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PM contributes to profit boost for Manganese Bronze
P M c o n t r i b u t e s to p r o f i t b o o s t for M a n g a n e s e B r o n z e METAL powders and sintered c o m p o n e n t s b o t h m a d e significant contributions to Manganese Bronze Holdings plc lifting its o p e r a t i n g p r o f i t 42.9'% to £4.95 million for the financial year ending 31 July, 1995. Total sales for the group rose 15.7% to £86.30 million for the year. The UK-based engineering group has two core businesses, taxis a n d c o m p o n e n t s , with the later including MBC Advanced Sintering, MBC Precision C o m p o n e n t s a n d MBC Metal Powders. The components division enjoyed a sales increase of 28.4% on t h e previous year to £32.93 million, while profits were £593 000
b e t t e r at £829 000. Chief executive, Jamie Borwick, said the metal powders business in Birmingham en joyed a much higher turnover t h a n in 1994 because of increased raw nmterial prices, m o s t notably cobalt. This was accompanied by a s a t i s f a c t o w increase in profits. Borwick said the sintering operation, by far the largest unit in the division, also increased sales and profits during the year, in which it produced close to 50 million components. He said the company had made a considerable investment in modern presses and furnaces in r e c e n t y e a r s w h i c h h a d helped to further increase its
Union P r o c e s s r e l e a s e s l a b - s i z e d m i l l UNION Process of Akron, Ohio, USA, inventor and developer of attritor technology, has introd u c e d a b a t c h lab m o d e l specifically designed for applications where mini media (2 m m or smaller) is required. The '01-HDDM' lab mill is a modification of the company's s t a n d a r d '01-HD' lab attritor. Using much of the same technology found in the recently introduced 'Deltamill', t h e 01HDDM features a redesigned shaft t h a t includes Delta Discs. Indeed, sales and marketing director Malcolm Mackay describes t h e unit as a hybrid
developed from the company's experience in manufacturing b o t h attritors and small media mills. "We believe that this is the m o s t efficient lab sized mill t h a t uses mini media technology. It is ideal for small scale formulation and feasibility stud i e s w h e r e m i n i m e d i a is specified. It is p a r t i c u l a r l y useful for rapidly quality controlling very small pre-shipm e n t samples (in 15 m i n u t e s to an hour)."
Union Process; tel: + 1216-929-3333; fax: + 1-216929-3034.
The '01-HDDM' mini media mill from Union Process.
4
MPR December 1995
production qualiD,. "A highl i g h t of t h e y e a r was t h e receipt by our Ipswich plant of the ttonda quality award, one of only five awarded in the whole of Europe," Bot~vick said. "The ttonda valve seat insert, made under license from the Nippon Ring company is composed of layers of two different powders - a thinner layer of expensive hard wearing tool steel powder for the working surface, while t h e b o d y of t h e i n s e r t is composed of a tough but less expensive iron alloy powder. We delivered more than one million of these inserts to Honda during the year without a single defect. Our task now is to convert this fine record into
further orders from Honda and o t h e r m a n u f a c t u r e r s worldwide," Borwick said. Borwick said the company's metal injection moulding (MIM) o p e r a t i o n s continued to e x p a n d during t h e year, with t h e increase in volume moving it from its development p h a s e into commercial viability. He said more t h a n one million MIM c o m p o n e n t s had now been sold, with p a r t s in production including fibre optic j u n c t i o n boxes for Hewlett Packard and several compon e n t s for Leica cameras.
Manganese Bronze Holdi n g s p l c ; tel: + 4 4 - 1 7 1 6060088; fax: +44-1716064057.
H.C. Starck to build production plant in Canada H.C. STARCK h a s u n v e i l e d p l a n s to b u i l d a p l a n t in Sarnia, Canada, for the production of t u n g s t e n carbide a n d nickel h y d r o x i d e powders. The company, based in Goslar, Germany, supplies its t u n g s t e n carbide powders to the h a r d m e t a l s industry, while its spherical grade nickel hydroxide is a c o m p o n e n t of t h e electrodes in high performance nickel metal hydride batteries. C h a i r m a n P e t e r Kiihlert says construction is scheduled to commence at the beginning of 1996. About 50% of the total investment will be allotted to local companies, such as the supply and installation of pipes and electrical systems. Kgthlert says the facilities will go on stream in the first q u a r t e r of 1996. The local authorities have approved a capacity for tungsten carbide p r o d u c t i o n of 1200 t o n n e s / year, which Starck will build up to gradually. The nickel hydroxide plant will initially operate at 2900 tonnes/annum, although approval has been granted for 6000 tonnes/annum. The decision to expand in North America reflects H.C. Starck's long term strategy to have manufacturing facilities for its major products in the most important industrial markets of the world. Kgthlert says Sarnia offers many advantages including an existing infrastructure
Microdrills are a major market for H.C. Starck's submicron WC powder.
and favourable energy prices. Production in Canada will also eliminate the impact of the dollar/DM exchange rate on prices. Another important asset is the highly qualified personnel already available at Bayer Rubber Inc - the multi-national Bayer Group is H.C. 8tarck's parent company. In t h e p a s t 20 years, H.C. Starck's s u b m i c r o n t u n g s t e n carbide powders have paved t h e way for significant imp r o v e m e n t s in t h e p e r f o r m a n c e of precision tools, like t h e microdrills used to machine circuit boards for computers. By t h e time the p l a n t in Sarnia is completed, the company e x p e c t s to be able to produce a new generation of ultrafine powders in particle sizes of 0.4 ~tm.
H.C. Starck; tel: + 49-5321751192; f a x : + 4 9 - 5 3 2 1 751153.
b e t t e r at £829 000. Chief executive, Jamie Borwick, said the metal powders business in Birmingham en joyed a much higher turnover t h a n in 1994 because of increased raw nmterial prices, m o s t notably cobalt. This was accompanied by a s a t i s f a c t o w increase in profits. Borwick said the sintering operation, by far the largest unit in the division, also increased sales and profits during the year, in which it produced close to 50 million components. He said the company had made a considerable investment in modern presses and furnaces in r e c e n t y e a r s w h i c h h a d helped to further increase its
Union P r o c e s s r e l e a s e s l a b - s i z e d m i l l UNION Process of Akron, Ohio, USA, inventor and developer of attritor technology, has introd u c e d a b a t c h lab m o d e l specifically designed for applications where mini media (2 m m or smaller) is required. The '01-HDDM' lab mill is a modification of the company's s t a n d a r d '01-HD' lab attritor. Using much of the same technology found in the recently introduced 'Deltamill', t h e 01HDDM features a redesigned shaft t h a t includes Delta Discs. Indeed, sales and marketing director Malcolm Mackay describes t h e unit as a hybrid
developed from the company's experience in manufacturing b o t h attritors and small media mills. "We believe that this is the m o s t efficient lab sized mill t h a t uses mini media technology. It is ideal for small scale formulation and feasibility stud i e s w h e r e m i n i m e d i a is specified. It is p a r t i c u l a r l y useful for rapidly quality controlling very small pre-shipm e n t samples (in 15 m i n u t e s to an hour)."
Union Process; tel: + 1216-929-3333; fax: + 1-216929-3034.
The '01-HDDM' mini media mill from Union Process.
4
MPR December 1995
production qualiD,. "A highl i g h t of t h e y e a r was t h e receipt by our Ipswich plant of the ttonda quality award, one of only five awarded in the whole of Europe," Bot~vick said. "The ttonda valve seat insert, made under license from the Nippon Ring company is composed of layers of two different powders - a thinner layer of expensive hard wearing tool steel powder for the working surface, while t h e b o d y of t h e i n s e r t is composed of a tough but less expensive iron alloy powder. We delivered more than one million of these inserts to Honda during the year without a single defect. Our task now is to convert this fine record into
further orders from Honda and o t h e r m a n u f a c t u r e r s worldwide," Borwick said. Borwick said the company's metal injection moulding (MIM) o p e r a t i o n s continued to e x p a n d during t h e year, with t h e increase in volume moving it from its development p h a s e into commercial viability. He said more t h a n one million MIM c o m p o n e n t s had now been sold, with p a r t s in production including fibre optic j u n c t i o n boxes for Hewlett Packard and several compon e n t s for Leica cameras.
Manganese Bronze Holdi n g s p l c ; tel: + 4 4 - 1 7 1 6060088; fax: +44-1716064057.
H.C. Starck to build production plant in Canada H.C. STARCK h a s u n v e i l e d p l a n s to b u i l d a p l a n t in Sarnia, Canada, for the production of t u n g s t e n carbide a n d nickel h y d r o x i d e powders. The company, based in Goslar, Germany, supplies its t u n g s t e n carbide powders to the h a r d m e t a l s industry, while its spherical grade nickel hydroxide is a c o m p o n e n t of t h e electrodes in high performance nickel metal hydride batteries. C h a i r m a n P e t e r Kiihlert says construction is scheduled to commence at the beginning of 1996. About 50% of the total investment will be allotted to local companies, such as the supply and installation of pipes and electrical systems. Kgthlert says the facilities will go on stream in the first q u a r t e r of 1996. The local authorities have approved a capacity for tungsten carbide p r o d u c t i o n of 1200 t o n n e s / year, which Starck will build up to gradually. The nickel hydroxide plant will initially operate at 2900 tonnes/annum, although approval has been granted for 6000 tonnes/annum. The decision to expand in North America reflects H.C. Starck's long term strategy to have manufacturing facilities for its major products in the most important industrial markets of the world. Kgthlert says Sarnia offers many advantages including an existing infrastructure
Microdrills are a major market for H.C. Starck's submicron WC powder.
and favourable energy prices. Production in Canada will also eliminate the impact of the dollar/DM exchange rate on prices. Another important asset is the highly qualified personnel already available at Bayer Rubber Inc - the multi-national Bayer Group is H.C. 8tarck's parent company. In t h e p a s t 20 years, H.C. Starck's s u b m i c r o n t u n g s t e n carbide powders have paved t h e way for significant imp r o v e m e n t s in t h e p e r f o r m a n c e of precision tools, like t h e microdrills used to machine circuit boards for computers. By t h e time the p l a n t in Sarnia is completed, the company e x p e c t s to be able to produce a new generation of ultrafine powders in particle sizes of 0.4 ~tm.
H.C. Starck; tel: + 49-5321751192; f a x : + 4 9 - 5 3 2 1 751153.