Bway to acquire Ball pail & drum plant
ATLANTA — Rigid container maker Bway Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to buy Ball Corp.'s pail and drum injection molding plant in Newnan, Ga., for $32 million.
Bway CEO and President Ken Roessler said the business is a good fit for his firm. “In addition to sales and market share growth, this acquisition provides further product portfolio expansion through the addition of well-established screw-top pail designs,” he said in a news release.
He noted that there could be plant rationalizations.
Atlanta-based Bway has 21 plants in the U.S. and Canada.
The Newnan plant employs 110. Broomfield, Colo.-based Ball bought the facility as part of its 2006 purchase of U.S. Can Corp.
“The plastic pail product line was not a strategic focus for Ball and was a small part of our plastic packaging segment,” said John Hayes, Ball executive vice president and chief operating officer, in the release.
The sale is scheduled to close by the end of October.
No-Spill wins mold from Canon Virginia
LENEXA, KAN. — Injection molder and blow molder No-Spill LLC is the winner of a mold worth up to $50,000 from Canon Virginia Inc., promoted during NPE2009 in Chicago.
Canon Virginia had offered a sweepstakes giveaway of an injection molding tool as part of a new business focus on mold making outside of its own molding operations. Canon Virginia is part of Tokyo-based Canon Inc. The drawing was open to anyone who filed a “request for quote” with the firm between June 1 and Sept. 30.
Lenexa-based No-Spill blow molds fuel cans from 1.25 gallons to 5 gallons, and injection molds nozzles and caps. No-Spill has not previously worked with Canon, No-Spill President Tom Cray said in an Oct. 13 news release.
Window maker MGM painting profiles
HENDERSONVILLE, TENN. — Hendersonville-based window fabricator MGM Industries Inc. has bought and installed an automated vacuum coater that will allow it to offer mass-produced painted window profiles in any exterior color, company officials said.
“This is a tremendous boost to the industry,” President Abe Gaskins said in a news release. “Architects and developers now have a choice for painted windows and doors besides clad, at about 50 percent of the cost.”
The new vacuum coater allows for automotive-grade finishes which resist flaking and peeling. The profiles are available for both the residential and commercial construction markets.
The painted profiles come with a 10-year warranty against industry-accepted paint peeling and color fade.
University, firm develop biocomposites
FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota State University in Fargo will provide MCG Biocomposites LLC with technical assistance in developing biocomposites.
“[MCG Biocomposites] saw our research was well-aligned and the materials they were making were similar to our materials here,” said Chad Ulven, assistant professor at North Dakota State. “They have a good record within the industry and are very good at commercialization and working with [original equipment manufacturers] and molders.”
Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based MCG will work on developing commercial applications for the materials, said President and CEO Sam McCord. MCG makes custom formulations using both virgin and recycled raw materials. No specific projects have been established yet.
McCord expects the relationship with the university to provide opportunities for new business in North Dakota.
“Businesses in Canada and the U.S. are looking at the types of technology we are developing,” Ulven said.
California forum takes on tough times
IRWINDALE, CALIF. — “Surviving Turbulent Times” is the topic of a day-long forum set for Oct. 28 in Irwindale.
Keynote speaker Robert Fry, DuPont Co.'s senior economist, will talk about his forecast for the global economy and its impact on the plastics industry.
Other topics include the availability of capital, loans, programs and intellectual knowledge; survival techniques from successful firms; achieving cost and energy savings; and maximizing profit through better productivity and new product development.
The event is sponsored by Southern California Edison, the Society of Plastics Engineers, the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. and California Manufacturing Technology Consulting.
The event will be held at Southern California Edison's customer technology application center. Cost is $125 per person, or $95 for early-bird registrants before Oct. 16. To sign up or for more information, go to www.socalspe.org/execforum.
Copyright 2009 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.