Rubbermaid adds metal firm

Back in 2005, when Newell Rubbermaid Inc. told us that it was "strategically exiting" resin-intensive categories and "looking very aggressively" at alternatives to plastics, it seemed too radical to believe. But there's new proof that it's pursuing the strategy today, with the news that Rubbermaid Commercial Products has purchased United Metal Receptacle Corp., a manufacturer of metal trash cans. Today's story, from the Winchester Star in Virginia, says Rubbermaid made the deal in June. United Metal is based in Pottsville, Pa., and employs 150. It eventually will change its name to Rubbermaid. Joe DeZarn, director of marketing communications, said United Metal's products complement Rubbermaid waste containers. "It's really a nice fit for us because the products we manufacture and the products they manufacture are sold to the same customer," said Joe DeZarn, director of marketing communications at Rubbermaid Commercial Products. Covering Rubbermaid's manufacturing strategy has been a bit difficult over the past decade, as the company sometimes has announced plans to expand a plant, then turned around and closed it instead. But perhaps the tumult is over now, and Rubbermaid has settled on a consistent path.