A. SCHULMAN INC. — The compounder in Fairlawn, Ohio, named Bernard Rzepka general manager for Europe, succeeding Jack Taylor, who was named general manager for Asia, effective Sept. 1.
BNL (UK) LTD. — The thermoplastic bearing assembly manufacturer in Knaresborough, England, named John Nichols managing director, succeeding Neil Partlett, who was named chairman. Partlett is now also divisional director of BNL's parent firm, Plastics Capital plc.
BOREALIS COMPOUNDS LLC — Johan Van Grootel, former president of the polyolefins producer in Port Murray, N.J., was named to direct a management change at Agrolinz Melamine Linz. Grootel also will manage the integration of all Borealis/AMI units in Linz, Austria. AMI is a subsidiary of Borealis and a leading producer of melamine. Kenneth Wiecoreck, Rockport manufacturing manager, also will assume the position of acting president.
CONAIR GROUP INC. — The equipment maker in Cranberry Township, Pa., a Pittsburgh suburb, named Doug Brewster national sales manager.
DEMAG PLASTICS GROUP — The injection molding machine maker in Schwaig, Germany, named Tetsuya Okamura chief executive officer and Markus Schiefer chief financial officer. Schiefer succeeds Uwe Rohfleisch, effective Aug. 1. Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., which now owns Demag Plastics Group, plans to integrate both companies in Europe by the end of this year.
EASTMAN CHEM- ICAL CO. — The resin supplier in Kingsport, Tenn., named Curtis Espeland to succeed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Richard Lorraine, effective Sept. 1. Lorraine will remain with the company handling special projects until the end of the year, when he will retire. Mark Costa will succeed Gregory O. Nelson, who also is retiring, as executive vice president and head of the polymers group. The company also named Ronald Lindsay senior vice president of corporate strategy and regional leadership; Norris Sneed senior vice president and chief accounting officer; Gregory W. Nelson senior vice president and chief technology officer; and Scott King chief accounting officer, succeeding Espeland.
ERIEZ MAGNETICS — Andy Lewis was named international vice president for the maker of magnetic auxiliary equipment in Erie, Pa., and chairman of affiliate Eriez-Europe in Bedwas, Wales. Paul Fears was named managing director of Eriez-Europe. The companies are part of Eriez Manufacturing Co., also based in Erie.
FORMTECH ENTERPRISES INC. — The custom extruder in Stow, Ohio, named Paul Brestelli chief executive officer and president, succeeding David Turk.
MILACRON INC. — The primary equipment maker based in Cincinnati named 2008 award recipients: the James A.D. Geier Leadership Award to N.K. Balgi of Ferromatik Milacron India and the Neil A. Armstrong Award to Ed Hunerberg of Uniloy Milacron's structural foam machinery business.
NATUREWORKS LLC — The biopolymer producer in Minnetonka, Minn., named Marc Verbruggen chief executive officer and president, succeeding Dennis McGrew, who will remain with the company in an advisory capacity.
POLYONE CORP. — The compounder in Avon Lake, Ohio, named Masato Sakuma business development manager for its new Tokyo company, PolyOne Japan Kabushiki Kaisha, also called PolyOne Japan Ltd.
PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES LLC — The manufacturer of extrusion equipment in Aurora, Ill., named Jim Johnson senior vice president of sales.
SARTOMER CO. INC. — The specialty chemicals manufacturer in Exton, Pa., named Marcel de Wolf chief executive officer, succeeding Luigi Colantuoni, who has a new assignment with parent firm Total SA in Paris.
SCHÖTTLI AG — The thermoplastics injection mold manufacturer headquartered in Diessenhofen, Switzerland, named Johannes Strassner managing director in charge of marketing and sales.
SOUTHERN VINYL MANUFACTURING LLC — The PVC fence and rail fabricator in Raleigh, N.C., named Jonathan Speaks president of sales and marketing.
TORAY PLASTICS (AMERICA) INC. — The film extruder in North Kingstown, R.I., named Kojiro Maeda chairman. He also will assume chief executive officer responsibilities.
VECOPLAN LLC — The shredding and recycling equipment maker in High Point, N.C., named Gary Kolbet vice president of engineering, Dale Walker manager of sales engineering, Thomas Baker a project designer and Brad Goins project engineer.
VINYL INSTITUTE — The Arlington, Va.-based trade group named Allen Blakey vice president of industry and government affairs, Judith Nordgren vice president of marketing and communications, and Jeff Palmer marketing and communications director.
Briefly …
The AUTOMATION FEDERATION, a trade group for associations engaged in manufacturing and process automation, named Paul Goodson managing director ... RADIUS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT INC., a product development firm in Clinton, Mass., named John Van Akkeren president, succeeding founder Steven Callahan, who is now vice president and chief marketing officer at Nypro Inc. … SUN CHEMICAL CORP., a producer of printing inks and pigments in Parsippany, N.J., named Michael Willis technical manager, cosmetics and plastics, for its subsidiary Sun Chemical Performance Pigments in Cincinnati.