Americhem expands materials portfolio for automotive sector with Vi-Chem acquisition

Americhem Group (Cuyahoga Falls, OH), a global provider of color and additive and engineered compound solutions for the polymer industry, has announced the acquisition of Vi-Chem Corp. (Grand Rapids, MI), a supplier of specialty engineered compounds used in injection molding, extrusion and blowmolding applications. The sale was completed on March 18, 2016, and the resulting company will be known as Vi-Chem, an Americhem Group company.

“The Vi-Chem team has built a leadership position in specialty TPE and PVC compounds for the automotive industry,” said Rick Juve, CEO of Americhem Group, in a prepared statement. “We look forward to providing further resources to expand the business geographically and also into Americhem's other current vertical markets.”

In addition to the automotive market, Vi-Chem serves customers in the industrial, building and construction, medical, consumer, and electrical and electronic industries. The company employs 85 people at its 170,000-square-foot Grand Rapids facility, which will serve as Americhem Group’s center of excellence for TPE and PVC compound solutions.

Vi-Chem also houses research and development laboratories that are certified to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard, an accreditation that certifies the capabilities of testing and calibration laboratories. The company is also accredited to the ISO/TS 16949:2009 automotive specific manufacturing standard.

“The addition of Vi-Chem is strategic and further expands our automotive portfolio of products and services,” said John Deignan, President, Americhem. “The automotive and transportation industry is already one of the pillars of our business, and this move adds capabilities and technological innovations that will benefit Americhem Group’s customers and the industry as a whole.”

Americhem Group’s portfolio includes Americhem color and additive solutions, Infinity LTL engineered compounds and now Vi-Chem TPE and PVC compounds. The Group employs approximately 800 people across 10 manufacturing and technical service sites across the Americas, Europe and Asia.