Advanced Polymer Coatings Strikes Series of New Tanker Deals 

U.S.-based manufacturer Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) is announcing a series of new chemical tanker deals in Turkey, one of its biggest export markets. Avon, Ohio-headquartered APC is set to begin work this month supplying its MarineLINE tank coating system to the Dentas shipyard in Turkey. The team is undertaking two repair jobs at the yard for Turkish shipowner Veysel Vardal Shipping on its 6800 DWT MT BARBAROS ULUÇ VARDAL and MT BARBAROS HAYRETTİN VARDAL chemical tankers, each with 12 cargo tanks and two slop tanks to be coated. APC has just struck new deals to recoat six tankers owned by Turkish ship owner Mercan, and a single tanker for fellow Turkish ship owner Transal. The work will be overseen by APC’s Tuzla-based Turkish team led by Koray Karagöz.

Captain Yildirim said Turkey remains one of APC’s most important export destinations, where it now commands 80% of the market. APC now has more than 12% of the global chemical tanker coating market with 700 ships coated worldwide with MarineLINE. In 2021, APC reported one of its most successful years of trading, coating 56 ships equating to over 750,000 square meters of MarineLINE applied.

Extreme Coatings Expands Global Footprint with Production Site in Austria 

Extreme Coatings, a global supplier of wear-resistant coating solutions for the plastics and rubber industries, has announced the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Austria for the production of high-performance coatings for feedscrews in injection molding and extrusion applications. The company has established a European subsidiary, Extreme Coatings GmbH, and formed a strategic partnership with a leading Austrian engineering services company to operate the facility. The plant in Gmunden, Austria, is slated to open by October 1.

‘‘The market demand for our wear-resistant coatings has shown exponential growth in several key application areas for quite some time,” said Caplan. “We’ve expanded our global footprint so we can break the logistical logjam that exists today and ensure stable supply to all key European regions.”

The increased capacity in Europe will shorten lead times, reduce shipping costs, and establish local supply for Extreme Coatings’ growing customer base throughout Europe, according to Scott Caplan, executive vice president. The 15,000-sq-ft Austria plant expands Extreme Coatings’ global footprint, which includes operations in India, South Korea, and Chile.

IGM Resins Strengthens Market-Leading Position by Acquiring Litian

IGM Resins, a global provider of energy-curing raw material solutions, announces that it has acquired Litian, a Chinese manufacturer of energy-curing resins. This acquisition is an important step in IGM Resins’ ‘Go, Grow, Green’ strategy, enabling the company to further expand its global footprint, strengthening its supply chain, and enhancing its leading position in energy-curing solutions with a combined product portfolio.

Litian is currently the second-largest Chinese producer of UV acrylates with a high market share and strong reputation in Asia. Over the years, Litian has demonstrated a strong commitment to safety and to driving sustainability: “safety first, environmental protection first” is the foundational principle of Litian, which became a second-level safety standardization enterprise in 2015 and, to date, has never had a major safety accident. Furthermore, 80% of the company’s electricity consumption is from wind power. Litian can also manufacture all products through a self-developed toluene-free process to meet market demand, and continues to invest in three-waste treatment technologies and facilities.

The acquisition will give IGM Resins a global production footprint for resins with locations now in both Rudong, China and Charlotte, North Carolina. The acquisition also strengthens the company’s presence in the Asian market, diversifies its resins production globally, and strengthens its customer-centric solution provision across three product lines, through the combination of photoinitiators, energy-curing resins, and additives.

ChemQuest and Agilis Commerce Collaborate on Co-Market Digital Commerce Solutions 

The ChemQuest Group, Inc. has launched a partnership with Agilis Commerce to address demands for digital channels-to-market serving the chemicals and materials industry. ChemQuest is a global consulting firm focused on tailored business strategy and optimization, technology acceleration, and market intelligence. Agilis is a provider of B2B digital commerce solutions, Agilis Commerce Cloud, for the chemical, plastic, and ingredients industry.

ChemQuest will include Agilis Commerce Cloud with its full suite of service offerings to enable growth, agility and resilience for its clients. ChemQuest’s services are focused on business strategy and transformation, M&A, manufacturing excellence, and technology application and development. It also offers the new TraQr™ custom interactive dashboard and forecasting tool.

Brenntag Specialties Announces Exclusive Supplier Agreement with Tolsa 

Brenntag has become the exclusive distributor of Tolsa’s Functional Additives Business in the United States and Canada. The product portfolio includes ADINS^® Flame Retardancy, ADINS Clean, and ADINS Protection, and can be utilized in the coatings & construction, polymers, rubber, and wire and cable industries.

“We are excited to announce the expansion of our relationship with the Functional Additives division of Tolsa in North America,” stated Stephen Regular, senior director, Industry Market Management, Material Science, Brenntag North America. “This unique chemistry, combined with both Tolsa and Brenntag’s technical support teams, will enhance our already extensive portfolio and further solidify our position as the preferred chemical distributor for our customers.”

ADINS is a patented technology based on natural silicates that provides new functionalities to materials and reinforces specific properties in organic and inorganic systems.

Univar Solutions Expands Global Offerings with Acquisition of Spanish Specialty Distributor Vicom 

Univar Solutions Inc., a global solutions provider to users of specialty ingredients and chemicals, announced that it has acquired Vicom Distribución Productos Quimicos, S.L., a leading regional specialty chemicals distributor in Spain and Portugal.

The Vicom acquisition will further expand the company's already robust specialty portfolio of coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers (CASE) offerings by enhancing its range of additive solutions and augmenting its presence in Europe with more sustainable options.

"I am delighted to welcome the Vicom team to the Univar Solutions family," said Nick Powell, president of Global Ingredients & Specialties. "Vicom advances our strategic growth priorities by deepening our ability to offer market-leading ingredients, specialty chemicals, and solutions to our customers. With a highly knowledgeable sales organization, strong partnerships with both new and existing Univar Solutions suppliers, and a proven track record of service excellence, Vicom is a highly complementary fit and will add even more value to our customers as we expand our solution offerings to meet trends and drive sustainable options as we continue growing together."

Teresa García, president of the board, Vicom, said, "We are very excited to join Univar Solutions to offer our customers an even broader portfolio of critical solutions for their applications. We share a deep commitment to customer service through an enhanced experience, and I am confident we have a very bright future ahead as part of Univar Solutions."