NEWS


Ascend buys BTP to add compounding in Europe


US-headquartered PA 66 specialist Ascend Perfor- mance Materials has acquired Netherlands-based compounder Britannia Techno Polymer (BTP), giving it its first wholly- owned compounding operation outside of the US. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed. Tilburg-based BTP has


been providing toll com- pounding services to Ascend since its formation in 2009, and to predecessor Solutia since 2006. The com- pany currently has a production capacity of around 32,000 tonne/yr, around half of which is understood to have been used by its new owner. “Ascend is a major


portion of the activity that currently goes on at BTP,” said Phil McDivitt, President and CEO of Ascend, who explained that the Ascend/ BTP relationship went beyond the typical toll compounding arrangement. “We have toll compounding capacity in Asia and also


Ascend Performance Materials CEO Phil McDivitt (left) with BTP founder Andrew Leigh


Tronox reshuffles TiO2


ops


Pigments and additives firm Venator has agreed exclusive rights with


other toll compounding agreements in Europe and North America. But the relationship with BTP is different. We have built our engineering plastics business in Europe in very close partnership,” he said. The decision to acquire BTP is part of a strategy of establishing regional compound production, according to McDivitt. He said that the company’s highly integrated PA66 production capabilities in the US allows it to be globally competitive in resin but compounding activity benefits from a more localised footprint. Ascend’s existing


compounding capacity in


the US is located at its sites at Pensacola in Florida and Foley in Alabama and these have been supplying some of its European require- ments. “We will be scaling down the production coming from the US as we integrate the BTP facility,” said Ascend Senior Vice President Scott Rook. All BTP staff will be joining


Ascend, including founder and Managing Director Andrew Leigh. “Andy will transition to become our Director of Compounding Technology. We expect him to play a key role in our compounding business on a global scale,” said McDivitt. � www.btpolymer.com � www.ascendmaterials.com


Tronox to buy the TiO2 complex at Ashtabula in Ohio – currently part of the Cristal business – for $1.1bn, if Tronox is required to divest this to gain clearance for its takeover of Cristal by US authorities (the US Federal Trade Commission has challenged the deal). The Ashtabula site


produces TiO2 pigments


using the chloride process and accounts for 30% of Cristal’s production capacity. The sale to Venator is part of a deal that will also see the company buy Tronox’s European paper laminates pigments business and to transfer production to its facility at Greatham in the UK. Disposal of this business was a condition laid down by the European competi- tion authority for approval of Tronox’s Cristal purchase. � www.tronox.com � www.venatorcorp.com


Chromos wins ‘oldest Leistritz’ award


Chromos, a masterbatch producer based at Samobor in Croatia, has been identified as the owner of the oldest Leistritz Extrusionstechnik extruder still in operation. The search was conducted as part of the Nuremberg, Germany-based extruder maker’s 80th


anniversary celebra-


tions and began in March. The machine is a ZSE 70 that was put into operation in 1973 and is


still producing daily. The search produced emails from customers as far away as Singapore and Australia, the company added. � www.leistritz.com/en


Left: Some of the Chromos team with their winning 1973 ZSE70 extruder www.compoundingworld.com August 2018 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 5


PHOTO: LEISTRITZ


PHOTO: ASCEND PERFORMANCE MATERIALS


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