Exhibit 10 (L)
                            AMENDMENT NO. 1

                   THE WEST COMPANY INCORPORATION                              
              SUPPLEMENTAL EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT PLAN
   
     The West Company, Incorporated hereby amends its Supplemental Employee
 Retirement Plan as set forth below:

 1.  Section 3 is hereby deleted and the following substituted therefor:

          3.     The monthly normal retirement benefit calculated under this
 Plan at a Participant's attainment of age 65 shall be equal to the benefit
 that would have been paid under the SERP if the amount of the monthly benefit 
 under the SERP as in effect when the Participant attained age 65 (assuming 
 payment in the form of a single life annuity with no period certain) was
 calculated (i) by taking into account compensation a Participant elected to 
 defer under The West Company Non-Qualified Plan for Designiated Executive
 Officers for purposes of determining his Average Annual Earnings, and (ii) 
 without taking the Code Limits into account, reduced by the offet provided
 in paragraph 4.

           To record the adoption of this Amendment No. 1 to the Plan, The
 West Company, Incorporated has caused its authorized officers to affix its 
 name and seal this 1st day of November, 1994.

 (CORPORATE SEAL)                        THE WEST COMPANY, INCORPORATED


 Attest:                                  By:
        -----------------------------        ---------------------------------
                                              George R. Bennyhoff
                                              Senior Vice President
                                              Human Resources and Public Affairs