By David Reed, UT EditorVerano Brianza, Italy-OMS Group, claiming to be a leader in the manufacture of metering machines and turnkey plants for the polyurethanes industry, has formed a joint venture with Edge-Sweets (ESCO) company, the oldest polyurethane equipment supplier in the United States. Under the deal, the ESCO will be responsible for all OMS Group activities (including existing installations) exclusively in USA. It will supply spare parts and service support directly from its Grand Rapids, Michigan, base to OMS customers in the country. The agreement will also see OMS marketing the ESCO range of saws and slitters through its worldwide sales network."We are confident our customers will take advantage from this new cooperation," said Eraldo Greco, sales area manager for privately owned OMS, when supplying further details about the agreement.The OMS product range covers high- and low-pressure foaming machines, turnkey plants for continuous production of polyurethane-based flexible slabstock foams, sandwich panels, industrial and domestic refrigerators lines (also with use of cyclo-pentane as blowing agent). The firm also supplies plant for cold moulding of flexible PU foams for the automotive and furniture industries, carousels for moulding and mould-support presses as well as phenolic foam machines.About 90 people work at the 9000-m2 OMS site in Verano Brianza, just north of Milan, generating a total turnover of $19.5 million in 2003, according to information from the Urethanes Technology magazine survey of machinery makersEdge-Sweets supplies a wide range of PU processing equipment including dispensing equipment for flexible and rigid foam production as well as casting elastomers and reaction injection moulding. About half of its income is from cutting equipment, UT's survey data shows.The privately owned firm was formed in 1985 as a joint venture between Frank Edge Co. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1887, and the Martin Sweets Co of Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 1950. At present, it occupies 7900 m2 of manufacturing space and employs 70 people, generating a turnover of about $12 million. "We are anticipating a growth in these figures with the addition of the OMS products," commented Dario Ramazzotti, the firm's president."
