toyota awards automotive manufacturing plants

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BTR buysinto Saiag1ssealingbusinessThe UK-based manufacturingand engineering conglomerate,BTR, has signed an agreement toacquire a 70% interest in Saiag'sautomotive sealing systemsbusiness for £41 million.

The agreement is condirional onnormal regulatory approvals andallows BTR to increase itsshareholding, commencing inNovember 2000.

Saiag's automotive sealingsystems business is the marketleader in Italy for extruded andmoulded vehicle seals. Thetransaction also includes Saiag'ssealing systems activities in Polandand Belgium, and its relatedinterests in France and China.Across its five principal sites, Saiag'ssealing systems activities haveapproximately 1400 employees,and in 1997, the business generatedtotal sales of £95 million. Total netassets, which are the subject of thetransaction, are £49 million.

BTR will integrate Saiag'sautomotive sealing systems businessinto its own global sealing systemsgroup, generating significantoperational and technology benefits,and improving the scope for world­wide supply to more automotiveplatforms. Saiag's establishedventures in Poland and China offerattractive growth potential inemerging markets, and also theopportunity to provide the benefitsof global sourcing of componentsto automotive manufacturers.

Commenting on the acquisition,John Thompson, executive directorresponsible for BTR Automotive,said that the acquISItiondemonstrates BTR's commitmentto a global scale sealing group,capable of supplying products toautomotive OEMs in all markets.

BTR anticipates significantlyimproved service to existingcustomers of both Saiag and thecurrent BTR Sealing SystemsGroup, as well as productdevelopment and technologysynergies.

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Toyota awardsautomotivemanufacturingplants

"Manufacturing plants owned byFederal-Mogul and StandardProducts have been givenperformance awards by ToyotaMotor Manufacturing.

Standard Products' RockyMount and Goldsboro. NorthCarolina, plants earned bothqualiry and delivery awards, givento suppliers who provide thehighest standards in quali ty.delivery, value improvement, andcost reduction for parts, materials,transportation and export. The twoplants earned the qualityperformance achievement awardfor achieving superior parts permillion quality levels, and thedelivery performance achievementaward for 100% on-time deliveryperformance.

Federal-Mogul's Greenville,Michigan, manufacturing locationearned an excellent deliveryperformance award. The companywas also awarded six certificates of

achievement. three of which wentto the Skokie, Illinois, location,

which manufactures a broad line ofgaskets for the automotive andheavy-duty vehicle markets. Thecertificates were for valueimprovement. quality and delivery.

Electronic commerce awardfor Federal Mogul

Federal Mogul has received acertificate of EDI and bar codeenablement from Honda ofAmerica.

The certificate signifies that thecompany's gasket and oil sealmanufacturing facility inSummerton, South Carolina. hassuccessful completed all tests ofED! and Bar Code capability, asrequired by Honda of AmericaManufacturing and the DELTAproject. The project involveselectronically transmitting allrequired information, which hasresulted in the elimination ofphysical invoices, and allowspayments to be made electronically.

"The EDI transmissions giveboth Honda and Federal-Mogul

valuable. real time informationrelating to demand. orders.shipping status and payment." saidMike Fisher. vice president. salesand engineering, Sealing Systems.

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Seals and leaks tobe discussed atEurochem 98

Seminars at the forth.comingEurochem 98, in Birmingham,UK, will discuss the merits andlimitations of mechanical seals,and the detection and capturingof leaking gases and vapoursfrom pipe flanges.

There will be 20 seminars

throughout the processingengineering and plant show,discussing important issues and

topics currently affecting theprocessing sector. The leakdetection and capture seminar isbeing organised by AllisonEngineering, and KSB areorganising the seminar concernedwith mechanical seals and pumpselection.

Other seminars will cover a widerange of subjects, including

membrane technology. the benefitsand potential pitfalls of buyingsecond hand process equipmentand asset informationmanagement, including the newSTEP based technology.

Contact: Reed Exhibition CompaniesLtd, 26 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey,TW9 1DL, UK. Tel: +44 181 910 7840.Fax: +44 181 910 7989.

Developmentagreement toyield newfluoropolymers

Ausimont USA, the globalfluoropolymer producer, hasentered into a joint development

and marketing agreement withIntegument Technologies, acompany offering fluoropolymermodification processes. Theresultant combination of

technologies is expected to producehigh perrormance fluoropolymers,

which will find uses in aerospace,automotive, chemical, defence andsemiconductor applications.

Integument Technologies holdsthe patents to many uniquefluoropolymer modification processes.One such technology, based onhigh energy plasma. providessurface treatments that enhancereactiviry at the polymer's surface,while its bulk properties remainunaffected. These treatments can beused to change the wettability offluoropolymer surfaces, as well aspn;lVide the abiliry to perform novelchemistry with an, otherwise inert,matenal. A second process infusesmaterials into the bulk space offluoropolymer resins. This infusiontechnique affects the bulkproperties, leading to higherperformance composite materials.

The two processes can be usedindependently, or in combination,to realise a wide range of finalproperties. producing novel, highperformance materials. The jointdevelopment team is also engaged innumerous application developmentprograms, where enhancedfluoropolymers and novel fluoro­composites may be employed.

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Sealing Technology No. 53