INDUSTRY NEWS
RTP and Solvay Advanced Polymers Enter Global Trademark Agreement
Specialty compounder RTP Co. has announced that it has entered into a trademark deal with Solvay Advanced Polymers GmbH. Under the agreement, RTP Co. will compound and market precoloured polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) and polysulfone (PSU) resins globally using Solvay trademarks. The agreement will enable the companies’ customers to quickly obtain small- to medium-sized lots of precoloured Radel R PPSU and Udel PSU compounds from RTP Co. in Europe and North America. A similar program will debut in Asia later this year.
For more information, contact RTP Co., 580 East Front St., Winona, MN 55987, USA; phone: +1 507 4546900; fax: +1 507 4542041; e-mail rtp@rtpcompany.com; Internet: www.rtpcompany.com.
To find out more about Solvay Advanced Polymers GmbH, send correspondence to Roßstr. 96, D-40476 Düsseldorf, Germany; phone: +49 211 51359000; fax: +49 211 51359010; e-mail: advanced-polymers.de@solvay.com; Internet: www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com.
Greatbatch Expands in France and Switzerland
Implantable product manufacturer Greatbatch Inc. (Clarence, NY, USA) has completed its US$123 million acquisition of Precimed (Orvin, Switzerland), an orthopaedic component manufacturer. In addition, the US firm has acquired DePuy Orthopaedics’ manufacturing facility in Chaumont, France. This transaction includes a four-year supply deal with the French orthopaedic firm. The facility houses a Class 100,000 cleanroom.
For more information, contact Greatbatch Inc., 9645 Wehrle Dr., Clarence, NY 14031, USA; phone: +1 716 7595600; fax: +1 716 7595560; Internet: www.greatbatch.com.
AMS Technologies Collaborates with Telecom Firm
Electronics specialist AMS Technologies AG has entered into a distribution agreement with telecommunications specialist EXFO Inc. (Quebec City, QC), which is also a test and measurement specialist. The deal will give AMS Technologies the rights to sales of optical equipment for lab and manufacturing testing applications in Germany. Products covered under the agreement include components for manufacturing test systems and turnkey systems for cable assembly.
For more information, contact AMS Technologies AG, Fraunhoferstr. 22, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; phone: +49 89 89577177; fax: +49 89 89577199; e-mail: egiubilato@ams.de; Internet: www.ams.de.
Engineering Firm Acquires Manufacturer of Fluidic-Handling Components
International engineering firm IMI plc has acquired Kloehn Inc. A manufacturer of fluidic-handling components, Kloehn specializes in developing custom products and integrated fluidic platforms for analytical, diagnostic, and medical device OEMs. As a result of the acquisition, IMI’s daughter company Norgren will be able to offer an expanded range of liquid- and gas-handling components as well as a wide palette of custom-engineered components.
For more information, contact Norgren, 5400 S. Delaware St., Littleton, CO 80120, USA; phone: +1 720 2835540; fax: +1 303 7944871; e-mail: bodell@usa.norgren.com; Internet: www.norgren.com/fluid.
Oliver Medical Moves to Larger Facility
Medical packaging provider Oliver Medical B.V. (Venray, Netherlands) has announced that it will move its manufacturing operations and offices from its current 600-m2 plant to a 1600-m2 facility in May. Also located in Venray, the new facility will allow Oliver to continue providing pouch and lidding services in a Class 10,000 cleanroom, while accommodating future expansion needs. “The new location will allow us to better serve our growing customer base in Europe and beyond in countries such as India and Israel,” says managing director Rutger van Dooren.
The company plans to add slitting and flexographic printing to its line of services in the future.
For more information, contact Oliver Medical, Spurkt 3, NL-5804 AR Venray, Netherlands; phone: +31 47 8517560; fax: +31 47 8630840; Internet: www.olivermedical.com.
Qosina Expands Facilities to Accommodate Growth
Medical component manufacturer Qosina has announced an expansion of its office and warehouse space that will be effective in April. Exceeding 42,000 sq ft, this added space will be located in a building adjacent to the company’s corporate headquarters in Edgewood, NY, USA. The expansion will give the firm a total of 100,000 sq ft of space.
For more information, contact Qosina, 150-Q Executive Dr., Edgewood, NY 11717, USA; phone: +1 631 2423270; fax: +1 631 2423291; e-mail: nklimpel@qosina.com; Internet: www.qosina.com.
