The seven companies that make up Bonar Plastics Europe (Faraday Street, Scotland, Dundee DD1 9JA) have been brought into a single organisation under a five-person management board. This structure replaces the format of a federation of independent companies under which the business operated previously. The operations involved in this reorganisation are: Bonar Plastiques (France), Bonar Rotaform (UK), Fusion Kunststoffen (Netherlands), Rhein-Bonar Kunststoff-Technik (Germany), Rotec Plastics (Spain), A/S Metas (Denmark) and Spila (Italy). Chief executive officer Phil Reeder, who replaced Jim Heilig in September last year, says the organisation will be able to control market, product and technological development more effectively under the new structure. He anticipates, also, that it will provide local country services at a low cost.

Consolidation of the business – Europe´s largest in rotational moulding – under the new arrangements is expected to take 12 months. During this time it will not pursue further acquisitions. The Plastics Division of Low & Bonar turned over GBP 82.3m in the year to 30 November 1999, similar to 1998, but pre-tax profits fell from GBP11.5m GBP 6.5m. At the time, the company acknowledged that more effort was needed to take advantage of its market-leading position in roto-moulding.