Arkema plans to assume ownership of Total’s coatings resins and photocure resins activity (*) mid-2011. On completion of the acquisition, Arkema will have a unique and comprehensive portfolio of coatings materials and technologies. The current acquisition is the latest in a series of acquisitions over four years that will make Arkema a leading supplier serving paint and coating producers around the world. Arkema will present this new positioning through its comprehensive offering focused on innovation and sustainability to the main market players at the European Coatings Show held in Nuremberg from March 29 to 31 2011.
A wide range of solutions and technologies
By end 2011, Arkema’s revenue from paint and coating applications will have risen to 18%, up from 3% of its overall sales in 2006. Between these two dates, Arkema will have significantly enhanced its product range for the paint and coating market through major acquisitions: in 2007 Arkema acquired Coatex, a manufacturer of rheology additives, in 2010 Arkema acquired the acrylics and the waterborne resins assets from The Dow Chemical Company in the United States, and in December 2010 Arkema announced the purchase of the coatings resins (water- and solvent-based, powders, rheology additives) and photocure resins from Total.
These product ranges complement Arkema’s product portfolio for paint and coating applications, which includes Kynar® PVDF, oxygenated solvents and amines, Fascat® catalysts, as well as Rilsan® and Orgasol® polyamide fine powders.
« In the last 5 years, our development investments combined with our targeted acquisitions have confirmed our commitment to the coating and paint market. 2011 will be a pivotal year for Arkema: we will become one of the major suppliers to this market thanks to one of the most comprehensive international product and technology offerings. We will then be in a position to fulfill the specific technological requirements of our customers, wherever they are based in the world », stated Thierry Le Hénaff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arkema.
A worldwide presence
With a global reach in most of its product lines, Arkema is committed to further expansion in order to assist its customers on every continent. In 2011 Arkema will bring on stream a new Kynar® PVDF plant and a rheology additives plant (Coatex) at its Changshu site in China, while the construction of a water-based resin plant for start-up at end 2012 has also been announced on the same site. Arkema will continue to boost its presence around the world, in particular in South America. With an enhanced portfolio, 40 plants around the world, and 10 technical and application centers, Arkema in 2011 has all the necessary assets to serve the global coating and paint market.
Increasingly effective and environmentally sound solutions
As initiator of many recent innovations in the paint sector (Kynar® Aquatec, SNAPTM, UCARFlex Latex™, Alpamine®, CoapurTM from Coatex …), Arkema aims to capitalize on the innovation synergies between its existing research centers and the research centers acquired as part of the transaction with Total. Arkema confirms its commitment to developing new formulations from sustainable materials and to assisting its customers in finding increasingly environmentally sound, effective and durable solutions with low VOC emissions.
(*) Plan subject to the legal information and consultation process involving trade unions and to the approval of antitrust authorities in the countries concerned.
A global chemical company and France’s leading chemicals producer, Arkema is building the future of the chemical industry every day. Deploying a responsible, innovation-based approach, we produce state-of-the-art specialty chemicals that provide customers with practical solutions to such challenges as climate change, access to drinking water, the future of energy, fossil fuel preservation and the need for lighter materials. With operations in more than 40 countries, 14,000 employees and 8 research centers, Arkema generated annual revenue of €5.9 billion in 2010, and holds leadership positions in all its markets with a portfolio of internationally recognized brands. The world is our inspiration.