Perstorp signs distribution deal with Nexeo Solutions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Swedish chemical group Perstorp's subsidiary Perstrop Polyols has signed an agreement with Nexeo Solutions to reinforce its distribution network in southeast Ohio Valley and the central US region, said Chemicals-technology.

Under the deal, Nexeo Solutions will distribute Perstorp's specialty products such as Capa caprolactones, Charmor carbon sources for intumescent systems and Alkoxylated polyol product lines. The agreement does not include the west coast and northeastern regions.

Perstorp Americas region sales director of specialties and solutions Rob Magro said: "We see a natural synergy between the performance offered by Perstorp's specialty product lines and the ability of Nexeo Solutions to bring that value to new and existing customers. "Nexeo Solutions will optimise the 'solutions' component of our customer offering."

Perstorp has manufacturing units in Asia, Europe and North America, supplying its products to various sectors including the aerospace, marine, coatings, chemicals, plastics, engineering, and construction industries, and others.
Perstorp Holding, owned by French private equity company PAI, acquired Perstorp Group in 2005.

Nexeo Solutions distributes more than 26,000 products to different industries such as chemicals manufacturing, oil and gas, paints and coatings, automotive, healthcare and personal care in North America, EMEA, and Asia. It also provides logistics capabilities, market knowledge, technical expertise and environmental service.

Nexeo employs around 2,500 employees, and it has network of over 1,200 suppliers and 28,000 customers. Perstorp partnered with Corbion in 2011 and jointly developed a new lactide caprolactone co-polymer for hot melt adhesives in August this year.

The new product contains more than 80% renewable content and is fully compostable. It will help adhesives manufacturers to ensure food safety in food packaging. The new product is expected to be in the market from this year.

As MRC informed before, in 2013, Perstorp launched Pevalen as a non-phthalate plasticizer meeting market demand in sensitive applications. Pevalen is a plasticizer based on well-proven, reliable chemistry. As a non-phthalate plasticizer alternative it does not compromise performance in any way. In fact performance is equal to or better than other plasticizers used today.

Perstorp is one of the world leaders in various sectors of the specialty chemicals market, it's pioneer in formalin chemistry, plastics and surface materials. Perstorp was founded in 1881 and is controlled by PAI partners,a major European private equity company. The company has around 1,500 employees in with 22 production plants in Europe, Asia and North America.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Cytec Industries Inc. announced that the waiting period for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976, as amended, has expired in connection with the previously announced merger with Solvay SA, said the company in its press release.

Accordingly, the condition with respect to the expiration of the applicable waiting periods under the HSR Act has been satisfied.

The deal received the clearance after the waiting period ended under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act.

Solvay announced the USD5.5bn deal earlier this year.

As MRC informed previously, in early 2015, Solvay completed the acquisition of the Ryton PPS (polyphenylene sulphide) business from US-based Chevron Phillips Chemical Company for USD220 million, enlarging its high-performance polymers offering and entering a solid growth market.

Solvay S.A. is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium. The company has diversified into two major sectors of activity: chemicals and plastics. Solvay supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers - fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Polish chemical group Synthos has signed an agreement with the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) to start an open innovation-based project for the chemical industry, said Chemicals-technology.

The joint-venture aims to develop a new generation of chemical products that will contribute to the chemicals industry in Poland.

NCBR Director Krzysztof Jan Kurzydlowski said: "Polish chemical companies have great potential. The best strategy to make use of this is to develop on the basis of new technologies."

"Investment in innovation allows to obtain a lasting competitive advantage. It is pleasing to me that one of the leaders of the Polish chemical market has decided to develop new technologies in co-operation with Polish scientists."
"Together with our partner we undertake the project, which will fund top level R&D that can increase the competitiveness of the Polish economy, and thus affect everyone's standard of living."

Under the agreement, both the partners will establish an open innovation permanent and cyclical support mechanism based on an open innovation model.

Under the agreement, the NCBR and Synthos will contribute public and private funds in R&D in an equal ratio, as well as sharing the risk.

The NCBR-Synthos agreement aims at developing an increased participation of entrepreneurs in R&D financing.
Synthos board chairman Tomasz Kalwat said: "A company which successfully competes on today's market is an innovative one, with an ability to create, implement and disseminate creative solutions.

