MOSCOW (MRC) -- Stepan Company (Northfield, Illinois) says it has acquired Invista’s aromatic polyols business, which has annual sales of about USD100 million, according to Chemweek.
The deal includes a manufacturing site in Wilmington, North Carolina, and another in Vlissingen, Netherlands, as well as intellectual property, customer relationships, inventory, and working capital. Terms of the deal, which was financed with cash on hand, were not disclosed.
F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., chairman and CEO, says the acquisition will support the growth of Stepan’s global rigid polyol business. “We expect that Invista's available spare capacity, plus debottlenecking opportunities in both plants, will allow Stepan to support market growth in a capital efficient way," he says. "We believe the long-term prospects for rigid polyol use in insulation remain strong, as energy conservation efforts and more stringent building codes should continue to drive market growth. Additionally, we believe the acquired technology will accelerate our product leadership initiatives, drive manufacturing efficiencies and output, and create increased value for the overall market."
Stepan already has polyester polyols capacity at Nanjing, China; Wesseling, Germany; Brzeg Dolny, Poland; Columbus, Georgia; and Millsdale, Illinois, according to IHS Markit's Directory of Chemical Producers.
As MRC informed before, Stepan conducted planned maintenance at its 90,000 tonnes/year phthalic anhydride (PA) plant Millsdale, Illinois, US, from early October to end-October, 2020.
Phthalic anhydride is widely used in for the production of paints and varnishes and plasticizers for PVC products. In a small amount it is used in the manufacture of rubber products, tires. In addition, it is used in the light, pharmaceutical and electrical industries.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Overall production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) reached 976,500 tonnes in 2020, up by 0.2% year on year. Only two producers managed to increase their PVC output
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