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Hicks acquiring Graham in $3.2 billion pact
YORK, PA. (June 30, 5:15 p.m. EDT) -- Dallas-based Hicks Acquisition Co. Inc. said it will buy Graham Packaging Holdings Co. in a deal worth $3.2 billion, and it plans to take the bottle maker public. HAC, founded by Texas Rangers owner Thomas Hicks, will own 66 percent of Graham shares. The current owners, Blackstone Group and Graham Group, will hold the remaining 34 percent.

Ball closing Canadian bottle plant
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO (June 26, 5:35 p.m. EDT) -- Ball Corp. will shut its Brampton blow molding facility by the end of the third quarter. The Broomfield, Colo., company said other Ball facilities will take over work from the site.

Ecoproducts saving firms some green
AKRON, OHIO (June 20, 2:20 p.m. EDT) -- Whether they’re downsizing plastic laundry jugs or switching from glass to plastic mayonnaise jars, consumer-products manufacturers and retailers are moving toward sustainability goals with varying degrees of fanfare.

Canada´s MPI launches plant in California
RIVERSIDE, CALIF. (June 18, 5:50 p.m. EDT) -- MPI Packaging Inc. has opened a second PET blow molding operation to expand its geographic base. The leased facility in Riverside is replacing production MPI had outsourced.

Ohio summit addresses sustainability issues
COLUMBUS, OHIO (June 12, 5 p.m. EDT) -- Ohio´s plastics industry — the third-largest in the nation based on 2006 exports worth $26 billion — is trying to cope with changes associated with sustainability along with the rest of the nation.

Arrowhead boosting big-bottle production
CALGARY, ALBERTA (June 10, 6:40 p.m. EDT) -- Demand for large PET water bottles is spurring Arrowhead Water Products Ltd. to expand its production of the containers. The Calgary company has installed a second Siapi blow molding machine to keep up with sales of 15-liter bottles.

Ross affirms strategy in face of down auto market

Ross

DETROIT (June 9, 12:05 p.m. EDT) -- International Automotive Components will continue to expand despite a downturn in the North American auto industry that the company’s top official believes will get worse before it gets better. Wilbur Ross said automakers are continuing to refer troubled suppliers to IAC, which he created two years ago and which now has more than $5 billion in annual sales.

Ford looking toward future with PLA
DETROIT (June 6, 2:15 p.m. EDT) -- Ford Motor Co. is taking a serious look at bio-based and biodegradable plastics, and asking if it will be possible one day to make an auto interior part that not only can be made from natural products, but also will break down and disappear back into the earth after its life is over.

MGS expanding to meet growing demand
GERMANTOWN, WIS. (June 6, 9:35 a.m. EDT) -- Injection molder and mold maker MGS Mfg. Group Inc. is building its experience in blow molding. The company recently added a fourth blow molding machine, and is projecting 20 percent growth in its blow molding output this year.

Rexam, Berry reach agreement, cancel suit
EVANSVILLE, IND. (June 5, 4:40 p.m. EDT) -- Rexam Closures & Containers Inc. and Berry Plastics Corp. have settled a lawsuit over Evansville-based Berry’s hiring of former Rexam official John Whitehead.

Three California bills facing deadline
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 27, 12:15 p.m. EDT) -- The fate of three critical pieces of California legislation that would affect plastic grocery bags, PVC packaging and plastic container deposits hinges on whether the bills can get voted out of their respective houses of origin by the end of May.

Heckmann paying $625M for Chinese bottle maker
HONG KONG (May 27, 12:10 p.m. EDT) -- U.S. investment firm Heckmann Corp. plans to tap China’s growing bottled-water market by acquiring Hong Kong-based blow molder China Water and Drinks Inc. for US$625 million and using it as a platform to expand.

New Ontario blow molder ready to start production
CONCORD, ONTARIO (May 21, 12:15 p.m. EDT) -- The former president of defunct T&S Blowmoulding Inc. has enlisted partners to start up another business. Toronto-based T&S went bankrupt May 12. The new business, Unique Blowmolding Inc., will be an extrusion blow molder of high density polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC when it starts operating the week of May 26.

Constar´s Houston plant scheduled to shut
HOUSTON (May 8, 3:15 p.m. EDT) -- Bottle supplier Constar International Inc. will close its plant in Houston by the end of May, affecting 43 employees. Constar said it expects to save $2 million annually as a result.

Investors concerned about ´toxic´ plastics
FALLS CHURCH, VA. (May 2, 4:20 p.m. EDT) -- Corporate shareholders, including some Roman Catholic communities, have voiced concern in resolutions filed during the 2008 proxy season about plastic products that contain suspected toxic chemicals.

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