HISTORY OF STERLING EXTRUDER CORPORATION. NEW JERSEY, USA

Acquired by Baker Perkins North America Inc. in April 1986 for $16.4m, Sterling manufactured and sold blown film, blow moulding, sheet and compounding equipment for the plastics industry, together with wire and cable coating systems, a product range that complimented that of Baker Perkins. Sterling had factories in South Plainfield, New Jersey, in Edison, New Jersey and at Wallingford, Connecticut. 175 people were employed in total.

Sterling Extruder Corp. continued to operate under its own name and management – L.D. Yokana, chief executive officer and A. Yokana, chief operating officer. For the year ended 31st October 1985, Sterling reported net sales of $26.im, profit before taxation of $2.45m and profit after tax of $1.29m.

In October 1986, the Baker Perkins Polymer Machinery Division relocated from Saginaw and was merged to become a division of Sterling Extruder Corporation in New Jersey. The marketing, engineering, manufacturing and laboratory functions were transferred to Sterling's facilities at South Plainfield. The Customer Demonstration Centre followed shortly afterwards. W. Kemp Shepard was appointed general manager of the division.

Immediately after the merger between Baker Perkins and APV in 1987, it was announced that Sterling's wire and cable coating business did not fit with APV Baker's business strategy and would be disposed of.

In 1990, Sterling became part of APV Plastics Machinery Inc. following the split of APV Chemical Machinery into two groups - APV Plastics Machinery Europe and APV Plastics Machinery Inc. The American subsidiary became a division of APV Crepaco with John Gallagher as President.

APV plc announced in September 1990 that it wanted to dispose of the Plastics machinery business and it was consolidated at the Edison facility. When, in December 1990, it was sold to Crompton & Knowles Corporation for $7.3m, APV was able to raise further funds from the sale of the freehold factory and offices at South Plainfield.

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