DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY (Nov. 16, 1:20 p.m. EST) — Auxiliary equipment maker Maguire Products Inc. unveiled several new offerings for European and Asian markets at K 2007 that it said take advantage of its closer relationship with dryer maker and materials-handling-equipment maker Novatec Inc.
The two U.S. companies last year set up what they called a worldwide cooperative arrangement, but at the K show, officials said Maguire owner Stephen Maguire has become a major shareholder in Novatec, a move that allows Aston, Pa.-based Maguire to expand its lineup.
The two companies will not be merged, and will maintain separate distribution networks in the United States.
Maguire acquired his stake in Novatec in May 2006, but the companies did not announce the news before K 2007.
Because Baltimore-based Novatec did not have large networks in Europe or Asia, Novatec products are being branded and distributed under the Maguire name in those places, said Pat Smith, Maguire's vice president of marketing and sales.
Maguire Europe General Manager Paul Edmondson outlined several new offerings for the European market:
c Its GlassVu vacuum loading system, which provides a full view of resin loading and consumption. It has a more precise discharge of material, he said. The equipment is built by Novatec.
c Its NovaWheel rotating wheel dryer, which continuously puts dry desiccant into service while regenerating saturated desiccant in the same rotational cycle. The NovaWheel system is energy efficient and simple to operate, according to Edmondson.
c A Novatec-built compressed air membrane resin dryer, the Maguire NovaDrier. Maguire said it is the world's only dryer to use that technology, and has been used in thousands of commercial installations in the Americas but is just being rolled out to the European market. The system reduces maintenance, cuts energy and has improved productivity with better material drying, Edmondson said.
The addition of Novatec's materials-handling systems and dryers broadens Maguire's offerings, but Maguire customers in its existing distribution channels still can purchase non-Maguire or non-Novatec equipment, he said.
“The acquisition of Novatec allows us to satisfy a wider range,” he said. “We can offer the full range of products now.”