US Contract Manufacturer Sharpens Medical Focus
Lake Region Medical, a contract manufacturer of wire-formed components for minimally invasive devices based in Chaska, MN, USA, has recently changed its name from Lake Region Manufacturing. The name change accompanies a shift in focus for the firm, which has nearly 50 years of experience serving the medical device industry but previously did not cater exclusively to that sector. In conjunction with the name change, the company has launched a new brand identity and Web site.
To find out more, contact Lake Region Medical, 340 Lake Hazeltine Dr., Chaska, MN 55318-1029, USA; phone: +1 952 4485111; fax: +1 952 4483411; Internet: www.lakeregionmedical.com.
French Laboratory Recognized as National Certification Body
The International Electrotechnical Commission for Electrical Equipment (IECEE; Geneva) has recognized the Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais (LNE) as a national certification body (CB) and testing laboratory for electronic medical devices. The laboratory’s test and certification services will be recognized by the 49 countries participating in the programme. Manufacturers wishing to obtain the French NF-Medical mark or CE marking of their products may ask LNE to take into account test reports and certifications they have obtained from other member bodies of the CB scheme.
For more information, contact Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais, Headquarters: 1, rue Gaston Boissier, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France; phone: +33 140 433700; fax: +33 140 3737; e-mail: bruno.treni@lne.fr; Internet: www.lne.fr.
Value Plastics Creates Asian Subsidiary
Value Plastics has announced the establishment of an Asian subsidiary in Hong Kong. Under the supervision of regional director Sam Chiu, the new location will work with the company’s customers in a region stretching from East to West from Japan to India, and North to South from China to Australia and New Zealand. The company’s Asian sales and marketing activities, except for order entry, will be centralized in this office.
For more information, contact Value Plastics Inc., South Timberline Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA; phone: +1 970 2675200; fax: +1 970 2230953; e-mail: sam.chiu@valueplastics.com; Internet: www.valueplastics.com.
Trumpf Laser Acquires Plastics Welding Firm
Trumpf Laser GmbH + Co. KG (Schramberg, Germany) has announced that it has acquired Fisba Optik AG (St. Gallen, Switzerland), a laser plastics welding and selective laser soldering specialist. The acquisition allows the laser equipment manufacturer to make available a range of new laser systems to its customers. Fisba Optik AG specializes in microoptics for beam formation of laser diodes and custom laser modules. It also develops a variety of other products including complex optical systems and custom optronic processing heads.
For more information, contact Trumpf Laser GmbH + Co. KG, Aichhalder Str. 39, 78713 Schramberg, Germany; phone: +49 7422 5158171; e-mail: alexander.knitsch@de.trumpf-laser.com; Internet: www.trumpf-laser.com.
Packaging Firm Vitalo Expands in Asia
Vitalo Industries, part of the Vitalo Group, which develops thermoformed noise- and heat- insulation components, has announced that it will expand its presence in India and China. The Indian plant will be based in Sriperumbudur, which is located 20 km from the metropolis of Chennai in the eastern part of the country. The new packaging plant will manufacture an array of products for the Indian market, including trays, blisters, clamshells, and a variety of thermoformed components. The company’s Chinese plant, which is scheduled to open in March, will be based in Suzhou. That plant will offer a variety of capabilities including thermoforming, high-pressure forming, twin-sheet forming, five-axis CNC trimming, assembly, and painting.
For more information, contact Vitalo Group, Bruggesteenweg 7, B-8760 Meulebeke, Belgium; phone: +32 51 480048 ext. 285; fax: +32 51 487594; e-mail: ronny.debaere@be.vitalo.net; Internet: www.vitalo.net.
UK Subcontractor Expands Machining Capability
Pharma Tooling, a subcontractor based in Cheltenham, Glos, UK, can now machine parts more than twice as large as it could previously. The development was made possible with the acquisition of a new Hurco VMX64 vertical machining system that was supplied with a rotary turntable and high-pressure coolant delivery capability. “We can now machine bigger components within the Hurco’s working envelope of over 1600 ¥ 850 ¥ 750 mm, and we also have the flexibility to produce smaller parts by setting up two or even three together on the table, using the fourth axis if required,” says Pharma Tooling owner and managing director, Phil Vines.
For more information, contact Hurco Europe Ltd., Halifax Rd., Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 3SN, UK; phone: +44 1494 442222; fax: +44 1494 443350; e-mail: sales@hurco.co.uk; Internet: www.hurco.co.uk.
