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Maguire and Novatec open Canadian facility
The auxiliary equipment business in Canada has gained a new player, with the arrival of Maguire Products Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Maguire Products Inc. (Aston, Pa.) The company, headed by Brian Davis as general manager, has a new 10,000 sq ft service centre and warehouse in Vaughan, Ont., north of Toronto, and this will also be the Canadian distribution and service facility for Novatec Inc. ( Baltimore, Md. ), which Maguire bought last year. The facility will stock all Maguire and Novatec equipment, and include a showroom for equipment demonstrations plus a laboratory for materials testing.
Davis has had his own company, Plastic Equipment Sales ( Burlington, Ont.) for many years. The senior technical sales manager is Robert Hodge, who has 24 years' experience in plastics, the last 19 in technical service and sales positions with Wittmann Canada (formerly Nucon Wittmann). Wayne Travell, service manager, worked in injection, blow, and compression moulding for 10 years before taking on technical service responsibility for 14 years, also at Wittmann Canada.
Sales in eastern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes will be handled by Barway Plastic Equipment Inc. (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.)
"Three compelling factors combine to make Maguire Canada unique in our country as a provider of systems integration services," Davis says. "There is the sheer diversity of products from Maguire and Novatec, their extensive control and software technologies, and the long experience of the Maguire Canada team in designing, engineering, installing, starting up, and servicing complete auxiliary equipment systems."
Novatec offers all existing types of drying technology in its product line-up. Maguire offers gravimetric blenders, loaders, feeders, conveying equipment and granulators.
Pat Smith, vice-president of marketing and sales with Maguire Products Inc. in the US, says the Vaughan facility follow a model Maguire has used previously in Europe and Asia, but not in North America.
"Maguire sells individual units," he says, "and does very well at this. Novatec is a systems company. With both under the one roof, we can offer a very exciting service to customers in Canada. And we will be adding more staff soon."
Maguire Canada is located at 299 Basaltic Road, Unit 1, Vaughan, Ont., L4K 4W8 : 866-441-8409; email: info@maguirecanada.com.
www.maguirecanada.com, www.barway.ca.

Brian Davis	Robert Hodge	Wayne Travell

D-M-E shifts manufacturing from Illinois
MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – August 6, 2007 – D-M-E Co. (Madison Heights, Mich.) is closing its Melrose Park, Ill. manufacturing site and moving production to three different locations in Windsor, Ont., Greenville, Mich., and Youngwood, Pa. CMI of Windsor will produce hot-runners previously made in Melrose Park, where the two facilities previously shared the majority of D-M-E's hot-runner production.
Specialty mould bases will transfer to the Master Unit Die (MUD) facility in Greenville, and standard mould bases from both Melrose Park and Greenville will move to Youngwood, Pa., which currently handles all steel processing for D-M-E as well as some standard and special mould base production.
"Moving the production out of Melrose Park and into three other D-M-E facilities makes the best use of our resources, eliminates redundancies in production and allows us to remain competitive in the future by offering the best products and pricing for our customers around the world," said Dave Lawrence, president of D-M-E. 
The company will maintain a sales and distribution presence in the Chicago area after manufacturing is phased out. Operations will be scaled down once the manufacturing transition takes place, with about 40 employees being affected. The move will be completed over the next several months.
www.dme.net

Mold-Masters acquires investor
3i, a large capital investor, is making an investment in Mold-Masters Ltd. (Georgetown, Ont.) This will enable Mold-Masters to accelerate its international expansion in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and consider acquisition opportunities in the hot runner segment and beyond.
Hamdi Conger, an experienced industrialist, will serve as chairman, with Jonathon Fischer, Mold-Masters' CEO, remaining in his position. Conger has been chairman of several of 3i's portfolio companies, including Hyva, NORMA Group and AES Seal.
Ken Hanau, 3i Partner in the New York office, commented: "We are very excited to be partnering with the Gellert family and Jonathon Fischer to help fuel Mold-Masters' growth initiatives. Over the last 44 years, the family has built a market leading business based on technological innovation and outstanding customer service. 3i has a long history of partnering with quality family-owned businesses like Mold-Masters to help these companies go to the next level."
Jonathon Fischer, CEO Mold-Masters commented: "We are delighted to be partnering with 3i. We were fortunate to have some interesting alternatives in choosing a private equity partner, enabling us to pick 3i for all the right reasons. We feel that 3i brings the right combination of industry knowledge, international capabilities and patient capital. We have ambitious plans for Mold-Masters."
www.mold-masters.com

