news
JM Eagle: two court cases due
Two court cases involving US-based plastic pipes giant JM Eagle are progressing towards their next stages. In the long-running
‘whistleblower’ case – in which the company has already been found in breach of the False Claims Act, for selling sub-stand- ard pipe – the trial is moving towards its second phase. Judge George Wu, who is
presiding in the case, has now set a trial date of 23 January 2018. The case is being heard in California. The Phase 2 trial was
originally meant to begin in March of this year. In the second case,
American Maplan – the US subsidiary of Germany’s Battenfeld-Cincinnati – is suing JM Eagle subsidiary Hebei Quanen High-Tech Piping, for breach of contract.
Maplan alleges that Hebei has not paid for machinery that it supplied to the China-based company, following negotia- tions with its parent company, JM Eagle. The case is being heard in Kansas, where American Maplan is based.
Earlier, Hebei Quanen had sued Battenfeld-Cin- cinnati in the Californian courts, saying that aspects of its machinery – and late delivery – had led to delays in Hebei’s construction of a new facility in China.
8 Mueller moves into PEX
US-based Mueller Industries – a specialist in mainly metal piping – has acquired two Canadian sister companies that focus on PEX and PEX pipe. Pexcor Manufacturing and Heatlink – which are both based in Calgary – produce and sell a complete line of products for PEX plumbing and radiant systems. Financial terms were not
disclosed. The founders of the Canadian companies – Man- fred and Garry Schmidt – will stay in place, and look to expand the technical capabili- ties and geographical reach of Pexcor and Heatlink systems, said Mueller.
The acquisitions will
complement Mueller’s wide range of piping products, and support its strategic plan to grow its flow control product offerings in the area of pressure plastics. Last year, Pexcor and Heatlink ended a long-running patent dispute with Uponor of
Sweden, stretching back to 2011. The dispute, which covered both Canada and the USA, ended with a judge ruling in favour of Uponor – but the parties came to a licensing agreement as part of the settlement. ❙
www.muellerindustries.com
Pexcor and Heatlink are specialists in PEX piping
Fuel filler pipe boost for Toyoda
Toyoda Gosei is to boost production capacity for plastic fuel filler pipes in both Japan and the USA, in order to meet growing demand for more lightweight car parts. The company will invest about 2 billion yen (US$1.9m) to expand production facilities in its Heiwacho Plant in Aichi, Japan, and at a US manufac- turing subsidiary, TG Kentucky. The combined annual
capacity of the two plants will be increased to 2 million pipes by 2020 – about four times the current level. Similar invest- ments are planned in China, the Czech Republic and other locations based on customer demand. Fuel filler pipes have
traditionally been made of metal, but Toyoda Gosei says that its filler pipes are about half the weight. It received an
award from its main customer, Toyota, for the product’s contribution to improved fuel efficiency. The plastic fuel filler pipes also meet stricter emission constraints in North America, China, and Europe, and are expected to come into wider use for their contributions to combating environmental pollution, says the company. ❙
www.toyoda-gosei.com
Molecor expands PVC-O in South Africa
Molecor has doubled produc- tion capacity of oriented PVC (PVC-O) pipe in South Africa by installing a second manufac- turing line at its facility there. The plant, located in
PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | July/August 2017
Richards Bay in the KwaZulu- Natal region, now has a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes/year of Molecor’s TOM PVC-O pipe. It opened in 2016 with a single production line.
Molecor and its partner Sizabantu Piping Systems have already supplied thousands of kilometers of PVC-O pipelines across Africa. ❙
www.molecor.com
www.pipeandprofile.com
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