Mexichem appeals Colombia's ruling
MEXICO CITY - PVC and specialty chemicals maker Mexichem SAB de CV of Mexico City said it will appeal regulators' denial of its proposal to take over Colombian plastic pipe company Pavco SA of Bogota, Colombia.
``The [proposed] operation does not present any risk to the national market [of Colombia] and does not restrict competition,'' Mexichem said in a statement posted July 26 on the Mexican Stock Exchange's Web site.
Colombia's Industry and Commerce Superintendency earlier in the day had informed Mexichem that the deal would adversely affect competition in the sector and therefore would not be allowed.
Pavco is a subsidiary of PVC pipe manufacturer Grupo Amanco of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which Mexichem acquired in the first quarter of this year when it also took a controlling stake in PVC resin maker Petroquímica Colombiana SA of Cartagena, Colombia.
Incentives to help Alpla invest in plant
IOWA CITY, IOWA - Plastic bottler Alpla of Iowa Inc. plans to boost its capacity more than 50 percent with an 82,200-square-foot addition to one its buildings in the coming year.
The Iowa City Economic Development Committee recently approved a four-year tax increment financing plan for the expansion valued at $5 million, according to Wendy Ford, Iowa City Economic Development Coordinator.
She said the incentive package still has to be approved through a vote of the Iowa City city council later this month. Three of the seven city councilors were on the committee that forwarded the agreement.
Part of the agreement is that Alpla will maintain its 180 member workforce and will add 25 new jobs in the future. Alpla officials declined to comment.
Alpla currently occupies two buildings totaling 142,000 square feet that are on neighboring lots.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported the bottler has added bottle caps in its offerings since it moved to Iowa City.
Steinwall adds press at Minnesota plant
COON RAPIDS, MINN. - Custom injection molder Steinwall Inc. has added a 610-ton Toshiba hydraulic injection molding machine with a 77-ounce shot size.
The press - Steinwall's largest - lets the Coon Rapids firm shift work and allow for scheduling slack. Steinwall was recording 85 percent utilization of two 500-ton presses and one 400-ton machine.
The new machine, added in late July, has a DBG dynamic barrier screw and a Moldlyzer part quality control system. It gives the company 27 presses, with clamping forces of 28-610 tons, including three electrics.
Owner and President Maureen Steinwall projects company sales will reach $13.5 million for the fiscal year ending Oct. 31. Sales totaled $11.3 million for the previous year. The firm employs 110 at an 88,000-square-foot site.
Fiberglass molder boosts capacity
BELDING, MICH. - Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures recently boosted its capacity by adding two 400-ton Greenerd hydraulic compression molding presses.
The company makes fiberglass composite products for outdoor electrical systems. Stahlin began using the two machines in June.
The presses give the company more flexibility because of their tonnage and bed size, and are able to run 90 percent of Stahlin's tools. The machines have die lifts for faster setups.
Stahlin employs more than 100 at its 100,000-square-foot Belding facility. It is a division of Robroy Industries Inc. of Verona, Pa.
In April, Stahlin completed a new laboratory and expanded its sheet molding compound production capacity.
Stahlin also recently claimed its fourth-straight award as one of West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, as determined by Michigan's Business and Professional Association.
Makuta installs HEPA portable clean rooms
SHELBYVILLE, IND. - Makuta Technics Inc. has added a second portable clean room equipped with HEPA filtration to mold small double-shot parts that will be shipped to China for assembly.
Makuta uses a 30-ton all-electric Sumitomo multimaterial injection molding machine and a Yushin RA-30 robot with custom programming to produce parts for a major health-care industry supplier. The firm's first portable clean room has a 30-ton hydraulic Sumitomo press currently making the same component, a needleless actuator valve.
Both Class 10,000 clean rooms are from Tech Rite Sales and Manufacturing Inc. of San Ramon, Calif. Makuta anticipates adding more portable clean rooms using the HEPA filters.
From December through March, Makuta moved operations about 28 miles to a 20,000-square-foot Shelbyville facility on 4 acres, vacating 11,000 square feet of space in Columbus, Ind.
Makuta has 20 Sumitomo presses from 2-30 tons, 15 employees and annual production of more than 30 million small parts. It is affiliated with Takahama City, Japan-based Sansyu Group.