"R&D investment is a permanent part of the development of Synthos. We hope that the joint-venture with the NCBR will result with interesting and innovative projects on a global scale."

As MRC informed earlier, Rosneft, Pirelli S.p.A. and Synthos S.A. signed a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to performing a feasibility study in the area of R&D, production and supply of synthetic rubber in the city of Nakhodka within the framework of the FEPCO (Far East Petrochemical Company) petrochemical cluster.

Synthos Group S.A. is one of the largest manufacturers of chemical raw materials in Poland. The Company is the first European manufacturer of emulsion rubbers and a leading manufacturer of polystyrene.The company offers high-grade, sophisticated technological products to a wide range of customers worldwide. Synthos S.A. is a company which was established following the merger of Firma Chemiczna Dwory S.A. and Kaucuk a.s.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kraton Performance Polymers Inc. said Monday that it has agreed to buy closely held Arizona Chemical Holdings Corp. for USD1.37 billion in cash, said the Wall Street Journal.

Arizona Chemical makes chemicals found in things like breakfast cereal packaging and car tires from renewable materials. Kraton, which makes polymers used in products such as baby diaper elastic and roofing materials, said it expects the acquisition to diversify its markets.

The deal will also allow Kraton to reduce its overall exposure to hydrocarbon-based feedstocks, Chief Executive Kevin Fogarty said in a news release.

Kraton said it is targeting USD65 million in synergies by 2018 and expects the deal to add USD1.40 to its per-share earnings in the first full year after closing. The combined company had USD1.98 billion in revenue in the year ended June 30. Last year, Kraton posted USD1.23 billion in revenue.

The deal is expected to close by early next year. Kraton shares, down 12% this year, were inactive premarket.

As MRC wrote before, Kraton Performance Polymers announced the introduction of two new hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers (HSBCs).

Arizona Chemical is a market-driven global specialty chemicals company that manufactures and sells high-value performance products derived from pine wood pulping co-products. As the largest global provider in the pine chemicals industry, Arizona Chemical refines and further upgrades two primary feedstocks, crude tall oil and crude sulfate turpentine, into value added specialty products.

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries (collectively, "Kraton"), is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and one of the world's largest producers of styrenic block copolymers (SBCs), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by Kraton 50 years ago. Kraton's polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay has created new opportunities at its Portuguese site in Povoa by upgrading its peroxide activities and by opening the strategically located premises to other companies, said the company in its press release.

Over the past 19 months, and following the ending of Solvay’s on-site soda ash activities, Solvay’s Peroxides Global Business Unit has taken a range of measures to improve the long-term competitiveness of the site, which has a long tradition in serving Portugal’s leading pulp & paper industry and provides solutions to the textile, mining, industrial and hospital disinfection, for the treatment of effluents.

@Our recent investments on site reinforce our long-term commitment to our customers to whom we will continue to deliver top quality products. The optimization of the site makes it a strong industrial platform with plenty of potential thanks to the sharing of facilities, services and expert workforce with internal or external companies" said Alain Jeanmart, General Manager Peroxides for EMEA.

The hydrogen peroxide unit is now integrated with the sodium chlorate plant. Thanks to its highly skilled personnel, it runs continuously industrial-level trials that support the Research and Innovation for Solvay’s hydrogen peroxide plants worldwide.

Excellence measures to increase energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emission were implemented through an innovative project by burning an excess of hydrogen to produce energy as steam, thereby reducing production costs.

The site’s lay-out was reshaped with new facility networks now fully operational and around 30 hectares of land are now available for the development of new activities. The site’s location close to the capital city, the international airport and commercial ports, positions it ideally to meet local and regional customers’ and industrial partner’s needs.

As MRC informed earlier, BASF, SK Chemicals (Seoul) and Solvay are in discussions, which may lead to the construciton of a hydrogen peroxide-to-propylene oxide (HPPO) project at Ulsan. SKC, a chemical unit under SK Group, has sought to use BASF's production license to build a propylene oxide facility with a 400,000-ton capacity in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Solvay S.A. is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium. The company has diversified into two major sectors of activity: chemicals and plastics. Solvay supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers пїЅ fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds.
MRC