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Gas plant's ownership still up in air French, American firms divide BOC Group's assets By DAVID PRESZLER WHITE CITY -- Just a few months into production, BOC Edwards' plant here has new on-site management, but there's no word yet on who its new owner will be. Mike Eilola, hired as the plant's general manager, left the company in late November, roughly three months after production began. Bob Phillips and Jeff Saunders have taken over management of the plant. Phillips, a 13-year veteran with the company, was the White City plant's first official employee and has been involved with the project since its inception. Saunders has worked on the project for more than a year. Phillips said Eilola took a job in another industry and moved to Phoenix, Ariz. BOC Edwards, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based BOC Group, spent $25 million to build the plant, which has 34 employees. The plant purifies gases that are used in the semiconductor industry to clean and etch the silicon wafers that run computers. Just before the plant's opening, two of BOC Group's competitors announced plans to purchase the company for $11.5 billion, and split its assets. Air Liquide, based in Paris, and U.S.-based Air Products & Chemicals Inc. have yet to announce which company would take over the White City plant. Phillips said no announcement will be made until after the companies file a formal merger proposal with the Federal Trade Commission. He doesn't expect word until at least the end of January. No matter which company ends up with the plant, Phillips and other BOC officials don't expect big changes. "There's still the expectation that it will be business as usual," Phillips said. Phillips said demand for the plant's products remains strong, so he expects operations to continue as BOC planned. The company began operating in late August and had its grand opening in late September. So far, things have gone smoothly. "There have been some start-up issues but nothing that we couldn't work through," he said. The plant has begun production on a limited basis, and is shipping samples of its product to customers for testing. Because of the precise nature of the business, he said it will take more time to hit full stride. "We won't hit full production for some time," he said. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA