of Total’s Cray Valley and Cook Composite
Polymers (CCP) and the photocure resins
operations of Sartomer.
The businesses have total sales of
€850 million and employ 1,750 people in
13 countries on 20 sites around the world.
Sartomer makes acrylic esters and
epoxy, urethane and polyester acrylates
for resins with high-curing speeds and 100
percent dry content for applications in industrial and wood coatings, graphic arts
and electronics. Sartomer’s primary global
competitor is Cytec.
The main markets for Cray Valley’s
resins are architectural, coil, can, marine
and protective coatings as well as resins
for adhesives and sealants. It also has a
big position in rheological additives.
Through its resins activities, Total has
been among the top five producers in the
global coatings sector for solventborne,
powder and photocure resins.
These businesses are being merged
with Arkema’s own coatings operations in
which it has a global leading position in
specialty emulsions, fluoropolymer
binders sold under the brand name Kynar
and in rheology additives through its Coa-tex business, which it acquired in 2007. It
also has a strong position in glass coatings
through its subsidiary Altuglas.
As a result of the Total acquisition,
Arkema now has a relatively strong position in coatings materials in the three
major regions of Europe, North America
and Asia, whereas previously it had no
coatings production facilities in Asia.
Above all with many of the resins
being acrylic, the operation will be highly
integrated into Arkema’s own production
of acrylic acids. In Carling in northeast
France, the company has a petrochemicals
site dedicated to the production of raw
materials for acrylic-based products.
“(The acquisition of PolymerLatex)
creates a group with increased scale, an
enhanced product portfolio, stronger
market position and greater efficiencies,
all of which provide a foundation from
which to grow and compete more effectively in a consolidating emulsion polymers market,” said Adrian Whitfield, Yule
Catto’s chief executive.
“At the same time it supports our long-term strategy by providing a stronger platform and the necessary cash generation to
accelerate our growth in emerging markets,” he said.
Meanwhile among coatings producers,
the biggest recent acquisition in Europe
has been that of the UK plastic coatings
specialist Sonneborn & Rieck by Fujikura
Kasei of Japan.
The Japanese company has now taken
100 percent control of a tripartite alliance
of itself Sonneborn & Rieck and Red
Spot Paint & Varnish Co. Inc of the U.S.,
which it acquired three years ago. The
three have pooled their production, marketing and R&D operations to create a
worldwide venture.
“With all three companies now under
one roof, (they) form a sustainable strategic business model to serve customers on
a global basis,” said Shigeru Takehashi,
chief executive of Fujichem Sonneborn,
the newly named UK subsidiary.
Coatings producers in Europe are
likely now to have to go through a period
of consolidation to match the restructuring already started by suppliers of coating
materials. Otherwise they run the risk of
losing bargaining power within the coatings supply chain. CW
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Coatings World | 15
