Rapra, Smithers agreement ends

ERJ staff report (R&PN)

Telford, UK - Rapra Ltd., the plastics and rubber organisation, said it has ended its services provider agreement with Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd., the US-owned testing and consultancy firm.

A five-year service agreement was signed by the companies in 2007, a year after Smithers Group Inc. acquired Rapra's Telford-based technical services division out of bankruptcy and re-named it Smithers Rapra.

In a statement Rapra, a not-for-profit organisation, said that having listened to its members it felt unable to agree to terms with Smithers Rapra “which we felt would be acceptable...and would continue to sustain Rapra Ltd. as a viable independent membership organisation going forward.”

Steve Shaw, Rapra's operations director, said the agreement ended amicably between the two parties.

“We had established a template for new service providers which Smithers Rapra chose not to sign up to,” Shaw said. “We will still refer people to them, but we plan to expand our network of service provider organisations, particularly in mainland Europe, North America and the Far East.”

Dave Schwarz, vice president marketing and strategic planning at the Smithers Group, said, “We had a service agreement for a number of years where Rapra members would come to us to receive a discount on services we provided. We mutually agreed not to take that contract forward.”

Schwarz said Akron-based Smithers is committed to its presence in the United Kingdom. “It is part of our global Smithers Rapra brand,” he said.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)