Rice-Chadwick to open plant after long delay

KILLBUCK, Ohio (May 16)—Rubber extruder Rice-Chadwick Rubber Co. will resurrect an idle manufacturing plant in the next three to six months as it strives to move into plastics and shake off the effects of the slumping economy. The Killbuck-based company will open its 42,000-sq.-ft. facility in nearby Loudonville to house a continuous salt-bath cure line and increase its extrusion capacity, said Rice-Chadwick President William Buntin. The line is brand new, and over the next few weeks will be "debugged" and used for product samples. The announcement comes almost exactly two years after Rice-Chadwick unveiled a $2 million business expansion plan, including the purchase of the Loudonville plant, machinery, vehicles and office equipment. But when the economy sagged throughout 2001, demand fell and the plan was put on hold.