K 2007 less than three months away
While it might seem some way off, the giant K 2007 show in Dusseldorf, Germany, is less than three months away. The world's biggest plastics event is booked up as far as exhibitors go, and there's a waiting list for spaces in case anyone drops out.
But there are still hotel spaces available – not many, but some – if you reserve soon. Plastics in Canada has a six-night tour arrangement with Carlson Wagonlit Travel of Montreal, (888-574-6907 or ahould@carlsonwagonlit.ca), which still has some rooms left at the four-star Marriott Cologne, a brief train-ride from central Dusseldorf. This company has worked previously with the Canadian Plastics Industry Association on overseas tours.
The show this year is larger than ever, with 1.8-million sq ft of exhibit space housing 2,900 exhibitors. A new hall on the site has added 86,000 sq ft to the show.
The Canadian pavilion is in hall 11, booth F-40.
Traditionally, K has been a venue for discussing not just machinery and materials purchases – though there is plenty of that which happens – but also a chance to check out what will be widely available over the next two to three years. Processors use it to check what trends are happening, and to assess what their longer term buying needs might be.
It is also a show where English is widely used, so it can be more visitor-friendly than some Asian shows.
More information is available at www.k-online.de or ahould@carlsonwagonlit.ca

The home of K 2007 – the Messe Dusseldorf fairgrounds by night.

Ontario offers interest-free loans
Ontario 's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) is offering companies in the province interest-free loans to support investments in technology and innovation. These in turn, it is hoped, will lead to increased productivity and competitiveness.
The Advanced Manufacturing Investment Strategy (AMIS) is a $500-million program providing repayable loans interest-free for five years to manufacturers in the province who apply with eligible projects that either create or train 100 jobs, or invest $25-million over the five years.
"Our government always receives a great response from manufacturers across the province who want to participate in this program," said MEDT minister Sandra Pupatello. "Now even more companies can take advantage of what AMIS has to offer: access to critical funds that increase productivity and competitiveness."
The deadline for submissions is August 30. However, there is no guarantee that a loan will be awarded. There may be other projects that more effectively meet the AMIS program's objectives and criteria.
The AMIS website at www.ontariocanada.com, under Programs and Services.

Sandra Pupatello

SPI release first-quarter sales figures
US manufacturers and importers of primary plastics machinery and equipment shipped US$219-million worth of primary machinery (excluding components and auxiliary equipment) in the first quarter of 2007, according to the latest statistics from the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (Washington, DC). This is an 11 per cent decrease from the $245-million shipped in the first quarter of 2006.
SPI reports that extrusion machinery unit shipments increased 46 per cent when compared to the same quarter a year ago and were six per cent higher than the fourth quarter of 2006.
"The quarterly machinery shipment statistics report serves as an important tool for examining and understanding the US plastics machinery and equipment industry, as well as the economic trends that impact it," said Walt Bishop, vice-president of SPI's Equipment Council and executive director of the trade association's machinery division.
Economist Bill Wood, who provided the analysis for SPI's report, forecasts a small improvement for the second quarter and the rest of the year.
"The main reasons for the decline include the high price of resins and energy; the ongoing struggles of the Detroit-based auto makers and the continued decline in residential construction and real estate activity," he said. "However, spending for new machinery should begin to pick up gradually in the second half of this year. For 2007 as a whole, the forecast is for no change in total investment for new industrial equipment when compared with 2006."
Units of injection molding machinery shipped in the first quarter of 2007 decreased 21 percent when compared to the same quarter in 2006. The end-market and machinery segments that enjoyed solid gains in the first quarter included medical, aerospace, computers, and packaging.
www.plasticsindustry.org

Lorne Berggren retiring
Industry veteran Lorne Berggren, who founded Mould-tek Industries Inc. (Toronto Ont.) in the early 1960s, is retiring, after his recent sale of Mould-tek's bulk handling manufacturing division to Wittmann Canada . Mould-tek has also just finalised transfer the transfer of the Kawaguchi line of injection moulding machines to Anplast Inc. (Anjou, Que.), which is headed by Léonce Tremblay.
"Léonce has represented Mould-tek very successfully in Quebec for many years," Berggren says, "and I'm delighted that his company has taken on the Kawaguchi line nationally. Anplast has an excellent warehouse and service facility in Anjou, a suburb of Montreal, to which we have already transferred our parts inventory, and I'm confident that Kawaguchi customers across Canada will be well served by this change."
Mould-tek's sister company – Berg Chilling Systems Inc. (Toronto, Ont.) – founded by Berggren in the early 1970s, is now owned and operated by his son Don as president, with Berggren Sr. remaining as chairman of the company.
www.mould-tek.com

