Simpson to lead Milacron's global unit
CINCINNATI - Milacron Inc. has gone outside the company for its new president of global plastics machinery, Robert Simpson. Milacron announced the news Nov. 17.
Simpson, 47, was the president of Siegel-Robert Automotive, an injection molder in Farmington Hills, Mich., that is a division of St. Louis-based Siegel-Robert Inc. Before that he was president of Textron Automotive Co.'s Kautex division, a major supplier of blow molded gas tanks.
Simpson replaces Karlheinz Bourdon, who has worked for Milacron since 1993, when the company bought the Klöckner Ferromatik injection press plant in Malterdingen, Germany, where he was employed.
Bourdon remains with Milacron, and now heads its global injection molding machinery business. The other global segment heads are Guido Re for blow molding and David Bertke for extrusion.
One analyst who follows Milacron said going outside for a new machinery leader makes sense.
``Sounds like they're bringing some new blood in there. They could use some, given the struggle to return to profitability,'' said Eli Lustgarten, senior vice president of Longbow Research in Independence, Ohio.
The Cincinnati-based maker of injection and blow molding machines, extruders and mold components has not turned a profit since 2000.
Deceuninck closing N.J. profile plant
MONROE, OHIO - Monroe-based Deceuninck North America LLC is closing its profile extrusion plant in Oakland, N.J., and consolidating that production into its plants in Monroe and Little Rock, Ark.
Deceuninck will continue to operate its Pompton Plains, N.J., distribution center.
About 70 will be laid off as a result of the reorganization. The move should be complete by March.
The Oakland plant became part of Deceuninck's North American portfolio after it acquired Vinyl Building Products, a subsidiary of Bogen, Germany-based Thyssen Polymer GmbH, in July 2003. Deceuninck is a global leader in PVC window and door profile extrusions.
Alcan to close New Jersey tube facility
MONTREAL - Alcan Inc. of Montreal will close its plastic and laminate tube extrusion plant in Lincoln Park, N.J., by the end of January.
The closing will affect 71 workers, Alcan officials said in a Nov. 14 news release. The plant had 2005 sales of $17 million, making tubes for the cosmetics market.
A spokesman said by telephone Nov. 15 that Alcan is consolidating its assets, primarily into central manufacturing locations where it sees customer bases developing.
The company has a facility in Washington, N.J., where it will move some of the equipment. A customer base also is developing in Reynosa, Mexico, where an Alcan plant will accept the remaining assets.
Cellect gets loan after summer floods
ST. JOHNSVILLE, N.Y. - The Small Business Administration has approved a loan of up to $1.5 million to help Cellect LLC process orders that have been on backlog as a result of summer flooding.
The St. Johnsville foam manufacturer shut down for 60 days after the Mohawk River overflowed its banks June 28, said owner Scott Smith. The flood caused an estimated $10 million in damages.
Now about 70 of the company's 100 employees are back at work, and Cellect is preparing to expand.
``We are up and running and actually doing quite well,'' Smith said in a telephone interview. ``We absolutely believe that we are on our way back to finishing our expansion and we believe that we will be fully recovered by mid-2007.''
Cellect's foams are used in applications for automotive, medical, shoes, mats, helmets and packaging.