Rowa Group launches N.J. chemical plant
DELRAN, N.J. - Rowa Group USA LLC has opened a chemical production plant in Delran to produce peroxide and chemical foaming-agent concentrates.
Previously, Rowa had imported the chemicals from its parent, Tramaco GmbH of Pinneberg, Germany.
The concentrates are used in manufacturing polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene and PVC, sales and marketing manager Eric Albee said in a telephone interview. Most of the foaming agents are sent to processors, and the peroxide concentrate distribution is split evenly between producers and compounders. Producers use it to modify the viscosity of PP.
Rowa spent $2.5 million to renovate a 60,000-square-foot facility that currently houses a manufacturing plant, corporate offices and a lab. Rowa also has options on adjacent property should it need to expand, Albee said.
The company received incentives and grants from the county and state, including a no-interest loan from Burlington County for equipment and remodeling, and grants from the New Jersey Board of Commerce and the New Jersey Department of Labor.
Degussa AG building China chemical site
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY - Degussa AG plans to construct a facility in China to manufacture methyl methacrylate as well as various methacrylate specialty materials.
The company said the facility could begin operating in 2008 or 2009.
Degussa currently operates 17 subsidiaries in China, with production sites in Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanning, Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Degussa (China) Co. Ltd. in Beijing, the firm's umbrella organization for all activities in the country, was founded in 2002, 14 years after the Dusseldorf-based parent company started specialty chemicals production in China.
Degussa Specialty Polymers Division, a business unit of chemicals firm Degussa AG, makes acrylic resins and other specialty plastics. The unit posted 2004 sales of 1.4 billion euros ($1.8 billion).
Degussa AG did not disclose any details of the project.
``A final decision on capacity, investment volume and location of the new plant has not yet been made,'' said spokeswoman Alexandra Boy.
Industrial Ultrasonics opens Illinois facility
KANKAKEE, ILL. - Industrial Ultrasonics Inc., a manufacturer of ultrasonic welding horns that can be used to assemble plastic parts, has opened for business in Kankakee.
Owner Keith Anderson invested $350,000 in the operation, which includes computer numerically controlled machining equipment, computer-aided-design and modeling software, and tooling.
Toolmaker Scott DeYoung is the only other employee, but Anderson said he intends to hire another toolmaker and an office manager by the year's end. The operation opened May 1.
Ultrasonic welding is usually used on amorphous and crystalline resins such as ABS, polypropylene and polycarbonate, Anderson said in a July 8 telephone interview.
``The advantage of ultrasonic welding is there are no consumables like screws or nails, and it is quick,'' Anderson said. Ultrasonic welding is usually finished in a matter of seconds and requires no cure.
Selenis mulls supplier to link Italy, Portugal
Portalegre, Portugal - Portuguese PET resin producer Selenis SGPS SA is considering integrating its operations in Italy and Portugal with Spanish supplier La Seda de Barcelona SA.
If talks between the two companies prove successful, the enlarged group, with PET capacity of around 1.05 billion pounds per year, would be Europe's second-ranked player, according to Selenis Chief Executive Officer Rui Toscana.
Portalegre-based Selenis, which a year ago acquired Italian PET resin producer Aussapol SpA, also operates a Portalegre facility with capacity of 540 million pounds per year.
Aussapol, formerly part of Bergamo, Italy-based Radici Group and now known as Selenis Italia, is based in Pordenone, Italy, and runs two polymer plants in San Giorgio di Nogaro.
By the end of 2006, Selenis plans to increase PET capacity at Selenis Italia from 353 million pounds per year to 440 million per year. It is also optimizing its Portuguese capacity to reach 208 million pounds by 2006, according to Toscano.
La Seda is involved in a four-year upgrade to raise PET capacity at its Catalana de Pol¡mers SA to 397 million pounds by 2007.
Selenis, as principal shareholder, already owns around one-third of La Seda de Barcelona with the remainder of shares in the hands of La Seda's management, according to Toscano.
Selenis, formerly Hoechst AG's Portuguese Trevira business, also produces polyester fibers. The companies are studying potential benefits of a merger.
Selenis, in turn owned by the Iberian company Imatosgil Group, plans further expansion through new acquisitions as well as organic growth, in line with a goal of leading and consolidating Europe's PET business.
``There are 150 PET producers in the world. I am sure we will find some space to continue the consolidation process. If this is good for other players and good for us, it will happen,'' Toscano said in a telephone interview.
