Tornadoes disrupting southern material plants

DYERSBURG, Tenn. (May 9)—PolyOne Corp. has restarted production at its Dyersburg rubber compounding plant and a few lines at its nearby plastics compounding site following a May 4 tornado. The company, whose employees had recently run a tornado drill, did not suffer any injuries, a spokesman said. The tornado flipped rail cars, tore off parts of the roof and also damaged the infrastructure of the plastics factory, but the company does not yet have damage estimates, he said. Owens-Corning Corp.'s Springfield, Tenn., plant also was hit by a tornado the same night. The company has transferred acoustic composite and sound absorption material equipment and production to other locations in Springfield while it decides what to do with its heavily hit plant. No word was immediately available about elastomer plants in the Oklahoma City area following another tornado May 8.