Lorne Berggren

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Changes

Bohler-Uddeholm Canada has named Paul Cavanagh sales manager. He has been with the company for 14 years in various progressive positions, most recently as logistics manager.
www.bucanada.ca

Paul Cavanagh

Brenntag Canada has appointed Allan Roach sales manager, eastern region, for its newly established Specialties Group, formerly St. Lawrence Chemical.
www.brenntag.ca

JER Envirotech International Corp. (Delta, BC), has made a group of executive appointments. Ji Yoon is chief financial officer; Peter Kelly is chief technology officer; Peter Baran becomes chief operating officer; William (Bill) Hunnicutt is vice-president of global sales and marketing; and William (Bill) Anderson becomes vice-president, manufacturing, effective immediately. The new appointments play a critical role in the Company's growth as it shifts its focus to commercialisation of its products and the global expansion of its manufacturing operations.
www.jerenvirotech.com.

Bill Anderson	Bill Hunnicutt	Ji Yoon
Peter Baran	Peter Kelly

Chemtura Corporation (Middlebury, Conn.) has appointed James Nicol vice-president, global building & construction industries. He has global responsibility for growth of Chemtura's heat stabilisers, flame retardants, antioxidants and polymer modifiers in the building and construction industry.
www.chemtura.com

James Nicol

Gammaflux LP (Sterling, Va.), which previously built the hot-runner temperature controllers sold by Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. (Bolton, Ont.) is no longer supplying them, since Husky acquired Moldflow's Manufacturing Solutions Unit. David Huntting, president of Gammaflux, states that his company will continue to service all Husky accounts that are using Gammaflux brand controllers.
www.gammaflux.com

The Italian-owned M&G Group will build a new-generation technology PET plant in the US. This single-line plant will have a capacity of 800 kt/year (or approximately 1.8-billion lb/year), of which 650 kt/year is scheduled to come on-stream in the first half of 2009, and the balance as required by the market. The location of the new plant will be announced as soon as the last site agreements and details are finalized, probably by September.
www.mgpolymers.com

GE Plastics, which was bought by Saudi Basic Industries (Sabic) recently, is to change its name to Sabic Innovative Plastics. The change is expected to become official in September.
www.geplastics.com

The UK's main plastics and rubber exhibition, Interplas, will be co-located with Inspex, the show for the quality control and measurement industries, at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England, from September 30 to October 2, 2008.
www.interplas-expo.com

Packaging conglomerate Clondalkin Group of Dublin, Ireland, has bought PE film producer and converter Direct Plastics Group (Orangeville, Ont.). Direct Plastics itself acquired Performance Packaging Inc. of Orangeville in early 2005, and began relocating there when the lease on its Brampton, Ont., plant expired recently.
www.clondalkin-group.com

Uniloy Milacron (Tecumseh., Mich.) has named Wallace Willard as dedicated sales support for Uniloy Milacron Aftermarket Services. He will be serving customers in the U and in eastern Canada.
www.uniloy.com

Dr. Rainer Mellis has been named vice-president of polycarbonates manufacturing at Bayer MaterialScience's (BMS) Baytown site. He succeeds Dr. Lora Rand, who was recently appointed facility director of BMS' polycarbonate operations at the Newark, Ohio, site.
www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com

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Miscellaneous

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Coming Events

August 30: Canadian Plastics Industry Association Annual Golf Classic, at Cardinal Golf Club, Kettleby, Ont. (Contact: Erin Cimino at 905-678-7748 or ecimino@cpia.ca).

September 24-26: Polyurethanes 2007 Technical Conference, on the theme Step Into The Future. At The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Orlando , Fla. Sponsored by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemistry Council. (Contact ACC at 703-741-5103 or visit www.americanchemistry.com/polyurethane).

October 8-10: Automotive TPO Global Conference 2007, organised by the Society of Plastics Engineers. At the Best Western Sterling Inn, Sterling Heights , Mich. (Contact: Pat Levine at 248-244-8993 or p.levine@yahoo.com)

October 15-18: Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show. At the Direct Energy Centre, Toronto . (Contact: Ken Tomihiro, 416-848-1665 or ktomihiro@sme.org).

October 24-31: K 2007, Germany 's international plastics super-show, at Dusseldorf Trade Fairgrounds. Nearly 3,000 exhibitors showing the latest plastics technology. (Contact: Stefan Egge at 416-598-1524 or messeduesseldorf@germanchamber.ca)

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Special supplement on Plastics in Construction
Automation for injection moulders
Spotlight on Controls
Raw materials report
Automotive under-the-hood components
Processor profile

Closing: August 8

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