NEWS BRIEFS (July 01, 2008)

The Canadian Plastics Sector Council (CPSC) has completed the first phase of its National Occupational Standards project, designed to establish a benchmark against which workers in the plastics industry can measure their skills and get training. Phase 1 consists of 33 bilingual standards for five major processes in the plastics industry: blow molding, fabrication, film extrusion, injection molding and profile extrusion. The CPSC is working on Phase 2 of the project, developing additional standards for four other major processes: thermoforming, rotational molding, composites, and quality control. For more information, visit www.cpsc-ccsp.ca.

Que.-based IPL Inc. has introduced a new thin-walled round packaging container with in-mold labeling (IML) graphics, available in three different sizes. The project required a $4.3 million investment at the company’s Edmundston, N. B., facility.

Ball Corporation will close its packaging plant in Brampton, Ont. by the end of the third quarter of 2008. Production from the operation will be consolidated in the company’s other North American facilities.

Mississauga, Ont.-based PET bottle manufacturer MPI Packaging Inc. has opened a production facility in Riverside, Calif. The new plant gives MPI 30,000 additional square feet of production space.

Trinity North America, Inc. has appointed Auxiplast Inc., of Ste-Julie, Que., as its representative for Quebec and the Maritimes. Trinity is a manufacturer of extrusion tooling and downstream extrusion equipment. The company is headquartered in Tongling, People’s Republic of China.

Husky Injection Molding Systems, of Bolton, Ont., will open a new, expanded customer technical centre in Minami Machida, Japan by autumn 2008.

Sepro America has appointed Shadow Automation Inc., of Toronto, as representative of their line of robotics for Ontario. Headed by Larry Bonehill, the company can be contacted at 416-464-2070.

Windsor, Ont.-based mold manufacturer Dieffenbacher North America Inc. is adding two CNC-controls machining centres and two gun drill machining centres at a cost of $8 million at its plant. The investment will allow the company to build presses with a capacity of 240 tons.

UVA and HALS producer Everlight Chemical Industrial Corporation has appointed Inortech Chimie Inc. as its exclusive Canadian distributor.

Perugia, Italy-based extrusion machinery manufacturer Torninova SRL Plastic Machinery is establishing a sales organization in Ronkonkoma, N. Y. to distribute bubble wrap machinery. They can be contacted at 631-676-7062.

Klckner Pentaplast has purchased the entire rigid films product line of Tottenham, Ont.-based PMC Film Canada Inc. The company said that the acquisition included PMC’s formulations.

Switzerland-based Georg Fischer Ltd. is acquiring the business activities of Brampton, Ont.-based Alfa Plastics Inc. Alfa is a distributor of plastic pipes, fittings and valves for water treatment, chemical processes and other industrial applications, with annual sales of over $4.2 million.