Arkema Makes Brazilian Market Entry
Global expansion
plans includes
increasing presence
in BRIC nations.
by Charles W. Thurston
Latin America Correspondent
thurstoncw@rodpub.com
France’s Arkema recently purchased Brazil’s Resicryl Industria & Comercio, based in Araçariguama, in Sao Paulo state, providing the multinational’s Coatex unit with a market entry into the rapidly-growing country.
Coatex will add an estimated $20 million in
sales through the Brazilian acquisition, and
likely also increase its paint and coatings sales
in Argentina, where other industrial chemicals
are produced. “This is a first major step that will
allow Arkema and its subsidiary Coatex to draw
on the strong growth of Brazil and Latin America without delay,” said Alain Mari, the chairman of Coatex, at the purchase announcement.
The company’s most recent annual report
notes that its global expansion plans include a
larger presence in the BRIC countries—Brazil,
India and China—as well as in Southeast Asia
and the Middle East.
Arkema is a global coatings company, which
also produces a variety of specialty chemicals
and chemical products. The company’s acrylics
are widely used in solvent-free paints, and its
coatings products represent 31 percent of global
sales. After acquiring Seppic in 2011, Arkema
added alkoxylates to its product portfolio, used
in manufacturing rheology additives for paints.
Arkema has “expected strong growth in the
mineral industry, paper, construction, water
treatment, and paint and adhesives markets” in
Brazil, and brings a strong portfolio of paints,
coatings and other related products to the country. The company’s PVDF, a paint additive with
broad functionality enhancement and increasing
demand, is marketed under the Kynar brand.
Among polyacrylate dispersing agents, Coatex markets the Ecodis and Coadis brands, and
among acrylic water-based paint thickeners, it
markets the Rheotech, Thixol and Viscoatex
brands. Coapur is the company’s polyurethane-based thickener brand.
Among other key products, Arkema’s poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) resins and sheets
are marketed in Brazil and the rest of the Ameri-
cas under the Plexiglas brand. Similarly, Arkema
has been developing laminated photovoltaic back
sheet films using polyethylene terepthalate (PET)
between two layers of polyvinylidene fluoride
(PVDF), which protects the core PET layer from
ultraviolet rays and water. Brazil is in the process
of developing a domestic photovoltaic industry,
with several PV panel production projects under-way, on both research and industrial levels.
“[Arkema’s] expansion
plans include a larger
presence in the BRIC
countries—Brazil, India
and China—as well as in
Southeast Asia and the
Middle East.”
Kynar PVDF, used particularly in metal powder coatings, receives the lion’s share of Arkema’s
research and development funding, with activities based at King of Prussia, PA, where the company also performs industrial paint R&D. Kynar
Aquatec is an emulsion of Kynar PVDF copolymer with an acrylic resin, used in architectural
applications. PVDF can add mechanical strength
to paint and coatings, and offers chemical and
UV protection, among other benefits. Energy efficient facade coatings are another architectural
segment strength of the company.
Arkema’s Coating Resins unit is based in
Cary, N.C., and provides a wide range of waterborne, solvent borne and powder resins along
with additives for formulators of architectural
coatings, industrial finishes, construction products, traffic paints, sealants, adhesives, inks,
floor care and graphic arts products.
The company’s Argentine sales presence is
led by Vetek S.A., based in Buenos Aires, which
is held 60 percent by Arkema. Apart from paint
and coatings sales, Vetek also operates a gas
odorant blending and packaging facility. CW
