feet to its plant in Batavia, Ohio, a project scheduled to be completed by mid-December, said national sales manager Greg Smith. The facility, currently at 45,000 square feet, is used for thermoforming and rotational molding.
``Business has been good, but to increase sales more, we needed to maximize efficiency,'' Smith said in a Dec. 4 telephone interview. ``The only way to do that is to increase space.''
The firm needs the extra space to accommodate new equipment added to the 7-year-old facility in May. Eger added a five-axis, computer numerically controlled trimmer with twin tables. The expansion will give the company about 102,000 square feet of space at its two facilities, both located near Cincinnati, Smith said. The Amelia plant performs dip molding.
The family-owned business, launched in 1969, custom molds products for the transportation, agricultural and janitorial markets and specializes in plastic mailboxes. Eger recorded about $8.5 million in sales last year, Smith said.