DuPont-Teijin JV shutting PET film line
CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO — DuPont-Teijin Films U.S. LP will close its polyester film line in Circleville on Jan. 31.
Officials with DuPont-Teijin — a 50-50 global joint venture between DuPont Co. of Wilmington, Del., and Teijin Ltd. of Tokyo — cited lower product demand caused by ``a steep decline in U.S. industrial production, intensified by inventory reductions across most supply chains'' as reasons for the closing.
``We are taking the steps necessary to ensure the continued health and competitiveness of our business,'' DuPont-Teijin President Jean-Philippe Azoulay said in a Dec. 17 news release.
No jobs will be lost as a result of the move, spokesman George McVay said. The 60 full-time jobs associated with the line will be reassigned to other DuPont business units in Circleville. The firm makes a number of products there, including Teflon-brand fluoropolymer.
Film customers that had been supplied from Circleville now will receive products from plants in Hopewell, Va. — where the venture is headquartered — and Florence, S.C., McVay added. The Circleville line had provided film used primarily in packaging and industrial markets.
N.J. town mandates in-store recycling
RED BANK, N.J. — Starting June 1, stores and restaurants in Red Bank will be required to provide in-store recycling containers for plastic bags. The unanimous vote Dec. 22 came after a long debate that started 10 months ago with a proposal to ban the bags.
The council opted for in-store recycling after several members voiced concern that the language of the proposed ban would result in more plastic bags ending up in landfills at a point where the recycling of plastic film is increasing.
Lubrizol acquiring Dow's TPU business
WICKLIFFE, OHIO — Lubrizol Corp. has confirmed that it has signed a definitive agreement with Dow Chemical Co. to purchase Dow's thermoplastic polyurethane business. The acquisition, structured as a sale and purchase of assets, will expand Lubrizol's Estane engineered polymers business, according to a Dec. 18 statement from Lubrizol.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Lubrizol said the firms will complete the deal after customary closing conditions are satisfied.
Lubrizol, of Wickliffe, also recently acquired the assets of the TPU business of Seoul, South Korea-based SK Chemicals.
Lubrizol this year doubled TPU capacity at its plant in Shanghai, China. It also makes TPUs at two U.S. sites — Avon Lake, Ohio, and Wilmington, Mass. — as well as at Oevel, Belgium, and Seremban, Malaysia.
Dow's Pellethane TPU unit, along with some other specialty plastics products, was made part of a Dow portfolio optimization group in February 2007. The purpose was to determine whether to realign the businesses into another Dow operation or joint venture, put them into a new joint venture or sell them, Dow said at the time.
More recently, in a Dec. 8 announcement, Dow reacted to the current global economic downturn by saying it will eliminate 5,000 full-time jobs and 6,000 contractor positions, permanently close 20 plants, sell off several nonstrategic businesses and temporarily idle 180 additional plants.
IDES goes green with computer servers
LARAMIE, WYO. — IDES Inc. is turning to natural cooling and wind power to make its computer operations more environmentally friendly.
The Laramie-based plastics materials information management company recently opened a new naturally cooled computer server room and collocated its backup servers at Green House Data, a Cheyenne, Wyo., facility powered by a local power company's wind farm.
IDES built a special 20-foot by 20-foot room for its servers, according to Nathan Potter, IDES' marketing manager. He said the servers are encased in plastic and have a fan and vent system that draws hot air away from the machines. The air can be used for heating in the winter and flushed outside in the summer, reducing air conditioner use by 70 percent.
As part of its backup plan, the company also collocated its servers at Green House Data, a data center designed for lower-energy utilization and as a zero-carbon footprint facility.