BUSINESS MEMO: SALES, MARKETING ALLIANCE

Spartech Corp. has entered into a strategic sales and marketing alliance with Takiron Co., LTD., headquartered in Osaka, Japan.

Takiron is a leading producer of engineered plastic materials for industrial, agricultural, electronics and medical markets with annual sales of $550 million.

"The alliance is designed to further expand Spartech's international reach, which accelerated in 1996 with our acquisition of the Hamelin Group's six facilities located throughout Canada," said Bradley B. Buechler, Spartech president and chief executive officer.

The Takiron agreement is for a term of three years and calls for the companies to coordinate efforts to promote certain of each others' products in their respective regions of the world, said Buechler.

The Asia-Pacific region has 60 percent of the world's population but consumes only 25 percent of the global thermoplastic output.

"This alliance should be instrumental in our penetration into this expanding market," said Buechler.

Spartech, headquartered in St. Louis, has two operations in Cape Girardeau -- Spartech Plastics at 2500 Spartech Drive and Spartech Compounding on Nash Road. The company is a leading producer of engineered thermoplastic materials, poly compounds and molded products.