Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 19, 1995                   TAG: 9507190033
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ACADIA POLYMERS LOOKS TO EUROPE

The agreement is with Avon Rubber PLC of Melksham, England, which will represent Acadia's transmission-seal products to European automakers.

Acadia makes 90 percent of all the seals that go into American automotive transmissions and wants to increase its sales to auto companies in Europe, said company President Patrick Malone. The company now exports "very small amounts" to Europe and other regions of the world, he said.

The deal is part of a long-term plan that eventually could create new jobs at Acadia's U.S. plants and possibly require construction of a plant in Europe, he said.

He said the agreement is expected to create $1 million in sales over the next two years and as much as $10 million annually in new business at the end of 10 years. That level of sales could be handled by production at the company's U.S. plants, he said.

It will take a couple of years for Acadia to know much more about the impact of the agreement on the company's sales and employment, Malone said. Acadia employs roughly 1,000 at seven U.S. plants, including 200 at its Clifton Forge plant.

Avon does not compete with Acadia in the transmission-seal business.

Avon's automotive components division designs and makes a wide range of high-performance products, including coolant and heater hoses, engine mounts, suspension bushings, specialized seals, moldings and emission assemblies.